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How to handle insults and lies.

Last night we looked through the New Testament to get practical instruction on an important skill Christians need to have in our corner of the world. How should we respond when Christians (or we ourselves personally) are lied about and insulted? Here are the scriptures we read, with the bullet points we pulled from each passage for direction.

1 Peter 2:11-12

  1. Stay holy, privately (2:11)
  2. Stay “good” publicly (2:12) – in ways non-believers would recognize as good

1 Peter 2:23

  1. Think of Jesus’ example – don’t answer back with the same kind of speech
  2. …and don’t threaten
  3. …and entrust yourself to God.

1 Peter 3:8-9

  1. Speak blessings to those who don’t bless you. (Mt 5:44)

1 Peter 3:14-16

  1. Don’t be afraid of those who threaten (3:14)
  2. …but fear God, that is, honor Christ in your hearts above everything else (3:15)
  3. Be ready to speak about what is true (3:15), positive, clear, understandable message
  4. Keep your conscience clear (3:16)

1 Peter 4:14

  1. Understand how God’s Glory works—shame in this world which doesn’t know God, leads to honor in the next. It’s counterintuitive. Cross > glory.

Hebrews 10:32-33

  1. Be willing to associate with others who are insulted

Hebrews 11:26

  1. Choose it if you have the choice. And glory in the shame—it associates you with Christ, which is greater honor than what our generation offers in comfort, wealth or fame.

Hebrews 13:13-14

  1. Associate with the shame of Christ, even if it costs you old community and identity

1 Thessalonians 2:2

  1. Respond with boldness in your willingness to speak the message of Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:13

  1. Answer with encouragement to follow Christ

Matthew 5:11-12

  1. Rejoice.  (you have a heritage, you have a future reward.)

Why do we respond this way?

  1. Because this is how God is, and it demonstrates that we’re fundamentally connected to him. See Luke 6:35 — “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.” This is how God’s power works.
  2. It lets God be God. He is the avenger of lies and lifelessness. One day he will expel every lie from the earth, and everyone who clings to lies will be swept away with them. In the mean time, he’s extending patience and kindness to anyone who wants to turn from lies to the truth.
  3. In the meantime, responding this way will show the gospel to be the life-transforming power that it truly is, and it will show that in Christ we have something better than what is taken from us when we’re insulted.

If you don’t follow Jesus, and you haven’t experienced new spiritual life through trusting in him, we simply want to ask you: Do you have anything in your life this powerful? Do you have something that could sustain you if you lost face, lost friends, and lost reputation? Friendship with God, identification with Jesus Christ, and the inner power of the life of the Spirit of God provide Christians with what they need to endure shame and insults. God is freely offering you this life and this power. Do you want it?

All the leaves will wither.

A parable:

The children ran through the woods, on their way to the house. It was autumn, and the trees were dropping leaves. As they ran, they picked up the brightest.

“I found red,” they yelled.

“Yellow, look at this yellow!”

“This one’s green and orange!”

They had handfuls, and kept collecting. One boy moved a leaf and stopped–there was a gold coin under it. He dropped his leaves and pick it up, holding it tightly with both hands. He kept running.

“What are you doing?” the other kids asked. “You don’t have any leaves!”

“I got my coin,” he said. “I’m not letting go.”

“You’re going to miss out!” They said. “Look!” They held up their piles and piles of beautiful leaves.

“I’m carrying this to the house.” He said.

“You’re crazy!” they scoffed. “Leaves are the best thing in the world! Get them while you can before they’re gone!” And away they ran, grabbing more and more leaves.

The journey was longer than they all thought. They ran through the Fall, and deep into Winter. One by one, every leaf the children had collected lost its beauty–browning, growing brittle and dry, then crackling, then turning to dust.  Just as spring was breaking, they came to the river. At its edge they stood, all the children with arms full of dusty leaf remains–all except the boy with one gold coin. He held it in both hands.

They all crossed the river. Emerging wet, the boy held his coin. The other children emerged too, but the river had washed away their leaf remains. Finally, they all stood before the gate.

The sign hung across it read, “Price of admission–one gold coin. Enter, all those who held on through the river.”

The Artist Didn’t Lie

A parable:

A man took his friend to a park, telling him, “You have to see this amazing tree in the center of the park.” When they arrived at the park’s center, there was the tree, standing tall in the sun.

“Wow,” his friend exclaimed, “This tree is huge! By the height of it I’d say it must be at least 80 years old.”

“No,” the man said, “It’s only three weeks old.”

“But that’s impossible!” said his friend, “A tree can’t grow this tall that fast!”

“This tree is a work of art, actually,” the man explained. “I know it looks authentic in every detail, but it didn’t grow here on its own–it was designed by a master artisan and he built it with his team over just a few days. It was completed three weeks ago.”

“The artist is a liar!” his friend said. “This is a totally deceptive work of art! Anyone who sees it is going to assume that this is a very old tree!”

“What?” asked the man. “The point of the tree isn’t to give a certain impression of age. That has nothing to do with it.”

“Even so, it’s what everyone will think,” his friend said. “How am I supposed to know that this tree had an artist behind it?”

“Well that’s the point of the plaque,” the man said, pointing.

His friend looked, and sure enough, there it was. He hadn’t noticed it, but a huge plaque wrapped the bottom of the tree. It listed the name of the artist, described the method of the tree’s construction, and recorded the dates when building was begun and completed.

“The plaque explains the point of the tree,” the man said. “It’s here to give shade and beauty to everyone in the park. And it also displays the matchless skill of the artist. Sure, someone might mistake this tree for one that grew naturally if they don’t look carefully, but the plaque takes away that possibility, and gives us the true understanding of what this tree is. No one’s really supposed to try to understand the tree without it.”

 

Why Aren’t You Having Sex?

Today we released the next video on our “Seriously We Believe” series over at the Truth on Campus website.

One of the things people find incredible about Christians in relationships is that they aim for purity and holiness—even in the area of sexuality. In other words, when a follower of Jesus starts dating another follower of Jesus, they will make it their aim to avoid the exact thing everyone else is so obsessed with. Why? Are they stupid? Why not just enjoy each other?

Our friends Jake and Toni open up in this candid, honest video about some of life’s most important issues—and how much better their relationship is as a result of their choices.

 

https://vimeo.com/137172372

And, as always, the entire library of Truth on Campus videos can be viewed at the Media Page, on Vimeo, and on You Tube.

How to Be Rich, Poor, and Neither.

Last night we continued our study through the book of James, looking at his denunciation of rich oppressors in chapter 5 verses 1-6 and his instructions to Christians in verses 7 through 11. James gives us God’s word on how to think and act whether we find ourselves with or without money, and it has to do with not letting either of those situations define us. Here are the notes:

5:1-6 A Prophetic Denunciation of Non-Believing, Rich Oppressors

How most people would see these people: pleasure and luxury (v.5)

What God sees when he looks at these people, based on how James describes this group’s actions:

v.3   Hoarding—They keep more treasure then they use, to the point that it is like rusted metal.
v.4   Exploitation—They get rich by ripping others off.
v.5   Extravagance—their own comfort, status and pleasure is their main motivation
v.6   Oppression—they twist justice and use power to maintain their position, making others suffer

What is the actual status of these people, based on how James describes their spiritual state:

v.1. Blind to reality—they are enjoying their situation, but if they knew the truth, they’d freak out.
v.3   Condemned—their wealth is evidence against them that will condemn them in God’s court. Ignorant of the times—they’ve stored up treasure, but it’s the last days, so it’s all meaningless
v.4   The warrior God is fully aware of the outcry against them. He’s not happy.
v.5   they’ve been fattening themselves for the slaughter.

Point: how does this apply to us?

  1. It applies directly, then and now, to people who get rich at other people’s expense, and use it to get richer. This can include people who are politicians, corporate execs and other business people, landlords, slave traders, warlords, drug dealers, pimps, and more. It applies indirectly to people who heap up wealth and use it only to live in luxury, and refuse to help the poor and helpless (see 1:27). This could include anyone economically in this category, regardless of their job or lack of job.
  2. It is not meant to apply to any Christian. If someone considers themselves a Christian and this passage describes them, James would call them to repent, as he does in 4:2-10, and show that they have faith by a change in their life.
  3. How does it apply to us, here tonight? Assuming you’re not actively oppressing anyone, there are still things to learn from this passage.
    1. We live in a country where most of us are going to have access to some wealth. Unlike the Christians in this letter, who were more likely to be on the receiving end of this oppression , economically (see 2:6-7), a lot of us might have the opportunity to be economically more like the oppressors James mentions. So the first thing we need to think about is, do I have anything in my life that is like this? Do I find these tendencies in my heart? We should ask the Lord to expose and root out of our hearts anything that: loves things more than people, feels calloused towards the suffering of others, is willing to ignore those we have an obligation to, lets comfort and wealth make us forget the nearness of Christ’s coming and the judgment of God. Now, as westerners, if something doesn’t change we’ll probably live our lives as some of the world’s wealthiest people—And that gives us a special responsibility to check ourselves next to God’s word.
    2. We could also discuss systemic economic injustice that basically all people in the west participate in by being part of the economy. Maybe a future study or blog post…

We should gauge our response by how James has already taught us to think about these things: Let the reality of God’s kingdom and eternity redefine both wealth and poverty (1:9-11). Use our resources to take care of people that don’t have them (1:27). Refuse to let socio-economic status affect how we see or treat others (2:1-9). Show our faith by taking care of other Christians who are in need (2:15-16). Take steps to prevent desire for pleasure to control what we want out of life (4:1-5). Pass all our future plans to make money through the grid of, “Does this please God?” (4:13-17).

5:7-11 How oppressed Christians should respond

  1. Patience with people who oppose us. Like a farmer, who plants seeds and waits because he knows they’ll grow. (v.7)
  2. Strengthen your hearts. Fight feelings of inner weakness by remembering that the Lord is coming soon—and all wrongs will be put right. (v.8)
  3. Don’t grumble against each other. (v.9)
  4. Let the bible teach you how to live and think—remember the prophets! (v.10 )
  5. Be like the prophets—speak God’s word faithfully to your generation, even when it’s unpopular. (v.10)
  6. Endure difficult situations. (v.11)
  7. Be like Job. Refuse to renounce God, and pray it out. (v.11)
  8. Persevere until the situation changes—all the way to the end. (v.11)

Ending challenge:

Realize: just because we’re not being oppressed today, doesn’t mean it can’t ever happen. We need to know the bible’s teaching for oppressed people so we are ready if it comes. But even if we’re not being oppressed, the key is for Christians to act like this all the time! In this way we identify with those who are oppressed, and we do the important work of making sure God’s word is the thing that is shaping our lives.

How to Dream and Plan with God

Last night we continued out study through James’ letter. Here are the notes:

James 4:13 -17

4:13 This is a picture of planning without reference to God. It assumes we have tomorrow. It is self assured: It declares what we’ll do, declares it will be successful.

Note: These are people who: had freedom to move around and make plans, had the money to be able to do business, had the opportunity to develop the skills to do business, lived in a society that was stable enough they could start and run businesses, had already been successful enough in the past that they could expect some success in the future. In other words, this is very modern and very American.

4:14 &16 Errors in this kind of thinking:

  1. It assumes something you can’t know: the future. (“you don’t actually know what is going to happen.”)
  2. It ignores how fragile your life is. (“your life is a vapor”)
  3. It ignores how short life is. (“a little time”)
  4. It ignores how quickly and unexpectedly life can end. (“vanishes away”) see also: 1:11, Is 40:6-8)
  5. It ignores God. (v.15)

Notice 4:16–James calls this “arrogant boasting.” It’s evil.

4:15   What we ought to say and think: “If the Lord wills.”

This means two things:

  1. Acknowledging that we’re dependent on God’s upholding of our life so that we continue to live, and his permission to be allowed to do anything. If God chooses to end this physical life, our plans won’t happen. If God chooses to permit us to live, but to prevent us from doing what we planned, then our plans won’t succeed. This is what we usually mean when we talk about “God’s will for my life.” In this sense, James is just telling us to be humble, and always remember that we don’t make anything happen by our own strength, as if we could forget God, live independently of him, and then succeed whenever and however we want. But all success is dependant in many ways on many things, and ultimately, on God.

Note: God has decided that we’d live without being able to know the future. And he doesn’t usually guide us by telling us the future. So the part of God’s will that involves our future is not something we would typically know when we make plans. Which means it’s not important for us to know the future in order to “do God’s will.” What is important is not that we acknowledge the details of a plan God may have for our life, but that we acknowledge God himself, personally, as the one we’re totally dependent on, and the one who can overrule us at anytime he wants to. In other words, James tells us to always remember, when we think, when we plan and even when we talk, that God, as a person with his own thoughts, is the most important person we must reference in all our planning. This leads us to the second part of what James means here…

  1. How do you actually incorporate God into all your thinking? It’s not just by thinking, “God decides if I live or die and if my plans succeed,” it’s by Thinking about what God has said he wants his people to do in the world. So “the will of God” doesn’t only mean, “what God plans to have happen.” There’s another way the phrase is used, which is more like, “What God has told us he wants us to do.” This is what it means in verses like: Matthew 6:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:3. Unlike the future, which we can’t know, these are things which we can know. And not only that, but these are things God wants us to know, and has actually told us. So we can’t plan for the future by figuring the future out, but we must plan for the future by acknowledging God in all our planning. And that means that when we plan, or dream, or think, or talk about the future, the bible teaches us to think about all our plans, and all our dreams, by asking: What has God told me he wants to have happen in my life, and in the world? What did Jesus command his followers to do? What are the clear instructions he’s given to his disciples and to the church? Once I’ve understood these things, then I make plans for my life by thinking about what things I could reasonably do in order to carry out Jesus’ commands. So the way I do God’s will is not by worrying about the future and hoping to discover his plan for my life ahead of time, but by faithfully carrying out the things I already know he wants done. If I plan to do things in my life which will accomplish what he’s clearly taught, in the future I will look up and find myself in the middle of his will.

Questions to ask ourselves:

  1. We get asked all the time: What are you going to do next? What are your plans for the future? How do I answer those questions?
  2. What do I dream about doing with your life? What do I wish for?
  3. If I wasn’t limited by money, what would I do?
  4. When I have decisions to make, do I pray more for information about the future, or for insight as to how to carry out God’s will in the circumstances that come my way?
  5. What factors do I most consider when you plan for the future: Money? Security? Comfort? Pleasure? Excitement? Or are we learning to plan our lives around God’s will, and being part of doing the things which he wants to accomplish in the world?

Verses we read last night:

On the shortness of life:

James 1:11
For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

Isaiah 40:6-8
All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

Job 14:1-2
“Man who is born of woman Is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue.

Psalm 103:15-16
As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.

On the “Will of God” as his plan for the future:

Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

Proverbs 21:30
There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the LORD.

Psalm 37:23-24
The steps of a man are from the LORD, and he establishes him in whose way he delights; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD is the stay of his hand.

On the “Will of God” as what he wants us to do:

Psalm 25:4
Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.

Psalm 25:12
Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.

1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

1Th 5:18
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Psalm 40:8
I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.

Psalm 143:10
Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

Matthew 12:50
“For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 18:14
“It is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

Ephesians 5:17
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Colossians 1:9
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

1 John 2:17
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Matthew 6:10
[Pray,] “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.”

True Wisdom v. False Wisdom

Last night we continued our study through the letter of James. Here are the notes:

First, we’ve already seen one of James’ major concern’s: authentic Christianity. Authentic faith (ch. 2) and here, authentic wisdom.

3:13  Who really is wise? Who should be listened to?

James has already told us two things:

  1. True wisdom comes from God
  2. True wisdom is given to those who ask (1:5)
  3. In fact, all good gifts come down from above (1:17)

True Faith = show it (2:18)
True Wisdom = show it. (3:13)

False Wisdom:
Here he implies: There’s a false wisdom that masquerades as true wisdom:

What could this be? Any kind of thinking that gains a following—Successful, charismatic, knowledgeable These things seem like wisdom, but you have to check…

3:14   False Wisdom’s inner traits:

  1. Bitter envy
  2. Self-seeking (selfish ambition)

3:15   False wisdom’s origins –

  • Earthly (not from above—i.e. not from God)
  • Sensual (from the human soul, not from the Spirit)
  • Demonic (from Demons (?), or, the same kind of wisdom Demons have (see 2:19)

3:16    False Wisdom’s evidences:

  1. Confusion
  2. Every Evil Thing (3:16)
  3. Fighting (4:1)
  4. Speaking evil about each other (4:11)

3:17   True Wisdom’s Evidences:

  1. Eight things (v.17)
  2. Makes peace (v.18) – thereby sowing peace and reaping righteousness (opp. “evil things” (v.16))

4:1-3    Third Evidence of False Wisdom: Fighting
All based on inner desires (3:14) being put above other people (know the danger of our desires)
Also: Lack of Real prayer (4:2-3), desiring things just to satisfy your desires

4:11-12 Fourth Evidence of False Wisdom: Speaking evil of each other (Christians)
Indicates a pride which puts yourself in the place of God.

A Coherent picture: False Wisdom shows itself in someone who fights to get their own way, speaking evil of other people. They are driven by their own inner desires, which they want to fulfill at the expense of other people, and wherever they go they breed confusion, drama, and sin. People are driven further from God, not brought closer to him. But, they get away with it because they impress others with knowledge, or charisma, or success. We may be tempted to think that is the way to be, but James says nothis wisdom is not from above (from God) but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. Don’t be fooled by it. Judge it by its fruits.

Now, James is writing to Christians, so what if I read his letter and realize that I am this way, even if it’s just in some areas of my life?

4:4-10  Gives me instructions as to what to do to go from the false wisdom to the true.

  1. Recognize that I am in spiritual adultery. (4:4)
    I love my “pleasures” (4:3) more than God.
    I love the world that rejects God more than God, and since that world is God’s enemy, I participate in hostility towards God. (4:4)
  1. Understand that God wants to give me grace (4:6)
  2. Humble Yourselves before God, or Draw Near to God
    What does this mean?
    Submit to God
    Resist the Devil (4:7)
    Get sin out of your life (4:8)
    Take this seriously (4:9) (a picture of repentance)

…And he’ll draw near to you, and He’ll lift you up.

Summing up: True Wisdom is relational. It’s not informational, or pragmatic. True wisdom found in a right relationship to God, and its fruit is healthy relationships with other humans. It starts with humility before God which shows itself in submission to his authority and experiences closeness with him. It ends up showing those same characteristics to the world of people all around it—humility, meekness, and a willingness to not get its own way for the sake of keeping peace. When someone with true wisdom enters a situation and stays there, they consistently make peace for the sake of what is most important, and righteousness grows all around like fruit in an orchard. Who is truly wise? Show it by doing works of this kind of meek wisdom.

Does God send us temptation?

I never got around to posting the notes for last week’s study, but here they are. During the previous week, studying the opening of James’ letter, we had seen that we are to think about trials as a reason to be happy, because we know they are producing something in us which will move us towards true maturity. Second, if we need wisdom to think this way, we only have to ask God, and he’ll give it. Enduring is worth it, because of the reality of eternity, and of the eternal rewards coming to those who endure.

Last Monday’s study was on James 1:12-18.

v.13
One more thing to know about trials: we need to understand how temptation works and where it’s from. The word in the original text for “trial” and “temptation” is the same. So why translate them differently? Because v.13-14 explain this is a particular kind of trial which is a little different than the general idea of “anything difficult that tries your faith” in v. 2-4. The trials in v. 2-4 seem to be situations where the evil that is coming our way is disagreeable to us—we don’t want it, we don’t like it, and we’d get out of it if we could. But the second kind of trial, in v.13-15, is a situation that is agreeable to us, or at least a part of us—inside of us is something that would want it to happen. In English our word for that kind of trial is “temptation.” 1:13 says “Know this—That part of the trial is not from God. God does not deal in evil. He isn’t tempted by it, and he doesn’t try to entice people to do evil.”

One important thing to remember: in every trial is some temptation. In most trials, there is some temptation which offers us something sinful which will make the trial go away or get us out of the situation.

v.14-15
So, if the temptation to sin isn’t from God, where’s it from? These verses say it’s from you. Evil happens when something appeals to something in us, and we go along with it. So we can’t blame God for this. We can’t say that he personally made us sin, and we can’t say he set things up so that we had no choice but to sin.

A General Rule: We can’t offload our personal responsibility for our own sin on to something else outside of us. God’s not tricking us or trying to get us to break his own law. That would be contrary to his very nature, as we see in…

v.16-17
Instead of trying to entice people to evil, God gives every good gift. With him, it’s all light, all the time. This means two things:

  1. We can trust God—he’s not going to change on us and start giving us darkness.
  2. We should not be deceived by temptation—good and perfect things come from God, not from things God tells us are evil. Evil only leads to death (v.15), not the greater life it always promises. Only God gives real life. That’s the message of verse 12.

v.14-17 also show us this about the connection between desires and goodness and life:

  1. Simply acting according to our desires is not “good.” Good only comes from God. So if we desire something God himself tells us is not from him, then our desires are not good.
  2. Following our desires is not the way to find life. Many of our desires will lead to death, because they will give birth to sin. Only God gives life. So we must come to him to get it. If we will not come to him, we will not have it.

So the key to finding true goodness and true life is to come to God to receive it from him, and to even be willing to press through trials when they come.

Tonight we’ll continue our study in James chapter 1. See you there!

4 Ways To Not Lose Your Faith In College

Andy Deane, from Calvary Chapel Bible College, shares some thoughts I totally second. Sound advice here!

Christian students usually graduate with one of the following three outcomes. [1] Their faith quits (they walk away from the Lord permanently). [2] Their faith quiets (they still profess to be Christians, but they keep that information private to avoid confrontation). [3] Their faith quickens (the challenges of college causes their roots to go deeper and stronger). Which of these outcomes are you heading towards? A strong faith sounds great, but it only comes through diligent preparation and wise choices.

The following advice will prepare you for spiritual success as you venture into college. In fact, these are the exact four steps that I ended up taking to come back to the Lord halfway through college.

1. Choose a Church Before You Arrive for Your First Day of School
Hebrews 10:25 tells us we should not be, “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” It is far too common for a new college student to church hop for a few weeks and then stop attending all together. With atheistic worldviews inundating your classes, you need to saturate yourself with solid preaching and a church community. As you schedule college visits, visit local churches during the same trip. Listen to podcasts online and do your research so that after you have chosen your college, you can quickly choose your church. Use the church locator on this website to find great Calvary Chapels near your new college. Getting plugged into Harvest Christian Fellowship in Manhattan during my sophomore year helped me stay the course.

2. Choose Your Friends Strategically
When a freshman shows up at college it can be intimidating. The tendency is to quickly find friends to bond with during orientation. Most people automatically become close friends with their roommates, no matter their character. By all means, have a great relationship with your roommate, but choosing your friends should be your calculated decision—not just because the college put you together. Paul told the Corinthians 15:33 to, “not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.” Researching the Christian clubs on your campus can lead to Godly friendships. Ministries like The Navigators, Campus Crusade for Christ, Intervarsity and others have been a crucial lifeline for millions of Christian college students. If it were not for the Navigators ministry at NYU, my last few years of college would have been very lonely.

3. Choose an Accountability Partner From Your Home Church
Once college students leave home, they are only accountable to God. Their parents and pastors are not there, so there must be a healthy fear of God if they are to walk in obedience. It is helpful to enlist the help of another Christian as an accountability partner. Someone who will give you the “fear of man” by checking up on you until the “fear of God” is enough to motivate you. Galatians 6:1-2 says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Pray about inviting someone in your home church to call you each week to see how you are doing and to pray with you. The friend who helped pull me out of the pit in college ended up being the best man at my wedding.

4. Choose to Make a Difference on Your Campus
During my senior year at NYU, there was a national record of seven suicides at our school. One in ten college students has made a plan to commit suicide. This reveals that the same people who are pressuring you to have a good time partying are actually hurting inside. Student debt and academic pressures overwhelm them. They recognize the futility of life but have no saving knowledge of Christ. They need Christians who are not just on the defensive, but rushing the gates of hell to rescue condemned sinners. Will you step out of your comfort zone and help them? For some more practical tips on how to be used in college, I would encourage you to watch a short film series compiled by Pastor Brian Weed, called “Being a Christian in College.” [Represent, Andy.]

What Will You Choose To Do?
Thriving spiritually in college is something that each student can choose to do. As strong as the tide opposing Christ in college may be, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) At times it will feel like it is impossible to resist the flood of temptation, but you must remember that there is no situation that Jesus can’t get you through. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Thinking about these bodies of ours.

Part of the mental warfare we face these days is that the basic way of thinking most common all around us assumes a very low, small view of what we are as humans. If people are forced to define what a human is, the most they can typically muster is something about evolving, and maybe a note about belonging to the mammal family. Seriously. So weak.

This is something I’ve mentioned on Monday nights from time to time.  It’s becoming a project of mine–to slowly amass biblical wisdom and Christian thought from across the ages to try to build a coherent, compelling, and (hopefully) deep account of what a human is; and one which actually matches God’s reality.

For instance, in his letter to the Romans, Paul hits one part of this whole discussion pretty hard. He mentions the body a lot. And of course, understanding what it means to be human has to include an understanding of what our bodies are and what God says about them. So one way to get some insight into this question is to read through Romans and pull out all the times the body is referred to. Stringing them together and trying to note connections, you can end up with something like this:

  • Sin leads to a dishonoring of our bodies with each other (1:24). The body is something that should be honored, and so it can be dishonored. This assumes there’s something sacred or valuable about our bodies. That’s how he starts off thinking about the body.
  • In order to exercise faith in God’s word, Abraham had to ignore the deadness of his body (4:19). The body may seem to be a hindrance to faith. Thinking about it while ignoring God may make it hard for us to trust God. But it can’t stand in the way of God’s plan.
  • In Christ our “old man” was crucified, so that what is sinfully attached to our body (“the body of sin”) could be done away with (6:6)
  • …therefore, we shouldn’t any longer let sin rule in our bodies, to allow sin to use them to serve and fulfill lust (6:12)
  • …because Christ interposed his body (which was killed, vicariously on behalf (and instead of) of our bodies) between us and God’s broken law (7:4)
  • …so, while we recognize our bodies’ attachment to sin through the lust that remains, we long for full deliverance (7:24)
  • …and we recognize sin’s ultimate effect on our bodies–death (8:10)
  • …and we know that Christ is able to give our bodies the life they need (8:11)
  • …so we put to death these sinful deeds which would kill our bodies (8:13)
  • …and we wait for Christ to fully redeem our bodies. (8:23)
  • In the mean time, we present our bodies as living sacrifices on the altar of worship to Jesus (12:1)
  • …and we understand that we ourselves are now part of the body of Christ–which is the beginning of our full redemption. (12:4-5)

There’s a lot there to chew on from the Holy Spirit.

As an aside, I encourage you to do exercises like this. Whenever you’ve got a question you want answered, research it in scripture. Chase a word or concept through the bible, a book at a time, noting everything you find, making lists and drawing conclusions. Knowing what the Bible really says on a subject is the only way to begin to transcend opinion and rise into the world understanding.

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