It's cool, to be back to school.... ? The textbooks have all arrived for the Pentateuch (but this might be the subject I'm dropping if I feel too stressed about two subjects in one semester).
Speaker: Rev Dr Ross Clifford
Live by the Spirit and not the law. (Romans 1&7.)
Not a set of rules and obligations.
Value all. (Galatians 3:28. Acts 10.)
Love our neighbours as ourselves. First universal statements
on human rights.
Eyes open to the spiritual. (Ephesians 6:10-20.)
Often, we divorced our theology from the spiritual realm. We
are being watched by a heavenly audience and in a battle with the devil.
Word reliant. (Ezekiel 37.)
Prophecise the Word on the dry bones. Spirit to give life.
Word and Spirit are both important.
Vision of resurrection. (John 20:1.)
Women went to the tomb on the first day of the week. First
day of the new order… a new people.
Humility. (James 1&4.)
If we are to be involved in ministry, always remember it’s
done in humility when it’s done in Christ. It’s not about promoting you, but
promoting the gospel. Living out the faith in humility.
Servanthood/resilient. (Romans 1.)
Transformation happens because we are growing in Christ and
knowing Christ together.
Ultimately they don’t want your paper degree, but who you
are in Christ.
Personal thoughts and
reflections:
Really struggling this week
about whether to do one subject or two subjects this semester. On the first day of
class doing Romans, can see it’s a very big subject. In fact, during this class, I can already find many of my old concepts about the Protestant paradigm and Lutheran interpretations of Romans being tipped over! The Pentateuch is also very
big and important.
I came to Morling to equip myself so I can serve God better. Whilst I’ve certainly learned and benefited a lot from Morling, there is no clear calling for ordained ministry so far. The calling in career missions is still very clear, so I am certainly going to continue working as a doctor. Whilst the qualification of MDiv itself is not that important for me, I am already quite close to the finishing line. I can either finish the MDiv off very soon at two subjects each semester, or do it very slowly at one subject each semester. Life is not about qualifications and I do not want to be tied down with studying forever (life on earth is too short and time passes too fast… drastic changes are happening globally). When too much head knowledge is flowing in, I find it hard to have enough time to go into full swing at practical application in a communal setting because the studies are keeping me too busy (what a paradox). Don’t be mistaken though, what I am learning is highly relevant to my everyday life: There had been many triggers for personal reflection and I have been benefiting a lot in personal growth. There are also large amounts of big pictures and visions flowing in as I looked over church history, theology, pastoral care studies, biblical studies and exegesis.
I came to Morling to equip myself so I can serve God better. Whilst I’ve certainly learned and benefited a lot from Morling, there is no clear calling for ordained ministry so far. The calling in career missions is still very clear, so I am certainly going to continue working as a doctor. Whilst the qualification of MDiv itself is not that important for me, I am already quite close to the finishing line. I can either finish the MDiv off very soon at two subjects each semester, or do it very slowly at one subject each semester. Life is not about qualifications and I do not want to be tied down with studying forever (life on earth is too short and time passes too fast… drastic changes are happening globally). When too much head knowledge is flowing in, I find it hard to have enough time to go into full swing at practical application in a communal setting because the studies are keeping me too busy (what a paradox). Don’t be mistaken though, what I am learning is highly relevant to my everyday life: There had been many triggers for personal reflection and I have been benefiting a lot in personal growth. There are also large amounts of big pictures and visions flowing in as I looked over church history, theology, pastoral care studies, biblical studies and exegesis.
The advantage of finishing quick
is that I won’t be stuck in one place and can shift my focus to the next stage
should there be a calling for something new, eg. putting more time into a
particular ministry whilst still working as a doctor, shifting to a new location,
or getting married and having children (imagine studying with a screaming baby: not impossible, but very difficult) etc. The advantage of finishing slower
is obviously the better quality of learning (I am compromising my academic
achievement by doing the MDiv so quickly), lesser stress, and… perhaps more time
to wait on God to see whether there is calling for ordained ministry? Regardless
of whichever path I take, lifelong learning and growth in Christ continues even
when I finish the MDiv qualification.
The Tuesday chapel time changed this
semester to 12-1. Suddenly realised this new timing made me really rushed for
work in the afternoon, don't know if I can keep attending.
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