TITHING: AN OBEDIENT RESPONSE TO A GRACIOUS GOD

Transcription

1 82 TITHING: AN OBEDIENT RESPONSE TO A GRACIOUS GOD

2 Ten Percent It s your annual physical. At the conclusion of the examination and tests, the doctor says you ll be in great health if you ll do two things: 1. Reduce your calorie consumption by ten percent. 2. Increase the amount of walking you do by ten percent. Most of us would be relieved. On average, that means cutting back 250 calories or taking only 500 more steps. That s easy! Ten percent doesn t seem like much in most cases, but when it comes to our money, it feels huge. We know we should give to support the ministries of our church and the work of God s kingdom, but one survey showed that in 2011, Christians gave only 2.3 percent to the church and one-third to one-half of church members don t give anything at all. God has been abundantly gracious to us, and He calls us to be like Him and give abundantly and graciously. In this study from the Book of Malachi, we will be challenged to see what our attitude about our money says about our attitude toward God. We will also discover the joy and benefits of giving back to the One who has given to us. JOHN BRYAN John is the State Missionary with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board in the areas of stewardship and missions, having led mission teams across America and throughout the world. His radio ministry is broadcast daily through one-minute messages. He married his high school sweetheart and they have three sons. 83

3 GET INTO THE STUDY 5 minutes DISCUSS: Draw attention to the picture on PSG page 82 and ask Question #1: What is your earliest memory of giving? GUIDE: Direct attention to The Bible Meets Life on PSG page 83 to the author s observation that, for many, the joy of giving gifts surpasses the excitement of receiving gifts. GUIDE: Direct attention to the introduction of this special focus session on PSG page 81. Point out that ten percent may not seem like much when we are talking about eating less or exercising more, but when it comes to giving more of our money, ten percent seems huge. SAY: This week we will examine the biblical teaching of the tithe. GUIDE: Reinforce The Point on PSG page 83: Respond to God s goodness through a tithe of your income. SPECIAL FOCUS TITHING The Point Respond to God s goodness through a tithe of your income. The Bible Meets Life Nothing reflects our commitment and relationship to God quite like how we use our money. We spend money on what is important to us. Look at a person s budget and where his or her monthly expenses go, and you can determine that person s priorities. Giving to God and His kingdom s work is not an optional item in the believer s budget. Giving a tenth to God is a loving response to our gracious God who richly blesses us. The Passage Malachi 3:7-12 The Setting The Jews initial enthusiasm of their return from the Babylonian exile had not lasted. High taxes levied by the Persians, coupled with high inflation and famine, resulted in extreme poverty among the Jews. The confiscation of property and debt slavery were widespread. Added to this, the priests had lost their fear of the Lord and were no longer serving the people faithfully. The people, blaming the Lord for their hard times, were being faithless toward God and one another. 84 Special Focus

4 Malachi 3:7-10a 7 Since the days of your fathers, you have turned from my statutes; you have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Armies. Yet you ask, How can we return? 8 Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me! How do we rob you? you ask. By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. 9 You are suffering under a curse, yet you the whole nation are still robbing me. 10a Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. KEY WORDS: The Lord of Armies (v. 7) A title for God which refers to Him as the self-existent, redemptive God who rules over both His angelic host and the forces of the Israelites. Payments of the tenth (v. 8) Also known as tithing, it is the act of giving a tenth of one s income to the Lord. 1 Verse 7. The Book of Malachi uses a rhetorical style in which there is a dialogue between God and His people, with God supplying both sides of the conversation. God used this conversational style to confront the sins of both His priests and the people. God confronted the priests with their failure to honor Him and fear His name (Mal. 1:6 14). They were offering defective animals to the Lord for their sacrifices, thereby defiling the altar and their worship. The people were also profaning their covenant with God by acting treacherously against one another and marrying pagan women (2:10 16). They also accused God of being unjust in His failure to punish those people viewed as evil and therefore deserving of God s justice and wrath (v. 17). God warned both the priests and the people that if they did not repent of their sins He would bring judgment upon them (2:1 9,17; 3:1-6). 2 Beginning in Malachi 3:7, through His prophet God issued a blanket condemnation of Israel s disobedience: Since the days of your fathers, you have turned from STUDY THE BIBLE Malachi 3:7-10a. 20 minutes SUMMARIZE: Before reading the passage, set the context by summarizing the information in The Setting on page 84. OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Ask group members to share details they can recall, without looking, on a one dollar bill. For example: A pyramid, an eye, George Washington, etc. Record their responses. Then ask them to look at a one dollar bill to discover things on the bill they might never have really seen or thought about. Go to BibleStudiesforLife/com/ AdultExtra and click on the Leader Extra for today s session to find little known facts about the dollar bill you can share with group members. Say, We ignore many mysteries and details about the design of the dollar bill, but far more important are the details about how we actually spend our money as followers in Jesus. SUGGESTED USE WEEK OF JULY 15 85

5 THE POINT Respond to God s goodness through a tithe of your income. READ: Read or ask a volunteer to read Malachi 3:7-10a. SUMMARIZE: Refer to Bible Commentary 1 on page 85 to show how God used a conversational style in Malachi to confront the sins of both the priests and the people. Commentary 2 on page 85 and this page for background information about the blanket condemnation of Israel s disobedience: Israel had been disobedient to God s statutes for centuries, dating back to the time of the Exodus and the giving of the law. Return to me is a clear call to repentance. GUIDE: Use KEY WORDS on page 85 (PSG, p. 84) to explain the phrase The Lord of Armies. Commentary 3 on this page and page 86 to show an example of the dialogue God used in Malachi. God provided the conversation: Yet you ask, How can we return? my statutes; you have not kept them. This statement implied that the people s rebellion had been ongoing and consistent. The people of Israel had a long history of disobeying God s commands. The days of your fathers is likely a reference to the time of the exodus from Egypt, about a thousand years before the time of Malachi. Similar wording is used to refer to the generation that refused to enter into the promised land and was forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years until only Joshua and Caleb remained alive from that generation (Num. 32:10 14). Statutes carries the meaning of prescribed instructions that limit or set a boundary for human behavior. In this case, it refers to the laws and instructions God gave the Israelites (found in the Books of Exodus Deuteronomy) which they were to obey as their part of the covenant. Before the Lord dealt with the specifics of the people s rebellion, Israel needed to see that their consistent habit of sinning was symptomatic of a more deadly disease, namely, an unwillingness to repent of their sin and turn back toward God. Return to me is a clear call to repentance. The Lord s appeal came with a powerful promise. If the Israelites would return to Him in faith and obedience, then the Lord would respond and return to them. God s returning to Israel meant that their relationship would be fully restored. It was a pledge that God s blessing and presence would once again be displayed toward the Israelites. This promise was based on the binding covenant God had made with His people at Sinai (Ex. 20:1 24:8). God identified Himself as the Lord of Armies. The Hebrew term translated Lord is Yahweh, God s covenant name He revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:14) and the name by which He formed the covenant relationship with the Israelites. Yahweh emphasizes that God is the creator and sustainer of all that exists and thus the Lord of both creation and history, all that is and all that is happening - a God active and present in historical affairs. 1 Armies translates the Hebrew term tsaba. The verb form means to fight and the noun form, used here, emphasizes that God is the commander of both the armies of heaven and of Israel. God is the Almighty, who is all-powerful and sovereign over all His creation. 3 Using the dialogue style of conversation, God indicated how much sin had blinded the consciences of the people and dulled their moral perception. Yet you ask, How can we return? This question is an indication that 86 Special Focus

6 the people were not even willing to acknowledge they needed to repent and turn back to God. 4 Verse 8. God was not willing to let His people get away with feigned ignorance. His response to their question brought their sin into focus. He very clearly pointed out the heart of Israel s problem. Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me! The Hebrew term for rob carries the meaning of plundering or defrauding someone. Robbery occurs when someone unlawfully takes the property of someone else. It is often associated with force or the threat of force. In such cases, though those who engage in robbery are not always rational, a thief usually believes he will be able to overpower his victim. Thieves usually don t attempt to steal from those they believe could harm or overpower them. That is why this image of the Israelites robbing Almighty God is incredible to picture. Committing a crime against another person is bad enough, but only a fool would try to steal from God! How does a person rob God? For the Israelites, it started with forgetting they were merely stewards of all they had. When God brought them to the promised land, He made it very clear that it was His land (Lev. 25:23). God also warned the Israelites not to forget where their blessings came from. When the Lord your God brings you into the land... a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant and when you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Fear the Lord your God, worship him, and take your oaths in his name (Deut. 6:10-13). God narrated the Israelites response to His accusation: How do we rob you? God s response was direct and to the point: By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. Payments of the tenth and contributions is another way of saying what we today would call tithes and offerings. God could have referred to any number of sins the Israelites were guilty of, but He chose to focus on their failure to give of their resources. As one commentator notes, Israel s attitude toward and use of their possessions was one indication of the health of their relationship with God. 2 The tithe was the portion of all produce and livestock which the people were to give to the Lord (Lev. 27:30 32). Commentary 4 on this page and page 88 to explain what it means to rob God: Taking what belongs to God. How do we rob You? you ask. By not paying the tenth, the tithe. GUIDE: Use KEY WORDS on page 85 (PSG, p. 84) to explain the phrase payments of the tenth. DISCUSS: Question #2 (PSG, p. 85): What have you been taught about tithing? GUIDE: Refer members to PSG page 85 to the bulleted list of examples of giving ten percent: Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, King of Salem and priest, as recognition of God s ownership (Gen. 14:18-20). Jacob pledged a tenth of his possessions as an expression of gratitude for God s guidance and provision (28:20-22). The tribe of Levi served as priests; their needs were to be met through the tithes given by the other tribes (Deut. 14:28-29). 87

7 THE POINT Respond to God s goodness through a tithe of your income. LEADER PACK: Distribute Pack Item 5: Tithing handout to group members and refer to the explanation of the tithe. Before the session enlist 2-3 group members to read one reference each from the Bible verses listed. DISCUSS: Question #3 (PSG, p. 86): What obstacles hold some people back from tithing? (Alternate: How have your thoughts and beliefs changed about tithing?) GUIDE: Point out two things that happen when we give on PSG pages 86-87: We support the ministry and needs of others. We demonstrate our love and gratitude to God. TRANSITION: Next we will see how God responds when we are obedient to Him. The people were to bring the tithe to the temple each year, where they were to eat a portion of it as an act of worship before the Lord. The rest was to be left with the Levites, who would in turn share it with the other priests (Num. 18:21-32; Deut. 14:22 27). Every third year the tenth was to go to the Levites, resident aliens, orphans, and widows (Deut. 26:12; see 14:28 29). The Hebrew term rendered contributions is most likely a general term for all offerings to the Lord. The payments of the tenth were therefore a type of contribution. 3 The Jews of Malachi s day failed to understand that obedience is reflected in giving of one s resources to the Lord. Verse 9. Because of their failure to give God what He had commanded, the Israelites were suffering under a curse. Before entering the promised land, God had told the Israelites that if they were faithful to Him (keeping their covenant responsibilities) He would bless them (28:1-14). However, if they did not keep the covenant He had made with them, God would bring curses upon them (vv ). The Israelites of Malachi s day were bringing those curses upon themselves by their failure to obey God s statutes. But even though they were experiencing the curses for failing to keep their covenant with God, they were still being obstinate in their disobedience. Furthermore, God made it clear that no one was without fault among the Israelites, declaring that in spite of being under a curse, the whole nation was still robbing Him! The particular nature of this curse was famine and crop failure (Mal. 3:11). Verse 10a. God gave the Israelites the solution to their troubles how they could free themselves from the curse they had brought upon themselves: Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. God s command to bring the full tenth may be indicative that some Israelites were attempting to pacify God by bringing Him a partial tithe, while others were not tithing at all. The term for storehouse is also used in 1 Kings 15:18 and 2 Kings 12:18 to describe the treasuries of both the Jerusalem temple and the royal palace where gold and silver were stored. That there may be food in my house is likely a reference to the priests having sufficient means to live on. The failure to tithe was harmful to the ministry of the temple because the needs of the priests, Levites, and other temple staff were not being met. 88 Special Focus

8 Malachi 3:10b-12 10b Test me in this way, says the Lord of Armies. See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit, says the Lord of Armies. 12 Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of Armies. 5 Verse 10b. The Israelites either did not understand or did not believe the truth that if they faithfully gave their tithes and offerings to God, He would bless their obedience. Therefore, the Lord challenged the people: Test me in this way. Students don t usually test teachers. The teachers give tests to find out what the students have learned. In a similar way, God tests us to see what is in our hearts (Deut. 8:2; Judg. 2:22; 1 Chron. 29:17). Generally, we do not test God. In fact, Scripture warns us against testing the Lord (Matt. 4:7). In Deuteronomy 6:16, Moses warned the Israelites, Do not test the Lord your God as you tested him at Massah. At Massah, during the exodus from Egypt, the people doubted the Lord and demanded water of Moses. In spite of all the Lord had done for them to that point in delivering them from the Egyptians and supplying all their needs, they faithlessly questioned His presence and power (Ex. 17:7). In Malachi 3:10 God invited His people to test Him when it came to their giving. This is the only instance in God s Word in which God tells His people to test Him. The Hebrew word for test in this verse has the meaning to examine or prove. Just as a metal is tested to prove it is genuine, so too in this case God invited His people to put Him to the test in regard to their tithes and offerings so as to prove the quality of His perfect faithfulness. God challenged the Israelites to test Him so that He could prove to them His dependability. God s dependability is further emphasized by the fact that it is the Lord of Armies who is issuing the challenge. The One the Israelites were to test is the all-powerful, sovereign Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists! In the Old Testament, the Israelites tested God because they lacked faith in Him. The Israelites in Malachi s day were invited to put their faith in God and test Him. STUDY THE BIBLE Malachi 3:10b minutes READ: Ask a volunteer to read Malachi 3:10b-12. Commentary 5 to show what it means to test God in regard to being obedient in giving the tithe. GUIDE: Refer group members to the bullet points on PSG pages that identify what God does for us when we take Him up on this test and give obediently: 1. God provides. 2. God protects. DISCUSS: Question #4 (PSG, p. 88): Why is giving a vital aspect of church life? 89

9 THE POINT Respond to God s goodness through a tithe of your income. Commentary 6 to provide further explanation to God s promise: see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. GUIDE: Refer to the paragraph on PSG page 89 about hoarding, and ask a volunteer to read this paragraph: Hoarding is an ugly beast that convinces us we always need to acquire more to insulate and protect ourselves. When hoarding replaces generosity, we try to build cushions of cash and stuff around us, thinking we can have a safe bunker in the world s financial war zone. It never works, and it certainly isn t pretty. Commentary 7 to show that, if Israel would be faithful in the tithes and offerings, God promised to protect Israel from their enemies and to provide a fruitful harvest. 6 Furthering His challenge to the Israelites, God stated, See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. The Hebrew term for floodgates is used in Genesis 7:11 and 8:2 in reference to the waters which flooded the earth in the days of Noah. In Malachi, part of God s divine provision would have been a literal promise of an abundant supply of rain for the farmer who was faithful with his tithes and offerings. This was an appropriate reward for the farmer acknowledging through his tithing God s ownership of the land and all the produce the land yielded. In opening the floodgates of heaven, God promised that He would pour out a blessing for the faithful tither without measure. The Hebrew verb translated pour out means to empty out. It emphasized that those who were obedient to God would receive an abundance of blessings. To be blessed by God is to be the recipient of His favor. Depending on the need, the nature of such blessing could be (among others) spiritual, physical, social, and/or financial. Concerning the Israelites of Malachi s day, Whenever the people had a need, the Lord s supply would be there waiting for them. 4 God promised His people His abundant provision when they faithfully and obediently tithed. 7 Verse 11. Because of the Israelites disobedience, God had judged them with crop failure and famine. In contrast, God promised that if the Israelites would be faithful in the tithes and offerings God would rebuke the devourer so that their efforts would yield an abundant harvest. The Hebrew term for devourer could refer to some pest, such as locusts, which eat crops. Swarms of locusts were periodically a threat in the Middle East. Such a swarm could number in the tens of millions of locusts and they would devour all vegetation in their path. God s promise to rebuke the devourer meant that He would protect the Israelites from such horrific agricultural devastation. The devourer could also refer to plant diseases or anything else that would have destroyed the Israelites crops. The result of God s rebuking the devourer would be an abundant harvest from the Israelites fields and vineyards. The curse (Mal. 3:9) would be replaced with a blessing (v. 10). Again, the blessings of obedience were guaranteed by the Lord of Armies, the Creator and Sustainer of all existence. 90 Special Focus

10 8 Verse 12. Israel s covenant God (the Lord of Armies) also declared, Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land. If the Israelites returned to the Lord in faithful obedience, Israel s prosperity would be such that all the nations would rise up and call her blessed. This is a powerful connection that goes all the way back to the call of Abraham in Genesis 12:3. When God called Abraham to leave his homeland and go out to a land God would show him, God promised to make of Abraham a great nation. Part of God s promise was that through Abraham all the peoples on earth will be blessed. Israel, God s chosen people, was to be a light to the Gentile nations. Israel was to impact the nations of the world by their relationship with Yahweh, demonstrating that Yahweh was the one true God. Ultimately, Israel failed in their mission. However, from the line of David came the One who fulfilled that mission (Isa. 11:1-10; Matt. 1:1). The Messiah, Jesus Christ, became a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:32; see Isa. 42:1-7). 9 The Israelites of Malachi s day were robbing God through not giving tithes and offerings. Before we are too hard on them, we need to ask ourselves if we are robbing God. Stewardship is a fundamental part of being a disciple of Christ. It is the dedication to God of our time, talents, energy, resources, and all the other dimensions of our lives in recognition that all we are and all we have comes from God, the ultimate owner of everything. Stewardship is also God s plan for the church to carry out the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18 20). Tithing is part of a believer s stewardship responsibilities. It is the biblical standard for the stewardship of the financial resources God has entrusted to us. God has given us everything in Christ. He literally died on the cross to save us from our sins! Since He loves us that much, how can we not love Him in return? So, regarding tithing, asking the question, How much do I have to give? really misses the point. The true questions are: How can I thank God for all He has done for me? How can I use what God has given me to bring the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ to those who are lost in sin, darkness, and despair? How can I show the love of Christ to those in need? With those questions in mind, in the case of the stewardship of our finances, giving ten percent of our income to contribute to the spread of the gospel and the kingdom of God is a good beginning. Commentary 8 to show how Israel s neighbors would respond when Israel chose to be obedient to God. Commentary 9 to explain the basic concept of biblical stewardship. Help group members evaluate how they respond to the challenge of this passage. DISCUSS: Question #5 (PSG, p. 90): How have you seen God bless obedience? (Alternate: What s the hardest test you ve ever taken? How did you do? DO: Invite group members to turn to PSG page 90 and respond to the activity Spending Habits. Ask volunteers to share their responses. 1. Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus, vol. 2 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006), E. Ray Clendenen, Malachi in Haggai, Malachi, vol. 21a in The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishing Group, 2004), Ibid., Ibid.,

11 THE POINT Respond to God s goodness through a tithe of your income. LIVE IT OUT 5 minutes GUIDE: Emphasize The Point: Respond to God s goodness through a tithe of your income. REVIEW: Review Live It Out (PSG, p. 91); (see text to the right). Encourage each group member to follow through this week with at least one of the applications. LIVE IT OUT Our response to God through giving a tithe of our income requires systematic discipline that provides great benefits to others and blessings for ourselves. Consider the following actions this week: > > Start. Begin now to return a full ten percent of your income to God s work and experience the blessings which come from obedience to God s Word. Trust Christ with this decision and follow His direction. > > Stick. If you are already a tither, determine to stay the course and dedicate your obedience to God s continued blessing. Share your conviction with others and encourage them to begin. > > Strengthen. Pray about giving beyond a tithe, increasing your generosity to others and for the work of the kingdom of God. A greater offering provides a greater blessing for others. Take the challenge. WRAP IT UP GUIDE: Remind group members that all we possess is a gift from God; we are merely stewards of what He has entrusted to us. Encourage them to make the tithe an expression of their thanks to God for all He does for us. PRAY: Father, thank You for Your provision for all of our needs. Help us to make tithing a natural part of our discipleship. 92 SPECIAL FOCUS

12 ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO / DAVID ROGERS/ JEWISH MUSEUM/ NEW YORK (363/8) Half Shekel. Obverse: Chalice with date above: Y[ear] 2; Hebrew inscription: Half shekel. Reverse: stem with three pomegranates; Hebrew inscription: Jerusalem the Holy. Jews paid a half shekel for temple tax Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, is typically viewed as having been written near the close of the Old Testament era. Parallels between Malachi, Ezra, and Nehemiah indicate the three individuals were contemporaries. When Cyrus, king of Persia, conquered Babylon, he immediately allowed the Judean exiles to return to their homeland to reestablish their lives and rebuild the temple. The Persian Empire even provided revenue for temple rebuilding. The Judeans returned to their homeland in 538 BC and began reconstructing the temple; but opposition, distractions, and perhaps spiritual malaise caused the temple project to languish. The Jews finally were jogged out of their inactivity and the second temple was completed in 515 BC, over two decades after the exiles returned to Judah. Both Haggai and Zechariah had promised a new age of prosperity and blessing once the temple was completed. To some, this meant the reestablishment of the monarchy; to others, material prosperity. Expectations could not have been higher after completion of this temple. But optimism faded under the reign of Xerxes. Revenues went to armies instead of to support religious practices. The temple and priesthood suffered. Artaxerxes 1 was more supportive, but he was unable to make any substantive changes. Malachi targeted four fatal flaws to survival of the nation: first, disrespect for temple service by priests and laity; second, cessation of tithing; third, questionable marriages and high divorce rates; and fourth, the oppression of the poor. These spiritual and moral problems at the close of the Old Testament were pervasive. Malachi and others saw the connection between one s spiritual condition and his or her meeting ethical and social responsibilities. Thus, the prophets at the close of the Old Testament era sought to raise Israel s consciousness of its need to be sensitive to God s demands during this time of difficulty and uncertainty. The excerpt above is from the article The Spiritual Climate at the Close of the Old Testament Era (Summer 2007), which relates to this session. More Biblical Illustrator articles are available that relate to this session. See page 7 about Biblical Illustrator. Free additional ideas for your group are available at BibleStudiesforLife.com/AdultExtra 93

13 IT S TIME TO START A NEW GROUP WHEN BY KEN BRADDY If a church is not intentional about starting new groups, it will soon find itself in trouble. For every new group you start, you can figure you ll increase average attendance by approximately 10 people. From my experience, you know it s time to start a new group when 1. A group has been together for at least two years. It s really hard for guests to break into new groups when they have been together for longer than 24 months. Members have formed relationships and shared life with one another. By the time a group approaches its second birthday, it s time to consider starting a new group as different members approach new seasons of life. 94 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

14 2. A group doesn t see a steady stream of guests. Groups cool off after a time and will often turn inward. Sunday mornings become all about us, not about people who don t yet know Christ. But if you can recruit people to start a new group, it s almost guaranteed they will reach more people for Christ and demonstrate an excitement for Kingdom growth the former group hasn t known in years. 3. A group has ceased to grow. When a group no longer adds people to its ministry roll, it s time to start a new group. The group may have done a good job in the past of reaching new people, but over time the growth may have slacked off. It s possible that the influx of newer group members has frustrated the charter members of the group, and therefore they have become resistant to reaching any more new people. 4. A group fills their meeting space beyond 80 percent of capacity. The 80 percent rule is real; it simply states that groups will struggle to grow beyond 80 percent of their meeting room s capacity. When a group exceeds 80 percent of its seating capacity, the room is visually full to guests. A group can certainly exceed 80 percent of its seating capacity, but if this continues the attendance rate is likely to drop. People like elbow room, so think about square footage standards that recommend adults each have 15 square feet of space. A group that averages 15 adults needs at least 225 square feet of space. 5. The fall season comes around. Most churches experience a boost in Bible study attendance every fall. It normally begins in August with the onset of school, as people begin settling into routines again after a summer of rest and relaxation. August/September is a great time to launch new groups. If a church was averaging 150 people in Sunday School and started one new group in its preschool, children, student, and adult ministries, it should grow by 40 people. Within one year, it will average 190 people (new groups tend to add 10 people on average). The hardest part is to be intentional every year and have a game plan to start new groups. Ken Braddy is manager of LifeWay s ongoing Bible studies. He leads a weekly Bible study group at his church, and blogs daily about Sunday School at kenbraddy.com. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 95