Hello, friends!
One of the things that constantly strikes me as I continue on this journey of campus ministry is remembering that the fight we fight is not just on the campus but is a spiritual battle as well. There is a real enemy and he does not want us to advance the Gospel in a real and meaningful way. He does not want college students to follow Jesus. He doesn't want campuses transformed into places where the Gospel shines. He certainly doesn't want students to graduate with a sense of purpose and calling to follow Jesus wherever they go next. So, the enemy fights, and he fights dirty. He lies. He steals. He destroys. I wish he wasn't so good at what he does but this ain't his first rodeo. Here are a few of the battles I've seen over the past week or so.
I was talking to a campus pastor the other day and he was talking about an administrator who is downright hostile towards Christians. The pastor was sharing with me different interactions that he's had with this administrator, as well as giving me a little bit of background about why this administrator may be so hostile. As we were talking, the sense of spiritual warfare was palpable. Somewhere along the way, this administrator started believing the lie that having a Christian presence on campus was not just bad for the school but bad for him personally. This administrator has a fair amount of power at the university too, meaning that we can expect plenty more battles to come.
A few days ago I was talking with some coworkers about a cult that has made its way onto a number of different campuses across the nation. Cults are scary business already but the ones that are disguised as Christian groups are the ones that terrify me the most. I've heard a number of stories of students who got involved, thinking they were joining a Christian group, only to realize that something wasn't right when the group started putting extra-biblical requirements on their salvation. Thankfully, those students got out but a number of students, too high a number, get sucked in for good.
Usually, August isn't migraine season but this past month had its share of close calls. There was more than one occasion where I had to fight to get up and fight off the pain. Looking back at my calendar, I noticed a pattern: Migraine days were days when I was going to be doing something significant on campus, usually a visit. One could call it a coincidence but I know there's something more to it than me just happening to be dehydrated on the exact day I'm supposed to go visit a campus and try to plant some campus ministry.
What's the solution? Friends, the solution is prayer. This past week, I spent a significant amount of my time at Lincoln praying. As I walked around campus, I saw students with crosses around their necks, dropping F-bombs and N-words, talking about how plastered they were going to get over the weekend. So I prayed that they would encounter the real Jesus. I saw students visibly in distress, with that glassy look in their eyes like they didn't know how they were going to make it through the day. So I prayed that they would feel the love of Christ and that it would give them hope. I walked around the library and prayed that it would be a place of refuge and learning and that walls would be broken down. I prayed that a light would begin to shine on campus. I thanked God for the work that he's already done. I sang "This Little Light of Mine." I prayed.
Friends, will you take a few minutes right now and pray for the work that's being done here in MidMissouri? Would you pray for more workers for the harvest? Would you pray that God would break through the lies students are believing? Would you pray for a revival at Mizzou, Lincoln, Columbia College, and wherever we aren't yet? Would you praise Jesus for the good work that he's already done? Will you pray with me?
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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