Quality vs. Quantity

I was feeling discouraged about a Bible Study that a friend and I had started for a group of friends. This special group consisted of ladies from our social circle who were from diverse religious backgrounds. Some had never gone to church regularly, and others were from different denominations. They all had something in common:  questions about God, the Bible, and religion. So a friend and I started this casual Bible Study that met every other Thursday. I was happy to be doing this ministry as I love sharing God’s Word with others. This was on top of another Bible Study I was leading every week on Thursday mornings, which required a lot of prep time. We started out strong but over time it was hard to get people to commit to coming. It began to be rare that we had everyone show up at once. Most of my prep time consisted of chasing everyone around to get them to come. So I became discouraged. After all, I was doing this for my friends, not for myself. I was already in a more intense Bible study; I didn’t need to do this for me. If only one or two ladies could come we would cancel or reschedule. We’d change days if people couldn’t come on Thursday one week. We were constantly switching things around to accommodate everyone. It was getting tiresome. My co-leader and I finally decided that we would stick to our original plan every other Thursday and we would just meet with whoever could come. I was getting ready to give up altogether but my prayer became that God would bring whoever needed to be there and it would always be just right. I remembered Matthew 18:20 that says:  “Where two or three gather in my name, I am with them.” If we were gathering in Jesus’ name, with the right attitude, God would bless it. The next time we met only two other girls were available, but we persisted. After getting settled one of the ladies said how much she looked forward to our gatherings and what a high priority she placed on our time together, and even though she frequently traveled to New York City for work, she would rush to get back on the nights we met. On that night God knew exactly what I needed to hear. He knew exactly how to encourage me to persist in meeting. This particular group of women is close to my heart. They are seeking.  He is drawing them nearer. I came to realize that it didn’t matter how many people showed up:  it’s not quantity, but quality that God is looking for. And if we were meeting with genuine hearts, no matter how many of us were there, He would show up every time.

If you are curious about a Bible study like the one Becki refers to here, listen to one of our SWF Bible Studies today to see what it’s like!

Becki is a wife and mother of four girls who is passionate about God’s Word and telling others about the saving grace and love of Jesus Christ according to 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”