Dr. Heath Thomas Kicks Off Fall Chapel Series with Message from John 10

September 4, 2019

Dr. Heath Thomas, dean of the Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry, delivered OBU’s chapel message Wednesday, Sept. 4. The message kicked off the 2019 Fall Chapel series, themed, “Christ the King.”

Thomas taught from John 10 and he discussed Jesus as the Shepherd-King. His message focused on how Jesus knows His own and provides life, protects and saves. He reminded students of their worth because of who Jesus Christ is.

“Jesus knows us,” Thomas said. “But He doesn’t just know us, He values us. He doesn’t grade us on our performance, He just values us. Your value comes from the fact that God, in His infinite love, created you.”

Thomas urged students to listen for Jesus’ voice and seek Him.

“False promises of the good life will leave you feeling empty because these false promises aren’t Jesus,” he said. “Jesus promises life and that is the only thing that will fill us.”

Thomas became the dean of the Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry in 2015. He is also the associate vice president for church relations, professor of Old Testament, and the Floyd K. Clark Chair of Christian Leadership. He earned degrees from OBU, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the University of Gloucestershire (UK). He was the director of Ph.D. studies and associate professor of Old Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, prior to joining the faculty at OBU. He has been heavily involved in church staff through pastoring and various other leadership roles in Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina and the United Kingdom. He has also served as interim pastor in many churches and continues to when he is able.

The OBU Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry’s mission is to “inspire and equip students for Christ-centered, transformational, practical leadership and ministry,” shaping leaders with “knowledge and skills necessary to transform the world for Christ and His Kingdom.” The College offers a wide variety of degrees in Christian ministry, philosophy, apologetics, cross-cultural ministry, biblical and theological studies, global marketplace engagement and a number of interdisciplinary options. The College offers a Master of Arts in Christian studies through OBU’s Graduate College.

Hobbs College now offers a powerful advantage for undergraduate students with its BA to MDiv program. Through signed agreements with multiple seminaries, students may earn more than 20 hours of their MDiv degrees while undergraduates at OBU.