In 2002 a friend of mine gave me a gift that changed my life. Moses Bogere, who was then the church administrator at a church I was attending, had become a good friend of mine. I knew that he was in Reformation Bible College pursuing a course but didn’t know what course.
He noticed my passion for God’s word. As a young believer who had only been in salvation for a little over a year, I was learning to feed myself in God’s world.
Moses first noticed my passion by my commitment towards school outreaches with our youth pastor. I was consistent. Then he heard me preach on a youth Sunday where the youth were asked to run the service. I had preached about God’s love.
So one day he invited me to his home. When I visited him, we had a long conversation which I can hardly remember anything from. From that conversations learnt that he was having a challenge balancing his studies with other responsibilities like church administration and family responsibilities.
Then I was getting ready to say “good bye” when he reached into his box full of books and pulled out a big book with a yellow jacket and gave me as a gift. It was a brand new Reformation Study Bible.
By this time I had only been in salvation for a little over a year. I didn’t know what a Study Bible was, let alone reformed theology.
I knew a Study Bible would give me more than what I was getting from my regular Bible. The problem was that I had never used a Study Bible before. So, I devoured everything I could read in my Reformation Study Bible: Scriptures, references and cross-references, theological notes, creeds, footnotes, concordance, maps, you name it.
So the gift didn’t change my life instantly but over time as it became my go to Bible everytime I wanted to study the word of God.
When I became accustomed to my Study Bible, I began to notice how deep reformed theology is. It’s important to note here that I got saved in a Pentecostal setting in high school.
Bible teaching in that setting was shallow, experience-driven, man-centered and excessively focused on money and material prosperity.
My Reformation Study Bible introduced me to the richness of the sovereignty of God. It introduced me to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone for God’s glory alone.
I began to hear a different gospel that was more authentic and genuine as opposed to the health, wealth and prosperity gospel that had filled and continues to fill the pulpits of many churches.
The more I understood reformed theology, the more I loved my Study Bible and the more I was drawn in to see the marvelous work of God in bringing a sinner like me to salvation. I understood through my Reformation Study Bible that I did not choose God but instead he chose me.
Then came the time when my with and I endured the tragic loss of our son at eight months of pregnancy (just about three weeks to the due date). Again I had to turn to my Bible. Nothing else provide a solid foundation for understanding the work of God in saving babies than a Calvinistic understanding of the grace of God.
Well, you can see how much this Bible has changed my life. In fact I am convinced that reformed theology is the most biblically consistent theology as compared with others. Reformed theology is indeed true biblical theology.
That’s the reason I love and teach reformed theology. Thank you, Moses Bogere, for giving me such a wonderful gift that changed my life for good.