16 Ways to Act Like a Christian on a Christian College Campus

People think it's easy being a Christian on a conservative Christian college campus. Yes, we may not have the outright influence of drugs, alcohol, immorality, and other things we might see as big issues, but it's definitely not easy.

Why? You may ask. Because the Christian life isn't easy.

What does it mean to be a Christian? First of all, you must accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. After that, we are called to live like Christ. Being a Christian gives us the responsibility to act like Christ. Talk about some huge shoes to fill! After all, this is where the term Christian came from (Acts 11:26). These people were "little Christs." Being a "little Christ" is a challenge because it goes against our sin nature. Our flesh screams at us to do our own thing. It still does that after salvation, and it will keep doing it until one day we meet Christ (hopefully soon!).

I've got some shocking news....You're not going to see Christ in every student you meet. Some people are going to rude, mean, cutting, disrespectful, rebellious, etc. You get the point. Just because they go to Bible college, it doesn't mean they have their act together. There have been plenty of times where I have not acted like Christ; it's sad.

If we know that this is a huge issue, what can we do to change it? Well, there's not a cure all answer. Here we are back to the little things again. It's choosing to act like Christ in all the little things. (Insert "What Would Jesus Do?" question here.) We have to choose in every moment that we are going to make the Christ like choice. Here are just a few examples of how we can do that on a Christian college campus:

1. Actually get up and read your Bible and talk to God. Spend meaningful time with Him (Matthew 6:33; Psalm 42:1).
2. Have a positive attitude even if you have first hour class (Psalm 118:24).
3. Choose to be kind to that rude person even when you really don't feel like it (Ephesians 4:32).
4. Don't gossip (Proverbs 10:19).
5. Use speech that isn't questionable in any way (Ephesians 4:29).
6. Do your best in your classes, not just what it takes to get by (Colossians 3:23).
7. Wait on God's timing; don't rush into relationships (Psalm 27:14).
8. Be patient with your roommate even when she is loud while you are sleeping (Gal. 5:22-23). 
9. Tell someone how good God has been to you today (Psalm 103:1).
10. Use your time wisely whether it's working on projects or encouraging a friend or accomplishing goals. Don't waste it (Eph. 5:16).
11. Be respectful to your authority whether they are present or not; don't talk bad about them (Romans 13:1-2).
12. Be willing to learn; accept correction and constructive criticism with grace (Proverbs 19:20).
13. Don't be afraid to kindly confront someone else about a problem; stand up for what you know is right (Romans 12:1-2).
14. Go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41).
15. Give. Your time, money, friendship, clothes, food, etc. (2 Corinthias 9:7).
16. Don't worry about finances, friends, relationships, family, grades, health. Don't worry about any of it. Trust God. (Matthew 6:34)

Lethal Christian Living

I'd like to introduce you to a man named Phinehas, Aaron's grandson. This man has quite the interesting story. It's fascinating, actually. Being familiar with Old Testament stories, this isn't necessarily one of those that you heard in Sunday School growing up, but I think it is so very important, and we can apply it very practically in our lives. You can find this story in Number 25. Please take some time to read it for yourself. Here is my summary:

Israel was in a mess. Many had turned to worship other gods, specifically the gods of Moab. Men were marrying the daughters of Moab and allowing them to bring these gods into their households; before long, these gods were worshiped instead of and along with the One True God. God was so displeased, so angry that He commanded all that worshiped Baalpeor (Moabite god) to be killed. He sent a plague on Israel.

After this event, an Israelite man still had the audacity to bring a Moabite with him into the camp before those who were weeping; he walked in front of "Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel" (v. 6). He took this woman to the tent. And one man, Phinehas, stood up for God. The Bible describes a gruesome scene (probably why it isn't told often in Sunday School). Phinehas goes after the man and the woman with his javelin and kills them.

The result: "the plague was stayed" (v. 8). Why? Because "he was zealous for My sake" (v. 11).

Phinehas had to take an extreme stand for God. A deadly stand for God. He swiftly and soundly cut off the problem. He gave no excuses. He gave no explanation. He stopped the problem. He loved God enough that He would not allow His name to be dishonored.

How many of us have a sin problem in our lives that needs to be drastically killed? How many times have we dishonored God in front of others with obvious problems in our lives? Our life needs to be filled with lethal Christian living. I think that we could all admit that there are some things in our life that just need to go. If we would only have the courage of Phinehas to cut off the sin in our lives, think about how much God could be glorified.

So, what needs to go? I'm not going to give any specifics; you probably already know. It's funny how God points out exactly what we need to fix. Take courage. Ask God for His strength to help you get rid of sin and choose right.

Remember Who You Are

"Remember who you are."

These are the words that the President of my college challenged us with before we left for the end of the semester. He challenged us not to remember that we are college students of a Christian college, but that we are Christians.

What if we actually remembered that we were Christians throughout every moment of every day? Would it change the words you say when you are unhappy? Would it change the attitude that you have towards the person who disagrees with you? Would it change the way we act toward someone who may not know about Christ?

I imagine that it would. When you go throughout the day today, whoever you are or whatever you might be doing, remember who you are. You are first and foremost a Christian, a representative of Jesus Christ.

Being Real

A little taste of spiritual heaven on earth.

This is the phrase that I use to describe the place where I get to serve this summer. The Wilds is a Christian camp where I'm counseling elementary age and teenage girls this summer. After a week of staff training, you would think that I would be completely prepared, right? Well, I don't know. There are going to be situations where I need help this summer, and I definitely need God with me each step of the way. But there are a couple of things that stand out to me from this week. One is that I have to be real. 

We listened to a session about the kind of Christianity that young people are witnessing. The speaker made these three points: teens are witnessing a lifeless, loveless, and legalistic Christianity. 

When I first went to the Wilds as a camper, one of the biggest things I noticed was that these people were real. They really do love God, they really do love me, and they really have fun doing both of these. A ministry at the Wilds is all about serving God and serving others. It's doing what's right even though it's hard. It's loving even when someone is very difficult to love. It's completely surrendering to God's Word and doing what He says. 

As a counselor this summer, I know that I have to be real. Teenagers can spot a phony so fast! I have to have genuine love for God and those around me. But this application isn't just for camp. God calls us to love and obey Him no matter where you are! What difference would it make if others looked at your life and said, "What you see is what you get. He is really trying to please God with his life." 

Would others say that your talk about God matches your walk with God? I hope so! Be real today!

When It Hurts to Do Right...Because of Wrong

Sometimes, we learn to do things right the hard way. For someone like me, it's easy to go through my personal Christian walk without taking a stand. I just keep to myself and personally do what I find is right through God's Word. In my mind, ignorance is bliss. If I don't know about it or it doesn't have to do with me, I don't have to do anything about it. But I learned the hard way that this is not the right response.

At my school, we have a time of prayer that is to be used strictly for that purpose. Last semester, as the prayer leader, there were a couple of nights where I allowed the girls to have different parties. The parties were not bad in and of themselves – just a Christmas or birthday party. But it still wasn't right because it's a direct disobedience to authority.

I was recently convicted of this lack of judgment when some of the girls were wanting to throw another party. So this time, I did the right thing, and I took a stand. I think that inconsistency from leaders is one of the most frustrating things. I obviously had not made the right choice on this before, and now the girls were mad because I went against my own word.

I was a hypocrite.

It was extremely painful when one of the girls came to me and called me out, but it was exactly what I needed. God uses difficult situations to shape our lives, and He knew exactly what I needed to hear...even though it hurt.

I did not even want to confront the party in the first place because I knew I had a double standard. But I knew I still had to do the right thing. Even though the results of the entire situation were not peaceful, God taught me much just about myself.

One key to the Christian life is consistency. I have to consistently be in God's Word. I have to consistently pray. I have to consistently do what is right, no matter what the cost. Doing what is right can be hard, and sometimes, it's our own faults. But just because you fail once does not mean that you can't do what is right the next time. Accept your responsibility. Ask God's forgiveness. Ask forgiveness of others involved. And strive to do what's right...even when it's hard.