Walking in wisdom this academic year

Recently, I’ve been reading through Ecclesiastes. It’s been a while since it came up in my devotional reading, and I’ve been struck not only by the relevance this enigmatic book has to contemporary questions, but also the role of Qoheleth, ‘The Teacher’.

Qoheleth sought meaning and satisfaction in life, guided by wisdom. From what could be observed, he saw the benefits of wisdom, pleasure, and wealth. He weighed each and concluded that there was benefit in one condition and less in its opposite (e.g. wisdom and folly, riches and poverty) … Yet, despite wisdom being better than folly, the inescapability of death renders the benefits limited, just as human beings are (Ecc. 2:14). So, what’s the point?

Whether we are good students, hedonists, financiers, or family members, this can all sound rather hopeless. Like in Ecclesiastes 3, we need to go beyond just observing life in all its extremes and complexities and rejoice in what God has given us. We must acknowledge the limits of our possible understanding and rely on the One whose knowledge is not constrained, and whose days are without end. That is, we need to listen to what God says, His wisdom – about life, satisfaction, and our value systems!

As we walk with Christ this academic year, we want to see the alternative truth to the visible, to listen to and rely on God in His Word and find joy in fearing Him.

How can we learn contentment in all our circumstances (like Paul, Philippians 4:11-12), and walk in wisdom?

We’re offered a place to start in Qoheleth’s example:

of his personal commitment to learning, which goes together with a
posture of curiosity and listening. And, because he passes on what he has learnt to the assembly, there can be
growth as a community. What he spoke/shared with the community then, and us today, seems to invite feedback, provoke questions, and promote reliance on the eternal God: the true source of life and wisdom (Ecc. 12:13-14).

I wonder at what point this example challenges us and others today? Are we committed to learning from the Living Word, Jesus, who said ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…’ (Matt 11:28)? This means more than seeking comfort or soundbites but coming to Him in this posture of curiosity and listening.

Perhaps our prayer is first to grow in the humility that opens our ears to hear and then to walk in obedience on campus and in our families… as well as to share what we are seeing and learning…

Paula
IFES Associate Secretary for Scripture Engagement

More Please!

“Please sir, I want some more,” is perhaps the most famous line from Charles Dickens’ story of Oliver Twist. This August, at the European region’s Formación conference for student leaders –titled ‘Upside Down’— 40 participants from across the region also made this serious request.

In this case, they were not asking for more meagre food, lacking in nutrition, like Oliver. Rather, they enjoyed how much of the program was dedicated to Scripture Engagement and came away thankful for nourishment from the Scriptures and asking for “more please!”

Eva Petržilková, Scripture Engagement Coordinator for Europe and Formación director, shared about this year’s event:

Formación has always been both a great conference for student leaders and a deeply valuable resource for us in Europe. This year, after talking with the different national movements, we realised that many students know some particular books of the Bible well, but often struggle with the whole story and purpose of Scripture.

Obviously, this can impact their faith in God and understanding of His Word, as well as how they share the good news and answer their friends’ questions. So, this time we took the theme of the Kingdom of God as a way to consider the big story of the Bible. This enabled us to think about who we are as Christians and how we live for Him in His kingdom.

We wanted to do fewer things, but better. We wanted to make sure that direct engagement with Scripture was the focus of what we were doing and not just one squeezed in, expected element.

We adapted this model to recognise that true Formación is a longer process than a summer conference alone. So, we’ve made it into a journey through the year, with online group sessions and 1:1 mentoring relationships. We’ll be learning from Jesus’ parables about His kingdom, who we are in Him, and how we are to live for Him.

It was wonderful to see how the students’ relationship with Scripture and each other grew during the time together in this international community. We saw this particularly in the daily teaching, as well as in the special times of solitude with God and communal lament, when students opened their hearts and minds to learn more from God in the Scriptures:

“For me, the biggest impact was “that eye opening feeling (when you understand the depth of Genesis) and being motivated to take everything that was going on at Formación to our home countries…”

Student, Greece

“What sticks with me about this conference is the depth of the conversations and contacts …we had vulnerable conversations, we prayed …, we laughed and cried out [over] each other’s suffering… including injustice and war in several countries…

…Intentional seeking for Solitude and spending time with God, talking with Him, listening to Him is something I want to do more… As a (student) leader it’s important to seek God first. … I hope I can help people around me and be a witness so others can see the love of God.”

Student, Netherlands

An encounter with “I Am”

At a time when personal identity has become a key issue for the current student generation, our movement in Chile set out to revisit some of the things Jesus claimed about himself. Particularly, the seven times he says “I am” (the bread of life; the light of the world; the door; the good shepherd; the resurrection; the way, the truth and the life; the vine) in John’s Gospel. That’s why, in 2022, a team made up of two staff workers and one student created seven inductive Bible studies on each of these statements, along with an introduction study on the topic and a closing study. The aim was to share these studies with non-Christian friends.

Each of these sessions includes a general introduction to the topic, a text to be examined, questions to discuss, and a hands-on interaction challenge, such as eating together, watching a video, or writing to someone to whom we are grateful. In this sense, the final session includes an invitation to acknowledge that Jesus is God and the Saviour he claims to be, after studying all the previous claims.

These studies were all published as booklets and shared with students across the country to be used in meetings with members of the movement and one or two non-Christian friends. However, these studies have also been used at student group meetings on campus.

As part of the project, artworks were created to depict each one of Jesus’ “I Am” claims. This enhances how the book is presented visually and also creates a resource to start conversations with classmates on campus. Each booklet included a set of postcards with these images, which can be carried around and used as a reference in these studies. Some students have made posters out of the digital files and put them up at their universities. Then, as people look at them, we can ask them, what strikes you about these pictures? Did you know that they depict something that Jesus claimed about himself?

We pray that God will be able to use these resources so more people can get to know His Son, and that members of the movement and other Christians will be excited to share more about the life of our Lord Jesus.

[Today the files are available to anyone who wants to use them here]

Owen Bull
Staff worker, GBU Chile

Contextualization and Creativity

In the Armenian student movement (CICI), they felt the challenge to have good Bible study materials to put in the hands of their students. While there were some materials available, they needed to be translated and interpreted properly to maintain their relevance in that context. So, we decided to invest time in staff, to enable them to feel confident to create their own Scripture Engagement materials, and then do the same with student leaders.

We wanted to take the Armenian context seriously, be faithful to the message of the Bible – both in specific passages and for the whole story of Scripture. We talked about how their students learn, what creative approaches to use during Bible study (for observation, interpretation, application and response), and how we can encourage students to love and value the Word of God.

Anna L, General Secretary CICI:

“This training has taught us to lead both practically and relationally. We have been challenged to be critical thinkers, to consider the historical and cultural context, and to passionately observe the text as we seek to know and love the Word of God and the God of the Word.”

One such approach was ‘Participative Drama/TV Interview’, which enables deep observation of a text and stimulates the imagination. I’ve seen and experienced this numerous ways in recent years, usually with a New Testament narrative.

This time we studied Nehemiah 8 and the wonderful story of how the people came to Ezra, asked for the Word to be read to them and responded from their hearts with weeping, joy, and obedience.

First, we read the passage aloud, then discussed the context of the story and any resulting questions. Each participant was assigned a character: Ezra, two regular Israelites, and two Levites (with more participants, Nehemiah, and some elders being added if necessary).

Next steps:

1. Read the passage again as that person (or group, e.g. Levites)

2. Remember how you as that person/group ended up here (context of exile and return, books of Ezra and Nehemiah)

– What do you already know or have you experienced of God? (Where is this event in the whole story of salvation?) What questions might you therefore have in life?

3. How do you as Ezra, for example, feel on this day?

– What are your fears/hopes/questions before, during, and after these events?

4. ‘TV interview’ that addresses questions to each person/group, with a final question to everyone that considers the significance of what they heard and experienced. For example:

– How have you been changed by the events of these days?

– How will you talk about this day with your future grandchildren, what advice will you give them as a result?

– How is it possible to keep living by the Word as families and as a community?

5. Debrief the exercise together

6. Discuss its application today

7. Prayer

Some of the staff enjoyed this so much that they started to recognise how it could be used straight away.

Paula
IFES Associate Secretary for Scripture Engagement

Growing Contextualised Daily Bible Reading in Central Asia

As a student, I grew in my faith by developing the habit of studying the Bible every day.

In the UK, it was no problem to access resources that were appropriate to my situation, helped me understand what the text was saying and to consider what it meant for me as a young man.

Old translations, foreign materials

I have worked with the IFES movements in Central Asia for twenty years. While I’m always encouraging students to grow in their faith by studying the Bible for themselves, there has been almost nothing available in Russian to help them do this. Moreover, the most widely-used Bible version, the Russian Synodal Translation (RST), was itself translated in 1867 from the poetic and even older Church Slavonic language! Despite the fact that Biblica has produced a new Russian translation, many churches still use the RST.

Using foreign materials can prove problematic because of Bible study questions focussing on particular words that don’t make sense when reading from a Russian Bible translation. Also, these materials sometimes reflected ways of thinking or cultural issues that are alien to Central Asian students.

We needed to write our own questions which would help students engage with the Bible using the RST (but also work with the newer translation). These questions would reflect their level of understanding and be attentive to issues that were pressing for them (as well as seek to correct some common theological errors).

The COVID lockdown provided the final push:

We prepared Bible study questions and posted them daily on our church’s Telegram channel. Although written with students in mind, they have been useful to and appreciated by people aged 14-65+, as well as younger teens, couples, and house groups.

Experience showed that as well as supplying questions for the observation, interpretation, and application of the text, we also needed to provide a short explanation, or reflection, which summarised its key points.

Post-COVID, we decided to publish booklets with the material, encouraging students (and others) to have a phone-free quiet time – each booklet contains daily studies for one book of the Bible. To date, we’ve distributed about 250 copies and are encouraged by the testimonies of readers who have been really moved by God’s Word. For the most part, it has actually been older Christians (including those in Christian ministry!) who have come to understand parts of Scripture more deeply. Often people have said: “I’ve read this so many times before, but never seen that.” We hope to see more students using these booklets for daily quiet times, and we rejoice in every story of someone being impacted by studying God’s Word.

Paul
Former General Secretary of a Eurasian National Movement

The Gospel on (and in) the Ground

Vanuatu is a cluster of islands in the South Pacific and home to the Gud Nius Yunivesiti Felosip (GNYF), our IFES movement. Most of our country is still populated by small, subsistence-farming communities, and only a tiny portion will ever be involved in tertiary education (<1%). Many students will come to university having grown up in churches their whole lives, but still unsure of how to listen carefully to God’s Word and sometimes unclear on exactly who Jesus is or why our love, trust, and knowledge of him is vital. Even at the tertiary level, our students don’t really enjoy sustained engagement with written texts, preferring to hear and talk about what matters.

We wanted to devote a year to intentionally sharing the gospel with our friends and classmates on campus in ways that fit the relational nature of the islands and the strong oral preference in learning, as well as helping people engage with Jesus by piercing through the ‘church background noise’. We decided on a Melanesian version of ‘Uncover’ (a well-received gospel distribution project) called ?Huia Jisas?—Who is Jesus? While this focused mainly on students sharing stories from Mark with other students, we also planned some key public events that would connect our networks with the wider university community in a ‘Vanuatu’ way.

One of the traditional ways of imparting knowledge in Vanuatu is sandroing (or bwatiuli in the Raga language from Pentecost Island). This involves making patterns in the ground with a finger to leave messages, share information, or pass on significant stories. Our idea was to use this local artform to convey the gospel stories we wanted our friends and classmates to hear. We connected with a local bwatiuli expert, Uncle Edgar, to develop four new patterns that reflected four themes from those gospel narratives: sin, forgiveness, reconciliation, and rule.

After a few weeks of reading and discussing the Mark narratives with Uncle Edgar, we presented these new patterns during a special event at our regional university campus. Our staff worker and students told four key stories from Mark, then Uncle Edgar introduced us to a traditional-style story and song he’d composed. It described two people (representing us and God) in a relationship that had broken but been reconciled. As he played the bamboo flute and shared each part of the story, he carefully drew the complex arcs and shapes representing the characters and concepts of what was being told.

As far as we (or Uncle Edgar) know, this is the first time that sandroing has been used in collaboration with and to share the Scriptures. He is excited to take these stories and patterns to his church so that Vanuatu can hear—and see—the good news of Jesus, settled in their hearts and etched in their land.

Uncle Edgar, drawing on the sand, sharing the ‘reconciliation’ episode of his gospel-shaped traditional story.

[Uncle Edgar sharing the ‘reconciliation’ episode of his gospel-shaped kastom storian (traditional story). P/C Arima Fae]

A sand drawing containing the completed ‘reconciliation’ pattern

[The completed ‘reconciliation’ pattern P/C Arima Fae]

The Beauty of Discovery Bible Study

In TAFES (Tanzanian National Movement), Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is one of the approaches we use, and it has captured the hearts of many students and associates!

We utilise DBS for small group study by following this simple process:

one member reads the passage and
the group retells the story (passage), then
we answer a few main questions together; these are:

What have I discovered about God?
What have I discovered about people?
How do I obey God through this Word?
Who I am going to tell?

How did it start?

It was during a staff retreat in February 2021 that our Campus Ministry Coordinator, Sister Joan Wanjiru, proposed trying the DBS method to see if it would be suitable for training students. We used DBS for the first time at that retreat and later in Discipleship

Training Seminars (DTS) throughout the country. After the success in 2021, we repeated this study technique during DTS in 2023. Although Inductive Bible Study and Manuscript Bible Study are still in use, DBS has become the most loved and practised approach by many Christian Unions since its introduction.

Uniqueness of DBS:

There’s something special about Discovery Bible Study and its popularity is fostered by these unique advantages:

Easy to teach and practice. Understanding how to use DBS requires simple training. The discovery questions (above) are easy to remember, making it accessible, even if it’s a person’s first time.
Importance of application. The practice of DBS is not complete until a person specifically addresses the question of how they will obey the Word that is being studied.
Tool for evangelism and discipleship. Through DBS, there’s always an increase in the number of people coming to Christ and the growth of members’ spirituality. Using this method of study with a non-believer may draw them to Christ and provides an opportunity for members to tell others about the Word of God.
Connects people in the group. Since DBS preserves the principle of small groups, participants get to relate to each other beyond just discussing DBS questions.

Jusline C. Nkala, treasurer TAFES KIUT CU:
“It was amazing during DTS 2023 when we used this method to study the book of 1 Samuel. DBS is one of my good and best methods that I have encountered in terms of Bible study because we stay in a group and read the Bible story together, we discover what Scripture says about God and people, and we challenge ourselves to live according to the Word and share the Word with our friends”.

Tumaini Titus
Regional coordinator – TAFES Tanzania

Be still and know that I am God

[Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash]

This is God’s invitation to us (Psalm 46:10). No matter how full our days or how important our tasks, God calls us to be still before him.

Stopping is a spiritual exercise. It is the stop that keeps us going. Each Sunday is an invitation to let our own efforts rest and rejoice in God.

In addition, personal retreats can draw us deeper into God’s presence. Such a retreat can last half a day or several days. This year, IFES encouraged its staff to take time out for a personal retreat. Listen to some of their experiences:

“It was my first time to go on a retreat. As the time approached, I felt increasingly nervous and under pressure, thinking that I need to use this time well and come back with results. Talking to a colleague helped me relax and simply be open to receive what God has prepared. The Lord is good. He provided a place where I felt safe and comfortable; he talked to me through Scripture, people, and in unexpected moments. Some of it was hard to hear, but very healing. I am planning to make this an annual tradition.”

“An activity I really enjoyed was walking and taking pictures in the gardens of the retreat centre. It had been so long since I had lingered over simple, beautiful, and quiet things like flowers and plants.”

“I used a resource from the Scripture engagement website: ‘An Honest Conversation with God: Praying Our Lives (Psalm 42-43).’ It provided just the right amount of structure and flexibility.”

“I read through the prayers we find in the Epistles of Paul, praying them for me and for my region, reflecting on their relevance to this stage of my ministry.”

“I would describe my day as ‘mercifully quiet.’ I had one day without all the usual distraction. Some of the time I spent reflecting on my personal and professional life. But I also spent several chunks of the day simply sitting on the floor, resting or watching the rain, and had a profound sense of the presence and mercy of God with me even as I ‘did nothing’. This allowed me to recognise how overstimulated my body and mind have become. In response, I am building in more persistent rhythms to pause and be regathered in my work day.” It is the stop that keeps us going. When is your next stop? And how will you shape it?

Here you can find different resources to help plan a personal retreat, to prayerfully reflect on your life, and to connect God’s Word with your own experience. Enjoy!

Sabine Kalthoff
IFES Secretary for Spiritual Formation
sabine.kalthoff@ifesworld.org

Meeting with God in His Word: at World Assembly (or other large gatherings!)

Are you going to World Assembly? Or do you have another big event, e.g., Formación, in your country or region with many people and a busy program to which the Word of God is central?

How can we make the most of these opportunities to meet with God and hear His Word, in a fresh and relevant way, when there are so many things to get involved with?
Let’s take a pause now to consider how we can engage with the Lord in His Word.

Personal delight and public testimony

The Psalms (our focus at WA 2023) are a great mixture of personal devotion, anguish, and praise combined with remembering, declaring, and testifying to the character and deeds of God in community.

If you read Psalm 40, for example, David poetically remembers what God has done for him: hearing his cry, setting him on the firm rock, and giving him a new song of praise…this personal encounter becomes an overflowing public testimony!

At our large gatherings, we can sometimes feel lost in the crowd, or very busy with numerous meetings. Here are a few simple ideas, which may help as you and other staff or students gather together to call on, hear from, and be transformed by the Living Word in these good, but busy gatherings.

Personal: Be sure to set aside time to read and meditate on Scripture by yourself. Of course, you can follow your regular Bible reading plan, but you can also focus on the texts that are studied by everyone during the event. Having your own encounter with the Lord in these passages can prepare you to hear and better understand during the communal times of study. And, as you go through the conference, note down passages and thoughts that you want to spend more time thinking and praying over.
Companionship: It is also good to value small group spaces of interaction with others around the Word. In large events, with many people, it is often these more intimate spaces, in pairs or smaller groups, where the sharing of doubts and discoveries becomes a special way of mutual learning and encouragement.

“I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.”
Psalm 40:10

Community: Hearing from God through members of our diverse communities is a wonderful opportunity to learn from God’s Word through those from different contexts, who have different concerns, questions, and perspectives. As we study the reliable Word of God with other people, we might notice things about God, discipleship, and grace that would have otherwise gone unrecognised.
Beyond the conference: So, as we go to World Assembly, Formación, and the like, let’s arrive open to what the Lord wants to teach us through His Word — in our own devotions, in the main teaching sessions, and over lunch, as we share what He is showing us in our contexts.

At these events we can hear stories, have access to resources, methods, and varied approaches to God’s Word. Seek to listen, learn, and identify (while taking note of) good practices that can be useful or adaptable to the challenges of your own reality and culture. Be willing to share your stories, your difficulties, but also the ways you’ve successfully engaged with the Scriptures.

These exchanges will help us grow in how we love, study, live, and share the Word of God in our mission contexts.

Paula and Ricardo
Serving as leaders of IFES Scripture Engagement Global Team

Scripture Engagement eLearning

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

“I found it very helpful to be asked questions about Scripture Engagement during the course and not just be told what to think. This course also led to a breakthrough in my own engagement with Scripture. One thing I take with me is not to approach Scripture as a checkbox or research activity, but as a personal meeting with God.”
Testimony from Guyana

“Seeing the passion of the Psalmist for the Word in Psalm 119 convinced me – I want this passion and want students to be like that.”
Testimony from Italy

How can we grow in recognizing that Scripture Engagement pertains to every part of life? One way is to participate in a journey of learning together with brothers and sisters from our global fellowship. So, we want to encourage you to take the eLearning course “Foundations of Scripture Engagement,” which is designed to prepare those involved with the ministry of their national movements.

We see this as something other than a course where some people are teaching and others learning. In this, everyone is a student as they meet with God and learn from Him. This course takes place through listening to God in diligent study of the Scriptures, which in turn opens a space for: personal reflection, communication, sharing perspectives and experiences, and promoting mutual growth through the beauty of God’s message to us, as a community, through the Word.

We offer the “Foundations of Scripture Engagement” eLearning course in three languages. It is made up of two parts, each lasting four weeks with a week break in between.
There are two ways to participate.

Option 1: sign up for one of this year’s cohorts using the following forms:

English (starting on September 4th): link here.
Spanish (starting on September 4th): link here.
French (starting on October 2nd): link here.

Option 2: gather a cohort from your national movement or your region. This way, you can choose the dates and even adjust the length of the course to suit your group.
For more information on how to plan, or to clarify any other details, please write to scriptureengagement@ifesworld.org.

We look forward to having you on board too!

“I have gained a new appreciation and excitement about the Word of God. Taking the course was refreshing. The Word of God now feels more like a treasure than a chore. I finished each session wanting more.”
Participant from South Africa

“The course led to a shift in my attitude/perspective. I grew up as a Christian, but never stopped to ask: What are my convictions? Why do I read? For me, this course was a calling from God – calling into a deeper relationship, to go deeper with the Word.”
Participant from Ethiopia

IFES Scripture Engagement Global Team