I just had this cool idea to take you along on the journey for my schooling because
1) I need to make content for my website
2) It’s fun and
3) We learn more when we can learn together!
Here’s the deal
I am studying for an M.A. in Christian Leadership at Grand Canyon University. My graduation date is December 2021, and I am in my third class right now ” Old Testament Foundations” We’ll have to backtrack the other ones which were Biblical Hermeneutics, and Ministerial Ethics. But for now, let’s start off where we are… and begin with the Old Testament foundation. So through this journey, I’ll be copying my reflections from discussion topics. I will be pointing to resources, highlighting major concepts, and placing them in my own words so you can follow along. I hope this will help people take a look at the Bible, and read it , and make it real in their lives.
Here’s my response from Today.
The instruction.
Choose a theme present in the Old Testament that has influenced your spiritual growth. Select a passage associated with that theme. Share the full text of this passage, discuss the biblical and theological importance of the theme and the passage, and explain how it has helped mature your Christian life.
My Response
The “theme” of calling into ministry has been a huge influence on my spiritual growth, and this calling is present in the Old Testament passages of Jeremiah 20:9, Isaiah 61:1, and Ezekiel 22:30. The call for me has always been this burn, and passion to see the righteousness of God on earth as it is in heaven. Like Jeremiah “ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bone”(Jeremiah 20:9). When God called me it wasn’t an audible voice, but it was a seed that he had laid in my heart so long ago. Just as he has formed my ears, eyes, and body, he formed my calling to be awakened at just the right time and temperature… call it “spiritual puberty” if you like. But when we talk of spiritual growth it’s only right that we speak of reproduction or disciple-making. The theme of calling is so important for spiritual growth because without calling one will waste their life, and face a harsh judgment at the end. God has called me from birth to be a person who bridges the gap in the land so he doesn’t have to destroy it as in Ezekiel God said, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. ”(Ezekiel 22:30) As a servant of the Lord Isaiah 61:1 is key to my calling
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,”
The biblical and theological importance of this Scripture is that it is first uttered by Isaiah then read by Jesus in Luke 4:14-30 when he entered his earthly ministry. God’s heart is for harmony, peace, and freedom; He “anoints” or chooses his servants to bring reconciliation to the nation so he doesn’t have to destroy it as what happened in Ezekiel 22:30. This theme of calling helps my spiritual development because it shows me that I am part of a legacy of anointed people, and must keep moving forward to finish the “good works” God has prepared for me “in advance” to do ( Ephesians 2:10). Praise God!