Here at Christians In Honesdale, Bible class is the 45 minutes right after worship. We open our Bibles together, and one of us leads the study through a book of Scripture or a single subject. There are Bibles available in the seats if you need one. But you don't have to stay. Worship comes first, at 10am, and the study starts at 11am as a separate gathering. Some guests head home after worship, and nobody here thinks twice about it.
But if the word "class" makes you picture a teacher calling on you, here's how our Sunday and Tuesday really go.
10am: Worship, and You're Free to Stop There
The part of Sunday the New Testament actually describes is the assembly. Christians were told to keep meeting so they could encourage each other: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another" (Hebrews 10:24-25). And "on the first day of the week," Luke writes, they "gathered together to break bread" (Acts 20:7). That most likely means the Lord's Supper, since "the breaking of bread" was one of the church's regular practices (Acts 2:42) and Paul calls the church's coming together "the Lord's supper" (1 Corinthians 11:20). We do the same at 10am.
A note on the Greek: "Meet together" in Hebrews 10:25 is episynagōgē, a gathering together in one place. It shares a root with "synagogue," and it describes Christians assembling, not studying on their own. Paul uses the same word for the day believers will be "gathered together" to the Lord at His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:1).
A Bible class is something else. A congregation holds one to teach and build up its members, which is work God gave the church. Christ gave "the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12). We love our class. Still, nobody should treat it as a second requirement stacked on top of worship, and we don't keep a roll. If you leave at 11am, you've done nothing wrong.
Bible Class Has Old Roots
Gathering to read Scripture and explain it wasn't new with the church. When the exiles came back to Jerusalem, Ezra read the Law aloud to "both men and women and all who could understand what they heard" (Nehemiah 8:2). Then the Levites went among the people to help them follow it. "They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading" (Nehemiah 8:8).
A note on the Hebrew: "Clearly" is mephōrāš, from pāraš, "to make distinct" or "to explain." The reading was meant to be understood, not just recited. "Gave the sense" is śôm śekel, literally "putting insight" into it, and "understood" is bîn, the ordinary word for grasping what something means. That's the order of our hour: read the text, explain it, and make sure people understand it.
11am: What the Study Hour Looks Like
Once worship ends, there’s about a 10-minute break, and then people pull out their Bibles and settle in. One of us guides the study. Some weeks we'll go line by line through Acts, say, or Romans. Other weeks we'll follow a subject, maybe prayer or the life of Christ, through several parts of Scripture. The teacher talks for a while, somebody asks a question, and the conversation keeps circling back to what the page says. That back-and-forth is the way Paul described it: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom" (Colossians 3:16).
We'd rather you check us than trust us. Luke praised the Jews in Berea because "they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (Acts 17:11). We want that same habit at 11am. Keep your own Bible open and see whether what's said matches what's written.
A note on the Greek: "Examining" is anakrinō, a word used for questioning in court. Luke uses it when Pilate tells the crowd he has "examined" Jesus and found no guilt (Luke 23:14). The Bereans cross-examined what Paul taught against the Scriptures, and they kept at it daily. Luke calls them "more noble" for doing it.
What We Won't Ask of You
Most people's real worry is being put on the spot, so here's our promise. Nobody will ask you to read out loud. Nobody will call on you for an answer, ask you to lead a prayer, or have you stand and say who you are. Sit anywhere. Leave your Bible shut if you like and just listen.
Questions are welcome, and a newcomer's question often turns out to be the best one of the morning. Silence is welcome too. You could come a number of times and never say a word, and that would be fine by us.
You don't need to know anything going in, either. When Philip found an Ethiopian official reading Isaiah, he asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" The man answered honestly: "How can I, unless someone guides me?" (Acts 8:30-31). If you can't find the book of Acts, just ask. We'd much rather turn there with you than watch you sit lost and embarrassed while everyone else turns pages.
A note on the Greek: "Guides" is hodēgeō, built from hodos, "road," and means to lead someone along a way. Jesus uses the same verb when He promises that the Spirit "will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). The Ethiopian didn't need a lecture. He needed someone to walk through the text with him.
If Your Kids Are Coming Along
We believe children should be taught the Bible in words they can grasp. God told Israel to keep His words on their hearts and "teach them diligently to your children" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Paul reminded Timothy that "from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). Many congregations split their class hour by age for exactly that reason.
A note on the Greek: "From childhood" is apo brephous, "from infancy." Brephos is the word Luke uses for the baby Jesus lying in the manger (Luke 2:12) and for the infants people brought to Jesus (Luke 18:15). Timothy's mother and grandmother didn't wait for him to be old enough for a class (2 Timothy 1:5).
We're a small congregation meeting in one suite, so rather than promise something we may not have on a given Sunday, we'd ask you to check with us before you come. Tell us your child's age and we'll tell you what the 11am hour looks like for them. Wherever your kids end up during study, you're welcome to be right beside them, especially the first time.
Tuesday at 7pm, From Home
We also study on Tuesday evenings at 7pm, online through Google Meet. It's the same open Bible and the same freedom to listen without talking, and you don't even have to find a parking spot. For some people that's the easiest first step there is. You can join this class with the link on our Home page.
Many congregations hold their Sunday class before worship. Ours comes after. That difference says something about how we work. We're an independent congregation, and no headquarters hands anyone a schedule, so each group of Christians sets its own and can only vouch for itself. If you're looking at another congregation, check its times. For ours, the rhythm above is it.
Which Step to Take First
There's no right order. You could come to worship a dozen Sundays before staying for study. You could join on a Tuesday night from home and not see the inside of our place for months. Or you could stay at 11am on your very first visit.
Our place is a modest suite on Main Street, not a stand-alone church building. The Bible study in it is the real thing.
Whatever you pick, a Bible class is just your own reading with company. Keep reading at home too.
Pull Up a Chair at 11
If you'd like to try the study hour, or you'd rather begin with just one person and a Bible, we'll gladly meet you wherever you are. Take your time. You can set up a Bible study, learn who we are, or ask us anything before Sunday.
When we meet:
Find us at 416 Main Street, Suite D, Honesdale, PA 18431. Parking is behind the building, and so is our entrance.