At the end of September BCSU organized our yearly conference for manuscript Bible study - Trilogy. This year students had the opportunity to study the book of Genesis together for a week (for about 8 hours each day). Together the participants dug deep into the dawning of human history to see with new eyes the beginning of days written in the first pages of our Bible. The conference was filled with many emotions as well as interesting discussions, worship, walks and games. We were impressed as we studied the historical, geographical and socio-cultural environment of the ancient near east and the neighbors of Israel at the time Genesis was written – including the competing stories of creation and floods, genealogies and many other important facts and beliefs of their time. All of that helped us to read and to understand the Torah as the first readers heard it. At the end of our week together we succeeded in studying the first 15 chapters of Genesis along with related passages in the Psalms and a few other key passages in the Old Testament. On our last day we had the opportunity to connect all that we had learned with the New Testament in order to see the big picture of God’s plan, mission and character. Everything we read and studied lead us to worship and give thanks to the Creator of all things – seen and unseen – who remains faithful until the end to his covenant and his love for all of creation. We truly follow and serve a Great God!

 

Read what two of the participants had to say about Trilogy:

“Thank God for Trilogy “Genesis”. This was the first time I have studied God’s word so deeply. One of my favorite aspects of Trilogy is that it built a clearer understanding of the historical context and worldview of the neighbors of Israel at the time of Genesis. This helped me to understand with greater depth how loving, patient and merciful is our God, despite humanity’s constant rebellion. I understood how important it is to know the literary methods in Hebrew thought and poetry that are used in the Bible in order to understand its great riches. Combined with the practical inductive method, I now feel I have greater instruments in my hands in order to continue the journey of knowing our Lord and Savior as I read His word.” Dimitar Rusev

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“Trilogy is a wonderful time, in which a person can separate himself from all other distractions, in order to study and delight in God’s word. It is a time of understanding the depths of God’s word, acquiring new ideas, calibrating new knowledge with what one has already learned, and MOST IMPORTANTLY discovering God in new ways – leading to His glory. For myself I learned that from the very first pages of the Bible until its end, God shows us in so many countless ways his love, his great order, and his justice. Helpful materials were prepared in advance and used to help us all understand the big picture. I am grateful to BCSU. I pray that God blesses us and leads us according to His will. I can’t wait for the next Trilogy.” Aleksander Lazarov