School is Back in Session - Time to GET BUSY for Christ!

Ahhh, summer break…

Cool evenings, BBQ’s, staying up late, camping and relaxing by the pool.

And remember the first smell of cut grass and the soothing sound of crickets that lent a hand in getting you to sleep?

But it’s all gone now, my friend! School is back and you’ve been served up 9 months of papers and projects and performance evaluations!

Now…don’t you feel better having this harsh reality out in the open?

While you may hate the idea of being back in school, Jesus is really happy that you're there. Why? Because that school is a mission field and He has some pretty big expectations from those teens who bear his name.

"Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields” (Matthew 9:35-38).

This is a perfect picture of what Jesus sees when He looks at all the hundreds or thousands of students going to classes, breaking for lunch and headed home each day after the last bell rings: He has “compassion” on them.

In the original language of the Bible, the word “compassion” means to literally “spill your guts.” In other words, His heart breaks and He is sick to His stomach when He sees your school campus.

Why?

Because just like the people in His day, your friends are “confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

The eyes of our Savior get past the external labels to the condition of the soul. When we come to school, we look at the clothes, the car, the group of friends, and the expressions on faces. But Christ’s gaze cuts through the facade and goes straight into the reality of how a person is feeling.

In His day, the people were confused about who God is and how they could be forgiven of their sins. They were helpless before the powerful religious leaders of that day who led them astray into thinking they had to earn God’s love.

And absolutely nothing has changed. And THAT's why the Son of God is so happy to see you back at school. Because He wants to use YOU as His instrument to represent Him on your campus.

Join us this week as we continue our series on Biblical Christianity, and how it impacts our everyday lives.

See you at The Refuge!

Special thanks to Dare 2 Share Ministries for resource material used in this week's lesson.