Home Bible Study

The living room was crowded with all sorts of different chairs filled with people eager to study the Bible. After six hours of driving west, visiting with several people, and a board meeting, we were eager to dive into the scriptures.

There were a couple of students and a room filled with familiar faces of adults. There was not an empty chair in the room. Most had open Bibles. A few had note pads to take notes. They were hungry for God and I was hungry to get to teach those I love once again. I taught from Jonah chapter two. It was the same message I delivered at Faith Community Church this past Sunday morning. It is a message about how God pursued, chastised, and brought Jonah to a place of brokenness. I lost track of time as we dug into the passage feeling the presence of God in the room.

We had no music. There was no choir. No special music. No throngs of people. It reminded me of what [Acts 2:42-47] must have been like. A simple gathering of God's people hungering to grow and to learn. I sat with an open Bible and a few scribbled notes exploring the text verse by verse.

At times I got choked up. I shepherded these people just two short years ago. The bond is still strong. At times I fought back tears as I expounded the text. I told about a vow I made to God several years ago. That vow is to follow God anywhere, to do anything, at anytime. It is a vow God has called me on time and time again. It is a vow I believe God will continue to call me on time and time again. Like a broken and repentant Jonah [Jonah 2:8-9] I want to pay my vow to the Lord.

Paying vows can be costly. Numerous times I have had to look my wife and boys in the eyes to tell them God had called us to move to a new ministry in a new town. I have felt their anguish as the reality set in that would mean leaving friends and the familiar for the unknown. Yet submission to the Lordship of Jesus trumps the pain of keeping my vow. God desires obedience even when it requires sacrifice.

We ended our time together in prayer. The tears began to flow freely. There are no words to communicate how the presence of God permeated our souls. I cannot describe the deep level of love that flowed freely in that room. Love for God. Love for His word. Love for one another. We all cried.

It was Monday night. These close to two dozen people hungered for God and the study of the scriptures more than Monday Night Football or a leisure night at home. I cherish the memory of that home Bible study. I thank God, not just for the chance to teach His word, but also for the chance to teach it to people I love so much.