What is the framework for today’s theological education? Knowledge transfer, skill training, or relationship cultivation? Many people would agree that a holistic ministry for theological education would include all those aspects and more. However, the question remains what the foundation for training and equipping future leaders for the house of the Lord would be.

Let us go back to the Scriptures to seek an answer to that important question. Among those who came back from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem was Ezra, an Old Testament scholar, a descendant from the bloodline of the high priest Arron (Ezra 7:5). When he first arrived in Jerusalem, we read, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10, NAS). That is the reason for his effective ministry.

There are four things that today’s servants of God can learn from Ezra to begin their respective ministry.

The first is to set one’s heart to study the Word of God. An old Vietnamese translation renders it as “to set one’s mind,” which I think does not accurately convey the heartfelt decision that Ezra made. Like Ezra, today’s servants of God have a great deal in their minds and many projects to do. When the exiles returned to Jerusalem, they were instantly dragged into many high-priority tasks, which competed for their attention. They needed to deal with foreign enemies, as well as opponents from within, both of whom intended to derail the rebuilding efforts. Today’s God’s servants are similar in many aspects. Tasks are almost always beyond the budget of time and the amount of energy they can give. Where should they begin? Ezra teaches that under the pressure of ministry, God’s servants must make the important decision to devote themselves to the study of God’s Word.

The second thing is to study the Word of God. Deciding to do something does not necessarily mean that thing is accomplished by itself. Action must follow. The meaning of the Hebrew verb is “to resort to” or “to seek.” A servant of God must be a good student of the Word of God, not to study for the sake of studying but to spend time in seeking and meditating on it.

The third thing is to practice the Word of God. A servant of God must live by the Word of God. The purpose for studying the Word of God is not to teach others, but first and foremost to observe it. God’s servants today must realize that an effective ministry is based on a firm godly life. A powerful sermon comes from the Holy Spirit through a life that practices the Word of God.

The fourth thing is to teach the Word of God to his people. One of the most important ministries of God’s servants is to expound his Word to the church. Without it, a pastor is reduced to a religious worker. Desire the gift of preaching! Desire to be used mightily by the Holy Spirit to be a mouthpiece of God!

Receiving a call to be a servant of God does not mean that we will be free of challenges. Ezra and the exiles had to deal with many oppositions before they completed the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and the temple of God. Today, God’s servants also face many challenges in life and in ministry. The model of Ezra instructs us to come back to the Word of God to seek a pattern for personal piety and church leadership. An authentic servant of God is one that devotes himself to the Word, practices it, and finally teaches it to the church so that everyone would be doers of the Word. That truth never changes. This is a pattern for theological education in the twenty-first century.

Tin Nguyen, EdD

Dean of Vietnamese Theological School

Union University of California