#12 – Back to School Challenges

[Note: I hope that you will eventually watch the movie “Saint Ralph” because, as posting #11 should tell you, it has a LOT to speak to you about as a Christian.]

I can just hear you – “Wow, 3 months of summer vacation is over – already!” I’m afraid so. Now, as you get yourself ready for the start of another school year, I’d like to ask you to consider again what I’ve said in previous postings. As a Christian, whether you acknowledge or not, YOU are a STUDENT-MISSIONARY. YOU have an opportunity during your years at school to make an eternal impact on many lives and leave a legacy that will stand in eternity. You can do this by (1) the example you are of one who seeks to do his/her school work with excellence (which may or may not be shown by the grades you earn) , (2) the kind of person you are – whether you are someone who shows he/she truly cares about others – not just those in your clique (this means not just hanging out with your Christian friends or just those you have a connection with and are comfortable being around, but the new kids, the ones who are trying to fit in, those struggling with their schoolwork, those who tend to look and act weird or just different from others; and whether you are a person of integrity, someone who stands up for what is right, even if its not popular and even in the face of hostile opposition, and (3) being available for any opportunity God gives you to share Christ with another student, teacher, or other school personnel. An important thing to keep in mind is that, as much as possible, the first time you discuss spiritual things with someone, be patient to LISTEN carefully to what and why the other person believes as they do. Not only will this earn you the right to share afterwards what and why you believe what you do (which you should be certain about and can clearly express) but it will also help you to understand if the beliefs held by the other person are heart-felt or are just those of the person’s family’s religion.

As you start the school year, I’d like to challenge you with 2 things:
(1) If you have not yet done so, I hope that you will give thought to what I shared in posting #10 about doing a PRAYERWALK at your school. If you are unable to do it at the school before the first day of school, consider doing it (with as many friends as you can gather) on the first day of school, either arriving just a half hour before classes start OR staying after school to do it. Again, don’t fail to underestimate just the powerful effect that “inviting God into your school” can do to see supernatural things happen.

(2) Make a commitment to pray for at least one other student (and the teacher) in each of your classes before every class begins. If you don’t know their name, make a point to introduce yourself as soon as possible.) You might pray something like this:


“Heavenly Father, I pray for _______. I pray that you will help him (or her) to be able to learn much and do excellent work in this class during the year ahead. But more importantly, I pray that if they do NOT know you as their Savior and Lord, that during the coming school year you will open their heart to hearing the message of the gospel, either from me or through someone else, such as at a Christian outreach event. If they ARE a believer, please help me to learn this as soon as possible so that we can encourage each other. I trust you to do this, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”


If you did this – praying for just one student (and the teacher) in each class every day, you should be able to pray for each student several times each year. If the student is not a believer – and there is a good chance the student is not – then YOU might be the only person who has ever prayed for him or her. By your prayers, you invite God into that person’s life to work to bring that person into the Kingdom of God in a way that might not be possible otherwise. In a future posting, I’ll share with you in detail how I miraculously ended up hearing the gospel but of how it was all proceeded, I believe, by a group of people I'd never met who prayed for me just months before. Trust me, YOUR prayers can prepare the way for someone’s life to be changed FOREVER.

I realize that praying for every student in all your classes regularly might seem overwhelming. But remember, I’m just asking you to pray for ONE student before every class period. And, if every Christian student did this, there is a good chance EVERY student at your school would be prayed for numerous times during the school year. Don’t you think God would honor those prayers and cause many to hear the gospel before the school year is over? Just like “Saint Ralph,” we just need to believe God for a miracle and put things in place to see it happen, and I believe we will see the supernatural happen in life after life at your school this coming school year.