True to Real - The Chapel Message Podcast

The Problem of Sin and How it all Started

This is the first of a two-part episode where Scott and Ellie get into the ever-popular topic of sin. Looking at Genesis 3 as the foundation of the conversation, the two address the reality that no person is immune to the problem of sin.  But that's not all. There is also an opportunity to learn how to address sin in our own lives and the lives of others differently knowing the character and victory of our loving God. 

The Origin of Sin | Origins | Part 5 | Scott Chapman

Sin entered the world in Genesis 3, promising freedom but leading all of humanity into bondage. Sin is not like a disease you catch; it’s more like a spiritual cancer, something within each of us that goes against the image of God in which we were created. We can’t work our way out of our sinful nature. We can’t do more good than bad to get rid of it. We can’t legislate it, put enough money behind something to fix it, or blame others for it. Our best attempts to remove or cover it up are like fig leaves. So what do we do?

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Genesis 3:21

God knew the fig leaves would never work long-term, so he clothed Adam and Eve. Scripture says the garments were made of skins, meaning an animal had to die. Up to this point, they had not experienced death. It would have been very traumatizing for them. Why would God do that? He likely wanted to make a point: sin is horrible, and the solution to sin is horrible. Also, it was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ death on the cross. From the very moment that sin entered the world, God had a plan to save humanity.

We all have within us brokenness and a shared need for a savior. There is nothing of ourselves that fixes the problem of sin. The only answer we all have is Jesus. It’s like we are each standing on the bottom of the ocean with no air, and we have to answer the question, will we trust Jesus to get us to the surface? Will you trust him to be your savior and king? If you are willing to trust him, he has an incredible life planned for you. One filled with beauty, power, and joy!

God's Design for Gender, Sexuality, Marriage and More!

Scott and Ellie are back for a second episode! This week, they bring up a few significant conversations from Scott's weekend message on the origin of gender, sexuality, and marriage. The Barbie movie, good (and bad) marriage advice, and the unique but equal roles of males and females in relationships are just a few of the exciting and insightful dialogues you get to be part of!

The Origin of Marriage | Origins | Part 4 | Scott Chapman

As we read through Genesis 1, we see a recurring pattern: God creates and declares his creation good. Over and over, we read, “It was good.” Then, in Genesis 2, it says – “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Adam was in the garden, communing with God, yet God said it was not good for him to be alone. We learn here that we have been hardwired for relationships with one another. The passage goes on to say that God created a suitable helper for Adam. In the original language, it says that Eve was a perfectly aligned opposite. Men and women were intentionally created with distinct attributes yet have equal worth in the eyes of God. God created Eve from the rib of Adam, symbolizing that men and women would go through life connected, walking side by side as they face life together.

WATCH "It's Not About the Nail" HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg

The Origin of Goodness | Origins | Part 3 | Ellie Dole

God spoke, and everything came to be: the sun, moon, stars, oceans, plants, animals, and humans. As we read through Genesis 1, a pattern emerges. God created, paused, observed his creation, and identified everything as good. Genesis also teaches that we are created in God’s image, and as such, have within us the innate ability to identify the goodness all around us. The struggle we face is the pain, suffering, conflict, and inconveniences that often take center stage in our lives. When we allow our thoughts to be fixed on all that is not good, discontentment defines us and how we see the world. But when we become determined to find the goodness in every situation, even when our circumstances don’t change, it changes us. Recognizing goodness brings contentment to our hearts and minds. As we identify God’s goodness, we stomp out the darkness and change our environments. When we choose to look for, identify, and magnify the goodness in every situation, what we are actually doing is looking for, identifying, and magnifying God – because he is the source of all that is good in our world.

The Origin of Identity | Origins | Part 2 | Jamie Wamsley

Why should we believe God is the creator of the universe?

Talk about True to Real! In this episode, Scott Chapman and Ellie Dole dive into big questions unearthed by the weekend message. We talk about things like the expanse of the universe, the possibility of other life, evolution, and how long creation actually took. This is an episode you don't want to miss!

The Origin of Everything | Origins | Part 1 | Scott Chapman

Many of us are so wrapped up in our daily lives that we rarely zoom out to think about the beauty and wonder of the world around us. Did you know there is a balance of energy in our universe so precise that if it were to shift by the smallest fraction of an amount, all life would cease to exist? From the vast expanse of 200 billion known galaxies, each containing 400 billion stars, down to the intricacy of each molecule, composed of atoms, particles, and sub-particles – the world we live in is way more complex and detailed than our minds could ever truly fathom! Knowing that God created every living thing and designed it with care has implications for our lives. We were created on purpose. God knows us, and he wants to make a life with us. God’s goodness is knit into the fabric of creation. Morality is not subjective. Knowing we have a Creator fills our days with hope, knowing that God is real and present in our lives no matter what challenges we face. 

Crazy is the New Great | Jamie Wamsley

In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” …John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. Matthew 3:1-2,4. 

After reading this scripture, we may picture John the Baptist as a street preacher holding a megaphone and yelling at people to repent. When we imagine John this way, then Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:11a, “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist,” can feel hard to understand and borderline disturbing. Why did Jesus say this? What are we missing? 

Unlike the corner preachers of our day that people largely want to avoid and keep away from, something about John drew people in. His message of repentance was rooted in invitation, not condemnation. When we understand the culture he lived in, we see that his lifestyle wasn’t as extreme as it appears in our modern context. So why did Jesus think John the Baptist was so amazing? Three things about John set him apart: calling, sacrifice, and humility. John knew and lived fully in his calling. He knew that in order to take hold of the calling on his life, it required sacrificing comfort and convenience. And lastly, John understood that the things he did for God weren’t to gain praise or followers; they were to point people to Jesus. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have a calling on your life to bring the goodness of God’s kingdom into your unique spheres of influence. And like John, when you embrace your calling, are willing to sacrifice everything for God, and walk every day in humility, God will lead you to a life greater than anything you can ever imagine.

Call & Response | Denvil Lee

God chose Saul to be king over Israel. The call on his life was clearly laid out before him. Yet, in 1 Samuel 10, it says that Saul was hiding among the supplies. Saul was called, gifted, anointed, encouraged, and still hiding. The voices from Saul’s past haunted him, causing him to believe he wasn’t qualified. It can be easy to read this story and wonder how Saul could hide, but the truth is we often do the same thing. We hide behind our history and what people think of us instead of listening to the voice of God. We assume God’s calling for our lives is about what we can do for him. But throughout scripture, we learn that calling flows out of who we are becoming as we spend time in God's presence. Your past and your insecurities don't hinder God. What you think disqualifies you could be what God uses to empower your ministry. The thing you want to forget or bypass could be the very thing God wants to use to set people free. So the question becomes, what call will you respond to? The voices all around you or the God above you?