The Joy of Glory

Discovering endless joy in the boundless glory of God…

Tag: letters

May 28, 2013

Letter #4: God is Not a Subject

Dear Jonathan,

Congratulations! I’m so excited to hear that you have been accepted by Beeson Divinity School and will begin classes this fall! Your life is about to change, and I pray it is for the better.

I’m glad that all your preparations seem to be coming along smoothly. It is amazing that your house sold in the midst of this market…that is truly a blessing from the Lord. But, as you go through all the practical, physical preparations of moving…I would encourage you to be preparing your mind as well.

You might be changing the physical, geographical location of your family, but you are also moving your mind into new territory and it needs to be prepared. For the next three to four years you will be studying/mastering theology. Theos = God. Logos = word (or in this case, study of). Theology = the study of God. How does one prepare their mind to “study God” or “master theology.” I would suggest that you begin with one simple, anchoring fact…

cap_diplomaGod is not a subject to be mastered.

Studying theology is different from any other discipline, for God is not an object to be put under a microscope, prodded, and analyzed until you can fit the discovered data into your head. No. The more you come to know God through study, the more he should be mastering you…not the other way around.

Your degree program is ironically called “Master of Divinity.” I would give you the same advice that one of my profs, Ken Matthews, gave to my class on our first day of seminary. He looked at all of us and simply said, “So…you’re future masters of divinity huh?…Don’t you believe it!”

Jonathan…don’t you believe it!

God is not a class to be aced or a subject to be mastered. Humble your heart and ask that through your studies he would be mastering you more and more! That is the point of seminary…not to become a master, but to be mastered! As you prepare to move your family to another state, prepare to move your mind into a state of submission to the Lord. Because…

God is not a subject to be mastered…he is the master over his subjects.

Grace and Peace,

J

*To know/understand the premise behind these letters please click here.

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May 14, 2013

Letter #3: Pick a Prof

Dear Jonathan,

So the search has begun…you are officially looking for a seminary. You’re freaking out aren’t you? You don’t even know where to begin. I heard that you started pulling books off of your shelf to read author bios and see where they went to school. I assure you, a game of author roulette is not the best method for choosing a seminary. Google is not a real viable option either.

I do trust that God can providentially guide you to a good school despite your ignorance, but might I offer one thought that perhaps God, in his providence, will use in your search.

At the end of the day, the relationships you form at seminary will be what impact your life and ministry the most. It is through relationships with friends and professors that the Holy Spirit will wield the truth of God’s Word in your life. You will be taught the Word by people, discuss it with people, pray over it with people, believe it and learn to obey it with people.

Screen Shot 2013-05-14 at 9.16.46 AMPeople are essential to your seminarian journey.

Obviously you cannot choose who will attend seminary alongside you, but you can choose your professors. As you look at schools, I would encourage you to direct most of your attention to the faculty. Before you look at the prestigious name of a place, its course line-up, the campus, the city, etc. look at who will be pouring into your life.

God designed the Christian life to be one of perpetual discipleship and seminary is an unique opportunity to be discipled intensely. Therefore, be wise about who will disciple you. Think about your calling and find a professor who will guide, encourage, and educate you in that direction.

I understand that you are called to pastor and want to be an effective communicator of the Gospel, so look for someone who can train you as a pastor and preacher. Find a mentor, a discipler, a friend and sit under them.

Jonathan, when it comes to choosing a seminary, do not pick a place…pick a prof.

Grace and Peace,

J

*To know/understand the premise behind these letters please click here.

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May 7, 2013

Letter #2: Seminary is about the Church

church1-150x150Dear Jonathan,

I am so thankful to hear about your seminary search process thus far…praying with your wife, family, and friends is a great place to begin. This will definitely help you to keep your focus on Jesus like I talked about in my last letter. However, right after I placed that letter in the mail I felt as though I left out one key thought…

Seminary is about Jesus, but seminary is also about the Church.

These two thoughts should naturally go together for the Church is the bride of Christ. They are inseparably joined, for he is the head and the Church is the body! It is ironic how often we try to make Jesus divorce his bride or we try to sentence him to decapitation! What I mean is this…we often think of pursuing Jesus as a private matter that in no way involves the Church.

I did not mean to encourage such a pursuit in my last letter. Seminary is in not merely about your private relationship with Christ becoming richer and richer. Yes…that needs to happen, but to what end? Why has God called you to seminary? I can promise you this…it is not ultimately for yourself!

You are headed to seminary in service of the Lord and his Church! You are being equipped so that you might equip the Church for the work of the ministry! Seminary should not have a selfish goal, but one that is sacrificially selfless. I have watched so many seminarians gorge themselves on the deep truths of Scripture only to become fattened with pride. To my shame, I experienced the same thing at different parts of my seminarian journey.

So what can be done? I think the greatest thing you can do to fight against knowledge that puffs up is to immediately use the knowledge for the purpose for which you are receiving it. In other words…share it! Teach it! Spread it!

Unshared truth turns toxic!

Don’t gorge yourself on truth! As you consume it, share it! Attempting to teach (in whatever capacity) within the local church will keep you humble, as teaching is no easy task. It will also keep your goal before you. You will be constantly reminded that you are not at seminary merely for yourself, but you are there for the Church. Jesus loves his bride…you should too!

Seminary is about the Church.

Grace and Peace,

J

*To know/understand the premise behind these letters please click here.

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