Reflecting on Three Years of Bible Study Magazine

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God’s Word has the power to do more in someone’s life than we could ever hope to do on our own. For that reason—before Bible Study Magazine was announced about three years ago—the decision was made that it would be all about the Word.

Using the print medium for this purpose was indeed a simple technology solution. We came to the conclusion that print would serve this purpose well: it was a great medium for presenting fresh ideas about Bible study.

Bible Study Magazine is still all about getting people into the Word. We are grateful for the opportunity to publish the words of people who share our passion, like Priscilla Shirer. In the current issue, Shirer says: “The exact same Holy Spirit that lives in the people we admire, who teach us the Bible, is the exact same Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. … [We can’t] only hear the voice of God when somebody else is spoon feeding it to us. We have to know that we can go to the Scriptures ourselves.”

This idea is embodied by Dr. Yohanna Katanacho. As a Palestinian by birth who now lives in Israel, he shares the gospel with those struggling with ethnic and national boundaries. Through relationships, he often has the ability to demonstrate that Christ can overcome all things. He has been a missionary in the conflict of hatred for most of his life, yet he doesn’t seem discouraged by it—the Word of God helps him with the disappointments and enables him to experience victories. Katacacho’s story is both empowering and convicting. He prompts us to be anything but passive in our faith: He tells the story of how the Bible has transformed his life and continually been his guide. “For me, the Bible is the source of my strength,” says Katacacho, “without it I would be lost, not only because of the cognitive part, but because it is a holy ground for me. There I meet God, and through that meeting, I am refreshed.”

But as Sheila Walsh says in our current issue: “Sometimes we have a hard time resting in God’s promises because so many earthly promises are broken. But while we disappoint others and they disappoint us, God is not like us: ‘God is not human that he should lie, not a human being that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?’ (Numbers 23:19).”

God is here for us. He has provided the “holy ground” of His Word so that we can rest peacefully in Him. When we look to His Word, we see His promises. Bible Study Magazine is about how God is manifest in His Word and wants to manifest His Word in our lives.

I hope you decide to subscribe now to Bible Study Magazine for yourself, a family-member, or a friend. (To gift a subscription, just enter a different shipping address at check out.) We would be grateful for the opportunity to help you or someone you know get deeper into the Word.

Have you subscribed to Bible Study Magazine? We would love for you to tell us about it!

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Written by
John D. Barry

Rev. John D. Barry is an author, chaplain, nonprofit founder, and Bible scholar. John is the author or editor of 30 books, the general editor of Faithlife Study Bible and Lexham Bible Dictionary, and the former editor-in-chief of Bible Study Magazine.

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Written by John D. Barry
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