I so admire the Apostle Paul. He was a man who was not ruled by fear, but rather, kept his eye on the “prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). He was undaunted and unfazed by the many challenges he faced in his life as a believer in Jesus Christ. Dangers, threats, and discomfort surrounded him wherever he went. Yet through it all, he was not dismayed or discouraged or distracted by these things. He fearlessly and relentlessly pursued the great gospel goal to which he had been called as the apostle to the gentiles.
What a model of faith and perseverance Paul is to us! Nothing in this life was able to deter him from his mission and calling. He saw everything as part of God’s unswerving plan to bring the gospel to the nations and anything or anyone who attempted to stand in the way of that plan could not overcome Paul’s great faith and resolve.
For any of us who is in, or aspires to, positions of leadership or influence (that covers most of us!), we would do well to imitate Paul. In fact, he invites us to do just that in both I Cor. 4:16 and 11:1. The writer of Hebrews also encourages the same thing:
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. (Heb. 13:7)
This is precisely the kind of leaders we aim to produce at Bethlehem College & Seminary. Becoming leaders and influencers who are worthy of imitating and who will inspire others to follow their lead in imitating Christ—no matter what the cost, no matter how difficult or challenging life is—that is our desire for our students and alumni.
Our prayer is that they will all pursue the great gospel goal of being witnesses to the ends of the earth for the glory of God and for the good of the church. May the Lord make it happen!
Called (as are all of us) to be worthy of imitating,
Tim Tomlinson
President
Bethlehem College and Seminary
Prayer Requests:
- Our board of trustee meets this week (Thursday). Please pray for our trustees that they have wisdom and insight into all of the matters that will be discussed and decided during this meeting. I thank the Lord for each one of them.
- Please also pray for Dr. Jason DeRouchie’s special lecture this Thursday night (at the downtown campus of Bethlehem Baptist Church), which is open to all, as we commemorate his promotion to full professor—the first professor to accomplish this at Bethlehem College & Seminary. If you’re available, please join us for this special lecture.
- Please pray for the admissions process that is about to culminate in selecting the next cohort of seminarians for this fall. Pray for wisdom and discernment as the committee selects these students for admission.
- Please continue to pray for our Serious Joy Scholarship needs. Please pray that the Lord would overwhelm us with His generous provision through friends like you throughout this semester!