Rev. Dr. Donatus Emmanuel U.N. Ph.D
THE UNIQUE AND DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENT, PENTECOSTAL INTERNATIONAL BIBLE SEMINARY / GENERAL OVERSEER, CHRISTIAN PENTECOSTAL MISSION INTERNATIONAL,
REV. DR. MERCY EZEKIEL;
BOARD MEMBERS, PENTECOSTAL INTERNATIONAL BIBLE SEMINARY; THE STATE CO-ORDINATORS, CHRISTIAN PENTECOSTAL MISSION INT’L.;THE STATE SUPERVISORS CHRISTIAN PENTECOSTAL MISSION INT’L. THE FACULTY MEMBERS, PENTECOSTAL INT’L BIBLE SEMINARY; THE STUDENTS PENTECOSTAL INT’L BIBLE SEMINARY. REVEREND GENTLEMEN; APOSTLES;
BISHOPS AND PASTORS PRESENT; DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN; BROTHERS AND SISTERS; MEMBERS OF THE MASS MEDIA; ALL PROTOCOLS OBSERVED.
We welcome you all to this epoch-making holy convocation of our God chosen institution.
THE CRUCIALITY OF THIS TITLE
This title “MINISTERS OF THE PRESENT
TRUTH” is very crucial, critical and needful to keep us from losing sight of our high and holy calling as it is in tandem with the Lord’s greatest warning, as He God will not allow any minister who lives in compromise to stand before Him (Ezek. 44:10-23; Luke 17:8; Rom. 2:28-29; 2Tim. 2:15; 2 Pet. 1:1-12.) They are
partakers of Divine Nature, who have escaped the lust in the world through desire.
“The value of historical study of doctrine is to help you to distinguish truth from error. Manypeople could avoid the theological pitfalls if they knew more about the history of doctrine. It is often an over-emphasis on one truth or a reaction to extreme views that brings about false teaching and causes inevitable heresies to arise”.
On behalf of our God-fearing leadership, I want to state emphatically that there is nothing as crucial and germane as having a minister who is holy, who stands for God in holiness and righteousness (Deut. 10:8; 1Kings 17:1); whose service God will accept as perfect (Psalm 29:1-2; Luke 17:8; Rom. 12:1-2;
1Peter 2:5).
The Ministers of the Present Truth” are not “blind-guides”, who “strain at a gnat and swallow a camel” (Matt. 23:24), but men of knowledge, of the seven Spirits of God (Isa. 11:2; Zech. 4:10; Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5). They are
those who are free from the popular mentality of foolishness and wickedness like the ostrich (Job 39:13-18; Isaiah 55:6-9; Lam. 4:3-4; Mark
7:22; II Thess. 3:2).
THE SIGNIFICANCE, THE SUPERIORITY, THE SUPREMACY AND THE SANCTITY OF THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION:
Theology is the knowledge of God, knowledge of the Holy (Prov. 9:1O; Jer. 9:23-26; Hosea 6:6), in relation to His created universe. Theology is to know the unchanging God and His unchanging Truth (Psalm 100:5; Heb. 13:7-9; Jude 3-4). It is to know God as the only wise (1Tim. 1:17) and the only civilized (Deut. 4:5-6; Jer. 8:4-9; Psalm 119:96; Rom. 1:22)
I will like to state emphatically and unequivocally at this point contrary to popular opinion, that Theology is a knowledge superior to any other (Deut. 32:1-5; John 7:15-16; 1Cor. 2:7-16; Jer. 9:23-26). It is for everyone, not for a reserved few professionals.
Derek Prince states that it is witchcraft to promote the carnal and suppress the spiritual. … to exalt psychology above discernment, to exalt programmes above spiritual direction to exalt eloquence above supernatural power, to exalt reasoning above the work of faith and to exalt legalism above love.
A theologian is one who attests to the knowability of God and has a balanced knowledge of God (Ezra 7:10; Psalm 103:7; Dan. 4:27; 11:32; Hos. 4:4-6; Rom. 2:1-11; 11:22).
“….We must differentiate between secular knowledge and spiritual knowledge. A person can be highly educated but be quite uninformed when it comes to the really important issues of life…
In my opinion, post-modernism is the greatest challenge to the gospel since the Enlightenment, which questioned tradition and authority and emphasized reason….
But reason is an inadequate guide. The eighteenth-century world saw the dawning of what was described as ‘The Age of Reason’.
The lifestyle we have developed results in shattered nerves, tangled lives and broken homes. When we neglect the Bible and its truths, we do so at our peril” – S. Hughes.
*The inability to see the significance, superiority, supremacy, and the inability to maintain the sanctity of theological education is the bane of this generation. It is strange to the divine and to the sagacious (Gen. 41:38- 40; Deut. 4:5-6; 1 Sam. 19: 19-24, 1Kings10:1-
5; Psalm 105:17-22; 119:98-100; Jer. 9:23-26;
Dan. 1:17-20; 6:1-3; Acts 6:8-10; John 7:14-
18;). “God is the “I am”. And the excellence of His knowledge and wisdom is to be desired above all earthly things. To have an experiential knowledge in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord is to have an education far superior to any that anyone might be able to obtain in worldly centers of learning” – Glob. Univ.
*The theological education is revelatory and devoid of human wisdom. “…. We can no longer afford to treat it as an intellectual sport to compete with the world. We must seriously consider the great cloud of witnesses who are waiting on us to complete what they started and see the world filled with the Glory of God. Revelatory education with passionate facilitators makes all the difference” – MSU Col.of Theo., USA..
The Holy Scripture declares: “It’s written, I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense” (1Cor.1:18-20 -MSG).
THE CRUCIAL THEOLOGICAL CAUTION:
In the past only few men like Moses, Daniel, and Paul could know God. Moses greatly lamented the inability of his generation to know God after forty years of earnest training (Deut. 29:4, 5; Psalm 78:6-23; Acts 7:51;
Heb.3:7-11 ). According to the German Philosopher, Friedrich Hegel, “what history teaches us is that we learn nothing from history”.
This is the more reason we must learn to succeed where others failed (Psalm 78:1-1O; I Cor.10:1-11; Heb. 3:7-11; II Pet. 2:1-9).
I underscore emphatically, that the call to train others to know God (which is eternal life), and serve the Only Wise and True God reasonably and acceptably, is the Scripture’s concern (1 Chron. 28:9; Isa. 1:2-9; Jer. 8:4-9; 9:23-24;
John 17:3). The Holy writ however shows that mankind of all ages has refused and rejected this call (Gen. 3:1-6; Deut. 32:28; Prov. 1:20-
29; Hosea 4:6; 6:6; John 5:39-47; Rom. 1:22-
32; James 3:13-18; Rev. 20:3, 8, 10).
“All theology begins with God and ends with God, Much that passes for theology today is simply the educated man trying to explain God through his own logic and reason. I assure you, there is plenty of logic and reason with God, but it does not stop there. If all we had was logic and reason, we would never penetrate that Cloud of Unknowing that keeps most people from truly knowing God” -A.W. Tozer.
The fact that we are living in an age where words have lost their meanings and God’s high ethics (absolute norms) have lost their values (Deut. 4:5-6; Mic. 6:8; Luke. 16:15), makes it imperative that we define Christian Education in order to portray its true meaning, significance and its cruciality in every generation (Deut. 6:4-6; Psalm 78:1-10; Matt.
28:18-20).
The trouble with the generations is the lack of true knowledge of Christian Education, even among Christian Educators (Jer. 8:4-9; 23:18; Hosea 4:6-11; Mai 2:7-8; Matt.15:14). It truly boggles my imagination that it is hard to find someone who understands what a seminary should be. We now have so many seminaries all over the world learning only the letter, concerned about the world’s standard and approval instead of God’s (Isa. 29:13-14). Little wonder they are unable to produce true prophets or ministers as seen in the Bible (I Kings 13:4; 20:34, 41).
It should be noted that the primary mission of the Seminary School is to raise spiritual leaders for the church of Jesus Christ.
THEOLOGY, THE DIVINE TOOL FOR THE DEFENSE OF FAITH
Our generation is now given to situation ethics, the idea that wrong can sometimes be justified by circumstances; an idea that is the opposite of the fixed rules of right and wrong prescribed by the Bible. This is a great sign of a great lack in the great commission (Psalm 78:1-10; Matt. 28:18-20; Eph. 4:17-24), as God’s plan is to reveal to the world how unwise they are through His people (Deut. 4:5-9; Isa 60:1-3; Matt. 5:13-16; Phil. 2:12-15; 1Peter 2:9).
“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-MSG).
*God called us ” to stoutly defend the truth which He gave once for all, to His people to keep without change through the years” (Jude 3TLB).
A.W. Tozer said “They who degrade or compromise the truth in order to reach larger numbers, dishonor God and deeply injure the souls of men.
The temptation to modify the teachings of Christ with the hope that larger numbers may accept Him is cruelly strong in this day of speed, size, noise and crowds. But ifwe know what is good for us, we’ll resist it with every power at our command”.
Christian education is knowing and defending the faith in a depraved world (Mark 8:34-38; Rom. 1:14-18; II Tim. 1:8); in the wisdom of God (I Cor. 2:6-8 MSG).
*Eckman warned: “the nature of ethics without divine revelation explains why what is unthinkable becomes debatable and soon becomes culturally acceptable”. Edwin Louis Cole declared “Men and nations are not great by the virtue of their wealth, but by the wealth of their virtues”.
THE BURDEN AND FOCUS:
Our commitment is to raise people of sterling heavenly qualities, earthly potentials, mental capability, spiritual capacity and tenacity like Joseph, Daniel, Paul etc., who will be ten times wiser than the “wise” and the “prudent” of this world (Psalm 105:17-22; 107:20-22;
Dan. 1:20; 4:27; John 7:14-18:Acts 4:13; 6:10; I Cor.2:1-16).
In ancient times, Biblical seminaries produced prophets, and sons of prophets who were fathers of the nation (1 Sam. 19:20; II Kings 6:21; 8:9 13:14), kingmakers, who anointed Kings (II Kings 9:1-13) and were not in partisan politics, but divine philosophers (theosophers), instructors, and guides of the people in piety and virtue.
I want to reiterate that the instructors of such seminaries were men who had personal (experiential) knowledge of God (1Sam. 3:19- 21; 7:15-17; 19:19-21; II Kings 2:1-7; Matt.
7:28-29; John 7:14-18 AMP; Acts 19:9-12;
Gal. 1:11-24;). Hence it is imperative that the ministers of God should know their calling, which is the highest, and magnify their office for the salvation ofournation and generation. Note that God would not have destroyed Jerusalem if He found one righteous man (Jer. 5:1; Ezek. 22:30). Note also that Judah would have been free from sin if there was one true prophet who knew the Lord well enough (Jer. 23:18, 22; Lam. 2:14). A call for a perfect prophetic tutorial in our generation (Deut.13:1- 11; Rev.19:10).
God punishes a nation when her leaders are from ‘Sodom’ and her people from ‘Gomorrah’; when her prophets prophesy by Baal and commit adultery (Isa. 1:10-20; Jer. 5:8-9;
23:13-17; Rev. 2:18-29).
We raise a people morally and spiritually fit to overcome the menace of these last days and implement the divine manifesto for humanity in this and subsequent generations. Karl Marx said. ‘To conquer a nation, you just have to block the transfer of values, morals and beliefs between generations”.
In conclusion, coming to P.I.B.S translates to encountering the combination of letter and spirit which produces life. Those who study in
P.I.B.S. receive life, minister life, and live the life. They are “living stones” wherever they go. Join us today and take advantage of our God- fearing and experienced leadership, highly skilled faculty, with excellent curriculum, tailored to retain God’s original plan and purpose in this God’s Spirit-driven institution, different and separated from others by her concern for the fear (Job 1: 8; Prov. 1:29), and the glory of God (Exod. 33:16; Ezek. 14:14; II Cor. 3:18).
DOXOLOGY
All glory, all honour and all praise to the only true God, the eternal God, the Father of lights, the most high God.
“Now to Him Who is able to establish you according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him – to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ, Amen” (Rom. 16:25-27).
DONATUS EMMANUEL U. N., Ph.D. (Prof.), RECTOR, PENTECOSTAL INT’L BIBLE SEMINARY.