Note: An email went out on Friday, November 6th, that included The Bridge Bible Institute Survey. Please help us by filling it out and returning it to us, via email, no later than Sunday, November 15th. Thank you! Your input will assist us with our advance planning.
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, (1 Timothy 4:1 – NASB95)
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:17-18 – NASB95)
It’s no secret that one of my all-time favorite movies for quotable lines is, “The Princess Bride.” And it’s inconceivable to me that anyone wouldn’t agree with me. Anyway, I recently saw a meme where the six-fingered man has Wesley in the Pit of Despair on the machine. He tells Wesley after the first round on the machine, “I’ve just sucked away one year of your life.” In the meme (not the movie), Wesley says, “Please make it 2020!”
I may be in the minority in saying that I am grateful for 2020. Why? Because the Lord Jesus is doing great things all over the world as He builds His church (Mt. 16:18). And He is working deep in my own heart. The messages I studied for in the Minor Prophets, the Psalms, and the book of James, have profoundly changed my life. And I have enjoyed reading a variety of books on everything from biographies to church history to leadership to practical Christian living to Theology… especially Theology.
This is important to me because of the verses above. We live in a world filled with lies, half-truths, and demonic doctrines. People are being misled by false teachers because they aren’t rooted in sound doctrine (Eph. 4:11-16). They are growing in their understanding of sports & politics, but not in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Rather than disciplining themselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7-8), they are spending massive amounts of time on things that are of no eternal consequence.
What can we do about this? How can we make sure that we aren’t deceived? How can we get rooted in grace and truth and stand firm on the faith? Great questions. Certainly we can do that by listening to sermons, taking notes, and discussing / applying what we learn. We can join a LIFE Group or be personally discipled through the Partners Program. But there is yet another option for more formal, in-depth study in the New Year. Yes, 2020 will soon be in our rearview mirrors and we can launch a new year with some new resolve to grow stronger and deeper in the faith. How? Through The Bridge Bible Institute (TBBI).
It is our hope that TBBI will be back in January 2021 and better than ever. It will be similar to the LOGOS program at Grace Community or the Bible program at The Master’s University. The cost will be minimal ($30 per class for tuition plus the cost of books). Each class will last 7 weeks, and they will ultimately be offered both in the classroom and online (and recorded if you miss a class due to illness or travel). To make it even better, we have invited some other like-minded churches in the area to join us. This will expand our faculty, the courses we can offer, and the number of students. We trust that the Lord will use this to equip and train servant-leaders for churches in our area and ultimately around the world.
More information will be coming in the near future, but for now, please PRAY FERVENTLY:
- For Brian Nicks & Sean Ransom as they work on all the administrative details, contact other churches, prepare the curriculum, and get ready to teach.
- For other churches to join us both as leaders / teachers and as students.
- For a lot of people in our church (including you) to take the classes, grow strong in the faith, and be better equipped to serve and lead in our church.
- For future deacons, deaconesses, and elders to be trained through this ministry to serve at TBBF and other churches around the world.
2020 has been a year of great growth. I believe that through TBBI, 2021 will be even better!