The Lord God Almighty—the Maker of heaven and earth—has revealed Himself. The King of all creation has made known His thoughts, plans, and love for you. He has declared His intention to save, His ability to heal, and His desire to have an intimate, life-changing relationship with you. And He has done so in a manner that has endured throughout the centuries in what we know as the Word of God.

You’ve heard about how important it is to read and trust the Bible, but perhaps you have questions. Why have Christians throughout history always placed such an emphasis on this particular Book? Why is it so highly regarded? What sets it apart from other printed volumes? Is there any evidence that proves any of it is true? And does it still have relevance today even though it was written so long ago?

In this new year-long Course, The Book of Books, the Charles Stanley Institute Team is going to do a deep dive into the reasons the Bible is so extraordinary.

Based on Dr. Stanley’s insightful sermon series, The Book of Books, this Course will look at Scripture from different angles, such as:
• God’s awesome purpose throughout the ages
• Who God reveals Himself to be
• Why the Bible deserves our attention and respect
• The historical timeline of the biblical story
• How geography is important to understanding the biblical narrative
• The cultural contexts of God’s Word
• Fulfilled prophecy
• Archaeology that confirms the biblical text is true
• How the Canon of Scripture was established
• The amazing unity of the Bible
• The reliability of God’s Word
• How to make sure you’re getting the most out of your time in the Word
• And so much more.

The Bible is consistently the best-selling book in history for a very good reason—there is no other like it. Its pages were inspired by God, and its message has transformed the lives of people from every race, culture, and background. If you want to know the Lord, understand how He thinks about you, and deepen your relationship with Him, this is the Course for you.

SPECIFICS:

WHY ARE WE SPENDING A WHOLE YEAR ON THE BOOK OF BOOKS?
As the Charles Stanley Institute Team follows in Dr. Stanley’s footsteps, we, of course, pray and seek God as he did. We also think about what was important to him and what made him so unique. Dr. Stanley’s goal was always to lead people into an intimate, growing relationship with Jesus. And he always taught us that the best way to do that is to get them into the Word. He famously said, “It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes people’s lives.”

So as the Charles Stanley Institute Team prayed and asked God what 2025 should look like, it became evident that the best way to honor the Lord and Dr. Stanley would be to lead people to Jesus by focusing on the one Book that our Savior gave us to know Him.

WHAT IS THE BOOK OF BOOKS COURSE BASED ON?
The Book of Books Course is based on the following sermons:
• God's Great Purpose
• Trembling Before the Word of God
• Reasons to Believe the Bible
• How to Handle the Bible

WHEN DOES THE BOOK OF BOOKS COURSE BEGIN?
The Book of Books Course begins the first week of 2025. Technically, that Monday is December 29, 2024.

CAN ANYONE JOIN AT ANY TIME?
Of course!

DO STUDENTS NEED TO PURCHASE ANY MATERIALS?
No. However, we do suggest you have your own physical copy of the Bible.

HOW LONG IS THE BOOK OF BOOKS COURSE?
The Book of Books Course will run for the entire year—52 weeks.

We consider 2025 to be the Year of the Bible. With that in view, we are going to do an extensive look into the Word of God to know Him better.

WHAT CAN STUDENTS EXPECT?
Each week, students can expect:
• A Bible Study
• At least one Bible book overview (i.e., Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, etc.)

Additional resources that will be available throughout the study:
• Instructional videos illustrating key takeaways about Scripture

Commentary on:
• The names of God
• Fulfilled prophecy
• Timelines of events
• Archaeology that confirms the biblical text is true
• How we got the different books of the Bible
• How the Canon of Scripture was established
• Geography of the Bible
• And many other interesting aspects of the biblical texts!

HOW IS THE BOOK OF BOOKS COURSE STRUCTURED?
The Book of Books Course is structured around Dr. Stanley’s sermon series of the same name.
• God's Great Purpose
• Trembling Before the Word of God
• Reasons to Believe the Bible
• How to Handle the Bible

This Course is spread out over the year and divided into four quarters.
Each quarter will be thirteen weeks long.

Each of the sermons will be highlighted at the beginning of one of the four quarters, and the thirteen lessons will explore points from the highlighted sermon in depth.

It will roughly time out like this:
• 1st Quarter (starting December 29, 2024): God's Great Purpose
• 2nd Quarter (starting March 30, 2025): Trembling Before the Word of God
• 3rd Quarter (starting June 29, 2025): Reasons to Believe the Bible
• 4th Quarter (starting September 28, 2025): How to Handle the Bible

WHO IS INSTRUCTING THE COURSE?
Four instructors will help present the curriculum for The Book of Books. Mathias Sserugo will be helping students navigate from Genesis through Song of Solomon.

Mathias Sserugo (seh-ru’-go)
Mathias Sserugo and his wife Frances live in Jinja, Uganda. They have 4 children and 3 grandchildren.

He has been pastoring since 1986 and married since 1987. After attending a Life Principles Conference, Mathias began teaching the 30 Life Principles of Dr. Charles Stanley in 2018. In 2023 he was appointed Coordinator of Life Principles Training for all of Africa. He has raised up several teaching teams in Uganda and currently oversees approximately 50 teachers all over Africa.  In 2009 Mathias received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Alpha-Omega Seminary, Jinja, Uganda in conjunction with Global University, Springfield, MO. He was the first in his organization to attend seminary. 

Recognizing many discrepancies in the online Luganda Bible – the most spoken indigenous language in the country - he took it upon himself to edit it more accurately and narrated the same. It is widely recognized as the most accurate online audio and text Bible  of the Luganda language. The same work is used by numerous groups and individuals to develop apps for the Luganda Bible.