RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (Full Version)

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mvic -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (6/26/2008 5:01:19 PM)

Hi 4IMPersuaded,

You seem to be doing the right thing.

Please, please do this also: Tomorrow, before the meeting starts, silently pray for Sue.

I look forward to hearing how the meeting went.



EvelynBarnum -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (6/26/2008 5:49:05 PM)

Hello, after reading your forum and the postings I just wanted to let you know that I will be praying for you.
God does and he will lead you in the right direction.
As an educator in both the Christian field and at a college I often find different opinions and ideas but I truly have learned that God shows us, however he communicates to you, the false teachers and people he spoke of in the bible.
At any rate, You will be in my prayers for the guidance and the ability to receive the knowledge and wisdom that God has for you.
Smiles Evelyn[sm=angel.gif]



Liveloved -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (6/26/2008 6:31:06 PM)

quote:

We are studying Beth Moore's "Breaking Free."


I wondered that.[:)] I've not done the study but I certainly enjoyed the book when I read it. . . years ago. LL



4IMPersuaded -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (6/26/2008 7:13:46 PM)

Thank you all so much. You all have been such a blessing.

Yes, mvic... I have been praying for her all week-- as well as her sister who is trying so hard to show Sue who Jesus is through her own life. I spoke to my friend a few hours ago and she has taken steps to make sure that Sue has access to the week's homework lessons. Whether or not she'll do the work, I don't know.

Of course, now I have to make sure my lesson is done!!! Whew-- what a week! [:D] Evelyn-- I covet your prayers-- thank you so much.

quote:

I've not done the study but I certainly enjoyed the book when I read it. . . years ago. LL


Beth Moore is a phemonenal author who is able to bring the Bible afresh and alive for women like no one else I have seen. She is truly a blessing in my life and in so many others', too. One of the reasons I am leading this study is because of the overwhelming interest by many individual women who wanted to do this specific study-- all unknown to each other. I believe Beth would call that a "God thing." [:D]



greatjubee -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (6/26/2008 10:07:28 PM)


I need to respond this way, God can use us to respond to a persons prayer request or need in thier life.

I myself have felt the urging of the Lord to tell give someone a message he has given me to tell them.

If Sue feels that she has been given a message for someone in the group it is possible she does.
One thing I always tell my students is "When you believe all things are possible with God, then that means all things, not just what is in the Bible or what you have been told. It means all things. Many people close themselfs off to that fact, they only want to believe what is written in the Bible. People try to put God into a box of their making, or one someone told them to believe.

So Sue just may have a message for someone in the group my advice is to let her be. You may just find the information she has to share is a very important answer to the one it was meant for.

I hope this will give you some more insite.

In His Service
Brian



4IMPersuaded -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (6/27/2008 4:53:58 PM)

Yes, Brian, I agree with you-- the idea that she might have a message for a group member is not the issue that I have a concern about. It is the idea that what she has had to say in the past is more in agreement with the new age pop spiritualism (think Sylvia Brown) than with a Biblical precept. I am concerned that she isn't willing to do the work of the study, but is more interested in what God has said to her outside of the Word. The study is meant for introspection and examination of your own spiritual captivity, but those who are more interested in a microscope than a mirror (to borrow a phrase from the author) when it comes to gaining a closer relationship with God do concern me as a leader.

She actually said that she is "already there" in terms of her walk with God. I don't know of anyone who is truly seeking God's will in their life, in an active personal relationship with God that think they are "there." The HS continues to convict us and allow us to deal with our barriers to knowing Him better. He empowers us to lay open our souls and allow the precise excision of our strongholds. I'm not talking about continual self-loathing-- that is born of pride. I am talking about humility and a thirst for more of Him that isn't there. I hope she is able to take off her blinders and seek Him for herself and not buffer His messages for her by focusing on others in the group.

If this mysterious message IS from God, then I welcome it. If it is in agreement with scripture, then I think that is an amazing gift. Is it impossible? Heavens, no. I just don't think that given the level of pride that I am hearing here, that it is likely. I think it is more likely that it is meant as a disruption to the work that God is doing in the lives of these ladies. I also think it is my responsibility to prayerfully guard the discussion time against disruption for the hard work that these ladies are doing.

But like I said-- it may turn out to be nothing and the disruption is manifested in the time I have taken to focus on it this week! I hope not. I can hardly wait for the meeting tonight. We have focused on the obstacles to freedom-- Pride, prayerlessness, idolatry, and the two others escape me at the moment!! Ack! Perhaps a few more minutes of preparation are in order![:@]



4IMPersuaded -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (7/1/2008 12:42:30 PM)

I've been away for a few days, but I wanted to update you on our meeting last Friday. Sue didn't make it because she suffers from a several chronic health issues and was not feeling well. This is the second discussion that she has missed since this subject came up. I suppose we can read into that what we will... Protection? Coincidence? I don't know.

I spoke to a couple of other seasoned women of the faith IRL (we are spending a week "back home") and they agreed with my assessment of the situation and we are praying over it as well. I don't think I will spend too much more energy on this issues unless you all have something new that you feel the Lord has revealed to you. I will continue to pray for Sue and hope that through her exposure to our community, she will come to know our Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life-- her redeemer and the lover of her soul. Until then, I will continue to lead these precious women in discussion and see what the Lord has to teach us.

Thank you so much for all of your thoughts-- you have no idea how meaningful it has been to me to discuss this with fellow believers.

Blessings



Josiah_7 -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (7/1/2008 8:28:36 PM)

we can't believe as leaders that we are not in the position to be corrected scripturally. if the person that disagrees with you has hard scriptural evidence on the basis for which they speak then you must except it as a fresh revelation of the Holy Spirit leaders don't know it all and we here to learn from eachother. now wether they are right or wrong is not the question it is motive that we must search for and that can only be searched for byG-d. be we are to tell the truth in loving kindness.
thats why the body of Christ is so divided because we are too conceited to except truths from people in lower positions



4IMPersuaded -> RE: Gently correcting a Bible Study member (7/2/2008 4:48:38 PM)

Hi Josiah_7. Welcome to the forums. I'm not sure if you've read all of the posts on this thread-- especially mine. I think if you review post #31, you will see that I said that if this "message" is from the Lord, I welcome it. If it is, though, it will not contradict scripture and I find it unlikely that the Lord would choose to speak audibly to someone regarding another person if they are not actively in the Word and think that they are "already there" in terms of their relationship with God as Sue has claimed. God speaks against pride over and over in the Word.

As I mentioned before, too-- As the discussion leader, I have a responsibility to the other women to guide the discussion so that the Word is learned, not my opinion or anyone else's. I have never suggested that God wouldn't speak through a member of the group and I have also been very clear that I am learning along with everyone else. In our discussion guidelines, I was very clear with the women that there are no experts in our group-- I am the discussion leader. I do feel a responsibiity to protect the discussion from veering into questionable territory and I can only do that if I am in the Word as well-- as I have been for many years.

Any Christian, leader or otherwise that believes that they are exactly where they need to be is likely ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We can feel a closeness with our Creator and enjoy a beautiful fellowship with our Savior, but still know that as Adam and Eve's children, we will not be perfected until we see Him face to face in our new bodies in Heaven. I am saddened that your interpretation of this thread may be that I and others might be coming from a positon of judgement. I don't believe that to be true. I simply want nothing to stand in the way of the women in my group deepening their relationship with Elohim and living in the freedom bought for them by Jesus' sacrifice.



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