Several years ago, while preparing an academic project for my studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, I was mining the church’s Epistle archives when I stumbled upon an article Pastor Doug Pratt had written shortly after he arrived at First Church. In the article, Pastor Doug espoused a “deeply held conviction that a reading Christian is a growing Christian!” (Emphasis original to Doug) This statement reflects his commitment to life-long learning, a commitment that has shaped the culture of First Church.
As we explore the spiritual disciplines throughout this edition of the Epistle, it is helpful to observe that the term discipline shares the same etymological root as the word disciple, both of which convey a sense of learning. To be a disciple of Jesus is to humbly sit at the feet of the Teacher and to invite Jesus to become the Lord of our minds. The Scriptures are replete with invitations “to think on these things” (Philippians 4:8), “to let the same mind be in [us] as is in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5), and “to be transformed by the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2). Christian study is the sacred pathway of loving the Lord our God with all of our minds, and we will never find the limit to the depths of the mind of God. As the Psalmist writes,
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand… (Psalm 139:17-18)
The Apostle Paul, conveying a similar message, erupts in Doxology,
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor? (Romans 11:33-34)
Through study, we plunge into the depths of the mind of God, such that our minds (and our loves) are reordered by God and our lives fall into the rhythm of grace. It is a commitment to life-long learning, but not merely learning facts about God, but growing in our intimate knowledge and love of God.
Our primary resource for Christian study is the inspired Word of God. When I was in middle school, my mother managed a Christian book store and she invited me to pick out a study Bible. This NIV Study Bible has served as a spiritual lifeline for me throughout the years. For instance, in college at a secular university, I enrolled in a class entitled “Introduction to Christian Theology,” which was taught by an apostate, ordained minister whose sole mission seemed to be to dismantle the faith of the relatively few Christians on campus. After class each day, I returned to my apartment to pour over the pages of that Bible to combat the toxic ideas and hollow philosophies espoused by the professor. During that time, I learned the value of study as a discipline and to this day, I continue to read the same Bible each morning. One of the best ways to engage the mind is through the study of our Sacred Text. The Word of God challenges our thinking, reshapes our imaginations, and reorders our loves.
Beyond the Scriptures, modern Christians have access to thousands of years of Christian literature from the classics to fresh, contemporary works. In my humble opinion, our BookCenter has one of the finest curated collections of Christian literature out there! As you explore growing in the discipline of study, I encourage you to utilize the BookCenter, as well as the spiritual growth ministries at First Church: the Life Academy, D.I.G. Class, the Men’s Ministry, Wednesday in the Word, the Pastors’ Winter Bible Study, Family Nights, and the Great Banquet, to name a few. The discipline of study is an invitation to let Jesus be the Lord of your mind and to never stop learning, because you will never exhaust the vastness of the mind of our God.
by Pastor Brad Rogers
