2011 Chapel Audio

God spoke in the past, and He is still speaking today if we will listen. The Christian life is a journey of trust, faith, and listening not of sight. The God who came still comes, and that is the Miracle of Christmas.

You don’t think God can use you? Not so fast my friend. The good news for us is that God takes our lives - broken or not - reclaims them, reshapes them, and helps us to recover the dreams he has placed in our hearts. When He does that, it’s always a beautiful thing.

Paralleling our lives with Moses, Dr. Powell shares how we have been chosen for a specific destiny even though it may require a journey in the desert. God calls us to surrender what we have in our hands even though we may view them as inadequate for His service. He takes our “are nots” and lets the world know I AM.

Chaplain Holcomb facilitated an interview with three faculty members about their calling in life and how the Lord orchestrated their steps in the process.

We need to give God our whole lives; Sometimes it is hard to hear God; We are not supposed to fix things. These are all lessons we learn from the story of the Prodigal Son. The crazy grace message is that it is okay to be sick and be loved.

Encouragement was given to begin dreaming about closing the gap between what you are now and what you want to be. This is a journey of recovery not discovery; of remembering those thing you used to be passionate about. God has programed us for a specific niche. Listening for His quiet whisper and being patient on the desert journey to the destination are all part of the process.

God’s call on our lives may not be a traditional one. He does call individuals to the market place to be agents of change and influence. This unique opportunity can be fully realized if our foundation is the Word of God. Vocation and a call can be in harmony wherever the Lord places us.

Christ was not compelling us to do greater works than his in regard to miracle work which is temporal. He was calling us to find joy in the mundane daily moments of life. Moved by the compassion Christ gives us, we must love one another with simple, self-less acts of kindness. What we do matters to the kingdom of God.

God has a heart for reaching the world, so we should too. Obstacles can be overcome in order to be either be a “goer” or a “mobilizer.” The mission of taking the good news around the earth is the purpose for which God created us.

Beginning in the early 1800’s students have been compelled to pray and go around the world in mission work. We have to carefully ask the question, “Why are we doing what we do?” God has used students for hundreds of years, is He calling us to do the same?

An atmosphere of confession and repentance was experienced through the retelling of the David’s sin and confession both in word and drama.

Dr. McCool shared two keys to effective Christian leadership. The first being, our actions must match our words, because it is the basis of trust. The second was leadership has to be implemented with gentleness. Jesus exemplified these two qualities in his leadership style and is our faithful, gentle shepherd leading us in the way we should go.

Who knows where the path God will lead? As we walk in obedience to God, as Queen Esther did, God uses our heritage, natural abilities, and acquired gifts to direct our path with markers along the way.

From the rich story found in I Kings during the time of the wicked rule of King Ahab, Dr. Diehl recounts the story of Elijah’s life. The foundational principles include: 1) Obeying God does not mean that the brook won’t dry up. 2) When the brook in one place dries up God will lead you to the next brook. 3) Great blessings are usually followed by great testing. 4) God is even greater than all of our circumstances.

Twenty-five vitally important truths including practical advice to spiritual formation concepts. The highlights included two key points. 1) We should think critically, but not be critical. 2) God is enough.

To be a citizen of the Kingdom of God we must be forgiving people.

God gives us dreams, and his dreams for our life cannot be derailed by man. As in Jacob’s life, it seemed he was on a detour to Egypt, but God was still at work to bring the dreams to a reality. In our spiritual journey we must just hold on when life is not moving in the direction we think is best and realize that in the meanwhile God is still at work.

Jesus came to set us free from anything that has us bound. Through faith and anointing with oil, captives are set free.

Jesus turns to us as He enters our world as Emmanuel. He desires for us to turn toward Him in response so that He can place a New Song in our hearts.

Looking at the life and experiences of Ruth and Naomi, the message declares, “God Is Enough.”

The kingdom of God is has come, but is not complete. We are to be agents of change on this earth by living simply and holding on to things loosely with the knowledge that God is always on the move.

In order to be a neighbor as the scriptures instructs, we have to put aside our judgmental tendencies and operate with compassion, humility and love. The life we live will be reframed by listening to a different voice coming from a different place so that “whatever we do” is an act of love.

Ian spoke on being a bond servant of Jesus Christ. He highlighted three main points to consider: 1) Stay with the master; 2) Serve Him only; 3) Proudly bear the mark of Christ. Our service to God and man comes from the passions, gifts, and abilities He places within us.

Dr. Campolo outlined three important elements we need to consider to be the people Jesus Christ has called us to be . . . risk more, reflect more, and as the spirit leads us, do more that will live on after we are gone. We are not here to make a living, but we are here to give life. We must do what Jesus has called us to do.

We are a generation that was placed here for such a time as this . . . to be agents of God for transformation. Our purpose is to live not just as believers, but as disciples making disciples. Our preparation for a vocation is really a preparation for serving other people in God’s Kingdom where His will is done. We have the victory because we know that although our world is like Friday of resurrection weekend . . . we know that Sunday is coming!

As people of faith, we learn to listen to a voice coming from a different place. The voice of God gives us a new and different perspective, and may be calling us to live a life different than the one we had planned. As we stop wondering why we are the way we are, and begin asking how we can be used by the one whom created us . . . we will find His direction.

Whatever we need to fultill God's calling on our lives, He already has. God has already placed in your hands everything you need to succeed here at Olivet and to become the person he calls you to be and to do what he asks you to do. When we come before God with open hands; And, we come with what we have, not what we wish we had. God will us our hands for His glory.

The final chapel of the 2010/2011 academic year is a review of the spiritual highlights experienced in chapel throughout the year. The senior class had the final word with a farewell performance.

Through the use of the simple fable from India about a cracked pot, the message that God has entrusted the power of the gospel to weak vessels was pronounced. Instead of removing our weaknesses, God just adds his power to achieve his purposes.

The church is to be a House of Prayer, instead they were using the ABC scorecard (attendance, building, and cash) just like we do today. Both the fig tree and the church were not producing the fruit they were made to produce. As we expand our horizons intellectually and theologically, we need to head the opposite direction in our faith . . . becoming more childlike.

In Christ’s final moments before His death on the cross, He actually sang a victorious song from Psalm 22. The song that begins with, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” ends as song of victory about the work being finished. This was the greatest song ever sung by the only one that could truly sing it.

The senior class under the leadership of their class chaplain, Wes Siscoe, organized the service using members of the graduating class. The band members were all seniors, as well as the choir which sang two songs. Seniors, David Bisaillon and Angela Schiefelein, shared their personal, inspirational testimonies.

Teams which traveled last summer and in March over spring break shared their stories and pictures. “Bring On The Kingdom to All Nations” was the underlying theme.

We have a destiny in Christ, so God’s will is about more about who you are rather than what you do and where you go. He desires to mold and shape us and then point us in a direction. To achieve our destiny and leave a ripple effect on other people’s lives we have to: 1) Risk more; 2) Reflect More; 3) Do something with our lives that will live on past our lives. If we put our hands in the hand of the destiny maker, we will make a difference.

The Lord provides moments for us to freeze-frame and savor. If we are not careful we will miss these opportunities He provides. We must soak in the moments, sing over the moments, and surrender to the moments. Following Christ is as simple as loving Christ and loving His people. Gratitude always trumps entitlement.

Christ came to set us free, but we cling to things like Bartimaeus usually clung to his cloak. When Jesus called for him he threw his cloak aside and jumped toward his savior. If we are to fully trust Jesus, we have to toss our cloaks of fear, loneliness, and shame and step in the direction of the freedom available to us.

Rather than passing by undesirable people in society, Jesus set a perfect example of entering into conversation and relationship with the women at the well. If we are not careful we will pass by these precious people while we are busy doing ministry. There are “hurt” people in our society to which we need to direct our path.

As Christians we have to purposefully think about what we are thinking about. Our scholarship should not be separated from our piety, there must be an integration of our faith and learning. Our thoughts become our actions, and we need to hold each other accountable to act in ways that exemplify Christ’s love.

In order to be a Christian effecting our culture you have to: 1) Find out what you believe. 2) Stop looking for what is wrong in the world and start looking for what is right. 3) Become proficient at something. We are what we are, and though we are not perfect, we contain the treasure of the light of Christ anyway, and the closer someone gets to that, the harder it is not to see it.

We have been labeled by our society and culture in a negative light. Out of a concern for safety a Christian subculture has developed. Christ has called you to move out into the world as a person that loves Jesus and to be a Christian in culture not a cultural Christian. The word Christian is not an adjective . . . it is a noun - a person. There is no such thing as a Christian anything there is only you. The world needs us and Christ in us.

Jesus' life was one of passion, which was manifested in ways which were at times irrational, excessive and costly. Our Christian walk needs to be passionate, excessive and it will be costly at times, too.

Having intelligence does not matter if you do not have a mind to work. Having a made up mind and with God on your side, you can do anything. Never live beneath that which God intended for your life.