Q's about Teaching Others (esp for Steve)

[Allyn]

I want to thank everyone for their responses. Each of them are valuable to me. I want to give more information about my brother's personality because, although he's a very friendly and sweet guy, he has a great deal of pride. My sister-in-law told me his objection is that "the bible is just written by a bunch of men so it's all interpretation." This is an issue that, knowing my brother, I wouldn't want to call him out on. He gets very defensive when someone knows more than him and although I think I can handle his objections, doing do without dealing a death blow to his ego (especially in front of his wife) is something I'm not prepared for. I asked my sister-in-law if he'd like to talk to me privately about his doubts and she said he's not open to that. He does seem genuinely interested in learning the Bible (or at least to appease his wife) so I'm going to give it a shot. I really don't think I have the gift of teaching but there's no one else around to instruct them.

That's kind of a horse of a different color. If pride stands in the way there may seem to be a limitation then. The Holy Spirit is able to work through the pride issue however. The alternative to not believing is unacceptable. Sounds to me like what he is desiring is peace. Peace is trusting that God is in control even through the frail and sinful actions of our human nature. Even the inspired writers blew it many times but inspite of that God's message to the world has continued to move forward. We all have opinions and interpretations are unavoidable but that peace that passes understanding is what all of us desire. So maybe capitalize on that idea of peace by giving your brother assurance that you don't have all the answers but with God's help He will give all we need for life and our relationship to His Son. Doubts seem to be built into our human nature. Doubt can be the seed that sprouts into peace.

[Jill]

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[selah]

what a great family of believers this forum is

I would like to pray for your brother too...

[Jason]

Hey, gang -- wanted to give an update on this one. The first study will take place this monday, the 6th, and I prayed all week about which topic to cover with them. The answer I think I received is, "It doesn't matter what topic you pick" which kind of surprised me. But it's the only strong impression I received during my prayer time. So I decided to do a lesson on "Confidence in the Bible" since the goal of any study is to edify the believers. I pulled up some of the study notes I've made over the years on this topic and was surprised how much information was there! It would take me weeks to work through this material with them, but I want to fit it into one two-hour lesson. Otherwise, we'd never get to what I actually want to talk about -- the teachings of Jesus.

Anyway, thanks for all the prayers. Every one of them are needed!

[Jill]

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[Michelle]

Or do you mean your teachings of Jesus. If a reader reads the NT for himself, and your versions just ain't in there. It just may not be as all-inclusive as ya thought. Just a pointer.

Wow, Karen! What made you come down so hard on Jason? What have you seen him teach that just ain't in there?

[Jill]

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[selah]

Or do you mean your teachings of Jesus. If a reader reads the NT for himself, and your versions just ain't in there. It just may not be as all-inclusive as ya thought. Just a pointer.

Michelle wrote, "Wow, Karen! What made you come down so hard on Jason? What have you seen him teach that just ain't in there?"

Nothin'. He's good.

What? Karen,

I have the same question Michelle does. Would you share what Jason taught that wasn't in the NT?

Thank you,
SueAnn*

[Jill]

.

[selah]

Hey, gang -- wanted to give an update on this one. The first study will take place this monday, the 6th, and I prayed all week about which topic to cover with them. The answer I think I received is, "It doesn't matter what topic you pick" which kind of surprised me. But it's the only strong impression I received during my prayer time. So I decided to do a lesson on "Confidence in the Bible" since the goal of any study is to edify the believers. I pulled up some of the study notes I've made over the years on this topic and was surprised how much information was there! It would take me weeks to work through this material with them, but I want to fit it into one two-hour lesson. Otherwise, we'd never get to what I actually want to talk about -- the teachings of Jesus.

Anyway, thanks for all the prayers. Every one of them are needed!

Jason, I would love to hear your weeks of material! If you ever want to post any of it, I'll be reading... and I look forward to hearing your 'praise report.'

I'll be praying