Bible Study in Church

By Jon Zens

In the past few months several people have asked me questions about the proper place of “Bible study” in the assembly. For those in traditional churches fulfilling the above verse translates into being faithful to come and hear a “sermon” every Sunday morning in a church building. Those who have felt led to pursue ekklesia in more informal settings usually have questions about how “teaching” fits into the new scheme of things. Not a few, in reacting to the previous centrality of the pulpit, are leery of being “taught” by anybody, or fear that one person will dominate. Some feel that body gatherings should focus on relational issues instead of studying the Bible. Others feel that there must be teaching every week, or the saints will dry up. What can we learn from the New Testament to put these various concerns in proper perspective?

After 3,000 people believed and were baptized, “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship [koinonia], to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Ac 2:42 ). We see here four central characteristics that marked the believers’ life together. The apostles were immediately involved in teaching the flock. So it is clear that teaching is very important in the ekklesia. But the teaching occurred in the setting of koinonia, eating and praying together.

Among the many gifts Christ gives to his people, some are gifted as teachers (Ep 4:11 ). James says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (3:1). Paul says, “if a person’s gift is teaching, let him teach” (Ro12:6-7). And in 1 Corinthians 12:28 -29 Paul underscores the fact that Christ never intended for everybody to have the same gifting by asking, “Are all teachers?” On the other hand, the writer to the Hebrews chides all the brethren for their lack of growth by saying, “though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again” (5:12). So while it is clear that only some are gifted as teachers, all of Christ’s people are to be “teachers” in the broad sense of contributing to the overall edification of the body according to their spiritual gifts.

Obviously, groups of believers will vary greatly in their giftedness, but if the Lord has brought them together, they can be sure that “in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (1Co12:18). Some assemblies will have several gifted at teaching, some will have one person, and others may feel that they have none. The central thing to keep in mind is that all believers have the Holy Spirit (the “anointing”) and are capable of some level of sharing Christ, of manifesting discernment, of caring for one another, and of understanding the Scriptures. When they come together in His name, they have every reason to expect Christ’s presence (Mt 18:20 ). In a body meeting, each person present has the responsibility to make sure they do not dominate and thereby stifle others. If there are multiple teachers, none should dominate. If there appears to be only one teacher, care should be taken that that gift should not end up being in the limelight. If there appear to be none gifted as teachers, then the body must work hard at trusting the Lord for edifying multiple participation. We are so used to the artificial thinking that assumes that teachers must have a background in a Bible School or seminary. This is not a Scriptural mindset. We must neither succumb to the cult of the expert, nor mute any eminent gifts in the body.

In Acts 20:7 we are specifically told that the purpose of the saints’ gathering was to “break bread,” not to hear teaching. However, in the course of that particular meeting – which was to be Paul’s last appearance in their city — the apostle “dialogued” with them for a long time. What Paul had to say was the meat of the meeting, but it was not a monologue. It was discourse with interaction. This shows that while the raison d’etre of the meeting was to eat (the Lord’s Supper), it was still possible for teaching to take place.

The Corinthians evidently felt that everybody should speak in tongues. They were focusing on certain visible manifestations of the Spirit. Paul corrects this in 1 Corinthians 12-14. In chapter 14, he wants the spontaneity and multiple participation to continue, but in all of this he desires for prophecy to be central, and for everything to be done for edification. Prophecy by “all” results in strengthening, encouragement, comfort and instruction (14:3, 31). In verse 26, Paul mentions a few of many possible contributions that the saints can make to the meeting, and one of them is “a teaching.” So, just as we should not forbid tongues (if there is interpretation), neither should we forbid teaching!

One thing that would help assemblies in all these issues surrounding “teaching” is if they would learn how to study the Bible together with a view toward discerning the Lord’s mind and acting upon it. Since there is so much false teaching floating around, it is vital for the ekklesia to search the Scriptures to see what is actually so. For example, on a host of topics — prayer, angels, body-life, humility, and love — it is certainly possible for a group of believers to photocopy from a concordance or print out from a computer a selection of verses to go over together in discussion and prayer. In the early church apostolic epistles were read to the assembly. That is something congregations should do with regularity. It must be stressed that any handling of God’s word by an ekklesia should not be approached as a stale, intellectual, academic exercise. Our goal must be to exalt Jesus Christ together and obey what he reveals in his word.

Congregations will have their strengths and weaknesses. Some will be grounded in sound teaching, but weak in prayer. Some will excel in mutual caring, but be weak in some gospel truths. The general trend I have seen is that churches tend to be all doctrine with little body-life, or focused on subjective experience with little sound teaching. Why do we sever what God has joined together? We should strive to be caring, practical fellowships who, as Paul exhorted, wish to hold fast to healthy teaching. Therefore, brethren should always be evaluating their life together in light of a summary text like Acts 2:42 , and openly discuss areas they need to grow in.

James 1:19 exhorts all of us to be “quick to hear and slow to speak.” In any group of saints there will be those who tend to talk a lot, those who are reticent, and others inbetween. Those who are always ready to speak must be cautious and be sure they do not stifle the input of others. They must be careful not to dominate or to intimidate by a dogmatic tone that shuts down discussion. Those who are very hesitant to speak need an atmosphere of acceptance and love where they can be encouraged to share as the Lord leads them. If our meetings are truly open, then we must be sensitive to the direction of the Spirit’s leading. We must each be willing to defer to the needs of others. For example, if a body has new converts, or people who have just come out of a cult, or people who just experienced a major life-altering trauma, it will be necessary to focus on their special needs.

A big issue for all of us is the ability to listen carefully to the concerns of others in the body. If we really love each other, we will want to process the issues on other people’s hearts. We may think their question or concern is misplaced, irrelevant, or a non-issue to us, but if we value them we will take their every word seriously. Thus, if you find yourself internalizing thoughts like, “this place is becoming like an arid seminary,” “I can’t keep up with the fine theological points that are being made,” “all we talk about are people’s experiences and we never get into the Word,” “we study the Bible a lot but do not pray much,” “we go through pretty much the same rut every week,” “I’m feeling depressed and not encouraged when I leave the meeting,” “So-and-so seems to dominate the meeting every week,” “I sense a doctrinal imbalance is taking place,” etc., you need to talk with the brothers and sisters. The problem may be you and your wrong perceptions, but when people have concerns they must be openly addressed. That is why is appears wise for an assembly to periodically discuss how their life together is going, so imbalances can be nipped in the bud.

The chemistry of each assembly is unique. The Spirit will take the things of Christ and apply them to our circumstances. What works for one group won’t make sense in another group. But nothing will work unless the brethren are committed to pursuing the Gospel together, in humility preferring one another. The basic components of church life are given in the New Testament, and the odds are high (given the example of the seven ekklesias Christ evaluated) that every assembly has undealt with weaknesses that require change and repentance. Over the long haul together we need the proper mix of teaching, singing, eating, praising, praying, caring, and many other attributes, in order to be healthy. Most of our concerns about how teaching comes to expression in an assembly would probably be resolved if more open discussion with one another and listening to one another were taking place.