Here’s a question for you. Would you say that we think about ourselves too little or too much? We probably smile at that question because we know how much we tend to think about ourselves first in so many things.
Jesus taught the disciples that true fulfillment comes by putting others before themselves. In Luke Chapter 9, right after the feeding of the 5000, the disciples were probably thinking “Wow! This is great! We’re part of something amazing!” But right after that Jesus reminded them of one of the great paradoxes of life: “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it” (Luke 9:24). By focusing on ourselves too much, we can lose the very thing that we wish to gain.
For over 50 years, the Biblical Counseling Foundation has provided individuals and churches with training resources and materials that can help us refocus our lives in ways that will provide a more enduring peace and joy than what the world has to offer. Make no mistake. Life is complicated and difficult at times. But the “solutions” the world offers are often just the opposite of what provides enduring fulfillment in life.
BCF’s “Self-Confrontation” course is built on biblical principles that help us change our focus to be more in line with the example that Jesus set for us. He came “not to be served but to serve ….” (Mark 10:45).
This is the reason that BCF’s training in biblical discipleship/counseling begins with the 24-Lesson Self-Confrontation course. It is an in-depth Bible study and can be taught in small groups, Sunday School classes, used for one-on-one discipleship, or for study on your own. The companion Student Workbook can guide you through the course, and videos are available, recorded from an actual class. If you want to get a shorter overview first, you can try the 7-week small group Bible study we call “Living Victoriously in the Battles of Life.”
These and other studies are designed by BCF to support local church ministry, because this is where God designed for the “equipping of the saints for the work of ministry” to occur (Ephesians 4:12). This has been BCF’s focus for over 50 years: to support and serve you who are discipling and encouraging the saints in your own churches and ministries. Additional studies are available for small groups and personal study, as well as more advanced classes on biblical discipleship/counseling. Please explore all these resources below and the other Bible Studies available on the Booklets and Bible Studies page.
BCF COURSES
Self-Confrontation
Self-Confrontation is the first level of BCF’s training. The primary emphasis is on examining every aspect of your own life. Self-Confrontation starts with the basics of salvation, examines the root of problems in our daily walks, and then applies principles to specific problem areas ranging from anger and relationship problems to fear & worry, depression, and life-dominating practices.
The course can be taken several ways. Find out more by going to the “Ways to Study” page.
Who should take the Self-Confrontation Class? + more details
explore more details by clicking below to expand
Who is Self-Confrontation for?
The answer is that it is for all believers who want to become more like Jesus. In fact, our overall purpose for living is clear and is succinctly stated in 1 Peter 2:21: “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you and an example for you to follow in His steps.”
And having been saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), we are now “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
The problem is that, while we have God’s powerful resources to draw upon, we are still human. We are still subject to temptations and have a lot to learn about applying principles like we read in Philippians 2:3:
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
And we have to admit that we think a lot about ourselves first. When we look at a photo of a group, and we’re in the picture, who do we usually look for first? Did I look weird? Was my smile OK?
It is no wonder that the Lord graciously included in Scripture reminders about the two great commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … and your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Notice that He didn’t say “love yourself” was a third commandment, because we already know how to do that quite well.
The Self-Confrontation Bible study can be beneficial to all of us as believers, because it will help our lives become less about “me” and more about serving the Lord and others. It will help us learn how to practice the kind of love that Jesus showed us. He is the example for us to follow.
Topics covered
The Self-Confrontation manual is a 24-lesson reference, designed to direct you back to the Bible for daily living. Useful for personal growth and discipleship, Self-Confrontation will help you learn how the Bible is sufficient and applicable to produce lasting victory in every circumstance and relationship, no matter how difficult. Topics include:
- God’s plan and process for change
- A Biblical understanding of problems
- Having Biblical hope, peace, joy, and contentment
- Preoccupation with self
- Envy, jealousy, covetousness, greed
- Anger and bitterness
- Inter-personal, marriage, and parent-child relationships
- Biblical communication
- Forgiveness and reconciliation
- Fear and worry
- Depression
- Life-dominating practices
- Continuing Christian growth
Self-Confrontation is an invaluable resource for both personal and group study. With its wealth of Scripture references, it is also useful as an ongoing reference for topical study and lesson/sermon preparation.
Register for the OnlineSelf-Confrontation Class
Video overview of Self-Confrontation
You can view a short video that provides an overview of the Self-Confrontation Bible Study here:
LIVING VICTORIOUSLY IN THE BATTLES OF LIFE
The “Living Victoriously in the Battles of Life” booklet is a simplified version of Self-Confrontation lessons 1-8 that builds a biblical foundation for dealing with the daily trials of life based on God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. The six lessons (studied over 7-weeks or at-your-own-pace) explore 1) what the Bible says about tests, temptations, and problems; 2) how we sometimes seem to be in a “downward spiral” of defeat; 3) the biblical hope we have to overcome those problems; 4) the changes we may need to make; and 5) how to grow in our walk with Christ and build a foundation so as to face and deal with any problem area of life. Click below for more detail and to order.
Teacher Training
OVERVIEW OF ON-LINE Advanced Courses)
The Levels 2A and 4A are more recently available courses taught only Live on Zoom. Check for availability.
When a Friend Asks for Counsel, What Do I Do? (Level 2A)
This on-line class provides the same training on biblical discipleship/counseling principles as Level 2. However, because the on-line version cannot accommodate role plays with in-person student participation, two recorded role plays are used to illustrate how to disciple/counsel a friend who has come to you with a problem. The texts include the Bible, the Handbook for the ministry of Biblical Discipleship/Counseling, and the Victory Over Failures Plan.
Life Is Complicated: Simplifying Counseling through the Scriptures (Level 4A)
This on-line class includes most of the same instruction that occurs with the in-person Level 4. It includes no role plays, but explains how some of the problem areas that are thought to be more difficult or complicated can be simplified through using the Scriptures as opposed to the “world’s wisdom.”
Advanced Self-Study Course
For those involved in discipleship/counseling, the Self-Study Course in Discipleship/Counseling is an exhaustive survey of topics and techniques used in the Old and New testament”During the process of completing this study, students will learn how the principles and truths of the Old and New Testaments apply to actual
practices of faith and conduct in individual and family life.
It is available as a free download from BCF
Media Resources MULTIMEDIA
SMALL GROUP STUDIES & BOOKLETS
BCF has published multiple Bible studies and booklets that can be used for small groups in a local church, individual study, or one-on-one discipleship. All of them can be used for personal growth and in-depth discipleship. The first three are specifically formatted for small group studies with thought-provoking topics, fill-in-the-blank questions, and biblically-focused discussion points. Here is a quick look at these resources. You can follow the links for more information about each booklet and how to order.
BUTS OF THE BIBLE: Biblical Characters And The Crossroads Of Life
The word “but” often represents a decision-point or sometimes even a “crossroads” in our lives. Paul explained to the Ephesians in Chapter 2 that “you were dead in your trespasses and sins (v. 1) “but God … made us alive together with Christ” (v. 4). The Buts of the Bible series is a small-group or personal study of both Old and New Testament characters. This study focuses on particular events or “crossroads” in their lives with a view toward practical application to our lives today. Booklet 1 focuses on nine different Old Testament characters (or groups of characters) from Genesis to Deuteronomy. Booklet 2 focuses on nine from the New Testament. The study is in workbook format with Scripture passages to read and questions to answer. These will lead you through the biblical characters’ circumstances and will challenge you to think about similar decisions or situations in your life. See link for more information (and ordering) on Booklet 1 and Booklet 2.
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT PRAYER
We often relegate prayer to the times when we are most desperate. But we find in the Scriptures that the true value of prayer is not so much about God’s changing our desperate circumstances (even though He can choose to do that) but it is more about His changing us. It is often more about His conforming us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), and not so much about us trying to conform His will to our desires. The study is broken into 17 short segments in a workbook format with Scripture passages to look up and questions to answer. Designed for both personal or small group studies, even those who have been believers for a long time will be challenged by the wealth of content in this study. It builds on the study material in Lesson 3 of the Self-Confrontation manual. Click below for more detail and to order.
BCF has other advanced courses that are occasionaly taught in-person. Find out more on the Advanced Courses page. Some churches do teach advanced classes for those involved in Discipleship/Counseling ministries.