Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2019

Fear God, Not Man Mark Hershey ’07 – Mark Vroegop ’93, Lead Pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, spoke in Cedarville’s chapel in August 2006 on being free from the fear of man. For Mark Hershey ’07, it was a message that convicted him at the time and still resonates with him today. There were so many impactful chapels during my time at Cedarville, but one that stands out is when Mark Vroegop spoke fall of my senior year. I can still hear Pastor Vroegop pleading with us as a student body to stop allowing the fear of man and people-pleasing to rule our lives. He read Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” He reminded us how dangerous it can be to live to please others instead of God. We can easily allow the words and impressions of others to trap and imprison us, which causes us to miss out on the good that God has for us. Pastor Vroegop shared personal stories of his battles with being afraid of what others thought of him and how he came to discover that the only one we need to bow down to is the Lord Almighty. God is so much more worthy of our attention than anything or anyone else. As a student body, we were also challenged that our families, friends, and those around us need someone who cares more about what God thinks than what the world thinks. These words resonated with me when I was a student at Cedarville and still ring true as I serve as a pastor today. I often need to check my motives and discern who I most desire to please, God or man, as I write messages, counsel, and lead those under my care. It is a message that is convicting and powerful for any stage of life. A Blank Check Elisabeth ’18 – In January 2016, David Platt, then-President of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, was the keynote speaker at the annual Missions Conference. He spoke on how God can give ordinary people extraordinary power to do great things for him. His message changed the life trajectory of Elisabeth ’18. My whole life, I thought that missions work meant going to the middle of nowhere in Africa. When I was younger, I had thought about going into missions, but once I decided I wanted to be a teacher, it didn’t seem to fit any longer. I didn’t see how teaching and missions could work together. I decided to leave that dream for the people who were going to be pastors or doctors. They could go to Africa; I was going to stay in America and be a teacher. That all changed for me when I heard David Platt at the Missions Conference during my sophomore year. Dr. Platt talked about the importance of using your calling, whatever job you were suited best for, as leverage for the Gospel. He challenged the student body that there were mission opportunities in any career field God called us to. I was shocked. This idea completely changed my thinking. I could use my calling as a teacher to honor God, wherever He led me. It was almost as if I could feel the Lord whispering that he meant me. Then Dr. Platt talked about the importance of being willing to do whatever God asked us to do; he called it “giving a blank check to God.” I remember sensing the Lord asking me to write that blank check. And so I lifted my hands and whispered, “This is my blank check, Lord.” Two summers later, I went to China and fell in love with the people and the country. I knew this is where I’d been called. Now, I am in China long term serving as a university English teacher. I love watching God continue to write my check. W hen Dr. Dixon led the entire student body in Christ Is All I Need , it moved me every time! It always made an impression on me that Dr. James T. Jeremiah attended chapel. Sherri (Wilson) Patterson ’84