So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant (1 Kings 19.21).
Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9.62).
I am here in Prague, where we are have students gathered from many countries, from as far away as the Americas and SE Asia, as well as Europe and former Soviet Asia. Their research studies are divided among the departments of Biblical Studies, Baptist and Anabaptist History, Missiology and Applied Theology. These people are mostly mission workers, theological educators and pastors, some serving in dangerous places. Why are they all here?
At the heart of what we are about in the seminary is the task of examining and applying the legacy of our Christian knowledge to the present, to help serve the purposes of God now and into the future. As Christians, we look to the Bible and the interpretations of it over 2,000 years, seeking to root the understanding of our faith now in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in a way that is true to what the Bible tells us.
But there is a paradox in this. For while we need to past to define our present, we cannot go forward in service by holding to the past. We have to look to our heritage and then, investing our energy into God’s future, move forward. So let us be thankful for what has been passed onto us by previous generations; and for the opportunity to invest it sacrificially for the future.
Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9.62).
I am here in Prague, where we are have students gathered from many countries, from as far away as the Americas and SE Asia, as well as Europe and former Soviet Asia. Their research studies are divided among the departments of Biblical Studies, Baptist and Anabaptist History, Missiology and Applied Theology. These people are mostly mission workers, theological educators and pastors, some serving in dangerous places. Why are they all here?
At the heart of what we are about in the seminary is the task of examining and applying the legacy of our Christian knowledge to the present, to help serve the purposes of God now and into the future. As Christians, we look to the Bible and the interpretations of it over 2,000 years, seeking to root the understanding of our faith now in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in a way that is true to what the Bible tells us.
But there is a paradox in this. For while we need to past to define our present, we cannot go forward in service by holding to the past. We have to look to our heritage and then, investing our energy into God’s future, move forward. So let us be thankful for what has been passed onto us by previous generations; and for the opportunity to invest it sacrificially for the future.
