How do I tell my girls about our class break-up?

The first Wollochet Bay Bible Students class

 9/11/16 

How do I tell my girls about our class break-up?  That was my biggest worry for 6 weeks as I couldn't decide for the life of me what to tell my beautiful young ladies regarding our friends in our Bible study class and why they have left us.

Finally I chickened out and left it to my wife to explain it during the news portion of our meeting on Sunday, September 11, 2016.

She did a good job though I don't recall much.  I was very distraught over it and have been for weeks.  But we still have an interested class and so we had a study, with me as elder.  

For my part, we covered these three main things:

#1  Why do we meet?  

We meet to build one another up in the Most Holy Faith, but why?  Based on what?  

To answer this, we proved that the God of the Bible is real and that His Word is to be trusted.  We did this through three areas of proof:  First by discussing the Jewish people (as my step-daughters are of Jewish background) their existence proving the Bible.  We then learned about Bible Numerics and Dr. Ivan Panin.  This week on 9/18 we discussed Bible manuscript evidence.

#2  How do we meet?  

We don't want formalism, yet we do have a form.  We start at 11 AM with a hymn and a prayer, the news, views and manna.

We don't want any fuss over temporal provisions which proved to be a source of contention.  Each may have their own beverage of choice.  

#3  What do we study?

So far we are studying current events and how they relate to Scripture, especially regarding ISRAEL.

We are bringing together our girls Jewish heritage with their prophetic Bible study, all while talking about current events.  We will continually emphasize Israel's right to live as Jews in their own land - all of their land!

We will of course have further Berean study.  By so doing, we not only learn our proper course respecting how we should study, but as an added bonus, we now learn even more about our own present distress regarding our class difficulties!  

from Pastor Russell in Volume 6:

Another kind of meeting which has proven very advantageous in the study of the Word is known as a "Berean Circle for Bible study." These are not merely reading circles, but a systematic study of the divine plan in all its phases, taken up item by item. The several volumes of SCRIPTURE STUDIES, treating the subjects, as they do, in a connected and consecutive order, constitute (with the Bible) textbooks for these Bible studies; but in order to the profit of these classes it is necessary that the leader and the class should clearly differentiate between reading and studying. So far as the reading is concerned, all of the dear friends can 

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as well, or perhaps better, do their reading by themselves at home. The object of these studies is to take up a certain portion of each topic as presented in one or more paragraphs, and to discuss it thoroughly between themselves, calling up collateral passages of Scripture, etc., and thoroughly ventilating the matter, and, if possible, getting each member of the class to give an expression of his thought respecting the particular matter under consideration, proceeding then to the next topic. Some of these Berean Circles have taken a year or two for the study of a single volume of SCRIPTURE STUDIES--and that to great interest and profit.* 

"Let Every Man Be Fully Persuaded in His Own Mind"
--Rom. 14:5--

All logical minds delight in reaching a decision, if possible, respecting every item of truth; and this the Apostle declares should be striven for by each member of the Church for himself--"in his own mind." It is a common mistake, however, to attempt to apply this personally good rule to a Church or to a class in Bible-study--to attempt to force all to decide on exactly the same conclusion respecting the meaning of the Lord's Word. It is proper that we should wish that all might "see eye to eye"; but it is not reasonable to expect it when we know that all are fallen from perfection, not only of body, but also of mind, and that these deflections are in various directions, as shown by the various shapes of head to be found in any gathering of people. Our various kinds and degrees of education are important factors also in assisting or hindering oneness of view.

Oh how wonderfully charitable are the wise words of That Servant when compared to the intolerance of the day!

THE ANARCHY is another thing we discuss.  We think we are in THE ANARCHY PHASE, according to the Bible and the two Star Members.  More on that later.

As for me and my family, I'm just a simple Bible student. My wife and I are basically newlyweds coming up on 5 years of marriage.  She and my daughters are new to the Truth.  My wife chose to consecrate.  The girls are typical teenagers, so they don't participate too much yet.  I hope for them to know all they can about the Bible. I hope to influence them in that way.

That's why we all meet.  During our brief time with the L.H.M.M., so often we'd hear about "consecrated Epiphany campers". And so almost as soon as we first even ask: "we'd love to hear more, please where is it in the Bible?"  - they just split the class and basically disfellowshipped us.  

All I have to do is tell this story to any person, be they Muslim or Hindu, Catholic or Jew, democrat, republican, Lutheran, you?  I think you would say "wow really this happened to you?" 

Yeah.  Like so many who have gone before.  John 16:2

Yours in Truth,

Regan