What Students are Saying about Cover-to-Cover Bible Survey

Our fall discipleship classes begin soon.  I want to tempt you to consider joining this amazing journey through God’s Word.  It will change your life.  Read what our students are saying about Cover-to-Cover Bible Survey.

Teaching

• The teacher’s love and passion for Scripture was so contagious. | The passion of the instructor. He loved God’s Word so much it was infectious | Good teachers, on fire for the Lord. | The encouragement we received from the instructor.

 The classes

• How straightforward the class was. The material, expectations and goals for each class (as well as the course overall) were clearly stated and the course met every expectation.| The discussions were great because people asked all different questions. | The fellowship with other students. | This is a MEATY class. Busiest time of my life and it was so worth it. | I made friends for life!

 Value of writing papers

• I liked having to do the essay papers. I was able to research and go deep into other sources to learn more about the book, the author and more of God’s will for His people.| Encountering God’s truth in a very personal manner. VSB’s requirement to write papers is the best approach for this type of class. | The 5-10-page homework write-up where I had to pray and seek the Holy Spirit for guidance and then dig deep into Scripture to uncover details I’d not known before. It was the best journey of a lifetime. | The benefit of the papers…In no other Bible study have I had to really work through my own thoughts on Scripture. That’s what stayed with me and what I treasured most.

• Engaging with the Word directly with confidence that God would speak through it changed my life. | I wondered if could handle the time commitment of writing a paper each week and the intensive study, and found it was compelling and never anything I wanted to avoid. | One of the most important features was the assignments…the permanent lessons for life and for sharing our testimonies with others. I have attended Bible survey classes before and didn’t think I really needed to enroll, but I will be grateful for the rest of my life that I did! | Writing the papers made me really think about application to my life.| Researching and writing the papers along with the VSB feedback, the camaraderie of the class, the good teaching…| My life stopped for 9 months!  No newspaper, no TV, just God’s Word. It was wonderful! I loved the every-week assignment and feedback! Life-changing! | The discipline of reading, contemplating and writing about each book of the Bible in a compact period of time.  Highlighted the integral nature of Scripture for me, which I had never grasped before taking the course. | The results of the discipline it took to following through with this study. Worth every bit of time and effort. | Studying Scripture and writing a paper prior to the lecture, digging into the reading and gaining a deeper understanding. The focused study of the Word gave me something that no other study has given me: an understanding the arc of the story! AMEN!

Appreciation for the Bible

• The joy of being in the Word | The Bible is absolutely true. I don’t think anyone can read and study it in this way and not see that. | A significantly greater understanding of and appreciation for God’s Word | A greater passion for God’s Word | How the Old and New Testaments fir together | Having an appreciation and real love of the Bible, knowing what it says about me and everyone for how we are loved. | Much more respect and awe for the Scripture. There were many times I fought passages of the Bible and doubted their truth, then after further study I had to agree that the problem was with me, not with the Bible. I became certain the Bible is inspired by God. The course has kept me reading the Bible regularly as part of my spiritual life. | How amazingly wonderful the Scriptures are. An incredible experience, so meaningful and life-changing. It was the first time I saw the Bible as one book, one story, all pointing to Jesus Christ. | Stitched all the meanings, time-lines, important events together for me. Prior, I had a lot of pieces of the Bible, but had little knowledge of how it fit together. | The amazing thread of Christ that runs from beginning to end. | The progressive revelation of the gospel in the books of the Old Testament. | Learning how to connect the Old and New Testaments in ways I had not discovered before | Reading the entire Bible – learning how it all flows together | It created a hunger within me to search the Scriptures even more. | Studying obscure passages of the Bible that aren’t often preached on or taught in Sunday School, and seeing how every part of God’s Word is important to the whole. | Amazed at how God orchestrated the writing of His Word. My faith just grew when I saw how the plan to save us began in the Garden, and that God continued to bring about His plan of salvation at just the right time of history, and that wasn’t the end.

 Relationship with God

• Knowing God better. | Personal transformation through encountering God’s truth in a deep way. | How well the Scripture complements itself and interweaves proving that it is truly from God. | How much God loves me | Feeling loved by my Savior | Intimacy with the Father and the Word! | That the quality of my relationship with God is directly related to the amount of time I spend in the Word. | Experiencing God in my life through spending time int he WORD! | My life has built on this class that I took years ago. This class has propelled me onto a greater experience with God. | Made my relationship with Christ stronger… I am better able to give an answer for my joy.

Personal Impact – spiritual growth

• Widened my knowledge of expository preaching and the importance of using hermeneutics to fully understand what God said, and how it is to be applied in my daily life. | Better habits of reading the Bible and thinking about God’s Word almost constantly. | The Scarlet Thread of redemption running from Genesis to Revelation…The first time this was presented to me and it makes such an impact | Opened the floodgates of enormous blessings from a comprehensive study. So many layers of wisdom brought to light and exciting to see how the entirety of God’s Word fits together so perfectly.

 Discipling Impact

• Great opportunity to discuss with spouse and grow in relationship with Jesus. | Equipped me to pass this along to family, kids, friends. | Much better ability to advise and counsel others.

 Outreach Impact

• I know what I believe and why — was a conversation starter at work. | I feel more confident about sharing the Word. | Gave me more understanding of the Scriptures and more ability to share it with others. | I love digging the Word into my life. I love sharing the things I discover with people in my family, workplace and church, to encourage and uplift them. | Increased my faith and confidence in what I believe, which increases my desire to share. | Helped me immensely in building relationships with those who know the Lord and those who don’t. | It gave me confidence of the Holy Spirit in my life. It gives me a much better understanding to discuss Christian topics with believers and unbelievers, where I can base my discussion on authoritative Word and not just logical discussions.

 Leadership Impact

• Used what I have learned in an adult Bible Study class that I am leading. | After taking the course I was able to step into a Bible study as a facilitator, and have continued in that role in different groups and Bible studies ever since.| It was part of my training to become an ordained minister / jail chaplain. | The course equipped me very well for further Biblical studies and for conveying my understanding of Biblical concepts in other ways, such as writing devotionals & leading small groups.

 Overall

• People really need to realize how little they know about God, how much they need Jesus, and how to have the Holy Spirit help them grow with discernment and maturity in the Lord. | How could one pick a “best”? My experience was great “Thank you for teaching me the Bible this past year.  It is an experience I will never forget.”  Patrick Reckinger

For class schedule please check our website.

http://www.villageschoolsofthebible.org/class-schedule-winter-spring-2015/

We look forward to seeing you at one of our campuses this fall.

Pastor Warren Coe

“I want a Lamborghini?”

Today’s blog post is an article from today’s news (July 21, 2015).  Prepare to be sickened.

“A new undercover video shows a top Planned Parenthood official discussing “less crunchy” techniques to get “whole specimens” and haggling over the price of fetus tissue sales because she wants “a Lamborghini.”

And the activist behind the sting operation says there’s much more to come.

Center for Medical Progress Project Lead David Daleiden told Fox News his group has “at least 12, really solid videos” among thousands of hours of footage.

“So, we’ll be doing this for the foreseeable future,” Daleiden said.

“The video released Tuesday morning, the second put out by CMP, features a woman identified as Dr. Mary Gatter, who was president of the Planned Parenthood Medical Directors’ Council until 2014 and now works in a leadership and advisory capacity at the local and national level of the organization. Over drinks, Gatter and the undercover activists discuss “specimen” prices, eventually settling at $100 for “intact tissue.”

“It’s been years since I’ve talked about compensation, so let me just figure out what others are getting,” says Gatter, during a conversation alleged to have occurred on Feb. 6. “If it’s in the ballpark then that’s fine, if it’s low we can bump it up.”

Gatter then turns to the women seated to her right, pats her on the shoulder, laughs and says, “I want a Lamborghini.” Asked to repeat the statement, Gatter replies, “I said, ‘I want a Lamborghini.’”

It is against federal law to sell fetal body parts. Planned Parenthood has maintained it donates the specimens, charging only for the expenses it incurs.

“We don’t want to be in a position of being accused of selling tissue and stuff like that,” Gatter says in the video. “On the other hand, there are costs associated with the use of our space, and all that kind of stuff.”

Daleiden said Tuesday that he believed Planned Parenthood’s activities were illegal.” (Fox News 7/21/2015)

Dear Village Schools of the Bible reader, here is the question before the church of Jesus Christ. Will we respond with prayer and action to save babies?  We now have hard evidence that Planned Parenthood is selling baby organs.

I urge us to action:

(1) Call your senators and congressmen voicing your moral disgust and asking congress to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

(2) Write to our U.S. President asking to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

(3) Get involved with your school district where Planned Parenthood has unfettered access to your children.  Ask that the school administration boot Planned Parenthood out your school.

(4) Teach the beauty and wonder of human life that begins at conception.

Let me close with Psalm 139.    “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Psa 139:13-17 ESV)

God’s Blessing,

Warren, executive director of Village Schools of the Bible

Welcome Warwick Alcock

Village Schools of the Bible welcomes Warwick Alcock as the director of strategic operations.

Warwick is a management consultant with a passion for strategy, process and performance improvement. He brings a wealth of experience from the business world to this role at Village Schools of the Bible.

He was born and raised in South Africa and moved to the USA in 1998. He attends Wayzata Free Church where he met Monty Sholund and shortly thereafter went through Monty’s rigorous but deeply enriching Cover-to-Cover Bible Survey course.

What has Made America Great in the Past

Alexis de Tocqueville on why America is great.

“I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of higher learning.  I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution.  Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.  America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Our religious liberties are being eroded.  Our conscience informed by Scripture is being told to accept as right things that are wrong.  What is our future?  What will become of America?  Maybe in the grand scheme of history, we are not that important.

Nevertheless, while we have breath, let’s pray that the gospel shines brighter.  Let’s pray that holiness fills God’s people.  Let’s pray!

Happy Independence Day!