What is the value of education? Where does authority come from? How much weight do credentials hold? "By what authority do you do these things?"
"Thus says the LORD: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.'" Jeremiah 9:23-24
Men love to boast of their wisdom, their credentials, their certificates, their theological training. As if that means anything. What stock does God put in any of those things? They think the "church" needs to approve or appoint you. Perhaps they would be wise to read their Bible and learn how God's gifting actually works. Whether or not the "church" approves or appoints you means absolutely squat!
The "church" is not God!
Oh, I know, they love to pretend to play the part of God frequently, and try to usurp His authority all the time. They strangle the headship of Christ. They want ruling authority over you. Not the kind of authority the Bible speaks about, but ruling authority. To have you under their thumb. That is not biblical!
GOD calls, or does not call, men; each to his own place. Not the "church"! A man's ambition does not alter the calling of God. You can be highly ambitious for the Lord, and yet God is saying, "Nope. Sit on the bench. You're not a team player. Your head's too large as it is." Or you can be unambitious and God says, "Get in the game. I'm using you for My good."
Christians seem to forget that it is a "holy calling." It is not something you desire and so pursue by attending this Bible Institute and that Seminary. Even though it is used in an entirely different context, nevertheless, "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29). It is not up to you and I what God calls us to. It is not up to the "church" to appoint, approve, or disapprove of how God calls an individual. The "church" is to use that person for the edification of the whole body. But when that "church" has most of it wrong to begin with, except for most of their theology, it is no wonder they lack the wisdom to get it right in regard to this. When your "church" government is essentially a cousin to the Catholic Church, much like Anglicanism, it is no wonder why.
"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
For every Paul and Apollos, who were well-schooled, you have a Peter, James, John, Andrew, Phillip, Bartholomew, etc. For ignorant individuals to accuse someone of being "self-made" or "self-appointed," they lack biblical wisdom and understanding to have the slightest idea of how this all works. There is a difference between somebody who is a representative of God, and somebody who is a representative of an institution or a denomination. A man may have the credentials and backing of an institution, but that says nothing of the support of God. The weight of your institution, or denomination, will crumble on the day of judgment. If God has not called you to something, you would do well to stay yourself! You do not get to call yourself. Your ambition means nothing.
In contrast to Paul's schooling, Paul was not a gifted orator. Though his letters were weighty, his tongue was clumsy. Paul says he was not gifted in speech, but very much so in knowledge. I myself am not a great speaker. I stumble over my words. But with pen I can think about my words and organize my thoughts and then present them with clarity.
Who ordained Jeremiah? Was it an institution? Was it a denomination? Was he "self-appointed"? No! The Lord ordains or does not. Period! You are not ordained because you think that God called you to it. You are not ordained because you are ambitious. You are not ordained because an institution or denomination said so. If the Lord did not ordain you, then you are nothing more than a hireling. No man can ordain you, and no man can revoke your ordination. The best that men can do is recognize who God has ordained with their specific gifts and calling. An institution or denomination might be able to "ordain" you, but that does not mean that God has ordained you.
If anyone is self-appointed, it is jerks who sit in a position of authority and assume they have the right to judge and condemn others, the way God has called them, and the work they are doing for Him. Whether perfectly or imperfectly. As I have said before, I never wanted to do what I do. It was impressed upon me, and when I finally gave in to it, there was release. If and when God wants me to stop what I do, I will be all too eager to do so.
Do not be so ignorant as to read into that last statement your various assumptions. I do not like confrontation; unless I absolutely have to. When I am writing in a confrontational setting, such as waiting to see what response they give and how they will attack me, my adrenaline starts to peak. My heart begins beating miles a minute, my head begins to feel lightheaded, and despite being weighed down in a chair, it feels like I am floating in mid air. Almost like a seated vertigo. I would sooner try to get along with everybody and try to be their friend, despite differences, yet that is not what God called me to. I grew up as a loner. Sure I like being around other people, but I preferred being by myself. It gave me time to think about things.
At least two thirds of Jesus' disciples were nothing more than fishermen. That was all they knew. They were not credentialed, as Acts 4 informs us. Yet, it was recognized that they had been with Jesus. Men want to argue "that was a different time." Does God change? Scripture says that He does not. Times might change, but God does not. Denominations might erect schools of education, and those institutes might "ordain" people, but that does not mean they are ordained. Where in Scripture does God say He will use such a thing? Even John the Baptist's qualifications were nothing more than the calling of the Lord, despite coming from a well-schooled family. In spite of whatever your denomination does, God still works this way today. Make no mistake about it!
When somebody says, "Ah! You don't have any theological training," they betray a gross ignorance of Scripture. They effectively discount the ministries of Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Jeremiah, David, John the Baptist, Peter, John, etc. Institutions are not the be-all end-all of the Christian life and education. The people who had the most knowledge of Scripture, the most training and education, were the Scribes. Yet Jesus condemned them. Do not put stock in institutional school. By doing so, you betray a gross ignorance of not just the Bible, but also of history. Reformed circles especially suffer from this mentality.
Charles Spurgeon never attended Seminary. Yet he is often revered to an idolatrous position by many. This emphasizes the difference between schooling and education. Spurgeon was well-educated, reading a plethora of books, but he was never formally trained. D. L. Moody never attended Seminary. His formal education ended with the fifth grade. John Bunyan never attended Seminary. Yet he was well-versed in the Scriptures. John Owen, whom Reformers revere, a well-educated man, when asked why he, a man of education, would go to listen to the preaching of someone like John Bunyan, with no education, said, "If I could possess this tinker's ability to grip men's hearts, I would gladly give in exchange all my learning." What a stark contrast to the ridiculous nonsense most Reformers espouse today. Bunyan did not even have a "license" to preach. Today, men's credentials are the idol that men bow down to. G. Campbell Morgan and A. W. Tozer never attended Seminary. Martyn Lloyd Jones never attended Seminary. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once made these remarks to a Bible Institution when invited to speak there:
"How may the college know if it is attaining this object and rightly dividing the word of truth? Those who are trained by such institutions should ask themselves these questions upon graduation. Are the men more certain of the truth at the end of their studies than at the beginning? Are they more steadfast? Do they know God better and desire to serve God better than when they came in? Have they a greater zeal for God? Do they have a greater love for the lost and the perishing? What is the purpose of doctrine and knowledge if it is not to know God?"
Do
you need formal education in order to know God? Certainly not. Can you
get to know God without any formal education? You better believe it! Here is more from Lloyd-Jones:
"A man doesn't understand the Bible because he knows Greek and Hebrew; he understands the Bible because he's got the Spirit of God in him. The key to understanding the Bible is not a knowledge of the original languages; you can have that and still be ignorant of the message as so many are and have been, unfortunately. It's the man who has a spiritual understanding who understands the Word of God. To say that a man cannot read his Bible, and that a man cannot preach if he lacks knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, seems to me to militate against an understanding of the Bible and the true character of preaching."
Let that be your rebuke. Here is another well-known name to add to the list: F. F. Bruce never attended Seminary. He was never formally trained in theology and biblical studies. He never pursued a doctoral degree. Yet, he is quite often referred to as a scholar. He was merely classically trained in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Would anyone like to try and dispute the calling by God for the above mentioned men? Or attempt some lame excuse how "it was different" for them? Oh, how ignorance betrays us. He betrays a gross ignorance of Scripture, history, and his own hypocritical standards, because by the standards he espouses as requirements for ministry and/or the calling of God, he effectively disqualifies these men and many others that Reformed circles hold in high regard. Since he does not know me from Adam, and has never given a moment to try and get to know me, I can only presume that his problem with me stems from jealousy over how God has gifted and called me to the work I do.
Who are some well-credentialed individuals? Heidi Baker has a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree, and a PhD in Systematic Theology. Stephen Furtick has a Master of Divination Degree. Many other false teachers and heretics possess titles and credentials. Do their degrees validate their false theology? No! Their degrees mean nothing. When the Corinthians put stock in the credentials of false teachers, Paul said, "You've forced me to speak like a fool. Whatever credentials they have, I have the same, and more. Yet it means nothing to me." Do not revel in ignorance, and do not glory in wisdom. Why do people refer to it as Cemetery in place of Seminary? Because more often than not, it leaves you dead for the use of Christ in His work.
"By what authority do you do these things?" By the authority of God, whether you like it or not. GOD calls, or does not call, men; each to his own place. Period!