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Brief History of Rhema Bible College

By Joe Felim

In 1970 God dealt with Rev Kenneth E Hagin about establishing a school to equip those called to the ministry. With God’s strength and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this dream became a reality in September 1974 with the opening of “Rhema Bible Training Center” in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Pastor Ray McCauley went to America to study at “Rhema Bible Training Center” (USA) and graduated in 1979. He returned to South Africa with a burning vision in his heart. RHEMA BIBLE CHURCH and RHEMA BIBLE TRAINING CENTRE (SA) were part of God’s plan in fulfilling this vision. The church started to grow dramatically from small beginnings. At the same time 53 students graduated from the charter class of RBTC (SA) in 1980.

At the beginning of 2005, the name of RBTC (SA) was changed to RHEMA BIBLE COLLEGE. To date thousands of men and women from all over the world have gone from this College to fulfill their ministries all over South Africa, the continent of Africa and worldwide.

The College endeavors to help fulfill the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

At the College, we teach the practical side of the ministry, as well as the spiritual side. Our purpose is to train people how to apply the principles of God’s Word to their lives and ministries.

Rhema Bible College offers courses dealing with all facets of the ministry. We endeavor to teach students how to recognize the call of God and minister effectively in the office to which God has called them. Classroom instruction is enriched by the ministerial experience of Resident Learning Facilitators, Associate Faculty and Guest Speakers.

We believe the best education is by precept and example. This College is a place where students can become aware of, and familiar with, the gifts and workings of the Holy Spirit. Through active participation in their local church and diligent attendance at the College, students will see both the natural and the supernatural aspects of full-time ministry in operation.

Rhema Bible College emphasizes the love of God in demonstration, the anointing and presence of the Holy Spirit, a commitment to the integrity of God’s Word, and the necessity for unity of vision and purpose. We feel that understanding and respecting one another as members of the Body of Christ is the key to unity, which is fundamentalthe plan of God. May we take our places and fulfill our part in this great plan of God. to fulfilling

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Teaching Youth

By Joe Felim

We need to be very careful that we are not buying a Ballerina outfit for a Soccer Goalie. One may be elegant and beautiful, but no matter how much adjustment we do, it will never serve our purpose. Different occasions demand different materials. And the boys soccer team may need a little something different from the mom’s cross-stitch class. “One size fits all” rarely fits! To be most effective we need to know the sizes (spiritual maturity) of the people for which the material is intended. Finally we need something that is practical for the skill level of the teacher, the time constraints and the resources available. Discover the various interests and needs of your students and their teachers and you will be much more effective outfitting them for life.

Choosing Bible Study curriculum is like choosing new clothes. Few have the resources, skill, or the time to tailor their own. But you are not stuck with creating your own or using something that doesn’t fit. There is a third option - adjusting it so that it does fit. Bible study materials are often written to fit a wide variety of needs, but with a little planning and a little adapting here and there you can get something that fits.

Isolate the main idea of the lesson, and how it should be applied to life. Then put it into one simple statement. Materials will often do this for you and call it the “teaching aim” or “central truth.” These are only suggestions and should be rewritten as necessary so that it is meaningful and applicable to YOUR youth in YOUR church. Your objective is not to cover all the material in the Bible passage, forcing your youth to “sit still while you instill” all the Bible content into them. Rather your goal is to help each to discover the ONE main truth of the passage and apply it to his or her life. Our goal is not Bible Drill Champions, but Biblical Christians. If the youth leave with one truth per week and truly apply it to life, you will have been incredibly used by God and might even create a few Bible Drill Champs in the process!

Once you have identified the central truth, everything you do during this lesson should focus on this truth, shed light on it, look at it from different angles, help youth discover it, and eventually to see its application. Read the focal passage, the lesson in the student book, the background material, and teaching helps with your specific main idea for your youth in mind. Remember that games and activities for the mere sake of activity are meaningless. But games and activities that help youth to experience the main truth, to draw attention to it, can be the key to making the lesson memorable. They can be a hook, a hanger, on which the student can hang the lesson instead of getting lost in the bottom of the closet of their minds. When choosing activities and teaching steps, always ask the following question: “How does this activity or step reinforce the Focus of this lesson?” If you have several activities to choose from, identify which would be the best reinforcement and most likely to work with YOUR students.

Use a variety of engaging teaching methods to seize the attention of your students and draw them to the central truth. Different people learn in different ways, have had difference life experiences, have different interests and concepts of fun, different gifts and talents, and have different needs. It is impossible to teach to all these variables at once, but variety allows you to reach more of them. You want to shine a bright light of attention on all the various facets of that diamond of truth you have chosen so that all its sparkle and all its various angles and perspectives are illuminated. You want to make it so attractive to the learners so that they want to interact with it and explore it in all its detail. The worst teaching method is the one that is repeatedly used as it will progressively become more ineffective with each use. Most teaching materials will provide a couple of alternative options for each key teaching point. Identify the key idea or purpose of each activity. They are options and you can pick and choose as you wish. You may even add an option of your own if you can achieve the same result with another activity. Remember EVERYTHING in the materials are SUGGESTIONS! ADAPT!

If you wish to use alternative ideas you need resources. Why waste your time trying to come up with all your own ideas when there are some great helps already available from which to draw? If the focus of the lesson is for example “compassion,” then you can often find another lesson on compassion and add or replace activities in your lesson. There are many good books and resources that are just that, sources of teaching ideas for you to adapt as needed! One great resource is www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com. And when your creative juices ARE flowing and you have a creative idea, type it into your computer or jot it down on a notecard and store it in a file for later use. You never know when the same idea could be used again with a different group of youth later. Just categorize them by subjects and key words (i.e. what does this activity teach?)

“We don’t teach the Bible, we teach YOUTH.”

Remember our goal is not “Content” but “Changed lives,” not “facts,” but “followers.” Our goal is to see youth grow and develop in preparation for a lifelong walk with Christ, to be faithful followers of Jesus. Many people know about God and Christianity without really knowing God and living as Christians. An effective teacher will know the needs, the likes and dislikes, and the learning preferences of youth and be able to integrate these into the lesson so that youth become a part of the lesson and can understand its application to his or her life. As you prepare for your lesson, you should keep in mind the needs, experiences, and personalities of YOUR youth. The key is to guide the lesson with YOUR youth in mind.

You need to connect all the parts of the lesson together and most importantly build a connection between the lesson and the students and even between yourself, as the teacher, and the students. “Youth don’t care what you know until they know that you care.” Youth need to know how one activity relates to those that have preceded it. After you have analyzed how each activity or step relates to the main lesson you only need to phrase it in a simple sentence and it serves as a great transition to the next step. You might also let youth know how this lesson connects with previous lessons. Finally youth need to know where the lesson connects with everyday life- (i.e. how does it apply.) They want to know why the lesson is important.

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Outreach Programs Around the World

By Joe Felim

There are approximately 6,800 different languages spoken by cultures spanning the globe today. Roughly 2,000 of those languages are spoken by 97% percent of the world. These numbers are very significant for non-profit Christian organizations that have tasked themselves with creating and recording Bible translations that can reach the majority of the people on earth today. Since many of the people Christian followers would like to spread the Word of God to cannot read, audio Bibles and Bibles on CD have become one of the best ways to share the scriptures with them and help them understand the teachings of Christ.

One popular way for volunteers to share audio Bibles with illiterate people in underdeveloped countries is to arrange for daily or weekly ‘listening groups’ of Bible translations. During the listening groups, volunteers can play the scriptures in the mother language of the village and also hand out written versions so the listeners can follow along. By doing this, many illiterate children and villagers can actually begin to learn to read and teach others in their village how to read the Bible as well. Sometimes volunteers will even bring Christian movies to the villages to play so they can see dramatizations of the Bible brought to life before their eyes.

While listening to the Bible in new audio and video format is a great way to evangelize the teachings of Christ, it is also becoming a popular passtime for Christians living in technology-driven countries in North America and Europe. For instance, young Christians who have iPods can listen to an MP3 Bible while they are walking to school or riding the bus. They can listen to audio bible downloads while they are at the gym or on their way to work; they can even listen to a Bible on CD while they are on a road trip with their friends. The audio formats have really opened the door to take the Bible with you almost anywhere you go.

For Christians seeking a daily dose of inspiration from famous pastors and priests in the Christian community, you can now get audio Bible downloads in the form of Podcasts. Or, if you would like to learn another language or become bilingual, you can download a Spanish audio Bible to help you along the way. However you choose to incorporate a new audio Bible online into your life and those around you, it will help you grow in faith and inspire those around you.