Salvation and Education - A New Leaf

 1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (NKJV)

Hello and blessings Saints! If you're new to WoR, salutations! I hope you are edified by my posts. If you're a returning reader, thank you for all the support! God bless you.

I wanna start off by saying a massive thank you to you all. My transparency post did bits and all the glory goes to Him. Furthermore, you guys have made me feel very good about opening up and all the negative thoughts I had surrounding the post were quenched because the love you guys showed me was >>>>>>>>

U N M A T C H E D 

Today's post is going to be aimed at believers starting University, new believers that are stepping into their next year of University and younger believers going into 6th Form. If you know anyone that fits into any of these categories, please send this link to them because prayerfully it will help them.

Let's get going 

So this time last year, WoR wasn't even a THOUGHT. I was still writing on It's Random (my old secular blog) so I decided to compile a list of Uni's and get my friends to do reviews on them. It was a really cool project. This year I've decided to do something a bit smaller but still offer advice but this time with a twist - Christian advice for those in education. I have a few points and I hope they really help.

1. Why it may be hard to be a believer at University.

This point is interesting. To be quite frank, being a believer at University means you cannot completely follow University culture. Now I'm not going to start pointing out things that you can and can't do but I just want us to bear in mind 3 things

- We are called to be letters of recommendation to Christ (2 Cor 3:4 onwards)

- As believers, we CANNOT hide out light. We need to let it shine so people may see our good works and glorify God. (Matthew 5:13 onwards)

- Christ lives in you (Col 1:27). You can't be taking Jesus everywhere and to be doing everything.

We are told to follow our own personal conviction in Romans 14:22-23 so what works for you may not work another person. However, we need to make sure that we are constantly studying the Bible so that we gain new knowledge and understand - this will lead to deeper revelations and clearer convictions.

If you're a New Believer, this may be a bit strange to you BUT my dm's are open for questions. It can be about things like smoking, parties, club events and even sex. No question is stupid please. Maturer Christians going into University, you'll probably learn that you're not interested in these kind of things and may be looking for alternatives eg games nights, console tournaments or even just chilling indoors with friends.

2. Don't worry about not making friends - I had the same issue (ish).

This is a big thing and a lot of the people I've spoken to going into Uni and 6th Form have asked about this. What to do when you have no Christian friends. 

- PRAY

I've mentioned this before but I didn't really have proper Christian friends until Jan 2020. When I gave my life, I slowly started drifting away from my friends in the world because we had nothing to talk about. Our interests became so polar (opposite for the non-science people) that we legit had barely anything in common. I made friends then and then over lockdown God added SO MANY MORE. I literally prayed ONCE and it was a passing prayer. I remember that 1 John 5:14-15 were the verses I stood on that morning. God answered me quick!!

God knows you need companions on this walk but patience is also needed. Patience is standing firm in God's promises and waiting even though the current situation may seem impossible. #PDAK 

If you pray and you don't get an answer ASAP like me, PLEASE keep on asking. 

The next think I'd say is don't be afraid to stand out - we're called to be different. Perhaps people will start looking at you because of your love for Christ or tell you to calm down every time you begin to preach Christ crucified but like Paul said, WOE to me if I don't preach the Gospel (1 Cor 9:16). Don't be ashamed to make Christ your brand - He died for you in public so don't worship Him in secret. In all honesty, it was hard for me to come out of my shell initially and start being open about my beliefs because radical young Christians aren't the norm so when we started to show up, we were seen as OTT (over the top) or extreme. The gag is we are the revolutionary generation, microphones for Christ and mouthpieces in this generation - we need to be vocal! 

My next point is mainly for the University students reading this - don't be worried if you don't find a Church asap.  I know that in this current climate, finding a physical church may not be possible for everyone but please keep this in mind for the future. It took me 7 months to find Kharis. SEVEN. In fact it was the second Church that I tried. Growing up Catholic I was very worried about branching out but I knew that if I wanted to know God for myself I would have to take some risks - looking back it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. Don't be afraid to branch out and don't be worried if you don't find one immediately. Commit it to prayer and watch God do the rest. For now, tune into online services and continue chopping!

That's all from me today but before I go I just wanna drop a few short tips

1. PLEASE, commit this academic year into God's hands. Pray on it from the GET go. Whenever troubles arise, talk to Him and ask Him for help

2. Uni students, when you have you online freshers fairs, please look for bible study groups and fellowships. Worshippers and singers, join Gospel choirs so when everything starts up again, you have a space to sing ,worship Him and nurture your gift.

3. To those who may be reading this and may be thinking about getting serious with Christ or want to know more about Him, please dm me on Twitter. No question is silly!

Hope this post was a blessing to someone! Follow me on Twitter and dm me if you have any questions - @johnpaulk01