It was with great sadness that I learned today of the passing of my favorite seminary professor, Warren Wiersbe.  Dr. Wiersbe, was an adjunct professor at Temple Baptist Seminary, where I was privileged to attend, and I loved his classes.  He wrote over 150 books, most notably the “Be Series” that profoundly, yet simplistically, commented on books of the Bible.  As his grandson Dan said, “Most pastors tell me . . . there’s not a passage in the Bible I haven’t first looked up what Wiersbe has said on the topic.”

As I reflect today on my famous seminary professor, there are multiple things that he taught me to “be.” I would like to share my own personal “Be Series” learned from the lectern in the Birkhead Building at Temple Baptist Seminary from one of the best.

Be Holy

There was an uncommon piety that was found in the life of Warren Wiersbe.  When you were close to him, you felt like you were close to God because he walked with God.  As academically gifted as he was, it was evident that he never used the Bible to inflate his head but warm his heart.  Once when teaching on the parable of the Prodigal Son, Dr. Wiersbe said, “When he left home he said, ‘Give me’, but when we came home, he said, ‘Make me.’ God wants to take all of us from the ‘Give me’ stage to the ‘Make me’ stage.”  Vintage Warren Wiersbe!   But these words were not merely mouthed; they were modeled.  Dr. Wiersbe was worth listening to because he was a holy man.

Be Humorous

For all of his valued knowledge, Dr. Wiersbe was no stiff shirt.  I remember once in class, students were handed differing notes. Some had the syllabus from the time he had previously taught the class, while some students had the more updated version.  Instead of being frustrated or mad at the duplication office, a twinkle came to his eye and he asked, “Who has the Received Text?”  The class laughed, and the situation was defused.  I remember calling him on the phone several years ago.  He had just finished a family reunion of some kind, and he told me, “They were all here, from Dan to Beersheba.”  Through the phone, I could see that vintage twinkle in his eye, for I could hear it in his voice.  I loved that about him.  The last class I had with him took place just as he was finishing the “Be Series.”  He wondered what he would write next.  We encouraged him to do a “Be Series” on the Apocrypha.  Start with “Bel and the Dragon” and call it “Be Mythical.”  We all laughed.  He loved it, and because he did, we loved him.

Be Humble

Imagine being so gifted with the Bible that thousands of preachers across America check to see what you think about a particular passage!   Yet for all his notoriety, Dr. Wiersbe was a very personal and approachable man.  I remember the first time I placed a call to him; I was a nervous wreck.  His wife, Betty, answered the phone.  I told her I was a former student, and without the slightest hesitation, I heard her say, “Warren, there’s a former student that would like to talk to you.”  And talk with me he did.  It was like he had known me all my life.  When my wife Karen and I were on vacation several years ago, we drove by the Wiersbe home to see it.  I was amazed at how modest it was.  Dr. Wiersbe never let his notoriety go to his head.

I wonder if he ever realized how influential he was.  Whatever the case, he wrote about “Walking among the Giants.”  But he never considered himself to be one.  In his own words, he was a “bridge builder.”  He merely saw himself as an “interim.”  For example, at the Moody Church, he believed himself to be a mere interim between George Sweeting and Erwin Lutzer.  Taking nothing away from Drs. Sweeting and Lutzer, I believe “the interim” was more notable than the two men he bridged.  But he never saw himself that way.  He was incredibly humble.

Be Hard-Working

Our module classes in seminary usually had between ten and twenty students.  Dr. Wiersbe’s class usually had over a hundred, but less than ten took it for credit.  The vast majority of students took it for personal enrichment.  There were multiple reasons for this, but more often than not, it was because his classes were hard.  More than forty hours of work were required for each sermon written.  And those sermons were graded stringently. My own graded sermons were attacked with his red marker, and they looked like someone had bled on them.  I remember once when I overused alliteration he told me, “Put your thesaurus down and pick up your dictionary.”  Dr. Wiersbe wanted us to be our best in the pulpit, and well-crafted sermons require work.  He wanted us to stand in the sacred desk prepared.  And excellence requires a strong work ethic.  He had one, and he demanded one.

I went to my library shelf this morning and pulled off a copy of his autobiography, “Be Myself.” It is one of my most treasured books.  I opened the flyleaf, and there was his signature. I was thankful that he had signed my book.  I am more thankful for his imprint upon my life.  Because he could be himself, he taught me how to “be myself.”  I am forever grateful that the bridge builder in some small way built a bridge to me.