Christ in you

This weekend is R.C. McQuilcken something or another weekend where the son of the founder of CIU gives out a few scholarships to a ton of kids that come to CIU to be considered or something about like that. We had some kids from Turkey and places far off like that. Anyway, the speaker was Adrian Duprees the chaplain of the USC football team, he speaks frequently throughout the US about evangelism. His messages are always very emotional and he always tries to challenge you very directly. Before I talk about his message let me tell you that every time he gets on stage and gets so excited and exclaims that his "wife is one righteous fox, she's 5'5'' comes up to about here on me and I'm madly in love with her and I love to brag about her and think that every man should brag about his wife every chance he gets, it should be a man law, in fact every married man in here stand up and I'll give you ten seconds to brag about your wife." He's a real riot.
Basically he just went over three events from the Bible that illustrate one point/challenge: that God goes to extreme measures to save the lost. First was Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal. Adrian is an expert at bringing to life for his listeners some type of information or message or story. The charismatic 6'6'' former football player with super-hyper-active attention deficit disorder runs up and down the stage and isles yelling and screaming about each illustrative story. He called Elijah the wide-receiver of the Bible. Wide-receivers in the NFL always strut around bragging after a good play in a game, autographing a ball after a touchdown and throwing it into the crowd etc and so Elijah goes on to mock the prophets of Baal to bring fire down on their sacrifice and he asks if their god might be busy in the bathroom or maybe needs to be woken from his sleep etc. Then he wets down his own sacrifice and digs a trench for water all around it so that only fire from God would consume it and no trick he might try lighting it on his own. Of course God brings fire after Elijah asks Him to so that these people might believe that He is the one true God. The next story was Jonah... Adrian got us all riled up because he joked that the next thing he was about to say might prevent him from ever being invited back. He drug that out and the finally said it - that Jonah probably hadn't actually read 'the book of Jonah' before he requested to be thrown off of the boat into the story water in the middle of a hurricane. Jonah had effectively committed suicide by asking to be thrown off that boat. A fish comes and etc, that's extreme measure number two. Adrian's most effective story he acts out is Christ's crucifiction - extreme measure number three. The whole time Adrian was holding out finishing a story about a class he had in seminary that changed his life. It started with a depiction of God with man; creation. Then a depiction of man without God but surrounded by tall grass that pointed up at the man which meant that because he had a fallen nature he naturally sinned. Then the last depiction Adrian waited to tell what was with the man until the end. But he had told us that the man was standing in grass still but the grass was cut pretty short and was only around his feet representing a still present struggle, but sin no longer reigned over the man and what he finally told us was just that in the man was C-H-R-I-S-T. Very straightforward but at the same very nonsensical. He went on to share a kid's question to his dad, "Dad, how big is Jesus?", "About the same size me I guess, we're not exactly sure son.", "well dad, if he is in my heart then wouldn't he stick out all over the place?" Here Adrian sticks out his arms and legs like he is sticking out of a little boy and he makes the point that like the kid said that when you have something so big in you that it does stick out, it sticks out all over the place! He went on to describe how so many people don't quite realize what they have in them, or maybe they do know what is in them to a degree but they don't realize how big the person inside of them truly. I was pretty surprised when Adrian said that his biggest fear in life is actually self-esteem. Before he gets up to speak he gets so nervous and doubtful telling himself that he has nothing for us, nothing to share, nothing to change us or nothing that will speak into our lives. But he gave the example that if you have "The Rock" or some big strong wrestler as your tag team partner then when you get into a squeeze you would just have to trust some in that big tough guy and just say, "tag, you're in now" and then he goes in for you. The same situation exists before Adrian has to stand up and speak to a crowd, he has doubts in himself but he knows that God is his tag-team partner and that God will stand up for the situation, when he's sharing the gospel, he knows that it will be God opening that person's understanding towards God and not himself. Adrian just wanted to hammer home the point that for each and every one of us that "Christ is in you."
Two days before he gave a message and talked a bit about Jesus. Back in the times of Jesus' ministry the question whether or not he was deity, God. Adrian explained that that obviously wasn't the question to us at CIU that day otherwise we wouldn't be there, we all believe he was God. The question for us today is whether or not we are going to "follow Christ with reckless abandon or not?" He also spoke about a treatise this pastor wrote and I'll share it because I really like it. By the way, you can probably find some of these chapel messages at the bottom of ciu.edu where it says podcasts. 2007.11.30

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16) By Dr. Bob Moorehead