BSF: Secret Society?

For awhile I have been hearing rumors off and on about a special Bible study that met at a church near me. But what I was hearing was that it was by invitation only and I had never heard about it before. So when I was talking with an old friend at yoga class and she mentioned it, I asked her the question. So what is up with this secret Bible study? She told me that I would just have to check it out myself and that she would let me know when the next orientation was. Orientation? What kind of Bible study has an Orientation?

So today I tried it! I was told that there was no childcare this first time and so I left Joslyn with Grandma Marcie and hoofed it over to the First Baptist Church, the biggest church in our area. I have been there for many different events yet get lost every time at this church. So I walked in the wrong area and luckily there was someone to direct me to the correct area. I was greeted by some really nice ladies and they sat me in the newcomers pews. I was joined by a few other nice newcomers and we chatted until the service started. We started by singing a couple of hymns and then prayed. I was surprised at the amount of women who showed up on a Wednesday morning. So then we were ushered off to our disscussion groups or orientation for us newcomers.

When I was told about this Bible Study I assumed two bad things. Either it would cost money that I didn't have, or that they would have conflicting beliefs than me. During the orientation, I was surprised that neither one was true. BSF, standing for Bible Study Fellowship was started by a little old lady named A. Wetherell Johnson. She started teaching 5 people how to study the Bible and the rest is history. The primary goal for BSF is to enable all members to gain the maximum benefit from their study of the Bible. They have 4 parts that help members do this. Printed notes- these expound upon the scriptures of that week's lesson. Daily Questions - Questions designed to help you draw out the truths of the Bible. They strongly discourage using anything but the Bible, no concordence or Bible application guide, because they want you to figure out what you need to learn from the Bible, not what anyone else thinks the verses mean. Disscussion groups - this is where you disscuss your answers from the previous weeks questions. A chance to learn from others and share examples of what you have learned. I wasn't allowed to do this part this week, but by Tuesday of next week my small group leader will call me to tell me which group I am in and where to go. And the last part is Expository Lectures - this is where the speaker talks about the  verses and helps you figure out how to apply the knowledge you have learned from the verses into your everyday life. Today's lecture was over Ephesians 1:1-23. So much was crammed into the 40 minute lecture that it was kind of overwhelming but I really understood most of what she talked about and thought that her thoughts on the subject were very right on.

So let me explain the whole orientation thing. BSF is an inter-denominational Bible study. Covers many denominations. In fact in this church study alone over 40 different denominations are represented. But there is no denomination or church that supports or influences this Bible study. All of their leaders are former BSF studiers and are all volunteers. Therefore the amount of people in the groups are subject to the amount of willing leaders. All of the curriculium is printed and passed out for free at no cost to us, and we aren't ever asked for money, but donations are welcome. The whole program is faith supported. Which means that they rely on God solely for their monetary support. The same with the childcare. They have limited number of leaders for the children. Not only are the kids being watched, but they are being taught by leaders who are teaching them similar lessons. So there are only limited number of spots left for childcare and I felt that it was a gift from God that they had 2 spots left and they happened to be in Joslyn's age range.

BSF is world wide! I was excited to learn that all over the world men and women were learning and studying what I was learning. In fact they estimated the numbers to be around 250,000! That was awesome. Some of these people don't go to church, but do this study and are learning the truths of the Bible. I love this because many people have been so turned off by church and the members that they miss out on the fellowship and Bible Studies that are so beneficial. Something I must share that was taught to me by someone I trusted. Never ever take a pastor's, stranger's, friend's word as truth coming from the Bible. This doesn't mean that what they say isn't true. It just means that God gave his Word to everyone! If you can read then you have the opportunity to check it out for yourself. If anything seems off about the Bible that someone says, don't just take their word for it, look for yourself. I use this method all the time if something sounds wrong.

So to end, there are BSF Bible studies all over the world and you can check www.bsfinternational.org to see if there is a group near you. I believe this study is going to be one of the best things I can do in this lifetime. Learning to study the Bible and grow closer to God through His Word is going to change me. And I look forward to the different lessons I will learn and the new friends I will make. I also look forward to seeing Joslyn blossom from Bible lessons and songs.

So my question for you today is, have you ever been concerned about a Godly program, only to find out that it was meant for you?