Leaving Home - The Positives

Mark Dunagan
09/07/08 - Sunday Evening

Positives When young people go off to college and or move out on their own we often warn them about the dangers they will be facing, and this is both natural and biblical, for the Holy Spirit often spends a good amount of time in Scripture warning us about the dangers that lie ahead. Yet there are many advantages and positive opportunities that young people will encounter at college or out on their own as well. In this lesson we want to explore some of them. Evangelism This will be one of the best times for converting people (not the only time), but an ideal time. Suddenly you will find yourself surrounded by other people your age, many of them who are searching for some type of meaning or purpose. In addition, you will encounter young people whose parents sheltered them and attempted to keep them away from the bible and going to worship services. Christian young people know quite a bit about the world that surrounds them, they know the TV shows, the Internet trends, the music, and have been exposed to many temptations and everything from the Theory of Evolution to New Age mysticism. Far more young people at college have never been exposed to authentic Christianity and the evidence for both God's existence, the inspiration of the Scriptures, the Deity of Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead. This will be the first time they hear someone place Christianity on a historical and factual foundation, rather than just upon pure emotion or some supposed experience. Believe it or not there is a world of people out there, many of them very educated, who have no idea what the church of Christ is or that there is a mountain of evidence backing up the Bible's claim that it is indeed the word of God (Acts 17:19). Like the people of Athens they will look upon what you are saying as some "new teaching". Free Time On the one hand there will be days and weeks when it seems like you have no time to spare and yet at other times, perhaps after finals and various tests, you will often find yourself with much free time. With no commitments to spouse, children, a home to take care of and so on, you are in the privileged position to have some time on your hands to help people, spend more time in prayer and study, and in sharing the gospel with the lost. It is amazing what one can accomplish when one simply uses each moment wisely. Travel Often students are given the opportunity to travel overseas and learn abroad. This is a wonderful opportunity help a congregation in another part of the world (Acts 9:26) and to spread the gospel in a foreign culture. It is also a wonderful chance to see what happens in a culture when the culture was not founded upon biblical principles, or to see a culture that might be ten to twenty years ahead of us—in terms of morally decay. Great lessons can be learned about the wisdom found in Scripture when you witness firsthand what happens when a people have cast Scripture aside (Genesis 19:9; Judges 21:25; Proverbs 14:34). In fact, if you get this opportunity, you should keep a diary and when you return home write an article or a paper about your experiences as a Christian in that particular country and how that experience helped you appreciate various passages or truths. You will also learn that every culture needs the gospel (Mark 16:15), that the same heart conditions exist universally (Luke 8:4ff), and what it means to be all things to all men (1 Corinthians 9:19). An Opportunity to Start Well There are so many positive habits that you will serve you well over an entire lifetime that you can start now. In fact, before you even go off to college or leave home insist that your parents give you training in the following areas: How to cook and prepare meals How to budget and live below expenses How to keep a house clean, do laundry and chores efficiently and run an organized household How to plan one's day and use time wisely How to serve and put oneself second or third How to lead with one's head and one's my heart How to be content How to give God all one's cares in prayer How to remain positive and optimistic How to talk to people and how to teach someone what they need to know to become a Christian How to accept and overcome setbacks How to parent How to make a marriage work Economic Advantages Right now you are basically deciding how much you want to make in life and what standard of living you want to experience for the rest of your life. We are commanded to work (1 Thess. 4:11), and do our best (Colossians 3:23) and it takes a lot of money to live comfortably. So find something you love to do, something that will give you time to serve God and do the really important things in life, and something that will pay you enough so you don't have to struggle for the rest of your life or work a couple of jobs to make ends meet. Enjoy the Moment There is a temptation to rush through school and be out making money, yet you will be working the rest of your life. Now is a brief moment to take some classes that might be very useful in the days to come: Classes on public speaking, web-authoring, art, photography, video, and writing can be very useful for such things as parenting, and spreading the gospel. When taking an elective consider which skill would be genuinely valuable for a local congregation. You are riding the cultural wave Yes, you will be exposed to Evolution and all sorts of other things, but the good news is that you will be getting the most up-to-date material on this false idea or others. You can be a valuable resource to the preacher and members of the congregation you attend. Take careful notes, save all the material you are given, and pass it on. This is also a great time to work on your writing skills, or, if you are a man, your speaking skills. Sign up for an invitation or a chance to preach a sermon and take what you are learning and share this cutting edge "false material" exposing it with Scripture. It is obvious that the most credible expose of such things as the Theory of Evolution would be the critique by someone who was actually sitting in the case and hearing the most up-to-date presentation. Be a mentor to the younger kids A college age Christian who has a good head on his or her shoulders can be a tremendous asset as a teacher or counselor. You naturally will have more credibility with those in high school or junior high because you are both closer to their age and you understand perfectly the culture that surrounds them. Use this knowledge and make good use of this influence to show them where the culture is wrong, and what the real world is like. You will probably be saying about the same things as their parents have been telling them, but they often are far more receptive to your presentation. A stronger light At certain times in our lives people tend to see our Christian influence more (Matthew 5:13-16), simply because the background we are presently standing against is darker. One such time is when you are young. With so many people expecting young people to be self-absorbed, rebellious, or saying something unrealistic or dumb, the faithful college age Christian is a rarity. Light in the Forbidden Zone The educated Christian, especially if you have a Master's Degree or Doctorate, is someone the "elite" do not expect. It is often just assumed that by the time you reach such levels that one has long ago jettisoned whatever faith one had in the Bible as the word of God, and that you have equally become rather pragmatic about morality. The more education you have as a Christian the more you will have access to people other members might not have much assess. The Christian who has a Ph.D. in biology or some other science is often needed to reach the unbelieving in such circles. Learning what does not work Another great thing about your new experience is that you will be learning all sorts of ideologies that do not work, yet, often these same ideologies attempt to enter into local churches. In the years to come when someone wants to bring into a congregation some wrong idea concerning truth, tolerance, morality, or relationships, you have the experience with Scripture and in life to point out, "I have seen that - and it doesn't work". In addition, here is where that false idea came from, here is where man attempted to implement it, and here is what happened. In addition, remember you are gathering information for your parenting years. Save your observations for your kids. You will have wonderful lessons to pass on to them.