Hulse Reminds Students of God’s Self-Sufficiency

October 2, 2008

"We, in ourselves, are deficient," Bill Hulse, pastor of Parkview Baptist Church, Tulsa, and Oklahoma Baptist University alum, told OBU students during campus chapel Wednesday, Oct. 1. Hulse challenged students to stay focused on God, explaining sufficiency rests in Him alone.

He referred to Acts 17:24-25, which says, "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things."

The topic of the message, "The Sufficiency of God," follows the theme of the year-long chapel study of the book, "The Knowledge of the Holy" by A.W. Tozer. In the book, Tozer states, "Whatever God is, and all that God is, He is in Himself. All life is in and from God, whether it be the lowest form of unconscious life or the highly self-conscious, intelligent life of a seraph."

Hulse furthered Tozer's argument with John 5:26, which states, "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself."

"He (God) is the only self-sufficient being," Hulse said.

He added, "If you're not careful, you can find yourself thinking about the things of faith rather than the God of faith."

Hulse has served as pastor of Parkview Baptist Church for more than five years. Husband to Cami and father of four, he has spent 22 years in full-time ministry, with 15 years ministering to students and their families. He has served in Southern Baptist churches in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Georgia, as well as serving as a Regional Director for Next Level Leadership with the North American Mission Board for the past 10 years. A former OBU student, Hulse earned a bachelor's degree from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark.