School is back! Even here in the Republic of Texas school is officially rolling (we held on to summer as long as we could).  What now? You spent your summer, or part of your summer, or part of a past summer making Him famous overseas. So how do you continue that on mission lifestyle back home?

This week will feature a short series of blog posts to instruct, encourage, and equip you to do just that. You are on mission. There is an ancient work of God on your campus ready for you to join. Live to make Him famous.

Perspective

It is hard to miss the mission field when you are overseas. Just about everything you experience, see, and smell sends a signal to your brain reminding you that you “aren’t in Kansas anymore.” (Kansas students, feel free to ignore the quotation marks in that phrase…or not.) The truth is that being overseas gives you a different perspective on your environment. You see people and you think about their need for Jesus. You pass by a park and you wonder if those children playing will ever hear His story. You catch a radio tower in the distance and find yourself praying for the Gospel to be carried over those airwaves to that nation. You walk into a village in remote South Asia and immediately notice a good place to have a church service. Every conversation, every meeting, every train ride, every appointment could turn divine at any moment so you watch and you pray.

Your school campus is your mission field. The problem is you usually don’t see it that way. The familiarity breeds complacency. These are the same people you see every day, the same PB&J you eat 5 days a week, the same teachers and coaches that were there last year. And so you lose perspective.

Time to change. See your campus and your involvement there through God’s eyes.

“that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” –2 Corinthians 5:19-20

God has placed you as His ambassador on that campus. You just need to embrace that role, and that starts with a change in your perspective. Why do you have English class when you have English class? Yes, I know your schedule just worked out that way due to your electives and all kinds of other factors. But I believe God placed you in that English class at that time b/c He wants you to represent Him there. Why do you play the sport you play? Why do you play in the band? Why are you in that club ? Why are you into drama (which is really a whole different question, but we probably won’t deal with that)? Yes, I know you are good at it, have a passion for it, or developed an interest for that activity along the way. God gave you that talent, that passion, that interest so He could place you in a circle of influence where you could be His ambassador.

Do you see it? It truly is all in your perspective. Pray today. Pray this week. Pray this school year. Ask God to give you the eyes to see your campus the way He sees it–as your mission field this fall and this spring. And as you pray, be ready. You never know when He will make a classroom chat, hallway meeting, locker room conversation a divine appointment. Be ready for Him to use you to make Him famous.