This summer I had the opportunity to train pastors in Southeast Asia. These pastors had very little formal theological education, and they were eager learners. Some of them traveled hours through the countryside to spend a week together with other pastors discussing 1 Thessalonians. During and after my lectures, they poured forth questions about the meaning of the biblical text and how it might apply to their local church ministries.
As I taught them, I was struck by the kind of questions they raised. While some of the questions were not the sort often heard among American evangelicals—for instance, I’m not often asked in America about how to counsel Christians in polygamous marriages!—most questions were surprisingly similar to the kind of questions I regularly hear from our seminarians here at Bethlehem. It struck me that we were reading the same Bible, and because the Bible’s meaning is intrinsic to the biblical text, reading it closely elicits the same lines of inquiry, no matter the reader’s cultural or ethnic background.
Similarly, I was struck by the issues these pastors are facing in their churches. Like our churches, they face the threats of the prosperity gospel and friendship with the world. In their context, poverty is a constant economic reality, in which a person is easily allured by a so-called gospel that promises instant riches. They also face various kinds of persecution politically and socially, which can cause believers to doubt God’s goodness toward them in the gospel. The issues facing these pastors and their local churches surprised me because they so closely resemble the issues that our churches face today. Like our own seminarians, these pastors need a robust knowledge of the Bible in order to stand firm against these threats. Like our own MDiv program emphasizes, they need to draw from the well of the biblical languages, biblical theology, systematic theology, church history, and biblical ethics.
I was also struck by the pastors’ love for the Lord and his people. Their joy in the Lord was evident, as was their piety and resolve to engage in faithful pastoral ministry. After my trip concluded, a couple of them told me they were planning to spend several days praying and fasting together for their churches. What a great example of earnestness and single-minded godliness! In this way, they reminded me of my own students, who are similarly earnest in their pursuit of God, a right knowledge of his word, and a faithful and fruitful ministry in and for the local church.
My short time spent with these pastors highlights both the privilege and the task of theological education. Their thoughtful questions, difficult circumstances, and genuine love reminded me that we must redeem the time, for we do not fight against flesh and blood (Eph 5:16; 6:12). We must commit ourselves with seriousness and resolve to train up faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim 2:2). We must not shrink back from this great task, so that Christ may be glorified in his saints when he returns (2 Thess 1:10).
For the cause of Christ,
Joshua Greever, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of New Testament and Associate Dean of Bethlehem Seminary
Prayer Requests:
- Pray that the pastors of Southeast Asia would know God through his word and minister his word faithfully to God’s people.
- Pray that the churches would resist the threat of the prosperity gospel and friendship with the world.
- Pray that Bethlehem College and Seminary would be faithful in its mission to provide a robust education in serious joy.
- Pray that our incoming college and seminary students would find appropriate and fruitful rhythms as new students, and that they would quickly find local churches for the purpose of worship and fellowship.