In our devotion today, I was struck by the imagery of flocks being harmed by rushing water, unable to be absorbed by the hard ground.
Today was Sunday, and I preached in the morning and led Bible study for a group of "older" adults this evening... And when I preach, I feel like I do a pretty good job of taking the Scriptural text, breaking it down (exegesis), and applying it to real life. But when I teach Bible study in the evenings, often I find myself asking hard questions...virtually unanswerable questions.
In my head, I want my people to wrestle with Scripture. Most of these people have spent the last 40-60 years being spoon fed a combination of "spiritual milk" and legalistic hogwash. And I don't know of a better way to help them come to grips with the fact that a good bit of what they've been taught is unbiblical...and it doesn't even make sense. And so I'll read a passage with them and ask a question dealing with the ramifications of the passage...then I'll let them flounder around a bit. Sometimes they are able to come to the right answer on their own...sometimes they aren't. Sometimes I answer the question for them by the end of our Bible study...and sometimes, I leave the question unanswered.
But it never occurred to me that the truth and life available in the Scriptures might be harmful...and I'm still not 100% sure that it can be. But when Laniak described the rushing waters drowning flocks, it took me to my congregation sitting in Bible study floundering around a Biblical passage that they haven't been prepared to deal with.
"God help me discern the best way(s) to teach my congregation about your nature through your Scriptures."
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