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Education for Salvation
February 18, 2008 By Rachael Hartman For two years I have studied hard and sacrificed
financially, socially, emotionally, and spiritually working towards a
college degree. And now I'm a senior at Armstrong Atlantic State
University. I'll finish my bachelor's degree this summer. That is right, a bachelor's degree--not an
associate's. That's a four-year degree in two years and one summer. (I
say that not to brag, but to be a witness to the fact that it is
possible.) And the rewards are already outweighing the sacrifices! Three years ago, I moved to Georgia to help my parents
with the home missions church they started. For one year I waited for
in-state college tuition rates. During that time, I worked a full-time
job and was the full-time Sunday school department and the half-time
music department for the church. I started my secular education in January, 2006. After
two and a half years of Bible college, I knew what I wanted to study,
and how important it is to have a secular college degree. Bible School Pros and Cons Growing up, I had heard many opinions about Bible
college--Bible
college is good, the only thing you need…
Bible College is bad,
it won't help you at all--but, like many of you, I didn't care what
“they” said. I care about what I've experienced. Growing up in the UPC, I thought Bible college was
“the” way to find a ministry, and automatically enter the world of
full-time working for the Lord. Once I went to Bible college, I realized
that was not the case, at least not for me. Yet I needed those two and a half years at Bible
college to grow up. I realized how much I loved to study and write, and
that I was pretty good at it actually. I knew I wanted nothing more than
to communicate and communicate well, and I was ready to gain from the
secular world the tools I need to make a difference in the church
world. I learned from Bible college that I am just as capable
as anyone else to do a work for God. I learned that preachers were
people just like me (with faults), but still able to do amazing things
for God. I learned that people--also ministers--make mistakes and need
grace to grow and change as they live. From secular college I learned that I am just as
capable as anyone else to do a work in the world. I learned that
“worldly” people were people just like me (with faults), but still able
to do amazing things in the world. I learned that people of the world
make mistakes and need grace to grow and change as they live. From Bible college I learned that I won't agree with
other Apostolics 100 percent of the time, and that is okay. I learned
that through faith, prayer, Bible reading, and studying I will make the
right decisions for my life, and will have the strength to stay
committed to those decisions. From secular College I learned that I won't agree with
the world 100 percent of the time, and that is okay. I learned that by
staying focused and dedicated to studying I will have career
opportunities--with financial security--anywhere in the world for the
rest of my life. Who I Am, Who You Are I am an Apostolic. I love the life. I always have. I am a news writer for my college paper, The
Inkwell, and a local paper called The Spirit. I'm an intern at Savannah Magazine--a
high-class local magazine that sells 110,000 copies a year. In the face of the spirit of feminism in the world, I
am a feminine Apostolic female. I am what the world sees as an educational success. I am unlike the world in my faith, but I do a good job
in the world and am accepted as a scholar and professional. I stepped away from the Apostolic world of education
to bring an Apostolic lifestyle to the world of academia. Because of my secular education I have access to
influential people that will make a positive difference in the life of
my family and my church. I Am Different, I Am His Education makes all the difference. Go out to the
entire world; that means the poor and the rich, uneducated and the
educated, the downtrodden and the successful. To reach the successful you must be successful, and
know it; that confidence is what a college education gives to me. And
God supplies the anointing. Having an education is essential in order to reach the
lost; our education is essential for their salvation. It isn't just about believing, knowing and living the truth; it is about presenting, sharing and teaching the truth to others in a palatable way. © 2008, Rachel Hartman ---------- Rachael Hartman is a senior majoring in Liberal Studies with a minor in writing. She attends New Life Sanctuary in Bloomingdale, Georgia, pastored by her father J.S. Hartman. She enjoys wearing bright colors, walking her dogs Charlie and Gretchen, making speciality coffee drinks, drinking hot tea and dreaming for the future. |
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