Master of Theological Studies

On March 13^th, 2016 I wrote a blog that I named, “Breadth & Depth” announcing that I was beginning classes at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary working towards the Master of Theological Studies degree. I cannot tell you what a pleasure it was to take the classes and what an honor it is to have this graduate degree conferred upon me by such a God honoring, Christ exalting, and church loving Seminary. 

When I began the classes I really did not know what I was getting myself into. I loved the Lord and wanted to know more about Him and His church. Along the way I learned what theological studies are and their purpose. Therefore, I would like to talk a little bit about theological studies and their purpose. Theological studies follow a fourfold pattern of text, history, truth and application.1

Text

Text refers to the study of the Bible. I took five classes that were specifically biblical studies. Two Old Testament survey classes, two New Testament survey classes and a hermeneutics class. In the survey classes I was required to read each book of the Bible but I also studied the historical-cultural situations each book was written in as well as their genre (type of writing). In the hermeneutics class I was given a method for interpreting the Scripture beginning with the historical-cultural and literary context.

History

History refers to church history. Church history begins with the book of Acts through to the present day. I took a total of three classes that were specifically church history. The first class covered the early church up to the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. The second class covered the Pre-Reformation period up to the present day. The third class was a study tour of New England with Drs. Owen Strachan and Jason Duesing. In this study tour I had the privilege of seeing the sites and documents that I read about in church history as these two church historians lectured on the people of church history.

Truth

Truth refers to systematic study of Christian theology. I took two classes which were divided into twelve parts: 1) Studying God. 2) Knowing God. 3) What God is Like. 4) What God Does. 5) Humanity. 6) Sin. 7) The Person of Christ. 8) The Work of Christ. 9) The Holy Spirit. 10) Salvation. 11) The Church. 12) The Last Things.

Application

The first three disciplines built on one another and are about knowing but the fourth discipline of application refers to being and doing. I took five classes that were geared towards living the Christian life. I will list them in the order in which I completed them: Ethics, Church Administration, Apologetics, Evangelism and Discipleship, and Missiology. Ethics refers to what ought to be, not necessarily what is. Ethics helps the Christian evaluate the rightness and wrongness regarding what is.2 Church Administration is about managing a local church with its people, its finances and ministries. “Apologetics is simply to defend the faith, and thereby destroy arguments and every proud obstacle against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:5). It is opening the door, clearing the rubble, and getting rid of the hurdles so that people can come to Christ.”3 Evangelism and discipleship are the defining mission of the church. The mission of the church is to make disciples of all the nations, initiate the new disciples into fellowship through the ordinance of baptism in the name of the Triune God and teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded the first disciples; doing so by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:18-20). Evangelism is how disciples are made, but evangelism is always preceded by discipleship because it is the mature disciple who learns to multiply and go make disciples.4 Finally, “Missiology refers to the study of how God is at work to bring redemption to fallen man. It entails the study of the history of mission endeavor, the theology of mission, and the social aspects of humanity. Mission is not man’s effort to reach their fellow man, it is rather God working through redeemed man to bring reconciliation in Christ.”5

Conclusion

Each one of the disciplines of text, history, truth and application built on the other. We begin with Scripture because like the apostle Paul said to Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tm 3:16-17) We study church history because we are not the only ones to have read Scripture, many have read the text before us and problems regarding interpretations have already been worked out in church history. We study Systematic Theology because the Scriptures are not written systematically but theology comes from Scripture as understood historically. Finally, once we know, we must be and do what we have learned and are learning guided by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I will be using what I have learned in pursuit of the Master of Theological Studies degree all the days that the Lord gives me on this earth for personal study and to reach and teach others for Jesus Christ.

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[1]John Mark Terry, Missiology: An Introduction to the Foundations, History and Strategies of World Missions(Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2015), 7.

[2]John S. Feinberg and Paul D Feinberg, Ethics for A Brave New World, 2^nded. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 15.

[3]Josh McDowell, “Foreword” in To Everyone and Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview, ed. Francis J, Beckwith, William Lane Craig and J. P. Moreland (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2004), 9.

[4]Dave Earley and David Wheeler, Evangelism Is…How to Share Jesus with Passion and Confidence (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), viii.

[5]Class notes, Master of Theological Studies, Missiology, Kansas City, MO, January 2017.

Church History

Do you love the Scripture? How about the book of Acts? Acts is church history. The church was birthed on the Day of Pentecost and continues to this day. There is a rich and vibrant history that is the Church of Jesus Christ.  

The Day of Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4) 

People often take things out of the Day of Pentecost that are not intended by the writer and others ignore what was intended. What we should take out of this is that the way God has related to man in the past has changed.

Jewish people associated the outpouring of the Spirit especially with the end of the age (1:6), and several signs God gave on the day of Pentecost indicate that in some sense, although the kingdom is not yet consummated (1:6-7), its powers had been initiated by the Messiah’s first coming (2:17).1

Beginning with the first sermon by the apostle Peter (Acts 2:14-36) followers of Jesus Christ have been testifying about Jesus Christ in the world. Acts is the beginning of church history and not the end. The church has a vibrant history which is the work of the Holy Spirit in the world for the past 2000 years. Read the Scripture but also read the history of the church. Church history is an incredible work of God, a vibrant story of regeneration, conversion and sanctification of the people whom God is calling out of the world.

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1 Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press), Acts 2:1-4.

The Ruler of the Sea

The Ruler of the Sea
Psalms 89:9
You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.

This morning I awoke aboard a seafaring vessel. Psalm 89 was part of my morning reading plan. I read this passage while looking out over the sea and I was reminded by the fact that we control nothing. The Lord God is in control of everything; therefore, we must put all of our trust in the Lord alone, He alone can calm the waves. All that we have is a merciful-gracious gift from our heavenly Father. He created heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. All human beings are created in His image but none of us except Jesus Christ are God.
Mark 4:39-41
And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Many of our friends and neighbors are going through storms. Neither we nor they have control over the turbulence but the Lord does. He can calm the wind and the sea; therefore, with a single voice praise God and pray to God for all needs; however, know that He may not calm the storm because His purpose is greater than ours.
Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
God is conforming us into His image. We may not understand because we are looking in a glass dimly but in the new heaven and the new earth yet to come we will have more understanding than we do now. Brothers and sisters be of good cheer, have faith and do not be afraid.