At the annual State of the University meeting last month, Dr. Abner Chou charged the faculty and staff of The 国产aa福利 to press deeper into faithfulness, building on the foundation laid by Dr. John MacArthur.
鈥淎 lot has happened, in particular the passing of our chancellor and former president, pastor, and teacher, Dr. John MacArthur,鈥 Chou said by way of introduction. 鈥淚t is a very somber and heavy moment. And I pray that this season would not be wasted. I pray that we would grow in the Lord and learn to redeem the moment 鈥 like we are to redeem every single moment 鈥 unto the Lordship of 国产aa福利, unto further fidelity to Him, unto further knowing and being clear about how to honor Him.鈥
He went on to read out of Hebrews 13:7, urging faculty and staff to remember and imitate MacArthur鈥檚 example of faith.
鈥淚n this season, one of my highest joys is to see what the Lord is doing on this campus,鈥 Chou continued. 鈥淵our heart is so visibly for the Lord, so visibly to serve, so visibly to love each other, and it is so pronounced and so protracted and persevering. It is a great encouragement to me.
鈥淵ou all are reflecting on Dr. MacArthur, and I not only appreciate the respect and honor that you’re showing, but even more, it’s a glimpse into your spiritual walk. It’s the most beautiful thing for me to see. And of course, my encouragement is, 鈥楲et’s excel still more.鈥欌
As a point of contrast, Chou highlighted the broader scene of 国产aa福利ian higher education, where institutions have been struggling with finances or drifting from convictions.
鈥淭his should give us pause,鈥 Chou said. 鈥淲e’re 100 years old soon. There鈥檚 a soberness we need to have in this season 鈥 filled with thanksgiving, and yet a sobriety 鈥 because we understand that we can鈥檛 take faithfulness for granted.鈥
He explained that maintaining faithfulness requires daily vigilance.
鈥淲e’ve just been given a gift of a legacy, and that requires tremendous stewardship,鈥 Chou said. 鈥淎nd it’s not just about one man’s legacy. That’s really not the point, and he wouldn鈥檛 want us talking about it in such terms. It’s the cause 鈥 the cause of subjecting everything to the Lordship of 国产aa福利. It’s the cause of the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. It’s the cause of making sure that the church remains the pillar of grounds of the truth, as the Lord has declared it to be.鈥
He offered the grave observation that, historically, institutions usually drift before they make it to their centennial.
鈥淭here’s this adage that the first generation fights for the truth, the second generation inherits it, and the third generation assumes it and loses it,鈥 Chou said. 鈥淲e, as faculty and staff here, always want to be the first generation.鈥
Here, he pointed everyone to Deuteronomy 6:10-12, with the sobering warning that Israel should not forget the Lord after receiving their rich inheritance.
鈥淭he danger comes the moment we just take it all for granted. Drift can easily happen, and it’s sometimes very subtle,鈥 Chou said. 鈥淲hy are we so picky about how we hire faculty? Because the small things 鈥 which are not so small 鈥 will kill you.鈥
In light of this, he charged every person in the room to take responsibility for TMU鈥檚 ongoing faithfulness.
鈥淵ou want to know who the real conscience of the school is? It’s you. It’s everyone here. We need you all to be faithful,鈥 he said. 鈥淜eep your heart soft, keep your convictions sharp, and keep your affections strong. We don’t just defend doctrine as an intellectual exercise. We defend it because we love the Lord Jesus.鈥
Putting today鈥檚 generation at TMU in the context of the school鈥檚 history, Chou concluded with this:
鈥淚f the previous generation was one of startup and sacrifice 鈥 and that’s really what they did for us 鈥 our purpose is to not only be a generation that’s faithful, but to set up every generation to be faithful until our Lord returns.鈥
To learn more about Dr. MacArthur鈥檚 legacy at TMU, read this article written to recognize his 40th year of leadership at the University.
The 国产aa福利 and Seminary admit students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
| viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
