Undergraduate Chapel: Spring 2014 [Video]

Shannon Ethridge discusses how Christians must guard their hearts from inappropriate relationships on both physical and emotional levels.

Shannon Ethridge answers the question "How can Christians be sexual beings without being sexually active?" She discusses the acceptable boundaries that Christians need to establish in their relationships.

Steve Bell is a singer, songwriter, and storyteller from Canada. Invited to sing at chapel, Steve Bell introduces, explains and sings his songs for the Biola community.

Biola University President Barry H. Corey begins the spring semester by speaking from Nehemiah 8:1-12 and "A Convocation of Biblical Proportions." Dr. Corey commends Biblically faithful teachers and calls students into action and obedience just as Nehemiah did in his day. He also talks about the recent disaster in Haiti and calls Biola to be a praying community, one that is biblically faithful and compassionate. He explains, in light of Nehemiah 8, that the Word leads to repentance, repentance into rejoicing, and rejoicing into profound acts of compassion and proclamation of the Gospel.

Director of Residence Life, Rachel Clark continues the series Crazy Family Christmas. She begins by sharing some of her crazy family Christmas experiences and what she has learned from them. Rachel Clark talks about going home and what that may look like for the members of the Biola community, and challenges students to rethink home and to find peace and rest there. She also challenges students in light of John 15:1-4 to see the provisions that God has made for them and to seek the ways in which He meets them in the context of their families.

Adam Edgerly, Lead Pastor of Newsong LA, continues the series of Crazy Family Christmas. He teaches from Luke 2:21-40 and talks about how to recognize Jesus during this Christmas season just as Simeon and Anna recognized Jesus as the Messiah. He explains seeing Jesus in terms of living for God, worshipping Him and caring for the "least". Adam Edgerly then challenges students to take up the opportunity of showing to others what Jesus looks like and to be careful not miss Christ in the craziness of Christmas.

Dr. Todd Pickett speaks at Biola chapel on how to continue to live out the Gospel in day-to-day life. He talks about living out the Gospel in light of Luke 7:36-50 and contrasts the prostitute who washed Jesus' feet against Simon the Pharisee. Dr. Pickett explains the difference between sins of commission and sins of omission and how confession is not a dramatic affair or a form of self-punishment or a way of getting rid of guilt. He concludes that forgiveness of sins is an ongoing opportunity to re-experience the cross of Christ and His love.

Ken Myers, Host and Producer of Mars Hill Audio Journal, concludes the Church series with a message titled "Against the World, For the World: The Church as Culture and the Church in Culture". Ken Myers speaks from the book of James and the relationship that should exist between Christians and the world. He explains that, among Christians, the noun "culture" should imply the verb "engage." He addresses the question "when the Church engages culture, what are the goals for culture and for the Church?" Using the epistle of James, Ken Myers explains the kinds of commitments Christians need to make if they are to love the world but not to be of the world: knowledge of the Word of truth, endurance forged in the testing of the faith, self control because the demands of love are high, and wisdom to discern the need of the world around us.

Kim Kira continues in the Church series by discussing the importance of loving the church and not just approaching the church with a "what's in it for me?" attitude. He explains that believers should not see themselves as dating the church but as committing to it. Kim Kira warns against believers being judgmental or cynical about the church but that they are instead called to love it. Using 1 Timothy 3:15, Kim Kira explains the vital importance of the church being a place to worship the living God and a place to be transformed by the truth. He states that the ultimate aim is not to just love the church but that loving the church leads to the ultimate aim of learning how to love God.

Dr. Kathy McReynolds continues in the Church Series and focuses in on the forgotten people. She speaks out of Luke 14:15-24 and the parable of the Great Banquet which gives an insight into whom Jesus' disciples really are. Dr. McReynolds explains how this parable reveals how great the vision of Christ is for those who are lost and how shortsighted and shallow believer's vision for the Kingdom of God can sometimes be. Dr. McReynolds explains that even though Christ's way is narrow, it is all-inclusive and she challenges the Biola community to think of this in terms of the Great Commission, particularly concerning people with disabilities.

Dr. Jerry Root, Adjunct Professor at Biola University, begins the first talk of "The Church Series". Dr. Root talks on 1 John 4:17-18 and on how God wants Christians to look more like His Son before the watching world, especially in light His love for us. Dr. Root challenges Biolans to see the goal of the Christian life as learning the grace of God in order that they can practice His presence and His grace in this world as imitators of Christ.

Mark Dever, Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, opens the 6th annual Contemporary Issues Lecture Series with a message titled "The Gospel". Mark Dever preaches on his fear of the current generation losing the Gospel, which is the basic message of Christianity. He explains that the greatness that Christians are made for is found in the Gospel: that they can know and be in a relationship with the true God because of Christ's sacrifice. Mark Dever challenges Biolans to make the Gospel personal to each individual and not a general cosmic Good News that seems unreachable to the unsaved individual. He also calls the Biola community to speak the Gospel to one another in order to not lose it.

In this Student Missionary Union chapel Dr. Matt Williams and Dr. Murray Decker discuss their understanding and living out of The Great Commission and their experience in missions. They explain that missions work does not only involve serving overseas but that it is essential to live out the Great Commission while at Biola. They conclude by explaining to the Biola community what it would look like to obey the Great Commission in their current environment.

Biola President Barry H. Corey delivers his Christmas chapel address to Biola students about the thermodynamics of Christmas and how the comfort of warmth and love of Christ always beats the destructive wrath and hatred of the world's heat. Dr. Corey reads from Matthew 2:1-21 and explains how the story of Christmas is a story of the collision between heat and warmth, i.e. Herod's wrath against the warmth of the God's love born in a manger. Dr. Corey challenges the Biola community to be the voices of redemption and to counter the heat of wickedness and injustice with the warmth of God's love.

Dr. Jon Wallace, President of Azusa Pacific University, addresses the Biola community after an introduction from Biola President, Dr. Barry H. Corey. Dr. Wallace speaks on Matthew 5:1-16 as applied to young Christian adults and about his passion of what God is doing in their life and in this world through them. He explains that Jesus came to this world to establish a Kingdom, one that is different and one in which Christians are called to be salt and light by testifying of the love, grace, forgiveness, truth and redemption of Jesus Christ. Dr. Wallace explains the difference between "first mile Christians" and "second mile Christians" in terms of normal vs. extraordinary, legal and compulsory vs. freedom and voluntary, easy vs. difficult, law vs. grace. Dr. Wallace ends by challenging Biolans to be "second mile Christians" and to live in light of His Kingdom.