What are ‘some’ bible colleges doing to our pastors?

Some observations

One of the most dangerous teachings I’ve come across is this ‘new’ teaching that God does not guide. One well known professor from an evangelical bible college gave a talk that he has only experienced one instance in his whole life where the Holy Spirit led him in a decision.  He said the normal way is that you use your God given human wisdom to work things out. As long as you work within the boundaries (i.e. do not sin), you are free to do anything.  He continued that you can marry any girl you like, as long as she is a Christian. You can choose any work you like, as long as it will not take you away from serving God.  My alarm bells rang loud and clear when I heard this.  After 45 minutes, one discerning member asked what scripture he has to support his teaching.  He didn’t give any.   I can think of a rebuttal immediately – Psalms 23 The Lord is my shepherd… He leads me..

The implications of this heresy is staggering.  All decisions are based on human wisdom.  God doesn’t speak to us anymore it seems.   Do people who teach this theory not have any experience of God’s leading or speaking to them, hence their theology is determined by their experiences instead of the other way around?  How can a Christian say God does not lead?   Pick up a good biography of any godly missionary, and there will be accounts after accounts of God leading them.

I asked the professor this question. If he had a job offer to lead a small country church with 40 people, and another job offer to lead a mega church with 10,000 members, which would he choose – using his God given human wisdom?  Why would anyone ever choose to lead a 40 member church when he could make an impact on 10,000 people?   He said that’s a tough one and didn’t give me an straight answer.  Did he avoid giving me an answer because he would be seen as non-spiritual by going for the obviously better job (humanly speaking)?

Based on this heresy, there will be no mission hospitals built, no orphanages, no risks taken.  After all, human wisdom will not ask you to go into the heart of Africa to preach the gospel with great risk to yourself.  How many missionaries would not be missionaries if they were to make their decisions based on human wisdom alone?  But thankfully, this heresy has not stopped missionaries in the past from going out against all odds. We have mission schools, hospitals, orphanages and clinics all over the world because men listened to God.   When God is in  the picture, the faithful man of God will ask – ‘what do you want to do Lord?’  When God directs, he will go regardless of whether the circumstances are favourable or not.   Read George Muller autobiography to see how God leads him.  (BTW  There is a modern equivalent today – Heartcry Missionary Society, who refuses to ask for money for their work).

It seems that graduates of bible colleges are no longer ‘called’ to a ministry any more.  I was told by one pastor ‘there are very few instances of someone being ‘called’ in the bible.  I wonder which bible he is reading from?  My bible certainly has many cases of people being called by God – Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Samson, Gideon, David, Paul, etc. Seems that nowadays, if you have this ‘desire’ to go into ministry, that is where God is calling you.  They say they pray about it, but they don’t expect a clear direction from God.  (see Appendix at the bottom of this post which I have extracted from Oswald Chambers devotional classic)

Where is God in all this?  No wonder we have men in the pulpit that have all the traits of people not suited for the ministry, they struggle through church life and lead it like it is a private country club.  They have no idea what pastoral work is about – its just another job that they have a desire to do.  Next time you suspect you have one of these professional so-called ministers, ask them to tell you about how they were called to the ministry. Was it a calling or just another job they applied for?   See if he avoids this  topic altogether.  Surely, such a calling would be a great testimony for would-be ministers.

When I read George Muller, Hudson Taylor and other godly men, they testify that God guides them. Of course, the leading will not contradict the bible e.g. the Holy Spirit will never ask you to take up the job to sell drugs. Working within the boundaries of the bible is correct.  But the idea that God doesn’t guide is incorrect.

So when a graduate comes out with his degree, they’re encouraged to look for a pastoral position or similar.  There is no difference between them and the graduate with an accounting degree when it comes to job hunting. No wonder when they get a pastoral job, they treat it just like a job – career prospects, areas of focus, pay, holidays, etc.   You’ve seen some examples of this self driven behaviour I’m sure – ‘I don’t do personal visitation’, ‘personal evangelism is not my calling’, ‘I only want to work among the youths’.  They love their job and the prestige but not the people.

I’ve seen many cases of activities initiated by church members that gets no support from the pastor – he won’t get any recognition so why help out, or it's not in his job description.  I’ve even come across situations where the pastor conveniently ‘forgot’ to announce the prayer meeting because it was led by someone else, and this happened more than once.  It's all about ‘me’ , my career aspiration and politics.  The ways of the world has come into the church, and many of its leaders are men of the world and not men of God.

The moment you hear a pastor or elder say "Let's strategize about...", you can be almost certain that this strategizing is done apart from God.  Oh, they may pray, but it is not the labouring and waiting in prayer to seek God's guidance but the quick two minute prayer to ask God to bless their work.  It is more lip service than seeking after God's direction.  Do bible college graduates come out knowing how to wait on God or seek after God for direction? Instead they have been taught to apply corporate planning strategies and best practices. There is no difference between this and any humanistic organization in the world.

I blame the bible colleges for these because they have employed a group of academics instead of godly men to teach - people who have filled their brains with the bible, but not their hearts. They end up teaching their students the wisdom and methods of the world, instead of how to walk by faith. When these graduates take up pastoral positions, they teach what the world teaches but with a Christian wrapper. There is little spiritual insights or depth in their teaching because they have not experienced the deeper work of God in their lives. So how can they teach what is not there?  The academics who taught them do not walk with God closely.  (I'm not saying all bible academics are like that. Not at all. Just those whose knowledge of God does not match their knowledge about God).

I was told by a brother that graduates of a certain bible college were given a stack of several hundred or so sermons to use.   No wonder the sermons of so many pastors sound so much alike, almost tile they are using the same preacher's handbook.   Where is the man who learns from God directly instead of passing on second hand messages?

If  this is what some of the bible colleges are teaching, is it any wonder that the pastors that come out are what they are today?  They have no power in their preaching, no conviction, no faith in God. Sermons are often a series of dot points, instead of ministering the Word to the audience.  All effort is human effort with the mandatory two minute prayer added in to 'sanitize' it for church use.

These are the men leading many churches today. They give lip service to being ‘called’.  No wonder many of our churches are weak and sickly. The church will only be as strong as its leadership.  One pastor said it is his duty to minister to the church until he is out of a job because they can stand on their own two feet and don't need him anymore. How many pastors dare to do this -work themselves out of a job? 

E.M. Bounds wrote an excellent book ‘Power through prayer’.  Highly recommended.   It explains why there is such a lack of power in today’s preaching.  It is a heart problem, not lack of training.

I often wonder how widespread this problem is?   Is it just an American or Western cultural thing or more widespread?  Please tell  us your experience and where you come from.

    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                       

Appendix: extract from 'My Utmost for His Highest' by Oswald Chambers

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ —Isaiah 6:8

When we talk about the call of God, we often forget the most important thing, namely, the nature of Him who calls. There are many things calling each of us today. Some of these calls will be answered, and others will not even be heard. The call is the expression of the nature of the One who calls, and we can only recognize the call if that same nature is in us. The call of God is the expression of God’s nature, not ours. God providentially weaves the threads of His call through our lives, and only we can distinguish them. It is the threading of God’s voice directly to us over a certain concern, and it is useless to seek another person’s opinion of it. Our dealings over the call of God should be kept exclusively between ourselves and Him.

The call of God is not a reflection of my nature; my personal desires and temperament are of no consideration. As long as I dwell on my own qualities and traits and think about what I am suited for, I will never hear the call of God. But when God brings me into the right relationship with Himself, I will be in the same condition Isaiah was. Isaiah was so attuned to God, because of the great crisis he had just endured, that the call of God penetrated his soul. The majority of us cannot hear anything but ourselves. And we cannot hear anything God says. But to be brought to the place where we can hear the call of God is to be profoundly changed 

                                          - Oswald Chambers