“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” - II Timothy 2:15
By now most of you have probably heard that the decision has been made to change the name of World Evangelism Bible College back to Jimmy Swaggart Bible College. We thought it only right that the name of the school should honor its founder and chancellor. We choose to honor him for his sacrifice to the body of Christ and his undying support of his school down through the years. His vision, his beliefs, and his teachings are what the Bible college embraces and endeavors to pass on to its students. It is our sincere desire to impact both those who are called into the five-fold ministry, as well as those who are not, with the truth of God’s Word, and then send them forth as laborers into the harvest. Following are three major arenas that students who attend Jimmy Swaggart Bible College will be impacted by.
The Study of the Bible
The main textbook of Jimmy Swaggart Bible College has always been and always will be the Bible. To be honest with you, there are not many Bible colleges left in the United States. Most Bible colleges have transformed themselves into institutions that emphasize far more than the study of God’s Word. There’s nothing wrong with doing that if an institution and its leaders desire to go that way. However, to find an institution of higher learning that focuses primarily on the learning and application of the scriptures, one has to look long and far. I guarantee you that our students will be learning the Bible from the first day of their time with us, until their very last class or chapel service. Classes that are not expositional studies of the Bible itself are specialty subjects associated with truths found in the Scriptures.
The Message of the Cross
In my estimation the Message of the Cross is by far the most important message that God has ever revealed to the church. It is the meaning of the new covenant. It is not new. It had been first given to the apostle Paul who placed that information within the confines of writings that are now scripture. In those writings he explains that God always works through the agencies of grace and faith. The term grace indicates something that we don’t work for, earn, or deserve. Living for God is not earning the promises of God, it is experiencing God. Man is to live for God and with God by faith. God doesn’t accept man because of what we do. He works in us and for us because of what we believe. Our faith must forever rest singularly, holistically, and exclusively in Jesus Christ and what He did for us at Calvary. This is how the sinner is saved and this is how the Saint is progressively sanctified. There is no other means by which mankind can receive both forgiveness of sin and the freedom from the power of sin. Faith in the Cross and what Christ did there is the foundation of everything that the Christian experiences. Students at JSBC will hear this message emphasized in nearly every class, practically every chapel service, or almost every church service at Family Worship Center.
The Message of Pentecost
Down through the years, Brother Swaggart’s ministry has always emphasized the need for the baptism with the Holy Spirit. We believe and teach that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a second subsequent work of grace. The salvation experience brings the believer freedom from sin. The baptism with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance provides the believer with power for service. The only requirement for the second work is that an individual be truly born again. We teach and believe that God desires this special empowerment to be a part of every believer’s Christian experience. We emphasize that the book of Acts is not just an historical record but that it is the current model for the church in this present age. Nothing can be done without the help of the Holy Spirit. He is the life blood of the believer and of a church that desires to bring Christ to a lost and hurting world. We are looking for a few men and women to train in the knowledge of the Word and in the power of the Spirit.