A Letter To Young Ministers: Before Bible School, What Were You Doing?

I am happy when I see young guys trooping to various theological seminaries to know more about the mandate and also to reduce their ignorance. It’s amazing because they turned to learn a lot of interesting stuffs like hermeneutics, homiletics, systematic theology, numerology and interpretation and a lot of rich stuff. It’s good because bible says 'to your knowledge add', so we have to study. On the flip side, I feel sad because I know very well that ' Most theologians themselves don't know God'. So the question becomes’ assuming, the theologians themselves don’t know God, what will be my reference factor before I get into this seminary?’ In other words, what have you been doing all these while before you had admission?

I have witnessed fire evangelists who gathered saints and sinners in the stadium and won millions to Christ with their basic bible knowledge, immediately they entered bible school and came back one went into journalism and wrote a book entitled 'farewell to God', meaning God 'bye, bye'. And the other left the ministry to go and sell cars. Question: what new did they go to learn in the bible school that flawed their ideology about their personal relationship with God? I have heard from a prominent man of God in a particular country who was almost killed by a Bishop of another church. The bishop had Doctorate in Theology. Question: what did he learn when he was pursuing his doctorate in the things of God? (Sometimes I wonder whether we understand this job we are venturing into?). We heard about men of God sending assassins to go and murder another man of God, why? Bishops don’t care to pay bribe to occupy a position anymore. Pastors don’t care to poison each other to overthrow them. Why? Because bible school only teaches you theory, the practicality of your walk with God is a personal development exercise, it has no brick and mortar connection.

If you have not disciplined yourself enough to listen to the Holy Spirit before venturing into this theological seminaries there is a likelihood to replace the spirit of the lord with the voice of an angry lecturer who doesn't take care of his wife at home. They impact you with every negative in them. Many people lecturing us about God are mostly rejected by God themselves, they are only lecturing to stay relevant. They are only left with the titles but the mantle has been taken by the master, so they have grades without grace. They have a result for their labor but without favor. They are in position but no unction.

Apostle Johnson Sulleyman has read the entire bible 36 times before he went to the bible school, Dr. Myles Munroe was an addicted bible reader and researcher before he stepped into the bible school, Bishop David Oyedepo was a word- addict, Papa Adeboye have still not been to the bible school yet (I don't know when he will go?), Papa Billy Graham has never stepped foot there but with sincerity of heart and motive, they are making sporadic and colossal impact today. Should you still go to the bible school? Yes, Go if you have the chance, but just make sure you know the God who called you already so no agent will paint another anthropomorphic picture of God to you to influence your spirituality. Let me end by saying if you don't know God at home, you can't know him at school'. Master the art yourself.

All these casualties in the body of Christ is caused largely by carnal men who haven't mastered the art of the spirit before venturing into the ministry with some diploma from another frustrated minister who couldn't identify the voice of God from the voice of men. The truth is if you are not prayerful before you venture, the diploma in theology won't increase your prayer life. You don’t wait for the confirmation of man through clerical before you carry out your assignment- Build a solid relationship with God, that’s your way out…. R. Duafah