HOW CAN READING THE BIBLE IN COMMUNITY REALLY CHANGE MY LIFE?
Has reading the whole Bible just felt too daunting for you?
Many people have felt this way, but you are not alone! Here are three reasons why I loved studying the Bible from cover to cover with friends through the BCC at YWAM Newcastle.
You Gain a Deeper Understanding of the Big Picture.
When I first started the Bible Core Course (BCC) I thought I had a decent grasp on the Bible because I had grown up going to church. I quickly realized there was and still is so much more for me to learn about the Bible. During the course we studied an overview of the Bible. This was so helpful because I wasn’t as familiar with the Old Testament than with the New. We reviewed the timeline and history of the Bible from creation, to the exodus, exile, divide of the kingdom, 400 years of silence and then finally into the New Testament. This was all new to me!
Gaining understanding of the Biblical context by studying historical events, learning about who wrote the Bible and who they wrote it for made me feel more connected to the Bible.
In addition to understanding the overall story of the Bible, I loved getting to read each book of the Bible out loud in one sitting.
It was such a new and rich way to experience the Bible. After reading each book, we color coded the books we studied in depth which helped me understand the books even more.
I was able to get really familiar and feel at home in the Scriptures.
It is a Set Apart Time.
Our lives can get so busy with so many things and it can be really hard to take intentional time to study the Bible, much less know how to study it.
The BCC is the perfect opportunity to have an intentional season to dive into the Bible. You also have amazing lectures and staff that teach you methods of how to study the Bible effectively, as well as amazing friends/classmates. We spend years of our lives putting our time towards a degree for a career, why not invest a few months to study God’s Word?
You won’t regret it. Some of the best months of my life were on BCC!
You Get To Pursue God in Community.
I’ve found that there is nothing sweeter than pursuing God in community. Getting to be with like-minded people who are studying, living, and eating with you is life-changing. There were 12 students in my BCC and we all became friends quickly.
It was a blast doing life with them!
Going to cafes to read or study together and late night beach swims were a few highlights. It was such a joy to share what God had been teaching me and to learn from one another.
Being in the same classes and having the same homework made things very relatable, and we were able to to work together and cheer one another on!
Definitely worth it.
– Amy Schmalz, Student on BCC 2018