Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2017

CHAPEL NOTES To walk by the Spirit is a Spirit- dependent way of life that involves believing the promises of God, choosing to do what is right, and thanking God for the result. Spirit-dependent means you have an unbelievable power within you and you should think, “Holy Spirit, I need You as I walk through life; remind me that I’m dependent, and apart from You I can do nothing.” When Paul uses the word “walk,” it means everything! You walk by the Spirit when you go to chapel. You walk by the Spirit when you eat at Chuck’s. You walk by the Spirit when you’re dating, and you walk by the Spirit when you’re on the computer. Walking by the Spirit means you see His Word, and you believe it. The Gospel helps you triumph over sin by doing two things: supplying greater promises that eclipse the promise of sin, and giving you power by which to believe those promises. There are times when I’m reading my Bible and I think, “God, I know I believe this, but I need Your help right now to help me believe it. I believe … help my unbelief.” That’s what the Spirit does; it buoys our belief. When anger comes and promises if you get angry, you’ll get your way, by the Holy Spirit you counter that, believing, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Rom. 12:19). When pride comes, and you think, “I want to be somebody!,” you counter that with “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5; James 4:6). You have to be a promise-collector; God has supplied the Spirit to help you be a promise-believer. Finally, we choose to do what’s right and thank God for the result. Sin is conquered by taking tangible action steps, for it is God at work, both to will and to work within you, so you choose to do what’s right. When you walk in the Spirit, you know, “This is God who’s at work in me!” What you see is what Paul talks about when he says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). And when that happens, you know that what you believe is real. That is why the greatest assurance of your faith is the ongoing mortification of sin and the fruitfulness of a godly life. Mark Vroegop ’93 is Lead Pastor at College Park Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a Cedarville University trustee. Empowered by the Spirit The following is an excerpt from an August 23, 2017, chapel presentation by Mark Vroegop ’93. Vroegop was the speaker for the 2017 Fall Bible Conference. Listen to his full remarks at cedarville.edu/chapel . Holy Spirit, I need You as I walk through life; remind me that I’m dependent, and apart from You I can do nothing. Join the University family in chapel each day via the livestream broadcast ( cedarville.edu/chapellive ) or Facebook Live ( cedarville.edu/facebook ) . Past messages are also archived at cedarville.edu/chapel . Jan. 9–10 Missions Conference Tony Merida Associate Professor of Preaching Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, North Carolina Jan. 18 Ryan Anderson Senior Research Fellow Heritage Foundation Washington, D.C. Feb. 8 Tim Challies Pastor Grace Fellowship Church Toronto, Ontario, Canada 20 | Cedarville Magazine