Let's pray together. God, our Father, we thank you again for this wonderful opportunity we have to be together as your family, to sing songs, to hear from your word. Would you please be with us and bless our time together? We pray that you would bless Mukanya Durban, that you would minister grace and mercy to all of our lecturers day and night, that you would help especially, Lord, our newer lecturers. and we pray for our students as well, both day and night, higher certificate and BTH, that your hand would be upon them and as they begin to navigate, especially for those that are just starting off into their studies, please be gracious to them, please help them and be with them. We commit Makanyo to you, Lord, throughout South Africa and across our borders. We pray for Dr. Brine, Dr. Yapi, Reverend Antonio, who is now the new academic dean. We pray, Lord, for the administration. We pray, Father, especially at the beginning of the year where everything seems to go crazy, we ask for your blessing and your leading over each of these brothers and over each of the learning centers and campuses in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, so I would have done this talk last week And unfortunately, I had to be at a funeral. And so I'm going to be doing what I would have done last week. But also, even though it might sound like orientation, it is also a devotional. Okay, so I would like you to turn please to 1 Timothy chapter 4. I will not be carrying a whole lot of books every time I come up, it's only for orientation sake, okay? 1 Timothy chapter 4, and I would like to read the following verses, 4, 7 to 8, and then ask you to also turn quickly to chapter 6, verse 3. Verse 7. Have nothing to do with irreverent silliness, rather train yourself for godliness. For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Chapter 6, verse 3 and verse 4. teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicion, it goes on, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth. Take note of those two statements. Depraved in mind and deprived of truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. And so there's ideas that I want to kind of explore this morning with you. So my The title this morning is Piety and Theological Studies. In other words, there is a need for dutiful devotion to God and observance of religious principles. I started speaking yesterday morning to our class, BOT 1, and towards the end of it, in our more personal kind of devotional time, stressed the fact that the three most important years for me, for all my studying, was 1987 to 89. Now that I've spelled it out, it makes me sound a bit old. But that was 37 years ago, right? And 37 years ago, the greatest kind of foundation, The strength of what would follow all the years later would be the fact that my lecturers, even though many of them had bad theology, very bad theology, I had to unlearn much of that after I graduated, instilled in us a deep desire for devotion to the Lord. And that was a call to Bible reading, Bible memorization, spending time in prayer. And that is kind of the the base of what I want to say this morning. I want to kind of address us on a few things and perhaps start by saying that if all we are interested in is in enriching our minds and having no impact spiritually, then like Dr. Yapi says whenever he gets to address a public group, especially students, he says, we are not interested in clever devils. We're not, because you can pass all your courses. You can get distinctions. In fact, we had, I'm not sure if I can say that on tape. I'm going to say it nonetheless. We had students in the past who did get distinctions, that did graduate, but all they were were clever devils. They fulfilled the academic requirement, and so they were allowed to graduate. But when we assess their spiritual development, we see something very, very different. And so what I want to appeal to us this morning is to consider our time of theological training as also a time where we experience what we are studying. John Calvin uses the word experiential and experimental theology interchangeably. In fact, I found an article by Joel Beakey on this very subject. And Joel Beakey says that, and I quote, by experiential or experimental theology, we mean Christ-centered theology. So, we are hitting the books. We are working through our modules. We are doing all of this, not just to kind of know, just for the sake of knowing, but we are interested in a Christ-centered theology. We are concerned about a theology that stresses salvation, not just salvation that we may preach outside, but even salvation for ourselves. Oh yes, we've had students, and I've had students personally over the many years, who after a year found out that they were not saved, that they had never come to personal faith in Christ. They had grown up in a Christian home and they went to Sunday school and church and by virtue of that, they actually thought they were Christian. And by engaging the word and engaging the theology that we study, they came to salvation. Which is wonderful, right? Because we cannot truly preach salvation on the outside. unless we have experienced it ourselves. Understanding, Joel Beakey goes on to say, sinners must by faith have a personal experience, as the spirit works the knowledge of Christ. He kind of ends that quote by saying, and by extension of all the great truths of scripture. Now, someone once said, and I forget who actually said this, all theology must eventually become praxis. If your theology does not become practical, then it is secular. It has not impacted you in your daily walk with Christ. It is secular. So allow me the next hour to kind of unpack this. So in the four years that you are here, and you will be here, some less and some more, you will realize that theology deals first with knowledge. And we welcome knowledge. Knowledge of God, knowledge of ourselves. As we get to know God, we get to know ourselves. In fact, the opening line of A. W. Tose's The Knowledge of the Holy says, When we think about God, when we are asked to think about God, what comes into our mind is the most important thing about ourselves. So we get to know God and we get to know ourselves. Okay? But there is no true knowledge without true piety. If you don't take that knowledge and express it back to God in your relationship with God, then you are not growing in Christ. For godliness, as Paul says in 1 Timothy 4 and 6, that godliness must encompass both true reverence. I sing the songs that I sing, not because they are words. And I have to remind our congregation every Sunday morning, we don't just sing the words, read the words off the screen, but this is deep worship to the Lord. We are expressing worship to the Lord. There must be true reverence in our worship. And there must be active obedience. True worship, active obedience. I listen to people often and I encountered an Indian brother recently who came to me and he said, I've studied theology four years and I've not preached once. I said, but were you involved actively in your church? No. Did you go to church on a Sunday morning? No. Why did you study theology? Why did you open the Bible if you did not want to be active in your obedience to Christ. Calvin, in his Institutes, and I brought an example. This is the one volume from the French translation edition, and then there's a two volume in the library. Please, if you want to do yourself a great favor, great service to God's work, read either the two volumes or the one volume at least once in your four years here. And after that, in ministry, read it every year. Spurgeon insisted that all of his students that came to the pastor's college read the sixth volume Matthew and read every year on their knees. So this is a small requirement, right? He says, he says this, he says, piety is rooted in the knowledge of God. And people who don't know God cannot understand what it means to have a devotion or walk in godliness. And here's where it gets me. He says that piety includes attitudes. I didn't know that as I studied theology, it must alter my attitudes. Well, when you encounter God, it should alter your attitudes. And by extension of your attitudes being altered, your actions are to be altered. And ultimately, attitudes, actions lead to the glory of God. So let me ask you. Maybe some of you are just in your first or second week. Or some of you are more than that here. How is your theological education, your knowledge of God, altering your attitudes, your actions, and your devotion to God? Has it made a change? He goes on to say that this idea of piety includes love. It includes human relationships. We should be changing in terms of the way we deal with people and respect for the image of God in human beings. Hold on. I've come here to study theology. I want a degree in theology. Yes, and that's what we will offer. We will give you the best education this side of Pretoria. But if that education is not causing you to be more devoted to God and not changing your life, then it is not impacting your spiritual life. It is purely academic, and Calvin calls for experiencing this and for experimenting with what you are learning at theological college. So, knowing who and what God is, embracing the right attitudes towards Him, and doing what He wants. At the end of your four years, In any given year, I'm not sure if your churches do this, but when I was in college, my church insisted that we have a Bible test. So you're learning theology. I think I'm on impulse there, which I'm not. You're learning theology, but what is your knowledge of the Bible? And so in Rita C. Mears, what the Bible is all about was, it's a thick book. And sections were chosen where you were inspected by the leadership in terms of your knowledge of God's Word. Now, here we say to you, you're doing BOT 1. You should at least read the Pentateuch during that time. If you are not able to engage God's Word as you study, then there is a problem with your piety. In his first catechism, Calvin wrote, true piety consists in a sincere feeling which loves God as father as much as it fears and reverences him. It embraces his righteousness and it dreads offending God. I hear this criticism, especially for those that embrace reformed theology. and I hear this about them from other people, that since this person has embraced Reformed theology, they have become dry. They have become dead. There is no evidence that God is actually working in them. In fact, all they are concerned about is head knowledge. And I know that's not true, because it's the way people perceive what the Bible teaches. But I want to appeal to us while we are studying, while we are theological students, that the whole of life must be a walk in godliness. I think if you forget everything that I'm appealing to you this morning, stay with that one. That there must be evidence of godliness and there must be evidence of growth in your life. There must be evidence that Christ is working in you. The Word is changing you. as an individual. And also, if you are married, as a partner, spouse, if you're a minister already, it's changing your corporate ministry. You no longer get up on a Sunday morning, turn to a scripture, and hope everything will go well. Oh, the Lord will fill my mouth when I open it, Psalm says, so I don't need to prepare. I can just go there, and I had some hot curry on Saturday night, and I'll get fiery revelation on a Sunday morning. Spurgeon understood this concept as extemporaneous. In his book, Lectures to Our Students, which is also another thick book, on the reserve shelf. The one night, or the week, he really battled through sermon prep. But he was always studying. He was always reading and studying. And he was very troubled the Saturday evening because he could not have finality in his sermon, right? And Sunday morning at breakfast table, he said to his wife, I am so unprepared for the pulpit this morning. I don't have my sermon written down. And then she handed him transcript. And he said, that is my text and that is my sermon. Where did you get that from? She said, well, during the night in your dream, you preached your entire sermon. And I knew that that is what was happening, so I sat up and I took a pen and paper and I started to write down all the words that you were speaking in your dream. The idea of, and it's not that we must forget about preparing. No, that's not the idea. The idea is that because he was so constantly in the word studying and preparing that he was able to even in his dream, while he was sleeping, to preach his entire sermon. That is, I'm not kind of suggesting that we do that, but I'm suggesting that we, Move towards that level of godliness. Our text this morning, 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 7 to 8, and here's from Calvin's commentaries, commenting on these verses, he says, You will do the thing of greatest value if with all your zeal and ability you devote yourself to godliness alone. You will do the thing of greatest value if with all your zeal and ability you devote yourself to piety. As much as we love academics, it is not the degree certificate that's going to help people in ministry or the people you minister to. But it's your walk as a minister of the Gospel. It's your closeness and your devotion We had that all morning. No water, no lights at home. So, lights went off. It is your walk with God. It is your devotion with God. It is you spending time in the scriptures. I hear this over and over again. We battle to read three chapters of the Bible a day. Wow! So, how do you lead your flock? How do you help your people to grow in the things of God? He says, do this. This is the greatest value. He goes on to say in his commentary on 1 Timothy, godliness is the beginning, the middle, and the end of Christian living. Where it is complete, there is nothing lacking. Thus, he says, the conclusion is that we should concentrate exclusively on godliness. For once we have attained godliness, God requires no more. He knew some good stuff. And he did not have these lengthy periods where he sat down and thought these lofty times, preaching four, five, six times a week. He did theology in the pulpit as he preached. So, what is the purpose of growing in Christ? We grow in knowledge by studying And we evaluate that by your assignments, and by your tests, and by your exams, and we evaluate your growth and knowledge. But what is the ultimate aim of godliness? It is to bring glory to God. It is, what is the chief end of man? It says, confessions. Come on, what is the chief, anyone? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Okay? And John Piper says, God is most glorified when we enjoy Him the most. So, God's not called us into this kind of somber black suit, white shirt, white tie, kind of very groomed face. You come there, all sanctimonious, Amen. That's not the idea. The idea is to glorify God, to enjoy His Word, to have this real Godly experience as you journey through your time at Mokkanyo. to love your theological modules and to want to devotionally read it, to meditate on it, to want to grow from it, to look at all the scriptures that are referred to and to think on it and to have a sceptre journal where you make some notes To set yourself a goal that I'm going to discipline myself. We have this in the library as well. This is my personal copy. Spiritual disciplines for the Christian life. To set a goal, to read, to understand, to love God and to grow in Him. Because ultimately, I want to glorify God. When I walked down Bukanya's long hall, and I come up those stairs to that short, small stage, and I receive my Bachelor of Theology degree, ultimately, it is for the glory of God. So, I've said this to you, and I'll say it again, as R.C. Sproul says, we should constantly be living to Coram Deo. Coram Deo, before the face of God. Whether we are doing our assignments, we are doing it before the face of God. So no copying and pasting. No stealing other people's work. No plagiarism. Why? Because God is constantly watching over that. When I'm at home, God is watching over me. When I'm preparing for my exams, I'm doing it all before the face of God. Everything I do, my journey from home to college and back home and my time at church, All of this is before the face of God because ultimately it's for the glory of God. The entire goal of the Christian life then is to reach Godliness but ultimately it is for the glory of God and it is that glory that shines through our lives when we are facing God's people in the pulpit one day. George Whitefield went to the Oxford University earned a bachelor's and master's degree and then came to be examined by his denomination and they said to him, sorry, we have no place for you. But he knew that God had prepared him for the ministry and his ministry took place in the open fields with the farmers, speaking to thousands and thousands of people. His biographer Arnold D'Alimo writes about how he spoke to 50, 60, 70 thousand people in the open fields. And what came out of him was this wonderful experience of examining the scriptures and knowing God personally. So, as I conclude my little talk this morning, I want to recommend a little book to you. It's called The Religious Life of Theological Students. And if you can't find this, it's in the two volumes that we have in the library, The Shorter Writings of B.B. Warfield. It will do you well. It's not a lot. It's like a couple of pages. But it's the idea of understanding that you cannot truly know God if you don't pray, if you don't read the scriptures. Please find that in the library. Obedience to God's Word means that I constantly desire to walk before Him. I'm going to mention seven things and I'll stop. These are seven things that I believe every one of us have to experience. Firstly, communion with God. Pray. If you are not praying, you are playing. If you are not interceding, then you are interfering. If you are not praying, then you are straying. Charles Bridges says, prayer is one half of our ministry and it gives to the other half preaching all the power that it needs. You cannot go to the pulpit if you're not a person who prays. There are many good books in the library on prayer. Thomas Brooks says, a family without prayer is like a house without a roof. And you can find a lot of these in the library. I'll stop there. Prayer. Secondly, as you read the scriptures and as you go through your modules, constantly walk in an attitude of repentance. Allow God's word through his Holy Spirit to bring conviction, even as we teach you Pentateuch and Christian ethics and systematics and Strangely enough, academic literacy, you can experience the conviction of God because you realize, hey, I've been doing the wrong thing as I prepared my assignments. Lord, forgive me and help me with this. Thirdly, self-denial. Grow in that. It's not I, me and my, my rights, my this. It's that Christ may be seen in me. I live, yet not I, says Paul. I've been crucified with Christ. Understand that you are called to cross bearing. And you are a servant of God while you are here. Meditation, take time to think. The problem with people today is that they don't think. I had a secular professor at university, Pretoria, she constantly said, think, and then think on your thinking. Don't just think. Go back and think, and that is why you need a journal. And a journal can be a little A5 hardcover book from checkers. It doesn't have to be a thing that says, journal that cost you 200 grand. 10 grand, you can get a little book. Just write things down as you meditate and as you think through it. Number six, obedience. Obedience to God, obedience to His word, obedience to this process. And finally, extensive reading. Charles Spurgeon said, read many books, but live in the Bible. And that's not a suggestion here at Mukande. That is an expectation, that you read extensively, that you spend time in many books, but you don't forget the Bible. Live in the Bible. for therein lies your foundation for devotion and godliness. I pray that you would take these little concepts and kind of work through it and find something that works for you as you desire to grow in Christ, not just in your academic understanding but also in your spiritual journey with God. May the Lord bless you and be with you and I trust that you will take advantage of our When I went to Bible College, we had one bookcase with books from the 1940s. That's it. Walk in here and it's like, heaven! Take advantage of that, right? And may you grow in your studies and your time with us at Bukkake. Amen. Shall we pray? We are again, Lord, indeed grateful to you. for the time that we have been blotted here. We thank you that you are interested, not just in our academic growth, but in our growth as people, holistic growth. The development of the mind, but also the growth in the things of God. Physical understanding and growth, but also social growth. Lord, help us as we spend time with our studies, that we don't separate this important aspect of godliness, of devotion, of pietas, piety. And as we do so, O God, help us to grow in our faith. Build us up, Lord, in the most holy faith, so that in all things we will ultimately bring glory to you. Bless the balance of our day, in Jesus' name. Amen.