wednesday nights are now my feast nights. :> every wednesday, our fellowship meets for bible study to prepare ourselves for the new year of ministry ahead. and every wednesday, i leave feeling like i've had the biggest, most satisfying meal because God's Word is just SO GOOD.
tonight, God revealed a new dimension of campus ministry that i had never really taken to heart before. while we were chewing on Acts 2:42-47, we noticed that this initial stage of the church was smooth sailing. everything was good, everyone was happy. it was a honeymoon. then, a couple pages later, the religious leaders start getting jealous and the church begins to feel some antagonism (Acts 5:17). After Stephen's stoning, Luke writes, "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria" (Acts 8:2). the church is now scattered. but the early days served as a solid basis for the believers - they had felt the power of God and seen His love at work in their community. two verses later, we're told that those who were scattered did not lose their faith but rather, they "preached the word wherever they went."
in the same way, when students graduate, they too are scattered into the world that is full of danger and persecution. so one role of the campus ministry is to provide an Acts 2 type of environment where they can be rooted and gain a solid foundation in the knowledge and experience of the reality of God. and our grad programs should be more of send-offs!
so many lessons in one day. more insights to be posted tomorrow. :>
~Hebrews 4:12a~
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