Dr. Gary Mathena Delivers Oct. 5 Chapel Message

October 6, 2022

Dr. Gary Mathena, author and former professor and worship leader, delivered the chapel message Wednesday, Oct. 5. The service took place in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium on the OBU campus in Shawnee. His message was titled "Relentless Forward Progress: Life Lessons Learned on the Run."

Mathena opened with a story about his second attempt running a fifty-mile trail race, in which he succeeded. He then followed up the story with many biblical analogies to running a race and “living the victorious Christian life.” He began his message in Philippians 3:10-16.

“The first life lesson I’ve learned on the run can be found here in [Philippians] verse 12. Before you can run the race you must assess where you are,” he said. He later challenged chapel attendees with several questions pertaining to their spiritual fitness. “Have you become satisfied with your spiritual progress?” he asked. “Have you lost that desire to aspire to do great things for God?” he continued.

Directing chapel attendees to Galatians 5:22-23 which states, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,” Mathena asked chapel attendees if their spiritual lives contained each fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22 by asking specific questions pertaining to each one.

He closed his message with words of encouragement for chapel attendees, “Sometimes running the race of life can feel like a grueling marathon, we struggle, we stumble, we feel like we’ll never make it the finish line. With blood, sweat and tears we look up from the pavement into the face of the Lord Jesus who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. And we hear him say run dear saint, run. You’re almost there, don’t quit, keep going, you’re not alone. I’m running with you all the way.”

Mathena is the author of “One Thing Needful: An Invitation to the Study of Worship,” in which he explains what worship is and why God wants us to practice it not just on Sundays, but every day. He has been a worship leader in many churches in America for over 45 years and taught at the School of Music at Liberty University.