Spreading the Word on Campus
Ashley Williams
June 2, 2009
Filed under Spirituality, Student Life, Top Stories
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” —Matthew 28:19–20.
For those of us who have been raised in a private, Christian school this verse can oftentimes come off as overused and cliché. We’ve known it ever since we were able to read and write and can recite it in at least two different versions with flawless diction. However, since fellow believers constantly surround us, we rarely stop and truly reflect on these powerful verses of Scripture and how commanding they are, especially outside of our safe, Christian-school boundaries.
In early March, I had the opportunity to visit the college I will be attending next fall. As it is not a Christian college, I started asking other students and professors about the spiritual life on campus. I was curious as to what organizations or groups were active to help students live out their faith while in college. I was thoroughly surprised, though, that many of the students said they weren’t involved with “those” activities or groups. Right then and there, I realized that my faith and beliefs would be tested in a profound way once I ventured off to school. I contemplated how I could share my faith in a way that would be receptive to others, whose hearts may have been hardened to Christians in general.
I believe that in order to effectively share the Gospel with nonbelievers, our actions and words need to match. It is important for us to know and fully comprehend that nonbelievers study God’s people—not God’s Word. My prayer is that the Lord will provide me with plenty of opportunities to share His goodness simply through my actions so that people’s curiosity is piqued enough to want to know His Word. I pray it’s not just through participation in groups such as Campus Crusade for Christ or InterVarsity, but in smaller actions such as choosing not to participate in certain activities, performing small acts of kindness for my roommates, or simply sitting out on the grass on a cool spring day reading my Bible.
We should all be willing vessels of His Spirit, no matter where we are or what we are doing , whether we’re at a Christian college or secular university.