STUDYING THE BIBLE GOD’S WAY

“When you have the gift to teach, you have to be careful how you say things to people … Is your mouth a womb or a tomb? Are you killing or bringing life?” asks Elder Jean Hopper King, host of Restore, Refocus & Refresh Bible study.

Restore, Refocus & Refresh (RR&R) is a uniquely structured Bible study that uses telephone conference calls to join like-minded people from around the United States for Christian teaching, worship, and prayer sessions.

RR&R host Jean Hopper King said study participants meet from 6 to 7 a.m. the first 12 days of each month to bask in the teachings of selected church officials with such titles as deacon, apostle, bishop, reverend or pastor. King said she gets a lot of support from her mentor, Apostle Victoria Regina Lockhart of Jersey City, New Jersey, who started “The Affiliates,” which is a team of ministries spread throughout the eastern part of the United States.

Each month’s study focuses on a theme supplied by King who spends time in prayer before making her choices.

“I pray every time and I definitely shut my mouth” to hear from God about what the next month’s theme should be, explained King, who has the title of Elder. “I try to shut down thoughts in my head” that would interfere with God’s communication with me “and I listen for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me” in making decisions for the Bible study theme.

King stressed, “That’s where we get the themes from, the Holy Ghost.”

So, King’s selection of “The Holy Ghost” as the theme for January 2024 seemed appropriate to the enthusiastic church leaders selected to teach. Apostle Mikell Snooks of the Everlasting Kingdom Ministries, Columbia, S.C., taught on New Year’s day how the Holy Spirit is part of the Promise of God. The other leaders who hailed from Georgia to Tennessee completed the rest of the days exploring the role of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, warning about ways we grieve the Holy Spirit and listing the “gifts,” as well as distinguishing between fact and truth.

During each of the 12 days, the teachings are preceded by praise and worship “to Give [God], all the glory first of all because that’s the reason why we’re there,” King said. After the preaching or teaching, participants offer comments, engage in discussions and/or ask questions, all of which sometimes push the sessions beyond the one-hour limit.

King explained why the discussion period is lengthy.

“Other people learn from other people’s comments,” she said. “My journey or walk is different from your walk. We’re all a part of the body [of Christ’s family] but we are a different part of the body, and we have different messages or understanding. You might know something or been through something I’ve never been through or thought of. It helps other people to hear those comments.”

King’s excitement about the study is reinforced by a larger vision that God gave to her years ago. In the future, she said a sprawling resort, equipped with swimming, walking trails and other recreational activities, will be developed on prime land bought at a cut-rate price. She also wants a greenhouse to grow vegetables. God’s vision told her that Christian leaders on the verge of exhaustion, burnout, or withdrawal from religious activities would travel to the property for encouragement and support.

The revelation came to King in a dream that was later confirmed at a women’s retreat as well as in a shocking announcement by the Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley in December 2019 that he needed a break from pastoral duties at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. He took a sabbatical.

“I’ve always been a dreamer and God shows me things in dreams,” she explained, noting “I guess when I was in my 40s, I started having dreams and visions.”

King said she was born and raised on a 200-acre farm near where she now resides in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, near Knoxville. Her brother still operates the farm. She left home at 18-years-old to attend Tennessee State University in nearby Nashville. She earned an architectural engineering degree, which serves her well while working in the building industry. During the last 20 years, King has appraised real estate for a living. She spent more than 40 years in Atlanta, Georgia.

Her complex “dream vision” assured her of the land that God promised and encouraged her to step out in faith. King began work on certification training and all the requirements for a nonprofit organization to be named, Refresh Resort, Inc.

In January 2021, King said God urged her to move to Smyrna, Tennessee, where she joined the House of Faith Christian Center.

“Establish a platform,” was the next message King said she received from the Lord. “That’s how we came up with this Bible study” in July 2022.

“When we first started the study, only five people showed up,” King said chuckling, noting that the five included her daughter, mentor Lockhart, a New Jersey friend, a cousin, and a former neighbor from Stone Mountain, Georgia.

After joining the House of Faith, participation increased as many of the church members and the pastor, Rev. Ronnie D. Simmons, participated. Word-of-mouth has been the main way information about the Bible study has spread. Now the study averages about two dozen or more participants each month, with attendance sometimes ballooning up to 45 or more. Simmons has switched to teaching with RR&R.

The 501c3 Refresh Resort Inc. was approved last year.

Across the United States, Bible studies use a variety of approaches to encourage people to read and study the Word, as well as pray. Besides RR&R’s use of phone conference calls, other studies entice people to church buildings or persuade churchgoers to join virtual studies on Zoom or similar platforms.

The Bible Study Fellowship defines “Bible Study” as using prepared biblical materials both individually and in a group. A 2018 study by the Fellowship found that 58% of Christians chose to participate in a Bible Study. But then, the American Bible Society’s 2022 State of the Bible report said 26 million Americans stopped reading the Bible regularly during COVID-19. Last year, however, the ABS annual report found that 63 million American adults (24%) use the Bible on their own, outside of a church service, at least once a week.

Julia Bowman of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, said she and four of her siblings in North Carolina decided three years ago to start studying the Bible together every Monday night. They rotate teaching duties.

“It’s been working out so beautifully, everybody loves it,” she said, noting several of her friends were inspired to start Bible study sessions with family members too. “We look forward to it.”

The exponential growth of Alfred Street Baptist Church spurred its leaders to create “Villages” to slice up its estimated 10,000 members. Under Wesley’s leadership, officials of the megachurch estimate about 50,000 plus monthly online viewers, 100 million YouTube views and 80 active ministries with an emphasis on children’s ministries and missions.

According to information on the church website, one goal of the Villages at Alfred Street is so “everyone is connected in family, growing in their faith, and supported towards their future.” Villages consist of 8-14 participants, led by a pair of co-facilitators and one host.

“It is not, strictly speaking, a Bible Study,” explained the Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque, assistant to the Pastor for Small Groups at Alfred Street. “We focus on the preached word and its practical application. While the sermons are Biblically based, we do not take a text and follow it through; we instead take the sermon and delve into it.”

One of the first lessons for RR&R was a book by Dr. Cindy Trimm. Participants also have studied the entire Old Testament book of Samuel and portions of the two books of Kings. In 12 days, the group poured through a book written in 2021 by Lockhart entitled “Is Your Mouth a Womb or a Tomb? The 21-day Devotional.” In December 2023, the group focused on TIME.

For the new year, King eagerly worked on recruiting more male teachers and preachers.

King said she is not concerned with research studies that show people don’t have time for Bible studies or feel that Bible study on Sunday in church is adequate.

“I’ve had people say, ‘it’s confusing;’ ‘I can’t read the Bible,’” King said. “I don’t know what to say back … God is not the author of confusion.”

King said she is extremely cautious about her public responses to naysayers.

“When you have the gift to teach, you have to be careful how you say things to people … Is your mouth a womb or a tomb? Are you killing or bringing life? I asked the Holy Spirit to help my tongue. That little pink thing,” she said, chuckling, “it can damage something. Help me Jesus!”

As far as the connection between RR&R and the vision of the sprawling Refresh Resort Inc., King said at some point, “It will be a place of renewing for leaders. It won’t be church as usual. It’ll be back to the basics, allowing spiritual leaders the opportunity to get back to their first love.”

Written by TMCH