Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2019

CHAPEL NOTES On Mission The following is an excerpt from the January 9, 2019, chapel presentation by Kevin Ezell. Ezell was the keynote speaker for the 2019 Missions Conference. Listen to his full series at cedarville.edu/chapel . I want us to begin by looking at Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” How can that possibly be done? It says clearly: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” You may be saying, “I’m not outgoing. I’m a bit shy, a little awkward in front of people. God couldn’t use me.” That’s absolutely not true. Missions is not depending upon your personality. It’s not depending upon your persuasiveness. It’s not depending upon your position. It’s not depending upon money or manpower or methodology. It’s depending upon the Holy Spirit. You’re empowered to do extraordinary things, not because you’re extraordinary, but because the Holy Spirit empowers you to do so. God often accomplishes the greatest things through people who are willing and obedient and available. And that’s what we’re asking you to be today: to be on mission, to be available to go wherever God would have you to go. Next He says, “And you will be my witnesses.” This tells me there is no Plan B. God in His sovereignty has decided to use us. That includes every one of us. If you know Christ today, you were saved for a purpose, a purpose much greater than drawing a breath and drawing a salary but to be faithful and obedient to Him. What’s the strategy? It’s pretty simple. Once you receive the power of the Holy Spirit, you’ll be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. He’s telling us not how to go, but where to go. And what does He mean by Jerusalem? You’re to go right where you are, in your community, the very first day. We just see as Jesus sees, feel as Jesus feels, and do as Jesus did. And that’s what we need to do in order to reach our local community. And then to the ends of the earth. We’ve been placed among billions of people who are lost and don’t even know it. There’s not a better time in your life than right now to be very intentional as you plan the rest of your life, how to be on mission from this day forward. Kevin Ezell is President of the North American Mission Board in Alpharetta, Georgia. God in His sovereignty has decided to use us. That includes every one of us. I am currently studying abroad in Spain, and every day at 4 p.m., I watch chapel. It’s refreshing to actually hear English, but mostly a time to still feel a part of the Cedarville community that I miss so much. Chapel has always been my favorite thing about Cedarville, but I didn’t realize how much I loved it and how fortunate we are to have it every day until I came here and didn’t have that opportunity. Yes, I watch it online, but it isn’t the same as being in the same room as more than 3,000 other people who are worshipping the Lord. Being able to stream chapel every day has been such a blessing and encouragement for me! Abbey Jacobs ’20