Books, Study, Knowledge

All men are different in some aspect of personality. That is a God-given axiomatic assertion. However, when it comes to enterprises all men should participate in, personalities must be set aside. For example we are commanded in Scripture to "put on this mind which is in Christ."

There is only one way for a human to do that and it is study: reading, thinking, contemplating, prayerful supplication for wisdom and more importantly the faith to believe that the Holy Spirit will "guide (us) into all knowledge."



I have a friend who is a Seminary grad and leader in a church. He loves to read as much as I do. He mentions from time to time that he doesn't have the time to read as he would like because of the demands of other things. He, like all of us, has the difficult task of prioritizing his use of time. What eats his time are the secular notions so prevalent in too many churches today that each member has a right to call upon the leadership for consolation in the everyday mundane things that happen to every human on the planet. We all get sick, we all die, my thought is grow up, deal with it; quit demanding the precious time of those who are charged with teaching. Allow them the freedom of time required to become more deeply involved in what it is they are called to do - teach.

Recently I came across this video which is a brief tour of J.Ligon Duncan's study/library. Duncan is the Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. The number of books this man has is astonishing in a day in which the written word is becoming an anachronism. It reminds me of C.H. Spurgeon who had over 12,000 books in his library.

An Inside Look at Ligon Duncan's Study
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I heard a man say recently, "you don't need a bunch of books about the Bible, all you need is the Bible," which of course, is an extremely childish thing to say. Christians must do all they can to learn all they can about this Christ person they claim to venerate so much. Telling other Christians they don't need to study to learn from those who have gone before can do nothing but forever doom the listeners to a life of absolute boredom and despair in the life they have been given in Christ. Is it any wonder so many so-called "Christian" churches are dying a slow, painful, death?

Luke 10:27 says: "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." That is a command to use ourselves in a totally integrated, cohesive way. Every part of what we have been given is to be strengthened, to the best of our abilities, in the service of Christ. Although the mind is listed last the importance of its contribution to this task should never be minimized by telling people they don't need to study.

Of course, there are those who live by their emotions who will never agree with what I am saying. But, that in no way abrogates the command to use our minds to their fullest regardless of what some people "feel" about this.