Pressing on with Bible Conferences

We teach an easy Bible study in our conferences that starts out with a reading, usually Mark 2:1-12.  That's the story where Jesus heals the paralytic whose friends lower him through the roof.  Then we ask "what do you like about the passage?" to start the people actually thinking about what they have read. 

My favorite Bible conference picture
Answers start out really general, such as "God's power" or "his friends' faith."  Sometimes we have to encourage people to come up with their own response and not something memorized, like "We should always pray and never faint." Only a few people will answer.

The next question is where it really begins to loosen up.  "What did you NOT like about the passage?"  What? Not like something out of the Bible? Finally someone volunteers, "I don't like that the people were there to see Jesus, but wouldn't let them pass with the paralyzed man."  And all of a sudden the ice breaks, and the people start having opinions and interacting with the passage.  By the end of the study, everyone is talking.

These conferences are the way we distribute the Bible.  We work together with the Bible League on this, and we agree that it is better to give people some training when they get a Bible, so it doesn't wind up just sitting on the shelf.

This is one of our favorite ministries, and we know that it is one of your favorites, too.  So many times, when we speak at a US church, someone comes and presses folded up money into our hands and says, "This is for Bibles."  

We know that the easy-to-read Bible that we distribute makes a difference, even for better-educated folks.  A college-educated lady that Tammy is discipling now told her how much she appreciates this version because it really helps.

Even though Bible Conferences are near and dear to our hearts, we need some prayer support in this area.  We need another full-time teacher to keep these up this year as we focus on recording seminary classes and getting churches involved in that program. Pray for God to provide that teacher.