Student Life - October 2024
Already, at the time of this writing, we are a couple of weeks into the new school year. Even though the summer was loads of fun and we had our fair share of events, I’m grateful to be back in the normal routine of things. It truly is a joy of mine to be with our church three times a week. And with that being said, it’s been great to see the chairs in the student room fill up again! With the increase from the incoming 6th grade class and students bringing their friends, we see an average of around 45 students at each
gathering. Praise God!
With the new school year in mind, my heart sought after a sermon series that would be simple and applicable for the students. I wanted to point the students to hope that we can find in Jesus when He says “Follow Me”. With this theme in mind, we can look at passages of Scripture where Christ offers help, guidance, and hope in a world that can be so lost or in very trying times in our own lives. Look with me at John 8 verse 12:
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””
Look at everything Christ promises here. He states that He is the light of the world, meaning He is the only true hope that can save us from our sinful lives and this sinful world. Next, He says “whoever follows me”. This section is where we come in. But what is our responsibility? Following Him. Now I do admit that this is easier said than done, but this provides hope and security for when we mess up or need help. This is a section of Scripture to look at for help. If you are in Christ, you already know that you are secure in Christ. But our hearts are still led astray at times. When this happens, we need to run back to Christ and cling to Him. And when we do that, what does He tell us to do? Follow Him. We let Him guide our paths, we let Him strengthen us, and we let Him give us life. How do we know this? We consider the end of verse 12. With Christ as our Leader, we will not walk in darkness and will gain the light of life.
This was where my heart remained when considering the theme for the next school semester. I want to provide all of the students (believers and non-believers) the hope and guidance of Christ. I also wanted to challenge them with Christ’s leadership. If they are believers but do not follow Christ at school or on the team, is Christ at the center of what they pursue? Likewise, if there is a student that isn’t a believer yet, I seek to challenge them and ask what do they pursue? What do they place at the center of their lives? Because the problem with the verse above is Christ says Follow HIM, nothing else.
So, please be in prayer with me as Pastor Bryan and I preach and work through sermons this semester challenging students to Follow Christ. It is my prayer that the students will have open hearts and ears to the messages and that the Lord would do mighty works in them!
