A call to be diligent in study

Alistair Begg called students to be diligent in the study of the Bible in order to preach effectively.

He spoke at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) on Sept. 25.

Begg shared with the audience about the atmosphere of chapel at SEBTS. “It’s good to be in a place where worship begins with God and his glory rather than man and his need,” he said. “It’s good for us to have our gaze turned in that direction.”

For the past 30 years Begg has served as the pastor of Parkside Church outside of Cleveland, Ohio. He teaches on the radio program, “Truth For Life” and is the author of several books. Begg is originally from Scotland and a graduate of Trent University, London School of Theology and Westminster Seminary.

His sermon on 2 Timothy 2:1-15 offered a picture of a pastor as a faithful worker for God.

Begg believes that congregations reflect the maturity of their pastors. “Generally speaking, the condition of the pastor will be the condition of the people,” he said. “The Church in every generation is in urgent need of pastors who will study.”

He quoted Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “If any man will preach as he should preach, then his work will take more out of him than any other labor under heaven.”

Begg warned against pastors preaching with the wrong motives. “The unashamed workman does not set out to impress, but to instruct,” Begg explained. “We don’t make the Bible relevant, our task is to show how relevant the Bible is. Many a man in the quest for relevance has made himself entirely irrelevant.”

He reminded pastors to encourage the people of God to build each other up and to aim for the approval of God. “The constant and the regular exposition of the Gospel, all that God has done for us in Christ, focuses our attention on God’s mercy, which in turn instills gratitude, leading to obedience and growth,” Begg said.

“I wish had understood that when I was a younger man,” he added. “I think that a lot of times in the early days of my ministry I was rebuking believers for their failures rather than setting before them the objective of Christ-likeness and that as a privilege and not simply as a duty.”

“Some of us in pastoral ministry have that completely upside down, we are quick to chide and slow to bless,” he noted.

Begg has found great joy and fulfillment in his 38 years of ministry. “If had the opportunity to start all over again, I would do it at any moment,” he said.

To watch this message online, please click here.

To view photos from chapel, please click here.