Do's and Don'ts of Ladies Bible class

I have cried, prayed, been convicted and been gathered in when I was altogether lost. Where?  At a revival?  A gospel meeting?  Some fantastic internet sermon?  Nope.  Ladies' Bible Class. 

I love ladies' Bible class.  I have been a member or a teacher of a class ever since I was an adult. Amazing things happen there.  I have seen women drawn to Christ simply by the fellowship.  I have seen marriages turned around as sisters gathered together to learn how to love their husbands (Titus 2:4). 

Not only that, but I feel that these "Ladies' Bible classes" are an application of Paul's words in Titus 2.  Women are commanded to teach each other-older to the younger.  It's how we learn how to do what we should like love our kids and our husbands, keep our houses to the glory of God, and be kind, sensible and good.  

But how can we have that amazing class?  The kind where we are convicted, repent and are transformed? Let me offer you some "do's" and "don'ts."

Do's

Do be honest.  We've written about honesty before, and the way one person's truth encourages others not only to confess but to feel less alone.  (Truth be told, Truth be told 2) 

Do have a confidential class.  Wednesday night's confession can not be Thursday morning's gossip.

Do study the Bible.  I am not against study books (I have one on sale right now, with a very special bonus just for teachers!).  But no book replaces the Word of God.  Every student needs a Bible open and in use.  Nothing I have to say, nothing any author has to say, trumps the word of God.

Do prepare.  The class will be better if even a few of the members will read ahead.  Make sure you have read the scripture, note down any questions you have, take a few minutes to pray that day for your teacher/class and fill your mind with the Word of God.

Do be open.  Close-knit classes are hard to break into.  Every class needs someone to wave newcomers to an empty seat, find them a Bible, smile and introduce them to others, and welcome them to come back again.  

Do be integrated.  Although our churches have followed our culture by segregating people by age-youth group, young professionals, parents, golden agers etc, women especially need the connection of women older and younger than them. 

Do speak carefully.  "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person," wrote Paul (Colossians 4:6).  He could have been writing to us.  We need to think carefully and speak gently.  This is especially true when sisters have some painful area of their lives (divorce, infidelity, infertility, grief etc) or if we have to correct or confront a sister. 

Don'ts

Don't be negative.  The class must be free from husband-bashing, griping about the elders, running down the minister or general gossip.  Remember Jesus' admonition to deal with problems personally and face to face.

Don't neglect the chance to serve.  I have seen ladies Bible classes do amazing things: send cards, arrange for the care of a widow while her daughter was out of town, send cloth diapers to a missionary with a new baby, and build a church building in South America. Let study naturally flow to action.

Don't forget to pray.  Although I have seen classes devolve into a half hour of chatting and 5 minutes of prayer before the bell rings, I still feel prayer is a crucial part of the process of Ladies' Bible class.  For one thing it is the only opportunity most women have to pray with and for their sisters each week.  For another, it is a private and confidential place to beg for intercession.  

Don't be divided.  Women fall prey to Satan's divide and conquer scheme. We allow competition and envy to defeat us.  We judge each other on issues unrelated to our faith   or even worse entirely related to our Christian freedom.  Satan wins when sisters don't stick together. 

If you are a part of an amazing class, I can't wait to hear all about it!  Tell me what your class is doing, how they are changing, and what they are studying!

Helene

PS  If you are looking for new material for next quarter, or if you feel like your class just needs a reboot, I want to help.  Click here to get to my videos introducing Women of Action:Transformed by Obedience.  

Graceful Speech: More than "Not Cussing"

When I was in graduate school, my mouth got me into trouble.  We had multiple group projects,  and at times, our professors would choose the groups.  I hated that because there always seemed to be one person in the group that didn't work well with the others. On one particular project, we had what I thought was a great group, except for one guy. He wasn't lazy, and he tried to pull his weight, but he just didn't understand what the rest of us were trying to do in the project.  I'm ashamed to admit that my mouth was a much bigger problem than his misunderstanding.  When our group got together without him, we would all "vent" about it, and I joined right in.  Eventually, as so often happens, word got back to him that people were talking about him.  Not only that, but he knew I was one doing it.  My words were twisted, and he believed I said things I hadn't, but the fact remains that my speech was totally lacking in grace.

Is My Tongue a Fire?

During our Sunday worship time, we discussed the beginning of James.  Yesterday, I decided to listen to James on my new iPad.  Over and over again as James came back to different ideas related to the tongue, I just kept saying ouch, ouch, ouch.  James does a lot of contrasting between the way we should be using our mouths for good, and how many of us abuse the use of this part of our body.