Window or Mirror?

Forgive me as I know in advance that this post – by its very length – will defend itself against the remote possibility that it will be read.

I had an incredibly interesting experience at Bible Study this morning and would like to share. If you feel led to comment, I’d be overjoyed to hear your thoughts!

Background:
Our Men’s Ministry holds several Bible studies and two of those are on Thursday morning. I have been leading the one that meets “every” Thursday at 6am. These are most often book-of-the-bible studies, but the current study is a topical study currently covering “theology proper”, the study of God. We are in a section about the “less communicable” attributes of God (He is eternal, independent, etc). We have 3-6 men each Thursday morning that are regular attenders. We are an EV Free church that is incredibly biblically focused (edification) and Spirit-led (without being “charismatic”).

This Morning:
We were continuing a study on God, and – as a topical study – we were looking up specific verses and discussing what we [I]could know [/I]of God in order to get a better appreciation of His love for us (He delights in us). The end goal of this section is to take our joy in worshipping/glorfying Him and to take our sense of self-worth in the fact that He chooses to delight in us. A new fellow came to the study this morning, as well as two regular attenders and myself.

The newcomer greeted me with a very liturgical and direct greeting, something like, “I appear here in the spirit of Jesus Christ the Cornerstone, in the blessing of the blood, water, and spirit”.. and so on. It was all very formal and a little “weird”, but I introduced myself, welcomed him and 5-10 minutes later, started the study. This gentleman proceeded to attack the method of study (taking verses out of context) and my approach to the study (interpreting verses for the rest of us). He then stated that he only listened to the direct voice of God and not to men. He insisted on telling us his life story throughout the study, which included divorce, being booted out of the formal ministry, and being involuntarily locked up in psychiatric wards three different times.

I answered him in the topical study assertion with, “I believe that there is value in a topical study – as Christ did with His parables – and I would say that one must be responsible when preparing that study to read the context and book/chapter as a whole, before pulling out a verse. We are careful here at (our church) to perform exegesis rather than eisegesis on our texts, and I appreciate your caution and guidance where topical studies are concerned. Context is critical.”

On the point about interpretation, I discussed the point that I attempt to – on a regular basis – set myself aside and let God shine through, and that the format (small group) promoted and rewarded the personal interaction of all the members (rather than me teaching, it is thought to be participative), but that there needed to be some structure and accomplishment rather than just three or four guys chatting about life… this is why we pray the Spirit into the room and ask for wisdom and guidance.

Finally, I discussed the fact that I believe that theology happens in community. It is very unlikely that we can come to a full understanding of God (or other theological points) without discussing and studying those with others. If we do hear the voice of God, we certainly learn from that, but that is not a full-time or “normative” opportunity for most of us.

He asked for prayer since his second wife has asked him for a divorce, and we ended the study at 7am. WHEW!!!

The Man:
This man was married to a saint of a woman and had seven children (in Neb). When he was first diagnosed (likely bipolar) and was put away, he began to believe that all medical personnel, especially those in the psychiatric field, were evil and Satan’s minons (I’ve been tempted to feel that way myself) The strain of his various issues ended his first marriage and six of his children still try to help their father reconnect to reality and to them.

His brother still interacts with him regularly, though he is at a loss for how to help. This man refuses medical attention and medication and feels it is his calling to be a spiritual advisor to pretty much anyone and it is his calling to make people feel uncomfortable with their faith.

This man’s second wife has now asked him for a divorce and a local church will allow him to attend only on Sunday and will call the authorities if he arrives on church grounds at any other time (because he harasses the members). This man has no history of physical violence and a long history of control and verbal abuse (on his part).

My Plan of Action:
1. Take this man to lunch regularly. The “right thing to do” here does not change based on my desire to or not to do it. I am to minister to him as a brother in Christ, bear his burdens, and to speak the truth to him in love. Hopefully, a venue for him to vent and interact with someone will result in less verbal outburst in more formal settings.

2. Protect my people. While I know that the Lord can speak through anyone, and I take this man’s opinions as possibly the voice of God to me today, I must ensure that the other men in the sutdy are still able to have a spirit of worship and the wisdom to study; that is, this man’s noise level cannot be allowed to derail the entire group. I will be more formal and intentional about my approach to the study so that he is not singled out.

3. Ask for help. I am not a certified counselor (and if I were he wouldn’t talk to me), I am just a man. I have asked our pastor who has a Master’s Degree in Counseling (Psychology not Psychiatry) for guidance and input.

Summary:
I know the Lord spoke to me through this man today and that I must help him. It is amazing to me the opportunities we each have – every day – to build our faith and to take our strength from – and place our trust in – the Lord.

Several of the things that the Lord could have said through this man today:
A. Ron, you are too full of yourself in this study. Please empty the vessel and fill it again with Me, and then continue.
B. Ron, your preparation for this study was inadequate and you need to be more prayerful and spend more time in preparing materials and your heart for Me.
C. Ron, studying the Word as a whole is a better approach than approaching individual topics.
D. Ron, your Men’s Ministry is not reaching all the men in the church today and a change in methods (broader approach) is needed.
E. Ron, you are not serving those men that take you out of your comfort zone. Here is one, I’ve been gracious to you, be gracious to him.

and so on…

Fascinating stuff!

Thoughts?

Ron