Bible Study Fellowship now runs for 30 weeks and follows the school year. In the United States, the first BSF classes begin the week after Labor Day. There is a three-week break for Christmas and a one-week break for Spring Break, which varies depending on your BSF group.
This is different in other countries. Many begin in late August, and those in the Southern Hemisphere begin the BSF study about half-way through ours due to their different seasons.
The BSF classes themselves run approximately two hours. This includes group discussion and lecture.
In the past, BSF was 32 weeks and was 2.5 hours long. However, 2.5 hours is a long time for young children, and students at night would get home really late. Thirty weeks gives a bit more of a break during the summer, too.
Many people wonder, “How does Bible Study Fellowship work?” Perhaps, they have heard of it or have friends who participate, and they want to join.
Bible Study Fellowship, or BSF, takes a four-fold approach to its Bible study:
Answer. You begin with a Bible lesson that covers a particular passage. This features questions that will help you to understand the passage better and explore what it means to you.
Discuss. You will then meet with your group, going over the questions and gathering further insight to the passage based on what others have discovered.
Listen. You will then listen to a lecture prepared by the teaching leader of your class that will further dive into the meaning of the passage and pose questions that may help you dive deeper into the Bible passage’s meaning to you.
Explore. Finally, you’ll read about the passage and read Bible commentary for other great insights into the Bible passages’ meaning.
Here’s a nifty video of this approach from BSF HERE
Other Bible study ideas for you all!
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I’ve gotten this question, “Is Bible Study Fellowship free?” many times, so I thought I’d set the record straight!
Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) IS FREE!
There is absolutely no cost to this bible study. BSF is a non-profit, operating on donations for the most part and the sale of some items. Those who do attend are encouraged to give, and most BSF locations have a donation basket near where they hand out the questions for giving in person. BSF encourages those who are able to give online, too.
Choosing a Bible study can definitely be challenging. There are hundreds to choose from, so how do you know which one is right for you? Below, I’ll examine some tips you can use to try to narrow your search to finding a great Bible study, and contact me with your questions!
TIPS TO CHOOSE THE BEST BIBLE STUDY
Decide if You Want to Go Solo or in a Group
There are many excellent Bible studies, and many are broken down to ones you can do alone or in a group. Decide first if you want a group setting where you can learn from others, or you prefer to do one on your own.
Decide How Long You Want to Commit to a Bible Study
Many people love studying the Bible in-depth and doing prescribed Bible studies, but they can’t commit to a long time frame. Decide if you want a short Bible study, or a long one like Bible Study Fellowship that runs all school-year long.
Decide On Preferred Format
Bible studies in general come in two formats: Print and Video. The preferred format for your Bible study is largely a personal preference and can depend on what type of learner you are.
Commit
Once you’ve narrowed down your Bible study criteria, it’s time to commit to one. In truth, God just wants you to show up. Don’t worry about the rest; He’s got it!
Studying the Bible is one of the best ways to grow your faith and grow deeper with God and Christ. It doesn’t take a lot of time, and you can even do it in 10-minute segments throughout your day. Do your research, and find the perfect Bible study for you. The invest the time, and you’ll be amazed at what God does.
“Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant, Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”
Ruth 3:9
REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR RUTH 3:9
15 ) I am struggling with work right now with pay cuts and the direction my company is heading. Trying to decide if a new job is the right path or not, and if so, what job.
16 ) It’s encouraging to see Ruth ask for what she wanted — a guardian redeemer in her life. It gives me courage to ask more for what I want and wait for God to answer.
CONCLUSIONS TO WEEK 3 AND WORDGO’S STUDY OF RUTH 3
I love Naomi’s wise words at the end of Ruth 3 of “wait.” Waiting is hard for all of us, but whether you are waiting for a spouse to come into your life, waiting on a change in circumstances, or waiting on test results, God is there in all of the waiting, working and weaving His will. Take heart in the wait period. Contact me today!
When Jacob stopped to sleep, he had a dream of a stairway to heaven that angels traversed. God appeared and told Jacob He would give him the land on which he was lying. His descendents will be numerous and fill the earth. All people will be blessed through him. God is with him and will watch over him no matter where he goes. God will bring him back and not leave until He has done what He has promised He will do.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 18, Day 4: Genesis 28:12-15
9) When Jacob stopped to sleep, he had a dream of a stairway to heaven that angels traversed. God appeared and told Jacob He would give him the land on which he was lying. His descendents will be numerous and fill the earth. All people will be blessed through him. God is with him and will watch over him no matter where he goes. God will bring him back and not leave until He has done what He has promised He will do. John 14:6 is where Jesus says he is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to God except through him. Hebrews 10:19-20 tells us that we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. The stairwell is the way to heaven, namely Jesus, a descendent of Jacob’s. Jesus is the stairway.
10a) God would give him the land on which he was lying
b) His descendents will be numerous and fill the earth.
c) All people will be blessed through him
d) God is with him and will watch over him no matter where he goes. God will bring him back and not leave until He has done what He has promised He will do.
11) I love how God tells Jacob He is with him and will watch over him no matter where he goes. God will not leave him until His work has been completed. This is very comforting to know God is with you always as I still struggle to follow His will for me.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 18, Day 4: Genesis 28:12-15
Love how God appears here and promises never to leave. I think He does this for us in subtle ways every day that we need to capture and hold on to when life does not go our way.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 18, Day 4: Genesis 28:12-15
(John 1:51) is where we see Jesus speak of the angels going back and forth on the Son of Man. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Jacob sees access to Heaven but not yet that it is Jesus.
God is repeating the covenant to Jacob that He gave to Abraham and Isaac before him. (Genesis 12:1-3) (Genesis 26:2-5). See the promise here: Philippians 1:6: God completes His work in us.
God is with Jacob, He will be with Jacob, He is faithful, and He will continue His work after you are gone.(Genesis 31:3) (Genesis 31:5) (Genesis 48:21)
Esau returns, saying the same words as Jacob, asking his father to sit up, eat, and bless him. Isaac realizes he had been tricked with Esau’s arrival. Esau wants his father’s blessing, but Isaac says it is too late.
Esau is angry how Jacob tricked him into taking his birthright and his blessing. Isaac tells Esau that Jacob will be lord over him and everything and then tells him the future that he will dwell away from the earth’s riches and the dew of the heavens. He will live by the sword and serve his brother. But he will throw off his yoke. Esau plans to murder Jacob once Isaac has passed.
BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 17, Day 4: Genesis 27:30-41
10) Esau does not respect the birthright by giving it to Jacob for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:31). He marries pagan women who were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:35). Esau is angry and keeps demanding Isaac’s blessing in Genesis 27, which truly only God can give.
11a) Regret means,”feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity).” You wish you had not done whatever you are regretting. Repentance means, “the action of repenting; sincere regret or remorse.” You look at your actions and feel regret for what you did wrong. According to Wikipedia, repetance means: Repentance is the activity of reviewing one’s actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In Judaism and Christianity it is often defined as an action, turning away from self-serving activities and turning to God, to walk in his ways.
b) Esau shows regret over selling his birthright and missing out on the blessing (Genesis 27:36). Isaac shows regret that he blessed Jacob instead of Esau (Genesis 27:33), but repentance when he realizes that God’s will is done (Genesis 27:37-40).
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
12) Everything works together for my good (Romans 8:28). That God is in control. He has this; I don’t. It is as God has meant it to be.
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 17, Day 4: Genesis 27:30-41
Esau reacts out of anger and vows to kill Jacob instead of accepting God’s ulimate authority and will. Isaac realizes God’s will has been done, and he accepts it.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 17, Day 4: Genesis 27:30-41
Isaac’s trembling could be because he realizes that God is in control no matter what he tries to do. He also realizes he was wrong in trying to circumvent God and does not try to retract his blessing. He knows God’s will has been done and tells Esau this as well.
Esau is angry (rightfully so). However, he knows God’s words from His revelation to Rebekah, yet he fights against them. Now that he’s older, he understands that the birthright brings material advantages as well. Here, he cares about it for the first time and wants it back, blaming Jacob when God had already chosen.
Esau wept not out of a sense of wrongdoing or repentance, but out of sense of what he had lost in material wealth and privilege. (Hebrews 12:15-17) shows how Esau was rejected despite his tears and plea here.
Isaac Blesses Esau
These comforting words from Isaac about Esau’s future were not bad and could be considered a blessing. Many Bible scholars believe that “your dwelling will be away from the earth’s presence” should read “from” without the away. This means he will be a nomad, he will have to fight to live, but he won’t be under Jacob his entire life.
We’ll see later that Esau was blessed, indeed. (Genesis 33:9)
Esau was jealous of Jacob and wanted to kill him when Isaac died. Little did he know this would be decades down the road.
