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newsletterbible seminary bonnsept. -nov. 2019

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant´s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:17)

“i spy with my little eye!”by Dr. Heinrich Derksen

everyone knows this game! i played it frequently with my children when they were smaller. you see something and let the others guess until they see it too. sometimes it takes ages; sometimes we just need more time before we notice what the other person has already seen long ago. in the old testament, we are told about how the prophet elisha showed his servant things he had never seen before. the enemy army had surrounded the city in which they were staying. the servant breaks into a panic, but elisha calms him: “i see something that you don´t see! there are more of us, and we are stronger than they are!” and then he prayed: “God, open his eyes!” and suddenly the servant could see what he hadn´t seen before. God had surrounded them with his angels of protection that looked like fiery horses and chariots. The army of Aram is powerless against this invisible might, and the city and the land of israel are spared from attack from this enemy force.

our sight is also often limited, and we don´t see what others see or what we could and should see. What is the difference between a referee, a soccer player, and a coach? the referee is focused on blowing his whistle at the mistakes and fouls. the player is focused on the ball and the play. but the coach sees the entire game and thinks through a strategy to win. From which perspective do we see life as Christians? there are people who only look for mistakes. and it is no surprise that they continually find them. We all

make many mistakes, and we could dwell on them. others only concentrate on what they themselves are currently doing and how successful they are. that can be good and worthwhile. but i hope that as Jesus´ disciples we will look at life through the eyes of a coach: that we see the big picture in its entirety. God can reveal this to us. therefore, we should pray like elisha: “lord, open our eyes, so that we can see!” We want to see what God´s plan is, to see what God is doing and can do, and to see how big and almighty God is.

at bible seminary bonn, we are training young people. some people only see the problems with today’s youth. they aren’t performing well enough; they aren’t motivated; they don’t behave themselves properly. others only see the tasks that must be accomplished. The semester is finally over. I have finally graded all the papers. At last I have turned in all the grades. and then we turn our attention to the next task at hand. above all, a good leader ought to see God’s work in and through the students and God’s providence for His people and His Church. young people will soon be leading churches and will grow into valuable colleagues. students quickly become graduates. Graduates become professors. and together we are on the path toward a greater goal: “We are building Jesus’ Church until He returns!” Do we see this?

the bsb leadership team

Dr. Heinrich DerksenGerhard schmidtDr. Friedhelm Jung

Fall 2019 | sHapinG KinGDom WorKers

BSB LifE & PrAyEr (SEPT. - NOv.)

sHapinG KinGDom WorKers! our bsb motto always reminds us to focus on the great responsibility we have toward our students. We take this seriously. We want to joyfully and humbly serve the local churches and mission orga-nizations. our focus is on character-development, academic excellence, and faithfulness to God’s in-errant Word. since 1993, bible seminary bonn has trained over 1000 students in our full-time programs for church and mission work. in addition to this, every year hundreds of church

volunteers are trained through our various projects: Coram Deo—training in counseling, lily white—women’s ministry, btCp, Weitergehen—seminars for handling loss of loved ones, the institute for theolo-gy and History, the online bible school, etc.Dear Friends and supporters, our biblically faithful training is only possible because you and your chur-ches pray for us and support us financially. Thank you so much! We want to encourage you to see God’s work at bsb, to pray for us, and to personally take part in the ministry of bible seminary bonn. We wish you and your families God’s blessing!

• Our students and professors have passionately shared about people co-ming to Christ and growth that they have seen in their ministries in recent months. We thank Jesus that He builds His church, and that our students, particularly in the preaching of God’s Word, experience God’s work.

• We thank God for an exceptional academic year in all our programs. the professors and guest professors have given our students excellent and biblically faithful training that challenges them both academically and spiritually and shapes them for their ministries.

• God has financially carried us through the last academic year. the stra-tegic training in our full-time program, as well as through our projects, is made possible by our faithful supporters, churches, and businesses. thank you for our partnership in the gospel!

• Please pray for our upcoming building project at bible seminary bonn, which we hope to jointly begin with the mission organization to all na-tions. please pray that God calls people to join us in this project both financially and in prayer.

• We praise God for a blessed marriage and Family Conference with Dr. Gary Chapman (the 5 love languages) in the evangelischen Freikirche Köln. the church was completely full, and many groups took part in the seminar online from over 20 different locations. We pray for healthy fa-milies!

• Dr. Adam Greenway, President of southwestern baptist theological se-minary (swbts.edu), wants to continue the partnership with bible seminary bonn. this enables us to offer our graduates an accredited m.a. in theo-logy. please pray for the necessary finances for the program!

• Please pray for our students who are currently doing internships throug-hout Germany and around the world. Until the end of september, our stu-dents are involved in various churches and ministries in over 100 locations, in addition to their campus practicum at bible seminary bonn. please also pray that God sends many new students to bsb to join the incoming class this fall!

Fall 2019 | sHapinG KinGDom WorKers

BSB TESTimONiES

miCHelle Wilms this year the other students had a great impact on me. the community at bsb and in our living communities challenges me and helps me to mature. i am lear-

ning to take on more responsibility. as iron sharpens iron, so one student sharpens another. through this i learn how the life of faith practically works in daily life.

CHristian sinGH i can feel how i am being enriched spiritually at bsb and how my relationship to God has deepened and intensified. The spi-ritual environment and the talks with

the other students are also particularly valuable for me.

vanessa esaU in my two years at bsb, i have been challenged to try new

things, to reflect on different opinions and views, and to take steps of faith. i wasn’t simply taught facts and theory,

but i was able to experience how this time personally changed me. the education at bsb is not simply theological training, but it is shaped by many practical moments and challenges, which have enabled me to mature in my faith, in my abilities, and in my personality.

simeon reDinGer i have been parti-cularly impacted by the diversity of the professors at bsb. the professors represent varying theological back-grounds. This motivates me to reflect

on and think through my own convic-tions. the professors don’t force their opinions on the students. they give us the tools to be able to work with the bible and encourage us to study the bible ourselves and, in doing so, to strengthen our faith.

saraH soFie ClaUs i love the life at bible seminary bonn with God in the center of my daily life and my inspi-ring family of friends and professors at my side. in addition to theological

knowledge, which excites me, i learn a lot from the examples of the people surrounding me. i love the bible more than ever before, am closer to God than i have ever been, and can see how i am being prepared for a life of full-time service, regard-less of where i will someday land.

sHarmin sanatiGar the assignments and papers this semester have really challenged me to grow. at the begin-ning of the semester, i only saw the mountain of work before me, which

really pushed me to my limits. in the end, i didn’t simply check-off the tasks, but recog-nized how i have grown because of them. every task was a win because God spoke exactly through these assignments to me, and i saw why it was important to have learned these things and how i can use them in the praxis.

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Internet: www.bsb-online.de, www.facebook.com/bsbonn, E-Mail: info@bsb-online.deVerantwortlich: Dr. Heinrich Derksen, Gerhard Schmidt, Dr. Friedhelm Jung, Andy Wiebe (PR) Fotos: Simon Zimpfer, Simon Berg

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