Studying the Bible in the Larger Gatherings

mario

by Mario Vega

At Elim church the teaching of the Word of God has a central place. Our major emphasis and effort is placed in teaching God’s Word. Therefore, the celebration services are very important for the training of leaders, for both new and current leaders.

Since we don’t have a large enough auditorium to receive the entire church at one time, we have to divide it into six services on Sunday and on weekdays the church is distributed into three separate days to attend the larger gatherings. Evangelism is the main emphasis on Sunday, and this is the day when leaders and members invite as many guests as possible to the celebration services.

On weekdays, on the other hand, the emphasis is on the training of the church through the verse by verse teaching of the Bible. A book of the Bible is studied each week and that book is systematically developed verse by verse. This is a very elaborated and detailed study. For example, it took us seven years to complete the study of the book of Matthew! Something very similar has also happened with other books.

At the end of the process, the leaders have a very solid overview of each book and have received exegetical tools that allow them to advance in their own Bible study. There’s a lot of expectation for each week’s study. People don’t want to miss it. In addition to those who attend these teaching services, many acquire the teachings on audio or video and collect them. In fact, many have a collection of about 120-160 teachings of a particular book at the end of the study. It is a process that the congregation enjoys greatly. This allows them to be Christians with strong biblical fundamentals and, consequently, better cell leaders.

Comments?

Mario

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El estudio bblico en las celebraciones

por Mario Vega

En iglesia Elim la enseñanza de la palabra de Dios posee un lugar central. El mayor énfasis y esfuerzo se coloca en la enseñanza. Por ello, los cultos de celebración son muy importantes para la formación de los lderes, tanto los nuevos como los que se encuentran en funciones.

Dado que no tenemos un auditorio lo suficientemente grande como para recibir a toda la iglesia al mismo tiempo, debemos dividirla en seis servicios el da domingo y en los das de semana la iglesia se distribuye en tres das distintos para asistir a la celebración. El da domingo el énfasis principal es el evangelismo y es el da cuando los lderes llevan a la mayor cantidad de invitados a la celebración.

En cambio, los das de semana, el énfasis se encuentra en la formación de la iglesia. El énfasis se coloca en la enseñanza de la Biblia. Cada da se estudia un libro de la Biblia que se desarrolla de manera muy sistemática versculo a versculo. Este es un estudio muy elaborado y detallado. Por ejemplo, nos tomó siete años completar el estudio de Mateo. Con otros libros también ha sucedido algo muy parecido.

Al final del proceso, los lderes cuentan con un panorama muy sólido de cada libro y han recibido herramientas de exégesis que les permite avanzar en su propio estudio bblico. Ellos están pendientes del estudio de cada semana y emocionados por continuar. Muchos adquieren las enseñanzas en audio o en video y van coleccionándolas hasta que al final tiene una colección de entre 120 a 160 enseñanzas en un libro en particular. Es un proceso que la congregación disfruta en gran manera. Esto les permite ser cristianos con fundamentos sólidos y, consecuentemente, mejores lderes de células.

4 thoughts on “Studying the Bible in the Larger Gatherings

  • I would like to know how does your Sunday morning service is related to evangelism? Is the teaching more topical on Sunday.
    You said that during the week the congregation is divided in 3 groups that attend the teaching time that is expository preaching. Is this for the cell leaders?

    How does your cells relates to that?
    People would then attend the Sunday morning which is more outreach, then the teaching time.during the week, then the cell meeting? Am I wrong in my understanding?

  • Bro Mario,

    You wrote, “It took us seven years to complete the study of the book of Matthew!” We’ve been in the book of John for 19 months and are now all the way up to John, chapter 11. 😉

    Sharing the Journey,
    Rick Diefenderfer

  • One more note concerning ‘expository’ verses ‘topical’ teaching…

    I taught topical messages for about 10 years until God’s Spirit spoke to me and said, “Quit teaching about my promises and start teaching about my premises.” Paraphrased, “Stop teaching about what I will do for them and start teaching what they must do for me.”

    Whereas I was once pastoring a church of “consumers”, I now pastor a church of “investors”. I’m fully aware that the folks attending our church come seeking ‘topical’ answers to: how they will make this month’s mortgage payment, pay this month’s electric bill and buy this week’s groceries. We discovered, once word got out that our church helped with such needs, more chairs had to be brought into the sanctuary to accommodate the “crowd”. Once we started ‘expository’ teaching, the “crowd” thinned, those who stayed became rooted in the Word and confessions of faith in Jesus Christ grew.

    Jesus instructed us to go and make and baptize and teach disciples not consumers. I am convinced, expository teaching best accomplishes His commandment.

    Sharing the Journey,
    Rick Diefenderfer

  • Hola , estube leyendo sobre las ensenanza de los dijerentes libros de la biblia que ustedes ofrecen y me parece buenisimo. mi preguntaq es como puedo yo adquirir CD de estas ensenanzas? le escribo desde la Florida.

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