True to Real - The Chapel Message Podcast

Simple Kingdom | Ellie Dole

Acts 2:42-47 is a familiar passage that tells the beautiful story of a group of people who loved Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit working through them. The early church consisted of people who knew or had close ties to those who knew Jesus when he walked the earth. Their lives were not easy. They lived during widespread poverty, political divisiveness, and religious turmoil. But that didn’t deter them from pursuing the life God had called them to. Church was people doing the things that Jesus would do the way Jesus would do them. They had the same struggles as everyone around them but had peace and joy because heaven was inside them. The world took notice, and people were added to their number daily. When we surrender our lives to God and begin to live how Jesus would, we will see a powerful ripple effect that changes the people around us and points them to Jesus.

The Ascension | Scott Chapman

When considering the significant milestones in Jesus' life, many people immediately think of his birth (Christmas), crucifixion (Good Friday), and resurrection (Easter), and look forward to his eventual return, but there is one more significant event that is less talked about and just as vital  – his ascension. This fifth major event in his life represents his triumphant victory over the enemy. Not only that, but Ephesians 6:2 says that as believers, we are also seated with him in the heavenly places. We are not merely bystanders awaiting Jesus' return; we are called to transform the world through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

The Kingdom is a Party | Anthony Taylor

Anthony Taylor

Sabbath | Present in the Presence | Part 4 | Ryan Chevrier

In Exodus 31, God lays out rules and regulations for the Israelites regarding the observance of the Sabbath. At first glance, it may seem that the primary focus of the Sabbath is ceasing all work. However, only seeing it as a day to rest misses the heart behind this command. The mandate to set aside a day for rest was not just about stopping work; it was a call to place their trust in God as their ultimate provider. True rest has very little to do with taking a break; true rest is experienced when we choose to participate in the things of the kingdom of God. Each of us has a calling on our lives to advance God’s kingdom, and when we depend on God to lead us, guide us, and participate in what God has created us to do, we experience true rest.

The Importance Hearing God’s Voice | Present in the Presence | Part 3 | Tammy Chapman

There are three words in the Bible that translate “word” or “word of God.” Graphe is the written word of God that we find in our Bibles. Logos can be written or spoken and is the message, wisdom, or truths of God. John 1 tells us that Jesus is the ultimate logos. And lastly Rhema is God’s spoken word. Rhema is when the Holy Spirit communicates to us personally the words and heart of God.

Jesus says that what food is to our bodies, God’s spoken word, rhema, is to our souls. God wants us to know him, and one of the ways we get to know him is through hearing his voice. Hearing God’s voice may come through a song, being in nature, thoughts in your mind, dreams, or parts of scripture being highlighted to you as you read. If you have never heard God’s voice, he wants you to hear him!

Psalm 1 | Present in the Presence | Part 2 | Scott Chapman

Blessed is a term frequently overused in our society, leading us to potentially overlook its true meaning and significance in scripture. To be blessed is to receive God's provision, favor, and deliverance – something we would all love to have! We desire to be like the tree planted by streams of water, prospering in all we do. Often, we fill our days with work and activities, hoping they will add meaning and prosperity to our lives. However, this passage teaches that true flourishing comes from allowing God's word to change our lives, not from our own efforts or achievements. When we set out to do God’s will, God’s way, we experience his kingdom here on earth – and that is the blessed life!

You Are What You Eat | Present in the Presence | Part 1 | Ellie Dole

In Galatians 5:15-26 the apostle Paul lays out a clear blueprint of what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus and what it looks like to live in the presence of God. Paul reveals to the readers that what we eat matters, the saying we’ve heard time and time again… “we become what we eat” is a very real reality for a follower of Jesus.

As Paul is speaking to the Galatians he introduces a tension between the flesh and the fruit that we also see in Genesis 3 when the serpent tempted Eve. The enemy was crafty as he deceived Eve, as she was once content with obeying Gods instructions about what she should and should not consume. When she ate the forbidden fruit, her life changed but not in the way God intended for it to change. The forbidden fruit that Eve ate wasn’t anywhere close to fruit God had in store for her.

The good news that Paul delivers to us in Galatians is that through Jesus we get the choice to consume the fruit God intended for us. What God offers us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self in control instead of the temporary fleshy fruit of lust, greed, irritability, hatred and any other freshly temptation. His desire is to fill us up with all that He is.

When Jesus died, rose from the grave and ascended into heaven He left us an advocate, His Holy Spirit and through the Spirit, Jesus is alive inside of us giving us access to all that He is. Gods desire is for us to live in the presence of God and receive the fruit of the Spirit, but it doesn’t stop there. He has called us to grow to others what He has grown in us. God wants for us and everyone around us to experience His love and the fruit of His love.

Repentance | David: King of Israel | Part 10 | Brad Gustafson

In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan confronts King David about his sins. David models what to do when we are convicted of our sins. Godly conviction is something that can easily be mistaken for shame. Shame is a tool of the enemy, aiming to trap us and remind us of our mistakes, keeping us stuck in our sins like mud at the bottom of a hole. On the contrary, Godly conviction acts as a guiding rope, pulling us out of the pit and drawing us closer to Jesus. God doesn't seek to shame us; instead, he leads us toward something new and better. When we genuinely repent, we have the chance to partner with God and witness his kingdom breakthrough in our lives.

David and Bathsheba | David: King of Israel | Part 9 | Jamie Wamsley

This week we saw a very different side of David. We looked at the story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11, where David walked away from God’s call on his life, acted lustfully, committed adultery, manipulated people and situations, abused his power, and orchestrated murder. All of which raises profound questions about David's integrity and challenges our understanding of his character. Was David inherently good or bad? Worthy of praise or ridicule? The world uses these types of questions to define and categorize individuals. However, the Bible teaches us that humanity can't be defined by one or the other. Rather, we are all created in the image of God, possessing the potential to reflect his goodness while simultaneously also being corrupted by sin and capable of acting in very dark ways. So rather than asking what kind of man David was, a better question to ask is how did David posture himself before God and what difference did it make? David’s life is not unlike our own. We must decide daily who will be at the center of our lives: God or ourselves.

It’s All Coming Together | David: King of Israel | Part 8 | Denvil Lee

For 20 years, the Israelites were living apart from God. They had abandoned the Ark of the Covenant, where God’s presence resided. In 2 Samuel 6, David leads the Israelites as they retrieve the Ark of the Covenant, bring it to Jerusalem, and return to God as a community. As they march towards Jerusalem, David dances before the Lord with all his might. This is the moment in David’s life where it all comes together – from being a shepherd boy to a musician to a giant slayer to a humble leader. David’s life experiences, disciplines, and setbacks come together in this pivotal moment in scripture, which foreshadows when Jesus would come to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit would come at Pentecost, and when God’s kingdom will come in its fullness one day. When we look forward to Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells God's people, and Jerusalem is no longer a geographical location. Rather, whenever the people of God, who carry the presence of God, lift their praises to God, wherever they are becomes the place of God – the new Jerusalem.