The Power of God on the Campus

When I am home on a Sunday I always look forward to volunteering in kids church to help my wife.  There is a young girl in kids church that it never fails, her prayer request each Sunday is that her dad returns home.  Her dad walked out on her family and this 8 year olds prayer is always for her dad that walked out.  Each Sunday about 50 kids come to kids church and each one has a story that would break your heart.  

Now if we multiply that to the hundreds of students on each school campus you would say that its impossible to reach the campus.  Your right, it is impossible for you and me to do it.  You and I do not have the strength or the abilities to reach the campus for God.  I often wonder if its even worth the fight to keep going on as a missionary to the school in Oregon and Idaho.  However its days like today where God reminds me in His word that I am on the winning side.  I am reminded that there is one that is greater and stronger than you and me.  

Mark 5:1-20 is an amazing story of a man with an impure spirit.  In this story we read about a man that was bound up by chains and shackles.  He lived in the tombs and in the hills and the scriptures tells us that "No one was strong enough to subdue him".  However when Jesus arrived, this man came out of the tombs to meet Jesus and by Jesus' appearance alone this man fell to his knees at the feet of Jesus.  We can read on in the passage and see that what MAN tried to do and failed Jesus did just by His words.  

We try so often to accomplish good and well meaning things without putting Jesus first.  There is no way that we can take on the issues on a school campus or even the things that you and I deal with in life.  Its like man trying to subdue this man with the impure spirit.  We cannot do it.  However when we allow Christ to lead the way and be the answer the enemy has no other choice but to kneel at the feet of Christ.  

So, lets begin today by going to our local school campus and praying.  Lets give complete control over to God and let His presence release on our campuses.  I know its summer however what better way to begin next school year than to begin covering our schools with pray now.  The enemy will have no choice but to kneel to the One that is victorious and that is to Jesus Christ.  What man can't do God will.  

Our Schools Matter Free Resource

Our Schools Matter is a movement to get churches more involved on the most strategic mission field in the local communities.  Our School matters provides a free download resource which provides a step by step process to adopt the local school.  LETS GET STARTED. 

Ready to Start? Here’s How it Works

  1. Select the school(s) you desire to serve.
  2. Talk to your local school administration. 
    • - Set a meeting with your school administration. It is important you schedule a meeting first with your local school leaders before making any assumptions of what the school’s needs may be.
    • - Inquire as to what the school needs and communicate the church’s desire to support their work.
  3. Decide what you can do.
    • - Discuss with your church leadership about what your church can do. Any need can be made scale-able for any size church.
    • - Begin to create an action plan to respond to the need. Decide what will be needed (funds, supplies and people) and when.
    • - Re-connect with your Youth Alive missionary for additional ideas or resources to assist your action plan.
  4. Hold an Our Schools Matter Sunday and rally your church to serve the need of your local school(s).
  5. Launch students in the Youth Series to train and equip them to start conversations to share the gospel.
  6. Share your progress and your story, big or small. Use the hashtag #youthalive

With that said please visit Our School Matters website and download the resource today.  The next step is to contact Wes Sheley or your local youth alive missionary to help assist you and your church on an amazing journey to reaching the local schools.  

Love

It’s a beautiful day outside the high school cafeteria as students grab their lunch and flood outside to soak up the sun. For one young man, however, he knows he has a greater purpose on his school campus besides grabbing his food and hanging out with his friends. He looks across the cafeteria and sees Sara. She’s a freshman and fairly new to town, so she doesn’t have a lot of friends yet. In fact, she doesn’t really have any friends. She comes from a broken home and is fairly quiet. As the young man watches her eat alone, he feels the prompting of the Holy Spirit to go over and talk with her. So he does…

While visiting, they begin discussing their favorite drinks, and he shares that he is water. Sara looks puzzled because water is so bland. The young man expresses that the water he loves is like no other water. He explains that once you have a drink of it, you’ll never thirst again. Of course, Sara wants to know more, so the young man explains that this water is Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

The story I just briefly shared is a modern version of the woman at the well. Can you imagine our students living out the New Testament stories today on their school campuses? In fact, can you imagine living out your favorite NT story in your life today? The thing is, we can and should be doing just that. Jesus told his disciples that they would do even greater things through the Holy Spirit than what He did!

Jesus told his disciples that they would do even greater things through the Holy Spirit than what He did!

I’ve been on a journey in my own life to understand what it means to daily walk with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I’ve learned that many people, including myself, look for specific gifts of the Holy Spirit, but the gift that matters the most is the gift of LOVE. The greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit is love, and all other gifts flow out of it. If we were to look at all the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, the first one listed is love. Jesus even said that the greatest commandment is to love God and love others.

I’ve really been asking myself if I’m loving enough and if I’m teaching on the love of Christ enough. I’ve realized over this past month that the more I teach on the love of Christ and live it out, the more I experience and teach on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. My heart’s desire is to see not just students, but all ages living out modern-day New Testament stories in our everyday lives.

My heart’s desire is to see not just students, but all ages living out modern-day New Testament stories in our everyday lives.