When Stephenie signed up on the World Bible School website to study the Bible by mail, she couldn’t have known where those lessons would lead. This summer, they led to the waters of baptism, and not only for her. Her husband and both of their sons were baptized too.
Stephenie registered online as a WBS Postal Student and was paired with Study Helper Brooke. Lesson by lesson, through printed courses that traveled back and forth in the mail, she dug into God’s Word. As she studied, she came to understand what Scripture teaches about salvation, and she asked Brooke about being baptized.
Brooke referred Stephenie to WBS Follow-up, where Follow-up Partner Kella worked to connect her with a congregation. Kella told her about a local church of Christ not far from the family’s home in Montana, and reached out to the church so someone there could contact the family.
The family had moved to Montana from Washington after a difficult season, and Stephenie wanted to be careful about finding a new church home. So instead of walking through the doors right away, she and her husband started by watching the congregation’s worship services online. For a couple of weeks they worshiped from home, and they liked what they found.
Soon they visited in person. After services that Sunday, one of the congregation’s elders sat down with Stephenie and her husband to study the Bible. He kept studying with the whole family in the weeks that followed, and everyone in the household was eager to obey the gospel.
On July 31, Stephenie, her husband Alex, and their two sons were baptized into Christ. Since then, Stephenie has told Kella how happy she is with her new church family. Everyone there has made her feel comfortable and like a real part of the family.
In a digital age, it’s easy to assume printed Bible lessons have had their day. Stephenie’s story says otherwise. She found WBS Online, but chose to study on paper, at her own pace, with a real person reading her answers and writing back. For many people, a lesson in the mailbox is still a welcome and trusted way to open the Bible.
Her story also shows what happens when each person does their part. A Study Helper taught, a Follow-up Partner made the connection, and an elder and a congregation welcomed a family home. As Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Please keep Stephenie, Alex, and their sons in your prayers as they grow in Christ with their new church family. If you’d like to plant seeds like these, consider becoming a WBS Study Helper. Apply today at worldbibleschool.net/teach.
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This episode of One More Chapter continues the series on Bible study principles for bridging the gap between a passage’s original meaning and its application today. Hosts Brian Rex Davis, Noah Davis, and Bryson Davis review “purpose” and “principle,” then focus on “precedent”, emphasizing how approved apostolic examples establish binding patterns when they carry theological significance—while incidental details do not.
In this episode of One More Chapter, Brian Rex Davis, Noah Davis, and Bryson Davis continue their study of biblical “principle”, explaining how general teachings give inclusive guidance that can be applied in various ways, while specific commands are authoritative and must shape belief and practice.
This episode of One More Chapter continues the series on Bible study by introducing the idea of “principle” as a way to bridge what a passage originally meant and what it means today, after first stressing purpose and context. The team takes a long–but useful–detour into Bible translations and versions—covering textual preservation, the spectrum from word-for-word to paraphrase, group vs. single-translator work, Dead Sea Scrolls, and which editions they personally use (NASB 1995, ESV, NIV 1984, etc.). The discussion on ‘principle’ will continue in the next episode!
This episode explores how understanding the purpose behind a Bible passage helps bridge the gap between what it originally meant and how it should shape life today. Brian, Noah, and Bryson discuss how purpose protects against shallow, checklist-style interpretation and helps distinguish enduring principles and examples from incidental details.