Free Bible College Online –
Passionate Pursuit of the Call of Christ
My name is Patrina and I am so excited to be a part of this free Bible College online. I believe this free Bible College online is making a huge difference and impact on the lives of believers all over the world. I am so grateful that the Lord led me to Christian Leader’s Institute. I am truly honored and blessed to receive such high quality training right from my home. I am grateful that this free Bible College online and all of its resources has been made available for people who desire to grow in their walk with the Lord and who feel called to the ministry but are not able to afford going to a seminary school.
So with that being said I would like to share a little information about myself. I have been married to my husband for 7 years, and we have four beautiful children together. We currently reside in the United States of America. I absolutely love my country and feel blessed to have been born here, but I do feel that doing ministry here is somewhat challenging. There are a lot of people that have heard of God, but they don’t really know God. There are a lot of people that know about religion but don’t know about relationship. There are a lot of churches going out witnessing, but not many churches are making disciples. So, that is another reason why I love CLI because you are really helping people to learn about the true Gospel Message of Jesus Christ.
I came to know the Lord when I was about sixteen years old. I was going off and on to a church with my family and one day while sitting in the service I just felt God’s presence come over me. They had an altar call and I came down to get saved. Now, at that time my heart was tender towards God but I had no one in my life to disciple me and teach me how to walk with God. It wasn’t until about 3 years later that I made Jesus the Lord of my life in complete and total surrender.
During that 3 year period I was partying and living an ungodly lifestyle and even though I was surrounded by a lot of people I felt so alone. It was during those times that I began to think that there has to be more to life than this. My parents had gotten saved in my senior year in high school, in the spring of 1995. God completely turned their lives around and so they literally forced me and my brother to go to church. They quoted the scripture that said, “As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord”.
The more that I went to church God began to draw me to himself. I finally surrendered to him at the age of 19 years old, in the summer of 1996. God totally transformed my life and took away all of my ungodly desires and I began to hunger and thirst for the things of God. Not long after totally surrendering to God I began to get really involved in my church. I volunteered and served in many ministries at my church. I became a choir director and was also made a youth leader. I was then placed over the youth praise and worship team and other youth activities as well. God used me to encourage and mentor the young people at my church. I also got involved with a Christian ministry group at my college. I had prayed that God would give me Christian friends, and he did above and beyond that. He gave me friends who had a deep love for God and who actively did things to display God’s love in tangible ways.
Currently I am one of the Praise & Worship leader’s at my church. I love to praise & worship the Lord and I absolutely love leading people into the presence of God through Praise & Worship. My ministry dream is having a closer, stronger and more passionate walk with the Lord, and that I would be able to use all of the creative gifts and experiences that God has given me to encourage, uplift and bless others in their walk with the Lord and to reach those who don’t know the Lord. And because I love working with the youth I just want to see them be on fire for the Lord and I want to show them how to use their gifts and talents to bring God glory and to bless other people too.
When I look back at my spiritual journey I remember one key experience in my life that prompted me to pursue ministry. One day my Sunday school teacher asked all of the students in her class a question. She asked us what did we feel that the Lord was calling us to do in the ministry. She told us to go home and seek the Lord and come back the next week with what we felt the Lord put on our hearts to do in ministry. So, I went home and prayed and sought the Lord and I felt in my heart that he spoke the word, “MUSIC”. So, at that time I was singing in the adult choir at my church and I was also one of the choir director’s. I had started a youth singing group because I just loved to sing for the Lord and enjoyed singing in harmony. So, that is what started it all and I went on to college and I majored in music and received my Bachelor of Arts degree in music. I remember one particular conversation with my voice teacher. He asked me what I wanted to do with my voice after I graduated from school and I told him that I wanted to worship the Lord. His response to me was that I didn’t have to go to college to do that. I guess my answer wasn’t the typical answer for a Vocal Performance major but that was truly what I wanted to do then and it is still what I desire to do now.
My family has a unique role in my ministry calling. My children are worshipers as well and they love to sing, and because I am a music teacher I try to impart all of the knowledge I have into them. I truly believe that one day they will be ministering right alongside of me. My husband also played a significant role because he is the one that told me about this free Bible College online and has encouraged me to go forth in the leadership training courses. His role is so instrumental and God uses him in many ways to encourage and motivate me to go forth in the call that God has given me.
My local church has been such a tremendous support to me and my entire family. They support us in every aspect of our lives. Plus, they have given me a platform to use my gifts to the glory of God. They have also encouraged me and given me many opportunities to lead others into the presence of the Lord through Praise & Worship and also working with the children’s music ministry as well.
CLI is so important to my ministry dream. I have always wanted to go to ministry school. Most schools are very expensive and now with me having a family also makes it a challenge to go to a traditional seminary school but CLI has online classes that I can fit into my busy schedule. I believe that having a CLI scholarship will help me to learn all of the things that are necessary for being an effective leader. It will help me to grow in my knowledge and understanding of the Lord and as I am becoming a disciple I can then disciple others and show them how to be a disciple maker. I just feel very blessed to be a part of the CLI family and I hope that I can continue in my Christian Leaders Institute training courses.
Note: Christian Leaders institute is a free Bible College online option for those serious about ministry training but who cannot afford more debt. This free Bible College online option is part of ACEA a non traditional accrediting organization that provides encouragement, accountability and credibility for your benefit as a student of ministry.
Most Bible College options are in the fee model. Christian Leaders Institute is a free Bible College online that exists solely on donation from Christians passionate about giving called Christian leaders an opportunity for high quality ministry training.
**EDITED**
Few Christians that attend church regularly and practice Christian family life live in this man’s town.
Nathan has decided to learn to be a pastor at Christian Leaders Institute.
Even though his past is shaky he has overcome with Jesus to find his calling.
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Hello, my name is Nathan Parrott. I live in the United States in a small Colorado town. There are a few Christians here but not as many as there should be. The majority of the people who currently live in our area are people who work in the oil field and gas industry. I have yet to meet any of these people who are Christian or practice Christian living. I feel that it is my duty to try and change this.
In 2013 I was prosecuted by the Federal Government for something that I hadn’t done. It was because of another person’s greed that I was incarcerated for the entire year. At first I was very angry and could not forgive this person for what they had done to me. There are a few Christians who know what I mean.
I made friends with another prisoner who started to talk to me about the Bible and its teachings. I was interested in what he had to say. As a child I had attended bible school on a regular basis. In jail I decided to continue those studies and take them a little further. I started to have Bible studies with the few Christians there in jail on a regular schedule. I enjoyed reading the Scriptures and discussing it with the group.
In my off time during the day I would sit outside and think about what we had studied. It was at this time that I learned to understand all the wrong and the hurt that I had done to my fellow man. I regretted the life that I had led up to that point in time.
Ephesians 4:1-32 ESV / “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism,”
It was one of these days that I felt that the Lord was calling me and that he was telling me that I should right what wrongs I had done in my life. I felt that it was time that “I” became born again. I confessed to the Lord my sins and asked for forgiveness. When I made that decision it was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. After I became born again I continued my studies. I felt I was being called to bring Gods people to him through his word and decided that the best way to do that was to become a Minister and bring the word to them. Few Christians in our area take action to teach.
Christian Leaders Institute, (CLI), can give me a quality education that will enable me to go forth and spread the word. Without their help it would be much harder for me to get a quality education in ministry. To be able to understand the Bible, bring it to people in need of God’s word and be able to answer their questions is invaluable. I greatly appreciate what CLI has done for me up to this period of time and am looking forward to continuing my education through them.
With my decision to go into Ministry my community and my family have been very supportive. Knowing that I do not have to leave the area to get an education for the ministry is of great value. Few Christians today take the time to get educated.
It is my plan to plant a church after I have finished with my education. I believe that the Lord is leading me into this education so that I have the ability to share his word. Being a Pastor is what I am striving for. With God’s help and the help of CLI I will become the best Pastor that I can be. With their help I will be able to preach the Gospel and be able to maintain my congregation and church. So few Christians today learn how to do this. the education that I will obtain from CLI will allow me to carry on what The Lord has planned for me.
God Bless everyone at Christian Leaders Institute. And God Bless all of those who attend CLI.
It seems today few Christians in need are offered tools to help their lives. Here at Christian Leaders Institute we strive to provide everyone God’s tools for good lives. To become a student or learn more CLICK HERE! To donate toward a student’s tuition CLICK HERE!
Ministry Passion – The Next Step for Christine Bierma
My name is Christine Bierma and I live in New Lenox, Illinois, USA. I have known Jesus for as long as I can remember, and I am so thankful to have been raised by believing Christian parents. It has always been clear to me that I am His and He is mine. However, it has not always been clear to me what my path in this world should be. Over the last 20 years, I’ve married my high school sweetheart, Doug. We have raised 4 children, and we have been blessed with a beautiful life both as a family and in the church. And yet, I am continually asking myself, “Lord, what is my purpose? Where is my path?” I have been serving in the church for 25 years. My ministry passion included serving as a worship leader, worship planner, teacher, mentor to young moms and a council member. Those roles in the church have challenged me and shaped me into the woman I am now. God has blessed me with many talents and an unquenchable thirst for His word and service in the church. This thirst comes from the depths of my being: it is this thirst that drives my ministry passion and has brought me here to CLI.
In my search for my ministry passion, purpose and path I’ve spent countless hours on my knees begging God for an answer. Wanting to see the whole plan, I’ve been asking for at least the next step in this journey. I feel compelled to minister to young moms, a group of women who need encouragement, love and need to learn who God is as their Father, their partner in this difficult season and ultimately, their Lord. I also feel compelled to continue with worship planning and leading. When I’m given the honor of planning and leading worship, it is one of the greatest assignments of my life: to usher people into the throne room of the one, true, God. I want to learn more about God and his Word so that I can help direct the people I serve. The more I know Him, the easier it will be to bring people to Him.
A scholarship to CLI would mean that I could take the next step in this ministry passion path God has put me on. Studying in a seminary setting has been a long time dream of mine that has been unattainable because of my role as mother and wife. The ability to study, take quizzes and write papers from my kitchen table is a dream come true. The knowledge I would obtain through this course work, I believe, will help me continue to walk the path of service that God has laid in front of me. Proverbs 3:5-6 sums up why I believe CLI is where I should be right now, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” CLI is my next step of submission.