Bible Studies : High School Boys

Refugee Hope Partners has 6 ongoing Bible Studies with students grades 3-12. This blog was written by one of our outstanding Bible Study volunteer leaders, Derek. 

“Every week for the past several years, we’ve met with a group of Cedar Point boys to have dinner, play games, and study the Bible. As time went on the boys got older and continued to come and more boys joined in. One bible study could no longer contain over 25 boys who were consistently coming through the door. The group was split into two and then again into three. I have had the privilege of leading many of those boys who started as kids and are now high school young men.

For the past two years the high school boy’s bible study has been going through the Old Testament, book by book. We started in Genesis and are currently about to finish 1 Samuel. Throughout this time, we’ve been repeatedly exposed to the overarching narrative of scripture. The story of the bible is a story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration and we’ve traced those themes throughout each narrative that make up the grand narrative. The gospel is central in every bible study. We’ve focused on our desperate need for a savior, God’s overwhelming grace in providing that need, and our new life in Him.

It’s a joy to see these boys grow week after week, month after month, and year after year. For many, this has become more than just something to do on a Sunday night. They’re eager to pray for each other, to ask questions about the passages (or about any random topic), to share how they’re struggling, and to encourage one another. Their ability to recall previous lessons astounds me. They can often explain what we learned the previous week better than I can, and I taught it!

What excites me most is their eagerness to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. Whether it’s proactively asking to pray for people, deleting distracting apps from their phones, asking for reading plans, or describing how they want their lives to help draw their lost friends to Jesus, it’s evident the Lord is working in these boys’ lives. I continue to pray and ask that you would pray that the Lord would continue to work in the lives of these boys and that they would grow into great disciples.”