THE MASTER’S VESSEL

The annual theme for Buntain Theological College for the academic year 2024-25 is ‘The Master’s Vessel.’ This is based on 2 Timothy 2:21: ‘ If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.’

The purpose of an annual theme in a seminary like Buntain Theological College is for the BTC family to grow in knowledge, personal attitudes and practices based on the selected theme.

The BTC leadership team prayerfully led the BTC community in the process of holistic formation specifically seeking to walk as ‘The Master’s Vessel.’  This all-inclusive formation is designed to shape our students in three dimensions:

The Majesty of the Master:
How great is the Lord who called you

The word ‘majesty’ in the Bible is used to express the thought of the greatness of God, our Maker and our Lord. (Psalms 93:1-2, Psalms 145:5).

Who is this Majestic Master? Three ingredients we deeply hold on to:

• God is personal but majestic (Genesis 18:14)
• God has no limitations (Psalms 139)
• God cannot be compared (Isaiah 40:12-13)

In the context of BTC, students are formed through their classroom sessions, campus life and ministry to recognize the greatness of the Lord who has called each of them.

We intentionally seek for every student and faculty to experience this two-fold growth:

• Know the identity of the Master by studying more about Him, experiencing His ways and following Him.
• Walk in Intimacy with the Master by intentionally spending time in His presence and listening to His voice.

As a faculty team, we recognize that this growth is the crux of the theological formation at BTC. The more they know God and spend time with Him, the more they will be like Him and seek to walk in His presence. Therefore, our classroom sessions, chapel services, dorm prayers, library times, course assignments and every other element of college life seek to guide students to a deeper understanding and experience of the Majesty of the Master.

The Manners of the Servant:
How grand is the work that God has called you for

Often, in the context of a Bible College, we can be so absorbed in knowing ‘God’ and His grandeur, that we fail to immerse ourselves in living as a ‘servant’. (John 12:26). There are two dimensions of servanthood that we seek to develop at BTC:

• The heart of a servant: The heart of a servant has a threefold attitude. Firstly, disciplined focus always looking to the Master for the slightest signal (Psalms 123:1-2). Secondly, a longing to be faithful to all that is given in our hands (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). Finally, pursuing the final goal by waiting for the ultimate reward and not being lost in short-term celebrations. (Matthew 25:21)
• The handiwork of a servant: The handiwork of a servant also has a threefold disposition. Firstly, to think more about others than about us. (Phil. 2:19-24). Secondly, to think more as a steward and not as an owner. (Genesis 39:16) Finally, to think more about the work we are called to do and not to compare with the work others are called to do. (Luke 10:38-42)

As a faculty team, we recognize that the development of a servant’s mindset is crucial for every BTC student. Therefore, we seek to develop this mindset by intentionally giving them opportunities and experiences in their academic assessments, spiritual disciplines and ministry assignments. Intentional structuring of leadership roles alongside ministry supervisors, faculty coordinators, and student leaders helps inculcate this servant mindset.

The Message of the Faithful Vessel:
How powerful is a faithful vessel in the Master’s hands

The missional dimension of formation revolves around helping students recognize the power of the gospel. There is intrinsic power in the message itself to transform lives. However, the message is communicated through faithful vessels walking securely in the Master’s hands.

The BTC leadership strategically seeks to address two specific components in its development of the missional formation:

• Help discover the power of a broken vessel by walking in humility and God-dependence (2 Corinthians 4:5-7, 16-17).
• Understanding the proclamation of a faithful vessel by sharing the gospel through our lives, the gospel, and if necessary, through our death. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

The ultimate goal of the BTC leadership is to prepare students to make a difference in their local context and ministry community. Therefore, we intentionally plan out ministry opportunities, exposure trips, and training sessions that would help our students to be prepared to be faithful vessels for the Master. The courses are also integrated with learning content that would showcase the dynamic elements of the gospel message. The relational community of BTC trains students through informal engagements and structured mentoring moments to embrace becoming broken vessels for His kingdom.

A strategic fusion of these three dimensions (as illustrated in the diagram below) sets the tone to be the Master’s Vessel in a Seminary setting. However, as intentional as the structure can be, often the genuine circumstances of students, developing concerns of a broken world and spontaneous Spirit-led interruptions, make life in a Bible College grounded and real.