“If theological education will increase your power for Christ, is it not your duty to gain that added power? Never say you are losing time by going to school. You are saving time, buying it up for the future and storing it away. Time used in storing power is not lost.” – A. T. Robertson
The decision to go to Bible College is a choice to intentionally seek the Lord — a decision He will certainly bless, as God is “a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). No matter what your future direction may be, whether you are called to vocational ministry or not, advancing your spiritual education will prepare you to glorify God and withstand the pressures of life in any capacity. You’ll never regret developing your spiritual knowledge to boldly fulfill your purpose in glorifying God.
There are four major reasons why attending a Bible College is a great choice to set you up for spiritual success in this life.
#1 Bible College is a place to build a foundation.
Attending Bible College provides students the unique ability to examine their faith for weaknesses. These blind spots are unfortunately untestable until leaving home for college. How strong will your walk with the Lord be away from your parents? We’ve all read the statistics of how many youth walk away from the church while in college. While the estimates vary, even the lowest guesses are terrifyingly high. Lifeway Research recently said, “Eighty percent of young people who dropped out of church said they did not plan to do so during high school.” At the very least, the temptation to walk away from the Lord after high school is more difficult than students expect.
Fifteen years ago, New York University recruited me to play basketball. I left my sheltered church life behind and arrived for my first day of orientation week. Forty-five minutes after my praying parents left, I was handed a fake ID and right then began a miserable year of backsliding from the Lord. How quickly I abandoned the God I loved! I didn’t know how weak I was until it was too late. My personal testimony causes me to beg high school students to consider the foundational benefits of coming to Bible College, even for at least one semester. Bible College gives you a much safer environment to learn what your faith is like away from your family and home.
To be fair, there are still some temptations at Bible college, but students are surrounded by support, fellowship, and godly teaching to help them learn how to resist and stay strong. Parents—who do much of the pressuring toward a career-goal oriented life—would do well to consider the benefits of allowing their children to attend Bible College first.
#2 Bible College is a place for sweet devotion.
First Chronicles 16:11 tells us to, “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!” Bible College becomes one of the most treasured seasons of life for those that attend, because it is a season set apart for seeking the Lord. It is not uncommon to hear CCBC alumni encouraging current students to enjoy this season of life because it is unlike any other. Why not take advantage of this unique season of life to sit at the feet of Jesus for such an extended time? Bible College is a great place to go deeper in your walk with the Lord and to “taste and see” the goodness of Jesus as you make Him the major focus of each day. The intimacy experienced with the Lord will prepare you to be spouses, parents, neighbors and employees who are more effective in witnessing the love of Christ to people in the secular work force.
#3 Bible College is a place for practical preparation.
For those who already sense a call to ministry, Bible College can help equip you. Practical ministry classes cover preaching, Bible study, youth ministry, pastoral leadership, church planting, missions, worship leadership, and children’s ministry, in addition to the classes on specific books of the Bible.
Bible College students receive over 1,100 hours of bible teaching! That’s equal to over 25 years worth of Sunday morning sermons packed into a two-year program. Take a few minutes to watch some alumni share their stories about how Bible College prepared them for ministry.
#4 Bible College is a Place for Heart Examination
How many 18-year-olds do you know that are completely certain of what career they’d like to pursue? Not many, in fact, 50% to 70% of students change their majors at least once, and most will change majors at least 3 times before they graduate. On top of that, more than 50% of college graduates pursue careers that are not related to their majors. It seems that the last year of high school isn’t the best time for students to make long-term career goals. Taking a semester or two at Bible College is a productive “pause” in life while you ask God what He wants from your life.
Calvary Chapel Bible College:
If you feel the Lord leading you toward Bible College, why not consider Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta, California? CCBC is an affordable two-year college located on a beautiful 46-acre campus. We offer more than 35 classes a semester to help students grow deeper with the Lord and equip them for ministry. Take a virtual tour to see why about 500 students choose CCBC each semester. We are proud to partner with dozens of fantastic affiliate schools around the world to help students receive a cross-cultural missions experience during one of their four semesters. If attending in person is not an option, we also offer a two-year program through our Distance Learning program. Home school students can also take CCBC classes for both high school and college credit with our Dual Enrollment program (at 50% off). Please call (951) 696-5944 with any questions or visit our website at www.CCBC.info.
I realize attending Bible College is not the Lord’s plan for everybody. That is why in my next article I’ll be encouraging high school Christians to take a few practical steps to not only survive, but also increase their odds of staying Christian and thrive spiritually while attending a secular university.
