Foundations of meringue

There is an active passion for the written works of fiction. But can you honestly say the same for the written word of our Creator?

As we turned the corner of the street, I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Had we stepped back in time? Surely we were on holiday in Switzerland in the twenty-first century, in a town called Meiringen famous for originating the meringue? Yet there they were, a street packed full of people, everyone in Edwardian dress, noisily making their way towards the mountains.

For the well-read among you, the association of Edwardian tweed and Meiringen will have triggered an immediate association with the novels of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and the Reichenbach Falls where the denouement between Sherlock Holmes and his arch enemy Moriarty took place.

As we followed, our route took us through Alpine fields and up a steep path towards the mountain slopes. The chatter all around was of the final story of Holmes, his exact words, his precise actions and the desperate face-to-face duel of two agressively agile minds. Eventually we stopped and looked up. There on the rock face above the Reichenbach Falls was a white cross, marking the very spot that both men fought and fell to their death.
It all seemed so real.

As we returned downhill, we were engulfed in the excitement of the crowd. They had come for the annual Sherlock Holmes pilgrimage, packing well-worn leather suitcases with tweed cloaks, Meerschaum pipes and Mysore Indian tobacco. They had also paid a considerable sum of money to satisfy their enthusiasm for a totally fictional story with a totally fictional hero.

Nobody saw them as barmy, half-mad or even strange. They were just passionate to know more about their fictional hero. Yet, when I suggested to a church colleague how good it would be to dig really deep into God’s word and discover the riches hidden within and God’s amazing plan through His Son, the response was ‘don’t get too heavy.’ Said as kindly advice, perhaps my colleague knew only too well, there was little appetite in the congregation to turn out once a week for a couple of hours of solely Bible Study.

House Groups it was explained, were meant to be places of social gathering, opportunities to ask about one another’s health, mutual friends, family and church news. And if time permitted, take a look through the chosen bible study booklet to see what questions were posed and check the answers (Amos 8:11). One group, I was told, decided to stand in solidarity with oppressed Christians worldwide by having a series of different meals; an Indian takeaway, a Chinese meal and so on. Counting calories around the globe to focus on the less-fortunate. Is this really what God wants?

What about Spiritual food? The food that God has graciously provided through His unchanging word? (1 Pet 2:2). The food that many gave their lives for the common man to read God’s word for themselves. Where did that ‘food’ feature in a packed church schedule professionally planned six months in advance, in order to secure the best speakers?

And so the seed of an idea was born. A Bible Study group that does just that; study the Bible. Not books about the Bible, but the Bible itself (1 Tim 4:13-15; 2 Tim 3:16-17), in all its translations and various versions. Reading all the footnotes, looking up Scripture references and evaluating the study notes of those who have mastered Hebrew and Greek.

Now, who could we find as an expert to lead us? Who knows the Bible back-to- front and front-to-back? Who could talk to us for a couple of hours as we digested concept after concept and keep us from dozing over the passages we didn’t understand? Was this the right approach? Was there another way? There were so many questions.

Maybe it was the memory of David Pawson’s ‘De-Greecing the church’, or Steve Maltz’s teaching on the dangers of Greek thinking, or even the thought that we couldn’t rake up enough money between us to pay for a ‘big-hitter,’ that drove us to a DIY solution; a seed God has faithfully watered to this day (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor 14:26).

When I described the format of Bible study we had in mind to a friend, he asked “who’s your leader?” I replied we didn’t have one and his retort was “sounds to me like a recipe for chaos!”  I remember mumbling some sort of answer, only thinking a few days later ‘why on earth didn’t I say “the Holy Spirit is our leader. Would the Holy Spirit really lead us into chaos?”’ (John 14:26; 16:13-14).

And so we began. Just two* of us at first, struggling to help one another (*or should I say ‘Three’). As others joined, more and more was revealed from God’s word. Each person added something they had heard or read; not one comment was without value. We checked everything against Scripture and as David Serle once commented “one Biblical hyperlink leads to another Biblical hyperlink.” The dots began to join as we uncovered amazing ‘coincidences’ in God’s word.

We realised how easy it was to listen to a CD or view a teaching DVD, marvel at the knowledge of the speakers and yet find that so little could be recalled after a few weeks. However, discoveries we made ourselves stuck, even though they may have been known to countless thousands over the years. Exploring clues in bible notes such as ‘there are only two instances of this Greek word used in the Bible,’ sent us off on a trail to find out where and why. We discovered that even the tiniest word so easily overlooked, can carry enormous significance. An unnoticed plural that took on astonishing revelations.

… and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut 4:29).

As I write we have reached the heady heights of eleven people, hungry to discover what God wants to reveal of Himself, His story and amazingly where we fit into His eternal plan. We are from five local churches, as there is no denominational barrier to join the Group. All that’s needed is a willingness to contribute something to the discussion each week, even if it’s to ask what seems the most basic of questions (my contribution). As we dig ever deeper into the Bible, it’s like finding buried treasure (Proverbs 2:3; Matt 13:34).

It will come as no surprise that the Group is called ‘Digging Deeper.’ Questions form the basis that sets us off on a quest from one book in the bible to another. Often, there is one person who is more knowledgeable on a topic than others and it certainly helps to have their input, but let me ask you a question? Who did God choose to achieve his purposes throughout biblical history? Was Moses the most eloquent of men to lead His nation out of captivity? (Ex 4:10). Was Joshua a seasoned strategist and confident second- in-command? (how many times did God have to reassure him) (Josh 1:6, 9; 6:2; 8:1, 10:7). Was Gideon in the forefront to be chosen (Judges 6:11,15), or a young shepherd called David a natural to fight for Israel’s victory? (1 Sam 16:11; 17:15, 29, 33). My point is this: if God decides to place a question or answer in someone’s mind, or on their lips, it isn’t always the most scholarly, the most intellectual or the worldly ‘expert’ that He chooses  (1 Cor 1:18-21). There’s hope for us all.

I can tell you from experience of many evenings of group Bible study, the things that resonate, stick in my mind and make me dwell on them for days afterwards, come from the least expected people. If I were a first century betting man listening to Jesus,
I wouldn’t have put great odds on Peter taking on the job of leading the Disciples following Jesus’ ascension. Almost certainly, I would have lost my shirt. Yet, Jesus knew Peter – ‘Lord, you know all things’ (John 2:25; 13:38; 21:17) – and by His grace He knows us too with our limitations, lack of confidence and unwillingness to speak up ‘in case we’re wrong.’

The deal with ‘Digging Deeper’ is that we don’t pass a verse we don’t understand. (We confidently believe we will all reach the age of Methuselah and there will be sufficient time to cover the whole Bible in great detail). We do not impose an ‘order of service’ on God. Yes, we tend to close the meeting for prayer as we near the agreed time to finish, but having started at 8.15pm, we have been known to quietly creep away ( prior to Covid days) from someone’s house as late as 11.15pm, still talking in hushed voices about what we have discovered. Are we as barmy as the Meiringen devotees? Many of our church colleagues are totally convinced we are.

The purpose of this article is to encourage you to search for like-minded folk that find traditional house group bible study fails to satisfy their needs; and more importantly, their ability to grow (1 Pet 2:2). Armchairs are very comfortable, but they do tend to delay decisive action. In these days of electronic communication, there is no barrier to distance. We no longer have to ‘think local’. Our Digging Deeper group is situated in East Anglia and has even communicated with the Isle of Man! (In time, we might venture across Hadrian’s Wall to see what’s there).

On a practical level, we study either the books of the Bible or Biblical topics. We have looked at the Tabernacle (highly recommended), Jesus in the Old Testament, the Moedim, what Jesus said on particular days in the year and marvelled at God’s astonishing timing at the precise ordering of historical events. Along the way, we have passed on books and articles to one another and gloried in the diversity of the Group’s experience of life. We are a motley band of brother and sisters that have laughed together, been sad together, prayed together and confessed our failings to one another. On every occasion we have been so richly blessed by the grace of God.

When I told another church friend of our original plan for a Bible Study Group, he jabbed my forehead with outstretched fingers and the stinging rebuke “head knowledge!” I must admit that worried me for a while until I was reminded by a dear and faithful friend, we are commanded to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind.” (Matt 22:37). Speaking personally, I can honestly say that the more I discover about God through His word, the more I stand in awe of Him.

Are you ready to dig deeper?
You don’t need tweeds, a suitcase or a ticket to Switzerland. All you need is a willing heart to know more about your Maker. (Proverbs 4 [whole chapter]; 9:10; Jer 29:13). He will do the rest.