I have been feeling called to minister.  I have read 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus several times, and they are pulling me in that direction.  I am a man with no money for Bible college, and I was wondering: is it possible to become ordained without the schooling?  I am so lost; please help.  I know I will need training, but can I not get it from the church I attend, or must I go to college to become a minister and get ordained?

Sincerely,
Un-ordain-ary Fellow

Dear Un-ordain-ary Fellow,

If you are a part of a religious group that says that you have to be ordained by a “Bible college” in order to preach – then you need to find another church.  The books 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus are letters sent by Paul to men that had studied under him (we might use the term ‘apprenticed’ nowadays) and worked with him over the years.  These men were educated in the Scriptures through practice and individual study (2 Tim 3:15-17).  Paul had a father/son relationship with Timothy, and that is how that Timothy progressed as a preacher (1 Tim 1:2).

There are no examples of Bible colleges having authority within God’s church, and no one was ever expected to have a college degree in order to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In fact, the apostles were often noted as being uneducated (Acts 4:13).

Teachers incur a stricter judgment (Jas 3:1); preaching needs to be Biblically accurate, or you will be condemned as a false teacher.  You will need to find a Biblically correct congregation that teaches only the pure and undefiled Gospel of Jesus Christ if you are going to study to become a preacher.  If you would like to find a congregation in your area that can faithfully guide you in those teachings, feel free to e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.  We cannot emphasize enough that what church you learn to preach from will make all the difference between serving God and being accursed (Gal 1:8).

     Is Col 3:16 prohibitive to any other mode of teaching and admonishing than the ways listed in the verse?

Sincerely,
Sing And Be Happy

Dear Sing And Be Happy,

If Col 3:16 were the only verse we had to read, we would have to say that the only way we should teach people is through singing songs… but we have a lot of other verses in the Bible.  Ps 119:60 says that the sum of God’s Word gives us the truth, and the Bible gives many modes of teaching.

1. 1 Pet 2:21 says that Jesus’ lifestyle was a way of teaching, and Matt 5:14-16 says that our lives should be a way of teaching people.
2. 2 Tim 3:16 talks about every Scripture being profitable for teaching, and 1 Tim 4:13 says that the Scriptures should be read publicly in order to teach.
3. Acts 20:7 gives the example of preaching as a method for teaching people (Paul did it until midnight one time!), and Neh 8:8 shows that someone explaining the Scriptures through preaching can be very beneficial.

The Bible condones many ways of teaching people about God and many ways of teaching in the church.  Col 3:16 is just one of those ways.

      Are dramatizations of Bible stories acceptable forms of teaching in a worship service?

Sincerely,
Acting Up

Dear Acting Up,

It would seriously depend on a lot of factors.  In order for something to be acceptable as part of a Sunday worship service, it must fit into the pattern found in the New Testament.  There are several principles to consider:

• The pattern we see in the New Testament says that men are to be leading the worship service, and women are to remain silent (1 Cor 14:34).  That means that any “dramatization” that involves women would be forbidden.
• Everything must be done decently and in order (1 Cor 14:40).  The goal is to teach, not to entertain.  Many church activities that we see in the denominational world are about thrumming up enthusiasm at the expense of teaching.
• Though the Bible is full of teaching that uses examples, illustrations, and parables, it is a bit of a stretch to say that acting out Bible stories was a regular part of worship found in the New Testament.  That alone should make us wary.
• The pattern of teaching that we see is men standing before the congregation preaching – like Paul in Acts 20:7.  We must always remember that the pattern we see in the Bible is not only the safest; it is what God shows us to be the most effective.  Solid Bible preaching has always been the tried and true method of teaching found in the early church’s worship.

When you consider all these things, most “dramatizations” that we can think of would be at best unwise and at worst outright sinful.  But, it is best to lay out the principles and make a decision on a case-by-case basis in such matters.

Should I study the Scriptures with people that do not believe in the Holy Trinity?

Sincerely,
Three Strikes You’re In

Dear Three Strikes You’re In,

We here at AYP will study with anyone that is willing to actually study.  Paul studied with idolaters (Acts 17:22-23).  John the Baptist studied with publicans and harlots (Matt 21:32).  Paul said he would study and preach to anyone who would listen (1 Cor 9:20-22).  The issue isn’t what they do or don’t understand – the issue is whether someone is humble and honest enough to learn (Lk 8:15).  Plant the seed of God’s Word in an honest and good heart, and it will grow into something great.

The only person you shouldn’t study with is the belligerent person too proud to listen to God’s Word.  Don’t throw your pearls before swine (Matt 7:6).  Don’t even give a false teacher a greeting (2 Jn 1:10).  You must decide whether someone is simply humble but mistaken or proud and hard-hearted.

Should a pastor prepare his own sermons or buy them on-line?  What is the common practice?

Sincerely,
Pulpit Prep

Dear Pulpit Prep,

We get our sermons at IKEA; you have to assemble them yourself… but they cost less.  In fact, we got a great deal on a book of sermons at Amazon – click here to buy your own copy of the Bible!

All joking aside, we can’t tell you what the “common practice” is; we can only tell you what should be done.  Preachers and pastors (read “Elders” to find out what a pastor is; a preacher is simply someone who preaches) should be searching the Scriptures daily to see God’s Will (Acts 17:11).  They should be studying to show themselves approved, rightly handling God’s Word (2 Tim 2:15).  Anyone who preaches needs to hold firmly to the sound words of the Bible (2 Tim 1:13).  A preacher needs to be immersed in the Word of God in order to be fully equipped for the work at hand (2 Tim 3:16-17).

None of this specifically excludes buying your sermons on-line… but if you are doing all that work anyway, you might as well just write it yourself.  This way you don’t need to go back and double-check and fix a store-bought sermon to make it Biblically accurate.  We here at AYP have a hard time seeing the preachers of the first century being really happy about a preacher paying for a sermon that he should have studied for and wrote himself.  Seriously, it smacks of laziness (Pr 21:25).