Matt, whose ardour now’s to show college students to dwell all of life for Jesus, didn’t develop up in a church tradition with that mission or with sound biblical doctrine to gasoline a lifetime of trustworthy educating and discipleship. Initially from Huntsville, Alabama, Matt remembers rising up in a mainline denomination at a theologically liberal church.

Though he usually heard that Jesus died for his sins, he was by no means challenged to reply to the gospel. Nonetheless, when Matt was 14, the Holy Spirit gripped his coronary heart throughout a live performance, and he dedicated his life to Christ. Within the months and years to observe, Matt was repeatedly drawn again to a number of fundamental convictions, two of which have been the inerrancy of Scripture and the exclusivity of Christ for salvation.

“As soon as I had dedicated my life to Christ, various convictions got here to mild,” Emerson recounted. “First, that the Bible is God’s phrase and has no errors in it. I didn’t have the phrase inerrancy then, however my pastor on the time was clearly educating opposite to that, which I knew wasn’t proper. Second, that Jesus is the one method to the Father. Once more, I didn’t have the language of exclusivity, however I knew what my pastor was preaching was clearly incorrect.”

In these early years of strolling with Christ, Matt was usually bothered by the incongruity between his convictions and the educating he was receiving. Alongside the best way, Matt met Alicia, and as they started relationship, Alicia would press Matt to rethink what he had lengthy assumed about church and in regards to the Bible. God was utilizing Alicia to attract him to the Scriptures — to floor his beliefs in God’s phrase.

When he was 17, Matt felt referred to as to ministry, which started his quest for coaching. After graduating from Auburn College, Matt got here throughout the Baptist Religion and Message 2000 whereas exploring his choices for seminary. After studying the BF&M 2000, Matt acknowledged that it faithfully mirrored what the Bible teaches in regards to the Christian religion. In God’s windfall, Matt and Alicia married in 2006, and Matt first heard about Southeastern from his brother-in-law, who had began attending Southeastern a pair years earlier.

Matt enrolled in Southeastern’s MDiv program in 2006, and when he graduated, Matt determined to proceed at Southeastern and pursue a PhD in biblical theology. What impacted Matt probably the most throughout these days was Southeastern’s Nice Fee tradition and the willingness of the college to interact and mentor college students personally.

“A few of my most formative moments at Southeastern occurred exterior the classroom as my professors took time to have conversations with me — to debate, to hope, and to hear,” Matt recalled. “That intentionality and openness to interact personally was and continues to be a power of the Southeastern school.”

“It was via their educating ministries and the tradition at Southeastern that I realized each Christian known as to the mission discipline and that all the things we do in ministry is a mission discipline,” commented Matt.

It was via their educating ministries and the tradition at Southeastern that I realized each Christian known as to the mission discipline and that all the things we do in ministry is a mission discipline.

As God grew Matt and Alicia’s household, God was additionally making ready his coronary heart for future service. As Matt neared the tip of his PhD program, he was nonetheless uncertain the place God wished him to serve. To Matt’s shock God used a seemingly on a regular basis second of analysis to direct his coronary heart towards tutorial educating.

“On the time, I used to be working as a school secretary in Stephens Mackie on campus, and I used to be researching a subject that I believed I disagreed with Dr. McKinion about,” Matt recounted. “I had checked out like 50 books on the allegory in Galatians 4:21-31, and it was in that second the Lord revealed to me that he was calling me to tutorial ministry. He confirmed me that I used to be thinking about researching and writing for a purpose. He confirmed me that this wasn’t an accident and that he wished me to show.”

Having referred to as Matt to show, God then referred to as Matt and his household to California Baptist College the place he taught from 2011-2015. Throughout these days, God continued to refine Matt as a instructor and administrator, giving him alternatives to use the formative coaching he had acquired at Southeastern. Within the fall of 2015, Matt and his household moved to Oklahoma for Matt to affix the college of Oklahoma Baptist College (OBU).

Since arriving at OBU, Matt has taught Previous and New Testomony, hermeneutics, and systematic theology lessons and has served in numerous administrative positions. In his roles at OBU, Matt has a ardour to interact and mentor college students in ways in which he realized firsthand from his professors at Southeastern. Matt can also be dedicated to educating as mission — a imaginative and prescient he realized throughout his time at Southeastern.

“Due to my coaching at Southeastern, I take a look at my job at OBU not solely as ministry but in addition as mission,” famous Matt. “The missionary mindset of Southeastern is only a actually stable match with what I’m doing now. At OBU, we wish each pupil to learn to dwell all of life all for Jesus. We’re an authentically Christian liberal arts establishment that’s dedicated to being biblically rooted, theologically trustworthy, and virtually related.”

Due to my coaching at Southeastern, I take a look at my job at OBU not solely as ministry but in addition as mission.

For Matt, this cooperative imaginative and prescient of life as mission and of God’s phrase as authoritative extends nicely past his educating at OBU. As a member of the board of administrators on the Middle for Baptist Renewal, Matt goals to attach Baptists and Southern Baptists as we speak with their unifying Christian heritage not solely within the Reformation but in addition within the early church.

“On the Middle for Baptist Renewal, we’re serving to Baptists perceive Baptist catholicity — that’s studying to see ourselves as Baptists and as a part of the broader Christian custom,” commented Matt. “By encouraging Baptists to retrieve their historic distinctives, we hope to complement the assumption, observe, and mission of Baptist church buildings.”

As he trains future leaders and seeks to strengthen the Baptist custom, Matt carries with him a Nice Fee imaginative and prescient for all times that took form throughout his time at Southeastern. Matt’s story represents the Nice Fee affect Southeastern’s alumni are making around the globe as they associate collectively on mission.

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