As we grow in our walk with Christ, knowing God’s word (and seeking it with zeal) is one of the most important things we can do. After all, he’s revealed himself to us in two primary ways: Through his Holy Spirit, which we received as a gift when we became Christians, and in his Word.
This post is the last of 15. In each post, I’ll be examining my personal “Top 15″ things leading to successful bible study. This series of posts can be filed under “Sharing It.”
Click the link to view yesterday’s post on Small Groups.
Sharing It – A Teaching Pastor.
The last element that makes my bible study particularly rich is my participation in a weekly worship service. There are a number of reasons to worship God as a part of a church … but I am only going to focus on how it can enhance a bible study program. We’ll save the other benefits for another series!
I have been particularly blessed over the last 10 years to be a member of churches that have unbelievable teaching pastors: Erwin Lutzer at Chicago’s Moody Church; Dave Stone and Kyle Idleman at Southeast Christian Church; and Matt Carter and Jeff Mangum at Austin Stone Community Church. No matter how much I study on my own, it’ll be hard for me, as a lay person, to ever match up with men who have gone through years of education and training in theology – and then live it out as their careers. Additionally, I have sought out teaching pastors who I believe will not shy away from preaching the scripture as God intended it – and not soft-shoeing (or skipping altogether) the tough parts. There is no question that there are entire sections of scripture that I have huge problems understanding (and sometimes accepting!). But that doesn’t mean I can just conveniently ignore the hard parts … which is what I think a lot of churches do. The best pastors will challenge your beliefs, present perspectives on scripture that you’ve never thought of (weekly), make you hungry to learn more, and (sometimes) make you mad. No matter how much I study the bible, I find that there is ALWAYS another layer of depth … which is not surprising, given that it was inspired by the Creator of the universe! Finding a church that teaches directly from scripture, regardless of “cultural acceptability” or political correctness, is critical for real growth as a Christian.
Finding Approval 
+1 to this! We have an incredible teaching pastor at Hill Country, too: Tim Hawks. His sermons are always informative and challenging. Like you, I welcome a truly honest look at God’s Word, even those passages and sections that I haven’t yet come to grips yet.
Thanks for putting together this series, Greg. Wonder what you’re cooking up next?
Thanks, Brian! I think that we’re going to need to do a “church exchange” – would love to hear Tim preach.
Boy, have I learned a lot of lessons in this series! I can tell you what’s immediately next – the Big Recap. And I have been storing up other posts for the last few weeks in order to complete the “top 15.” Thanks so much for being here all along – glad that it has been of some value for you.
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