CBS or BSF

Have you heard of either of these?

CBS = Community Bible Study 

or

BSF = Bible Study Fellowship

Both of these organizations offer Bible studies for women and men across this country and around the world. There are Bible studies during the day, but also at night. Both groups are interdenominational, so people of different denominations can come to study God's Word together. You don't talk about your denomination. Simply and purely, you study God's Word.

I had heard about these Bible study organizations from quite a few people. Very good things. I just never got around to attending one. I was too busy with the young'uns, homeschooling, church, or just didn't think that I had the time (or energy) to go to one. They even have a wonderful children's program, but I still didn't think that I had the time to join.

This past Fall, I finally set it in my heart to join for me. I had been teaching and running around driving my children to different activities but not doing anything for my own refreshment. I am still reading through the Bible (in a year), but I thought that I needed to be in a Bible study with others. What made this Bible study even better was that they had a children's program for homeschoolers. My children could go and study the same book of the Bible as me.

I must confess that I was a bit skeptical when I heard that we were studying the book of Mark. Not only is it one of the gospels (which I have read and studied many times), but it is also the shortest of the gospels. I wondered how much I could get out of the study. Pride is never good. But God was patient with me.

Each week, I was amazed at the different facets that were being revealed to me. Different facets of Jesus and different facets of familiar stories. I was humbled week after week after week. Yesterday was the last class for 2012, and I was amazed at how blessed I had been this past semester. There is power in studying God's Word alone and together.

The format of these groups is very similar:

Large group starter
Small group Bible study
Large group teaching and wrap up

You get a Bible study book. You complete the study during the week. You go over it with your small group. Finally, the large group leader teaches/wraps up the passage. Then, you go home and read the commentary pages that are given to you to reflect on the passage once again.

Simple.
Bible study.
Refreshment.
What more can you ask for?