Seth: My last post is simply a summary of your position about seminary. Take it or leave it, it’s just your own advice.

I do understand the importance of checking myself, I have a pastor uncle whom goes over the BIble study material I perpare each week. Also, my fellow friends who help me out with the Bible tsudy also review my outline. The outline goes through more scrutiny than most churches outlines for a sunday service, why? Because I do what to get it right. I also use multiple books as sources to make sure that what I plan on saying lines up with scripture.

Tommy F.

You make a good point, only problem, you advice goes against scripture. MY thought, doesn;t go against scripture, b/c the Holy Spirit is there to teach us and to guide us and remind us of all things. We are called into action, we are called to be part of the body. So when it comes to church, I think I will stick to the multiple churches I am following, when it comes to Bible studies, we are making an impact on the community, so again, I will keep doing it, as for you advice, I think its very unbiblical. Me saying that learning from the Holy Spirit, is bible based. So I think I will stick with what I am doing, thanks for the really bad advice tho.

Stop going to church. Stop listening to sermons (from anyone). Stop going to Bible studies. And why would you lead one? Just tell them all they need is the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

Sound like a good plan?

“I still think someone can go to the Holy Spirit and recieve learning. if you say that seminary is more important than learning from the Holy Spirit that is very dangerous ground to stand on and quite frnakly, I learn alot from the Holy Spirit.”

That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m not saying it’s more important. Neither was Paul in Galatians 2:1-2 when he went back to check his teaching with other believers. He learned a lot from the Holy Spirit too. But he understood the importance of checking himself as well. That’s the sign of a good leader.

You do make good points, and I enjoy when people bring it.

No, I want an answer to the question, and I want to know why yall say it isn’t. is it just because they don’t have seminary degrees? if so, I feel that is a very sad and weak answer. And again, I still think someone can go to the Holy Spirit and recieve learning. if you say that seminary is more important than learning from the Holy Spirit that is very dangerous ground to stand on and quite frnakly, I learn alot from the Holy Spirit. I have not yet felt the call to seminary, and am still up in the air about it.

I don’t want to read blog posts, I want to hear it from the man hinself, I want to know why he brings such persecution to NS and Perry, if it is b/c they don’t have seminary degrees, I think that is a weak argument based on everything else they have accomplished. the life changes I have seen, the salvations, the community being impacted, the gospel being preached, marriages being healed, I’m not a theological major or anything but i’m thinking that what they do, is pleasing to God, and I pray hard that one day I will receive all the persecution and criticizim that they are receiving, for that just means I am preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

@Seth

on this point: “but if it was so important to be trained so much by people, I think it would have been mentioned in the Bible.”

you might also want to research the relationship between Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Timothy, Paul and the churches in Ephesis, Phillipi, Corinth, Galatia, etc. and you might also want to look at Paul’s returning to the Jerusalem council to go before the original apostles to make sure he was preaching the right thing, because even though he was heavily led by the Holy Spirit, he still sought wise council.

and on this “And I am still waiting to hear if NS is a healthy church?”

I think people around here just find this to be is a funny question because… well… just read Duncan’s posts from the last two months…

“going to seminary is like going to medical school. If you want to be a doctor and don’t go, it’s very possible that you will help people, even save lives, but you will not know what to do in many cases too, and you will lose lives.”

Do I believe that someone HAS to go to seminary to be a pastor? No. But the message of Christ is so important that anyone seeking to be in full time ministry should desire to have a greater, full understanding of the Bible. Seminary is the best means of this.

And if you’re relying strictly on “the Holy Spirit’s interpretation through you” you are still relying very heavily on your own strength and experience, assuming that other “elders,” wiser people, are not of use. This is very dangerous.

And so further formal, even academic study of the Word should be a desire, a necessary good for the cause of spreading the Gospel.