I have often said that the last thing most Western Christians need to do is attend another Bible study. Of course, that statement is usually greeted with looks of disbelief, shock, horror, etc. Track with me for a minute before you turn me in to the heresy police.
Why do we do it? Why is it that after countless "Beth Moore" (you know her - the Baptist poster girl) studies, so many of the women I meet are still in bondage to the same sins and living defeated lives (if they were truly honest, that is)? Why is the inherent, sharper than a two-edged sword, Word of God not transforming more lives?
Somewhere along the way, we have shifted from studying the Bible as a means to know Jesus more to studying the Bible to know the Bible more. Which makes sense, considering that is how we are measured as Christians - our ability to give the correct Sunday School answers, articulate theology, name the apostles, quote verses, creeds and catechisms, and win the Bible sword drills. The more knowledge we have, the closer we are to God. Right?
The problem with all that knowledge is that so little of it actually makes it from our heads to our hearts. If I am not mistaken, David hid God's Word in his heart, not his head, that he might not sin against God. I think that I also read somewhere in The Book that to whom much is given much, much more will be required. I see that as a personal warning - Stop learning. Don't attend another study until you actually appropriate the power and Truth of what God has already taught you in the countless studies you have already attended and then moved on from without so much as a blink of an eye. Get that performance-based, points-earning mentality out of your head - it has no place in the kingdom. Knowledge for knowledge sake actually ticks Jesus off - just read a few of the conversations He had with the Pharisees.
Ah, why don't I just share one of my favorite examples from Scripture.
From The Message:
"If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my word in Bible studies (OUCH!) and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss." (Luke 6:48-49)
May the Holy Spirit turn God's Word from abstract information to concrete principles in our lives. May His truth move from a life lesson to a lifestyle. God doesn't want to be part of our minds. He wants to be alive in our hearts and moving our feet (adapted from Kimmel).
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