This week as I begin another year with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), I recall my first year way back in 2000. Lots of changes have taken place since then. My children were in elementary school. We lived in another state. I called myself a professional volunteer (instead of a stay-at-home mom).
The picture shows one of my book shelves full of Bible study notebooks. If you count, you’ll find 15. The other five are on a second shelf.
BSF, A New Look
During the past twenty years, the format of the questions and the format of the discussion time have changed. Headquarters has added several new studies upping the count from seven in 2000 to ten now. We offer classes for women, men, young adults, school children from kindergarten to seniors in high school, and preschoolers from infants to five-year-olds.
Over the years, I’ve led many groups as a small group discussion leader. Last year I moved to the Shepherd Leader role, helping and encouraging other leaders.
BSF, Still the Same
What hasn’t changed in all those years is that BSF still teaches the truth from the Bible. BSF is an ecumenical, international Bible study that teaches solid doctrine. BSF still encourages members to be active members of a local church. We want to produce passionate people who love Jesus Christ, the Bible, and His church. We still use the four-fold approach to Bible study: we study the Bible passage individually for the week, then we discuss the lesson in groups, then we listen to a lecture, then we read notes pertaining to the passage. We learn lessons about God’s character, about ourselves, and about how to apply God’s word to our daily life.
BSF Zingers
Sometimes the lessons come in one liners like, “Go to the throne, not the phone” for wisdom, help, encouragement, love, validation. Another one is “Obedience brings blessings” with the flip side, “Disobedience brings consequences.” “Shovel while the piles are small.” “When you rake, you get leaves. When you dig, you get diamonds.”
Sometimes the lessons come in the form of quick vignettes like the time a blizzard was closing school and businesses in a northern state used to severe winter weather. A teaching leader in one of the men’s classes replied to the question of whether or not the BSF class would meet that night, “If the bars are open serving death, our class will be open offering life.”
One thought-provoking favorite is a new one. A class member in my group last year wondered what our world would be like if we treated our Bible like our cell phone–checking it every few minutes, making sure we have it before we leave home, panicking if we forget it or can’t find it for a minute or two.
I’m so excited to anticipate new lessons with Bible Study Fellowship this year! Contact me if you’re interested in joining.
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