2014 Chapel Video

Christ calls us to live in community with others … but because of our i-world culture we live in isolation hiding behind a manufactured façade. We are to see people as fully human and love them as such.

One of the most profound parts of the Word of God is that the struggles people experienced are not hidden. The story of Thomas is a clear picture that Jesus understands our doubts and actually shows the most affection and affirmation when people are struggling or at their worst. Being transparent and honest is taught in the word and should be practiced in the community of believers.

God called Moses to lay-down what had become his identity and security. When he let go of the staff it became the medium to display God’s power; it became God’s instrument. But first, he had to let it go. The challenge is to look beyond our own self-sufficiency and learn utter dependence upon God.

The story of the widow gives a glimpse into the heart of the Father. He is moved by our persistence. Because of God’s omnipotence, His responses to our prayers are always what we need.

If we are not ready to die to ourselves, we are not ready to really live. Jesus’ death on the cross opened the door for the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts. If we ask, the Lord live in and through us.

Our primary calling is to acknowledge God as Father and Jesus Christ as savior. Our secondary calling is uniquely designed and found where your deep gladness and the worlds deep hunger meets. Discovery of the secondary calling comes through the Word, prayer, practical assessment, and counsel from others.

The talents parable reveals a marked difference between the recipients of the five and two talents from the servant that only received one talent. The difference is seen in the focus, drive and passion apparent in the ones that received more, and a lack of passion and priority in the life of the servant that received only one. Christianity is not about being good, it is about aligning our passions and priorities and following His plan for our lives.

In the midst of us deserving judgment and punishment, God chooses to respond with mercy, patience and grace. We don’t get what we deserve in our relationship with Christ.

God calls us to be goers or senders in regard to the mission field. A goer has the promise of His presence, and ability is not the important element … availability is what matters. A sender prays, gives, and mobilizes others for action.

God blesses His people so the Gospel goes to all peoples. We cannot enjoy the blessings of salvation and ignore the commission to reach the nations for Christ.

The scandal of God’s promiscuous grace is woven through the page of the Bible beginning in Genesis. It is reflected in countless lives and distills down to the simple truth that God loves us.

The creed of faith must be rooted in the truth that God is in control of our lives and He can be trusted. He wants us to be tenacious in pursuing excellence through His calling on our lives, but there are times when we have to depend upon Him to lift us over obstacles to achieve these God shaped plans.

We can trust the process of our lives as they unfold even when things do not seem to be turning out the way we think they should. We can trust the process, because we can trust the person – Jesus Christ – who is the orchestrator of the process.

We are called to be kingdom neighbors living out His love in relationships with others. The grace-filled capacity to do so causes us to respond to the needs of people.

This parable is a window into God’s heart that assures us He is good and His presence is enough when life’s circumstances are difficult. Two students share their personal testimony of God’s goodness through their tragic circumstances.

There are blessings for faithfulness and consequences for unfaithfulness. We have a relentless heavenly Father who does not give up on us – He will always reconcile and restore our lives if we ask. “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.” (J. Elliott)

Twelves spies explored the promised land – ten of them focused on the giants and only two focused on the promise. Our Lord wants us to be set from fear and follow in faith to the promised land He has for us.

You only get to keep that which you are willing to give away. As we surrender to God’s plan for our lives we give ourselves away and find that we truly have all we have every needed.

A holy life leads to a life of joy, sacredness, and purity. We are called to holiness.

The Lord will show us His ways, teach us His paths, and guide us in His truth if we just ask.

God not only calls us to fully live into His future, but to leave what is in our past in His hands.

God can use and bring good out of any situation for the sake of His Kingdom.

The parable of the shrewd manager teaches us to be wise and resourceful in our kingdom living. God mobilizes us with resources and creative energy to win and influence people for the sake of His kingdom.

We are Put On The Earth To Serve. When Christ lives in us our lives become eloquent expressions of Christ. We are here to serve just like Christ served

The call for intimacy with Christ is a thread woven through the entire Word of God. Our spiritual journey will lead us away from merely living a Torah obedience to an intimate relationship with our Lord.

The world creates three false identities manifested through pleasure and possessions, performance, and pain. Being children of God is our true identity as He blesses us with every spiritual blessing, calls us His beloved, and is well pleased in us. Our heavenly Father wants us to stand beneath the waterfall of His love and receive our identity and purpose in Him. He calls us out from the distractions of the world, helps us understand who we really are in Him, and prepares us for service to Him.

The parables used by Jesus are windows into the heart of our Heavenly Father. When we peer through these parable windows we catch a glimpse of how He desires His kingdom to be.

There are four important elements in this parable: sower, seed, soil and the harvest. Good seed requires good soil in order to bear good fruit.

Jesus promises us His presence, wherever we are, wherever we go. The simple phrase - “Christ goes with you” - was the reverberating message.

Christlikeness is reflected in how we think about ourselves and about others, and how we relate to each other and to God. The scripture instructs us to have the mind of Christ.

The entire chapel service was planned and managed by members of the senior class under the leadership of senior class president – Madison Leeseberg. Five seniors shared about their Olivet experience and spiritual journey. They offered advice, based on four years of college experience, to the underclassmen.

The cross defines the Christian message, and has in it the present power of that past event. It is in the death and resurrection of Jesus that we find the spiritual power to live for Him. The cross of Jesus calls us not to die – but to live for Him. The cross, by its very nature, demands from us a decision. It reminds us that God loves us and His grace is sufficient.

All of human race is seeking God, but are doing so from our own ethnic branch on the family tree. The light of Christ in us relating to and loving people is the way to lead them to Him.

Our focus needs to be on things Jesus said, not what he didn’t say.

Our greatest need is not to find an answer, but to take and eat what life brings knowing that the miracle isn’t in the gift, but the One who gives it. Faith is not believing all the right answers, it is committing to wrestle with the right questions for the rest of our lives.

There are no moral requirements to receive divine grace and ordinary places are often sacred spaces. One of the requirements for a fresh encounter with God is mere openness. The God who created us is better than the God we’ve created.

Our responsibility as people created in God’s image is not just to fill up this world with truth and goodness, but also to fill it with beauty. Beauty is the mark of true worship, is the foundation of social justice, and is an indispensable quality that gives hope. When we cultivate beauty we give a glimpse to the world of that which is yet to come.

A Christian response to our culture is typically an Exodus model or Exile model both predicated on fear and self-preservation. A different model of engagement is an Incarnational model as seen in Jesus’ life and rooted in genuine concern for others.. Incarnational living is a choice, based on service of others, and seeks the flourishing of the world … not just getting by.

The issue of racialization affects the church. “All too often the church holds up a mirror reflecting back the society around it, rather than a window revealing a different way.” (Yancy, 1987) One of the ways we punch holes in the walls that divide us is by creating windows in these walls through conversation with each other. A group of ethnically diverse students modeled a conversation about this topic around the table with a goal of discovering differences and commonalities.

The story of Hagar’s plight reminds us that He knows our name … even when the world may try to objectify us in order to justify behavior. We serve a God that sees and a God that hears. As followers of Christ, we must guard against this behavior and seek to replicate our heavenly Father’s love and compassion for each individual person He brings along our path. He knows our name and the people we cross paths with have a name, too.

An accurate translation of the great commission is to make disciples “as you go.” With the time God has given us on earth, we are challenged to make the most of every moment. Is our avocation following Jesus and making disciples as we go about our daily lives?

The conversation of sexual identity must be carefully navigated. We must be willing to walk in the valley with friends on the journey rather than just be a voice from the mountain proclaiming good news.