The Wow Factor
I was recently going through some old material and found some information that I’d like to update and share with you. It has to do with a married couple who became members of the congregation where I was preaching at the time. I am still serving as one of the elders. Some of the specifics are somewhat dated, but, in my opinion there is a principle that is timeless
The material I read reminded me of how thrilled I was at the time that this couple had decided to become a part of our church family. It also reminded me about how thrilled and blessed I felt about the reason for their decision.
According to the couple, that first association a number of years ago with our congregation took place when they attended separate Bible classes. According to them, that was the experience that I’m calling the wow factor. The reason that I’m using that phrase is because the first reaction of one of the people was, “Wow.”
What was it that ‘wowed” them? Did they happen to go into two different classrooms taught by dynamic and entertaining teachers? Was there a lively discussion about current events? Did they just happen to show up when some topic was being discussed that was of particular interest to them? Did they get to hear some funny jokes and stories they’d not heard before? Did the facilities and/or the technology being used in those classrooms contribute to the wow factor?
Did the wow factor have to do with the fact that somebody had figured out a way to derive spiritual lessons from an old television series? After all, this took place during a time when it was fashionable to watch old episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and discuss what “spiritual principles” they gleaned from that experience. This, of course, was done during a time designated in church bulletins and other means of informing people about schedules of various churches as “Bible study.”
The answer to all of the above is “No.”
The wow factor was really pretty simple. Each of these two people attended a class that was “advertised” as an opportunity for Bible study and were “wowed” by the fact that the time was, in fact, used to study the Bible.
What a concept!
Instead of a discussion about current events, philosophy, politics, sports, or some sort of “group therapy session,” something else took place in each of those classrooms. God’s word was opened, read, discussed, and applied.
I am not old fashioned enough to believe that we need to be stuck in time as far as methods, tools, etc. are concerned. After all, I am typing these words on a computer and I do use PowerPoint when I preach. I even drive a vehicle to the places where I preach and teach instead of walking or riding a horse!
At the same time, while others may think it is old fashioned, I am convinced that absolutely nothing needs to take the place of the word of God if people want to know about God and how He wants us to live our lives. In fact, nothing is able to take the place of His word for those purposes. For that reason, I firmly believe that a period of time that is set aside to study the Bible should not be squandered on anything else.
I may not be able to do as much as I once did, but I pray that I will do what I can to keep the following description of God’s people in the Old Testament from also being a description of His people today:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6, ESV)
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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
