Small Group Bible Studies - Coffee House Conversations

          All over the land, Christian folks are meeting together in their favorite coffee places, sharing their faith and ideas, and studying Bible passages together. I’m writing a series of simple Bible study books for such groups called “Coffee House Conversations.” My hope is that these books will make it easy for committed Christians to organize regular groups of their church friends and other folks, for faith conversations and the sharing of their spiritual experiences.

          These books contain seven Bible studies each, which can be used by small groups or individuals for Sunday School, Coffee groups, or House meetings. The purpose of each study is to help participants share their faith, as well as their questions, ideas, and comments, in an amiable way.

         

          Each study should last between 45 to 60 minutes. Different people may lead and enable each study – the format is simple and easy to employ. Currently, I've written three study books, with the promise of more to come. You can view each book online by clicking the following links:

Gospel Devotion: Wrestling with Reality - Luke 23:18

Luke 23:18    But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”

“Popularity should be no scale for the election of politicians. If it would depend on popularity, Donald Duck and The Muppets would take seats in Senate.”

– Orson Welles

            I have often thought that what is popular, fashionable, or currently cool is not necessarily right, moral, or even Christian. I struggle with this constantly, because I am bombarded with societal standards and cultural expectations from my family, friends, peers, and even church members. I’m probably considered to be old-fashioned, anachronistic, and archaic (even using those words defines how outdated I am). Because I wrestle with this, the message that I write or proclaim is tarnished with the same misperception of being antiquated.

            However, I would rather embrace an old-fashioned religion than be besieged by a culture enraptured with the shallowness of celebrity. I would rather hold on to an archaic Gospel than succumb to a diluted message that has no depth. I would rather hold out for a Bible worth reading, studying, and applying, more than a thousand best-sellers that add little quality to my life. Like everyone else, I only have a short time on Earth compared to the eons of eternity. Like some, I would rather seek peace with God and be embraced by Christ, rather than waste my life on spiritual superficiality.

            When the mob in Jerusalem had the opportunity to choose Jesus, who was standing in front of them, they rejected Him and chose Barabbas. They just did what the world has always done: they made a secular, popular choice, and ended up with the wrong person. They could have chosen Christ and have been blessed by His continued teaching; instead they shouted for a killer, becoming killers themselves by abandoning Jesus.

            This week, we will all be given opportunities to do what is right, as opposed to what is convenient or popular. We’ll be challenged by the Spirit of Christ to follow His ways, or to wander down the path of apparent popularity. We’ll either end up marching to the banal tune of a cultural pied piper, or we’ll be singing songs of salvation about our Savior. As always, the choice is ours. It may not be popular, agreeable, or acceptable to even write this, but to paraphrase Orson Welles, if our faith depended upon popularity, then we would worship Donald Duck or the Muppets, instead of a Crucified King and rejected Lord.

Question to ponder

How much culture influences my Christianity?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, we try to follow You but often end up getting distracted by our own preferences and choices. Help us to find the path that You want us to travel on. Give us the courage to make better choices, so that we may serve and worship You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com. John is always interested in your thoughts. And, if you ever find yourself in Knoxville on a Sunday morning, the people at Erin will make you feel welcome and will be delighted to worship with you.

Today’s image is John’s latest Celtic Cross drawing called “Son Light.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Cross.

Erin Church Growth Ideas: The Coffee Club

Years ago, when I ministered in Maybole, Scotland, I set up a weekly Bible study at the church and called it “The Coffee Club.” It started with about ten people and we gathered in the church hall. We sang some hymns, shared some prayers, and discussed different passages from the Bible. It was a wonderful group and as the years passed, it grew in size, faith, and fellowship.

Podcast version here

Isaiah 2:3 Many peoples will come and say,” Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”

Recently, I’ve wanted to get back to some basic Bible teaching, so I have decided to establish a similar group over here in Knoxville, Tennessee. Like the Maybole group, we’re going to meet on Wednesday mornings, have coffee and discuss a chapter of the Bible each week. It will be similar to the Maybole Club, but with the new technology that is available, the club will be extended in several ways.

First of all, there will be a Coffee Club extra held on Wednesday nights for those who can’t make it in the mornings. Secondly, home study material will be made available to everyone on Sunday mornings, that way if they can’t be at the Wednesday meetings, they can study at home.

Thirdly, the study material will be available online via email – which means that anyone, anywhere in the world, can sign up for the studies, just by sending me an email at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

These are exciting times for the ministry of the church, both here at Erin and throughout the world. We begin a 17 week session with the Gospel of Mark, starting next Wednesday. I’m looking forward to this new journey of faith.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the stories about Your life that are contained in the Bible. Thank You for the words of encouragement and inspiring events that mean so much to us even today. Help all of us to make and take time to study Your ways, works, and words. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Knowledge

Audio version here ...

2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge. (NIV)

When I first became a Christian over 30 years ago, all I thought that I had to do was believe in Jesus for the rest of my life. I was quite content to be saved and, for the first time in years, I felt a peace inside of me. I didn’t know then that I needed to grow in goodness and knowledge. I thought that once I became a member of the church, my life would settle down and everything would work out.

But as I traveled the spiritual path of being a pilgrim, I soon realized that there is more to the Christian life than faith. Belief in Jesus made me want to share the good news with other people, but in order to do that, I soon discovered that I had to know my Bible. If I just went out into the streets to share my own experience, then I would be preaching the Gospel according to John Stuart. I needed to know more about God. I had to understand more about who Jesus was, and what He was still doing in the world.

So I started to really read the Bible, but I ended up with more questions than answers. I liked some of the Old Testament stories because they reminded me of Sunday School, but there were some cruel passages that I couldn’t understand. The Gospels were really easy to take in, but when it came to Paul’s letters, I found him too severe and narrow-minded. And then, when I started to read the Book of Revelation, it really spooked me. Images of wicked dragons and monstrous beasts, powerful archangels and cataclysmic disasters kept me awake at night. I couldn’t understand and it frightened me. I felt no better than I did before I gave my heart to Jesus.

And then I started to go to a Bible Study on Sunday nights. Donnie the pastor used his knowledge to explain some of the passages I couldn’t fathom. Slowly and surely, I began to see God’s plan for salvation spreading out across the entire Bible. It was a wonderful time of discovery and realization; it restored my faith and brought back my peace in Christ.

Ever since then, I’ve tried to grow in knowledge about the Bible and I love to share what I’ve learned with other people. I would recommend to everybody, who reads or listens to these messages, to become part of a Sunday School class or a Bible study group. It’s a beautiful way to learn more about God; it’s a wonderful opportunity to grow in faith, goodness, and knowledge.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, believing in You is the best decision we can ever make in our lives. But as well as giving us the gift of belief, You want us to learn more about who You are, what Your mission is, and what purpose You have in store for our lives. Help us to find and join a study group or class that will increase our knowledge about God’s mighty acts and Your work of the Gospel. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.