We Don’t Need No Education - Purity 1316
Purity 1316 04/3/2024 Purity 1316 Podcast
Purity 1316 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a springtime view of the Hudson
River and the mountainous or hilly landscape to the west comes to us from an unknown
FB friend who shared this simple but pleasant scene from their visit to, what I
believe to be, the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site in Hyde Park, NY
on social media on around May 9th 2021. If this photo, give me a heads up and I will
update the blog to give you the photo credit after the fact.
Well, It’s Wednesday and I shared today’s photo to
release it from my phone’s photo gallery because I thought there was enough of
a “hump” in the landscape displayed here to visually represent our arrival at the
midpoint of another work week – so Happy Hump Day.
As I continue to seek the Lord’s purpose for my life
and am always looking for ways in which I can increase my faith or be better
equipped for ministry, I am always looking forward to what’s next on this path
of Christian Discipleship. A couple of
months ago I looked forward to this time of the year – when the Freedom in Christ
Course I was facilitating would be over and I wondered about what I was being
called to do next and when I prayerfully considered the possibilities I seemed
to come to a crossroads of decision.
On one hand, I felt that I was being called to minister
to others by stepping out in faith and becoming a Christian Life Coach, because
while I have a Master’s Degree in Christian counseling – My Bible College (Vision
Christian Bible College and Seminary) is not an “accredited” institution
recognized by the state, so I realized that pursuing licensure in NY State as a
“Counselor” would probably be an act of futility. You see:
“Vision Christian Bible College
& Seminary is a member of International
Association of Bible Colleges and Seminaries [IABCS]
for accountability and accreditation. IABCS is a Non-Governmental Accreditation Institution
(NGAI) setting standards for Bible Colleges and Seminaries that do not want to
come under secular government control and at the same time maintain a genuine
degree program for higher education. IABCS It is the oldest NGAI in the USA,
established in 1954.”
But because VCBCS doesn’t bow
down to secular government control – the government and its licensing agencies
reserve the right to not recognize their degrees to meet their requirements of “accredited”
educational institutions.
So for people in my situation
who want to serve in a “pastoral counseling capacity” – we need to either get hired
through a church as “pastoral counseling staff” or work independently with the
title of “Christian Life Coach” publicly declaring that we are “not a licensed
counselor” regardless of our education and experience operating in that capacity. While I knew all this, it doesn’t mean I
have to like it, and taking the humbler path of “Christian Life Coach” didn’t sit
well with me so I considered pursuing a doctoral degree from Liberty University
– which is Christian and accredited, but I wasn’t sure if they would accept my
Master’s Degree.
After much correspondence and, perhaps
some denial on my part, Liberty University finally told me that because VCBCS
is not accredited they would not accept my Master’s Degree as the requirement
for entrance into their doctoral program.
But get this – and this was part of my frustration and confusion – they are
still welcoming me to submit “officlal transcripts from an accredited institution”.
Previously, that vague invitation
made me think that I “was doing it wrong” – “Oh VCBCS must not be on the same “electronic
system” to submit it “officially”. So let me send it to them as “JPEG’s and PDF’s”
– oh they still asking for an “official transcript” - they say I can send them a paper copy – Let
me pay VCBCS the $5.00 for an official transcript and mail it to them…. “Okay
they have received it and it takes 1-3 business days to process it….” Still
nothing? So I inquire about why I haven’t
heard anything, and I get this response -
“Thank you for your
email!
That is a great
question! We are waiting on your official transcripts which show a conferral
of your Masters degree from an accredited institution at this time.”
So after having them
confirm receiving them, but are still “waiting”, I just wanted to know if I was
wasting my time so I asked:
“Are you saying that you do not
recognize them? And I would not be accepted in your program?
This is very frustrating - I have
sent electronic copies and paper copies of my transcript. I would just
like to know if a transcript from Vision Christian Bible College and Seminary
would be accepted by Liberty and if I individually would be granted admission
into the doctoral program for Pastoral Counseling at Liberty
University.
I would appreciate a clear and final
answer because I have nothing else to send.”
After MONTHS, they FINALLY said:
“We have received your official transcript
from Vision Christian Bible College, however we are unable to use transcripts
from an unaccredited institution to make an admissions decision. Part of our
mission at Liberty University is to maintain an accreditation level that allows
our graduates to be viewed in high regard. For this reason, we have
specific guidelines that we are required to maintain for admission into our
programs. Due to these guidelines, we are unable to accept an
unaccredited Master's degree for admission into a Doctorate program.”
So basically my VCBCS degree isn’t good
enough for Liberty and as much as I do care for rejection on any level, I
gladly accept it at this point. Unless changes dramatically in my heart and
mind, I am DONE with pursuing any more degrees or outside validation from educational
institutions because FINALLY, after earning 4 undergraduate degrees (1
Associates and 3 Bachelors degrees) and 1 post-graduate degree (and unaccredited
degree – at least by the secular government – and Liberty University’ standards).
I have learned my lesson – degrees don’t matter in service of God’s
kingdom. And I think this experience has
taught me that I was deceiving myself and believed the lies that – (as the Steps
to Freedom in Christ present):
“I must live up to worldly standards in
order to feel good about myself”
Or that “I must gain the approval of
certain people (the Government and Liberty University.. I guess) in order to be
happy”.
This pursuit of higher education and “certifications”
also fed my pride that told me (also from the Steps to Freedom in Christ) that
I was prideful by:
“Being driven to obtain recognition by
attaining degrees, titles, and positions”
And that I was guilty of
“Considering myself better than
others because of my academic… abilities and accomplishments.”
So I have been rejected and humbled once
again.
And I understand that I am a little rebellious
too – I tried to get into the hallowed halls of a nationally recognized and
fully accredited institution – with my unaccredited degree – but the gatekeepers
have done their job and I can’t fault them for saying no.
And I suppose I could humble myself to
their standards and apply for ANOTHER Masters degree, in order to get the
Doctorate that I coveted, I am deciding to take my ball and go home.
Getting all those degrees I have has
taught me a few things. They don’t satisfy. They don’t necessary mean much – other
than you took a bunch of classes and received passing grades – they don’t guarantee
you actually “learned anything” – not that I haven’t learned anything but I
know that you can go through a program of study and not necessarily retain the
information you learned to pass a test or to write a paper – I call that task-based
learning. And the most important thing I
have learned from obtaining all the degrees I have is that they don’t teach you
how to live and they don’t give you ambition or purpose.
God is the one from whom wisdom comes
and He is the one who approves us and amazingly He doesn’t require you to pass
a test, write a paper, or work really hard to be accepted into His
kingdom.
It is by faith in Christ alone that
we are given new life, the ability to understand divine wisdom, and the power
to live a righteous life. We only need to study one book – The Bible – to know what
know in life. It’s the one book that contains God’s word – the Truth – and its
wisdom is infinite as is evident by the sea of books written by man that try to
explain what God is telling us. I have quite
a few of them on my bookshelves and in my electronic library.
SO I don’t need “no education” and I guess I will just follow the Lord to
learn from the resources I already have access to and follow the Holy Spirit to
pursue my purpose for His kingdom.
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For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
(
While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick
Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late
author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This
morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Contentment, Coveting
& and Priorities.
Colossians 3:1-3 (NLT2)
1 Since you have been raised
to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where
Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
2 Think about the things of
heaven, not the things of earth.
3 For you died to this life,
and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
Today’s
verse falls under the twenty-sixth point of our counseling reference guide
resource’s section on Contentment, Coveting, and Priorities.
26. Set your affections on the things above, not on things on the
earth.
Today’s
verses convicted to focus on God’s kingdom – and not man’s approval.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A
Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
EVENING READING: JOHN 8
“The truth shall make you free.” –
John 8:32
It is interesting to note the working powers of the Word
of God or Truth as revealed in this Gospel. Here are just a few:
Its Liberating power. “The truth shall make you free.” The
Word of God is that which snaps all chains of bondage.
Its Pruning power. “You are already clean [pruned] because
of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3). This is pruning for
greater fruitfulness.
Its Sanctifying power. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your
word is truth” (John 17:17). Herein lies the secret of a sanctified life.
Its Rejoicing power. “If you know these things, blessed
are you if you do them” (John 13:17). The keeping of His commandments has a
special reward of happiness for the obedient believer.
Thank You, Lord, for the liberating
power of Your Word.
May Your Word have its way in my life.[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available
on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and
Audible.com.
These teachings are also available on the
MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your
Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional
Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
