The summer before I arrived at Biola as an undergraduate, I attended a massive worship service at a local stadium. One of the speakers who got up to pray that evening opened by reciting a familiar verse from Matthew 18: 鈥淲here two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.鈥

鈥淭ake a look around you!鈥 the speaker said enthusiastically, gesturing to the thousands of people congregated in the stadium seats. 鈥淛esus is surely here in our midst tonight.鈥 We all cheered.

A few months later, I was enrolled in one of my first biblical studies classes at Biola 鈥 one of 10 that I would take as part of Biola鈥檚 unique requirement that all undergraduate students complete 30 units of Bible. It was a hermeneutics class, and I鈥檇 been assigned professor Walt Russell鈥檚 Playing With Fire, a book on how to properly read the Bible.

When I reached chapter 3, I was surprised to discover that I had been hearing 鈥 and using 鈥 the Matthew 18 passage incorrectly all my life.

In context, Russell explained, the oft-misused passage is part of Jesus鈥 instructions for how to deal with a believer who is living in sin. Rather than offering a general promise that Christ will be present whenever two or more believers gather for worship or prayer, the verse is specifically intended to provide assurance of God鈥檚 guidance and blessing when handling the sensitive issue of discipline.

The hermeneutics class ensured that I would never mishandle that particular verse again. But more importantly, as a college freshman, it gave me the tools and the desire to read the Bible in its proper literary, grammatical, historical and cultural context from then on. That class, and the nine others in my 30 units, offered countless lessons that stretched my faith and gave me a sure foundation on God鈥檚 Word.

For thousands of us Biolans, the 鈥30 units鈥 requirement was a defining part of our Biola experience. The exposure to four years of Bible, theology and spiritual formation classes played an instrumental role in equipping us to follow Christ and to think biblically about the world.

That鈥檚 why, in honor of the opening of the new Talbot East building (where thousands of students will take Bible classes every year), we decided to contact hundreds of alumni from decades past, asking them to share some of the most memorable and impactful lessons learned during their 30 units. You鈥檒l find 30 of the responses in this issue's "30 Units, 30 Lessons" feature 鈥 along with some additional submissions that we didn't have room to print.

As you鈥檙e reading, maybe the responses will jog your own memory. If you鈥檙e a graduate, which lessons impacted you the most during your 30 units? Shoot us an email at biolamag@biola.edu and we may add your response to the feature on our website.