Cedarville Magazine Spring 2017

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Chapel Notes
Let’s look at Mark 2. Jesus is in
this house, preaching the Word.
And one guy has an idea: “I’ve
heard what Jesus has done in
other cities, and I believe if we
get the paralytic to Jesus, then
Jesus could heal him. What do
you guys think?”
They get there; the place
is packed. At least one guy
said, “Here’s what we’re
going to do: We’re going
to put him on the roof.” I
can’t help but believe the
paralytic propped himself
up and said, “Do what?!”
Imagine Jesus. He’s
preaching, and dust begins to sprinkle.
More dust. Then a hand comes through. Another
hand. A hole begins to appear, and four heads
look down.
If you’re a coach, you want these four guys on your
team. You know why? “We’re going to do whatever it
takes. We’re not going to stop until we get him to Jesus.”
When you’re blessed to graduate from this great
university, that will be an incredible accomplishment,
but the task is still unfinished. Paul said in Acts 20:24,
“I do not account my life of any value nor as precious
to myself, if only I may finish my course and the
ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify
to the gospel of the grace of God.”
It’s not about your convenience or comfort; it’s
about being exactly where He wants you in obedience
to Him. God can do extraordinary things through
you when you’re completely obedient to Him.
There’s a church in Tennessee that planted a
church in Vancouver, Canada. They had a Texas
barbecue in Vancouver because they thought it would
attract lots of people, and one of the girls that went was
Chin-Lou. Chin-Lou was from China, not a believer,
and she started coming to a Bible study. About two
months later, she gave her heart to Christ.
Chin-Lou called home and told her parents. They
said, “If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine, but
don’t hassle us all summer about this.” She said okay,
but she asked, “Can I invite my friends over when I get
home?” And they said, “Sure.” She was discipled fall
through spring semester, and that summer she went
home and invited 40 friends to her house.
She wrote down 20 different proverbs on index
cards, and as they fellowshipped and had a good time,
she passed those cards out and said, “I want you to
stand and read the proverb on the card and tell why
you think it’s true.” One by one, they stood, read the
proverb, and told why they thought it was true.
At the end, Chin-Lou said, “All 20 of those are
very true, and they come from the Bible. And there’s
something else I learned from the Bible: God loves
me. He loves me so much, He sent Jesus to die on a
cross for me.” Of those 40 friends, 23 came to know
Christ that night. Through the summer she discipled
them, and two years later, there’s a church in China.
My point is this: A church in Tennessee planted
a church in Vancouver, and God threw in another as
a bonus. You have a freshman in college, who knows
very little about the Gospel, but loves Jesus, goes
home, leads people to Christ, and God plants a church
where it’s illegal to do so. There’s no limit to what our
God can do through you.
Whatever God’s leading you to do, I pray you do
it the very best you can, but then prayerfully consider
where God might have you on mission, and be
obedient to Him in all things. Whatever it takes.
Kevin Ezell is President of the North American Mission
Board.
Whatever It Takes, Live Life on Mission
The following is an excerpt from an October 19, 2016, chapel presentation by Kevin Ezell. Listen to his full remarks at
We’re going to do whatever it takes. We’re not
going to stop until we get him to Jesus.
Join the University family in chapel each day via the live stream broadcast or Facebook Live
). Past messages are also archived at .
Mar. 16 Russell Moore
President of the Ethics and Religious
Liberty Commission of the Southern
Baptist Convention
Washington, D.C.
Mar. 21 Paige Patterson
President of Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary
Fort Worth, Texas
Mar. 22 Chad Williams
Former U.S. Navy SEAL
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