Cross to Crown Blog

  • Learn to Please Christ

    I'm fond of saying that godliness is not a what, it's a who. I say that because the Bible says that (1 Timothy 3:13-16). Jesus is godliness.

    We must not be childish in our thinking about this. Godliness requires action, intentionality, and awareness of God's standard. But it is important not to begin with a check-list of do's and don'ts. Only as Christ is formed in us by His Holy Spirit will we progress in sanctification. And as Christ is formed in us by the Spirit, we most definitely will see progress.

    Beginning next Monday, NCST will offer a four-week class on Godliness and Spiritual Disciplines. We will look at how to please Christ in very practical ways, such as life planning and redeeming your time. We will also talk about sin, especially sins of the tongue. We will draw from the OT wisdom of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, as well various NT teaching.

    The classes are Monday and Tuesday nights, 5:50-8:20 p.m., February 13 - March 6. If you live near Colorado Springs, you are invited to come. The first two nights are free. For those not pursuing a degree, you can audit for only $100 (and you don't have to do any of the work).

    You can register here.

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  • The God-Approved Church and Seminary Curriculum

    It's week two of Church Leadership, Pastoral Epistles. Last Monday and Tuesday, we went through the entire letters of 1 & 2 Timothy, every verse. Tonight, Titus en toto. It occurred to me how rare it is to cover books of the Bible like this in seminary training. My own experience placed a priority on systematic theology, relegating the NT to a few survey courses. That approach seems inadequate and unwise for a curriculum designed to train men to preach the Scriptures vocationally.

    Studying Paul's instruction to Timothy in one sitting made it clear that the apostle was greatly concerned with false teachers. He warned against men who stirred up controversies and distracted the church from the primacy of Christ and the gospel. Timothy was not urged to teach systematic theology. His charge was to preach the word, i.e. the story of Jesus. Anything else threatened to lead believers into dangerous or tangential territory. Timothy's task was to keep the main thing the main thing, and to command other teachers in the church to do the same.

    Seminary students and graduates need to receive Paul's instruction. Systematic theology, church history, apologetics, and entertaining stories are no substitute for Christ and Him crucified. It's the God-approved church and seminary curriculum.

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  • New Class Starts Next Week

    New Covenant School of Theology is about to start it's next block course. Don't forget that you may attend the first two classes for free!

    Pastoral Epistles, Church Leadership, Nov. 21-Dec. 13

    This course serves three purposes. First, to explore the teaching of the so-called "Pastoral Epistles" of the NT (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Second, to understand the biblical pattern for church authority and leadership. Third, to learn what the responsibilities of pastors and elders are within the church. The class considers both the formal duties and the "personal life" of the minister. The benefit to the non-elder/pastor student will be a better understanding of the Lord's design for shepherding His flock as well as principles that apply to any ministry in the church.

    Required reading:
    Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch
    The New Testament Deacon by Alexander Strauch
    The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

    Register Now!

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  • Reflections on NCST Year One

    The first school year at the New Covenant School of Theology (NCST) is in the books. In addition to varying numbers of audit and biblical studies students, four M.Div students are working their way through our curriculum, two of whom are pastoral students, and a third whom I have strongly encouraged to consider pastoral ministry. What a wonderful and blessed beginning. God's grace and favor abundantly attended us this year.

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  • It's All Greek to Us

    In short order, we are going to launch our inaugural Greek class at NCST. Because we use a block course approach (i.e. one class at a time for four weeks), Greek has been one of those questions lingering in the background. How are we going to do it? It seems like a poor candidate for the block system.

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