Participants: Jay Rosario & Daniel McGrath (Host), Kayla Pina
Series Code: E
Program Code: E000026
|
00:19 Hello again, and welcome
00:20 to another exciting segment of "engage." 00:22 My name is Jay Rosario. I'm your host. 00:24 And in this program we're attempting to address 00:27 some of the most relevant and challenging issues 00:29 facing young adults trying to be successful 00:32 in the Christian experience all over the world. 00:34 Joining me today is my good friend, Dan McGrath. 00:36 Dan, how is it going? Pretty good, Jay. 00:37 How're you doing? Doing all right. 00:38 Dan, what're we talking about today? 00:39 Well, today, we're talking about how many young people 00:42 go to public universities after high school. 00:45 Many of them are losing their faith. 00:46 We want to figure out why this is 00:48 and how we can prevent it today. 00:50 And that's why we've invited our good friend, 00:52 Kayla, here today. 00:53 Kayla, come on out. We're glad to have you. 00:56 Hi, guys. How're you doing? 00:57 Kayla, thank you for being with us. 00:59 Now, Kayla, I have actually had the privilege of 01:03 working together with you at GYC, Espanol 01:05 and you were the vice president, 01:06 serving as the vice president of GYC. 01:08 We're actually from the same background. 01:10 Kayla's parents are from the Dominican Republic. 01:12 Uh, so we have a special program today. 01:14 This is like family, 01:15 you know, more like with a cousin or something. 01:16 So, Kayla, for those who don't know you, 01:18 tell us a little bit about yourself. 01:21 I grew up mostly in Rhode Island 01:23 so I've to mention that. 01:24 But my family is currently living in Tennessee. 01:26 I studied undergrad at Harvard University. 01:30 And I'm currently a student 01:31 at Andrews University studying International Development. 01:34 Wow. I feel very intimidated 01:36 all of a sudden now, how about you? 01:37 I'm okay. To be honest, I'm okay. 01:39 I feel intimidated. 01:41 So, Kayla, in this discussion, 01:42 we're going to be talking a little about, 01:44 kind of the dynamics for a Christian young adult 01:49 in kind of academia, in a secular public 01:55 and maybe even private environment. 01:58 Tell us a little bit about your experience 02:01 in environment such as, the Harvard. 02:04 I mean, is Harvard a place 02:05 where a lot of Christians go to? 02:07 I mean, what's Harvard like? 02:08 There're a lot of Christians on campus. 02:11 But because it is a secular University and very secular, 02:15 it's a dangerous place for Christians. 02:17 I grew up going to public school. 02:19 So I had an idea of what was out there 02:21 but nothing can really prepare you for everything 02:24 that is on a University campus, 02:26 the freedom that young people have. 02:27 And so there's a little bit of everything. 02:30 The parties, the unbiblical teachings, 02:34 the drugs, the alcohol, there're everything 02:37 and so it's a very dangerous place 02:39 for a young person-- a Christian young person to be. 02:42 Well, the majority of Adventist young people, 02:46 probably over 70% go to public universities 02:49 when they finish high school, 02:50 whether they go to a public school, 02:52 public high school, or an Adventist high school. 02:54 70% of them go to public university. 02:56 And many of them when they go there, lose their faith. 02:59 But you evidently went to, you know, Harvard, 03:03 one of the best public schools in the country 03:05 and you're a very strong Christian. 03:07 So tell us a little about your experience there 03:09 and what it was like. 03:11 I should just say it is a private university 03:14 but it's secular. 03:16 And yeah, it's only by the grace of God 03:19 that I survived as a Christian. 03:21 Um, I think that especially coming out of high school, 03:24 I was very--I had a very un-firm character, 03:27 passive, wanting to please, wanting to belong, 03:30 and all of these things 03:32 and so it's a sort of environment 03:34 where someone like me who hasn't very firmly decided 03:38 on who I am necessarily and what my purpose is, 03:41 to get carried away by the things that are available, 03:44 the things that are out there. 03:46 But God put certain people around me. 03:50 He had put certain decisions in my heart 03:52 that I didn't want to stray from. 03:54 And it does remind me, 03:57 not that I thought of it so much at that time 03:59 but it does remind me of the story of Daniel. 04:03 I just want to read that one verse from the Bible. 04:05 Daniel what Chapter? 04:07 Chapter 1. Chapter 1. 04:09 Daniel Chapter 1 and verse 8. 04:12 Daniel and his friends were taken 04:14 to kind of the University of Babylon. 04:17 God allowed them to be there 04:19 and God does allow us to come into these places. 04:22 And it says in verse 8, 04:25 "But Daniel purposed in his heart 04:26 that he would not defile himself 04:28 with the portion of the king's delicacies, 04:30 nor with the wine which he drank, 04:32 therefore he requested the chief of the eunuchs 04:34 that he might not defile himself." 04:36 And it was because Daniel had decided in his heart 04:39 before getting to this place, 04:41 before anything was offered to him, 04:43 that he was able to resist, 04:45 the temptations that were about him. 04:47 And one of the things 04:48 that I like about the story of Daniel is that, 04:51 you know, he purposed in his heart, 04:52 like you said, to not eat this king's food. 04:55 But he also, it wasn't just about survival for him. 04:58 I mean, he was surviving but it was also about him, 05:02 you know letting his life shine. 05:03 In verse 20 the Bible says, 05:04 "And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, 05:07 about which the king examined them, 05:08 he found them ten times better, 05:10 ten times better in wisdom and understanding 05:13 than all the magicians and astrologers around him." 05:15 And then in the next chapter 05:16 he's also, you know, better in the spiritual matters. 05:19 And so it's not just about surviving. 05:21 It's also about, you know, letting your life shine. 05:24 What was your experience, 05:25 you know, were you active in ministry? 05:27 Or were you just kind of hiding under a bushel? 05:30 What was it like as a Christian, 05:32 as a Seventh-day Adventist? 05:35 It is intimidating being on this campus 05:37 as it can be for any young person 05:40 starting at a university campus. 05:41 You need to make friends, you need to figure out 05:43 your studies and everything. 05:45 And my first year, I was only about 05:47 an hour and a half away from home. 05:48 So I went home every single weekend. 05:51 And I cried every Sunday going back to school. 05:55 That might not be everyone's experience but-- 05:58 I wasn't so involved in ministry at that point. 06:02 But I knew that I wanted 06:05 to maintain my Christianity on campus. 06:08 And so I looked for Christian groups on campus. 06:10 I didn't know any Adventists on campus. 06:12 So I went to a Christian student group's meeting 06:15 and from there God orchestrated things 06:17 so that some of the leaders introduced me to an Adventist, 06:22 former graduate, recent graduate. 06:24 And through him, I was able to start 06:27 going to Bible studies during the week. 06:29 And that really was a great help, 06:32 it was, it was, getting into the word of God 06:35 but even at that point I didn't have so much of the, 06:39 the mindset that this is a mission field 06:42 and I'm a representative of Christ here. 06:43 It was sort of like yes, maintain your Christianity, 06:46 be a good girl. 06:48 And kind of going from there, 06:51 but I had an experience 06:52 especially in my junior year of college, 06:55 I decided to study abroad in the Dominican Republic. 06:58 Um, while, I was there-- Hometown. 06:59 Yes. Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo. 07:02 When I was there, 07:03 I saw the young people that were there, 07:07 they were, they were studying the word so much. 07:09 They were so committed to sharing what they were learning. 07:13 Was this a public university or was it a private one? 07:15 I was, I was mainly at a church 07:17 but most of the young people went to a public university. 07:20 And they were concerned about 07:22 letting their lives shine there. 07:24 So it started to make an impact on me. 07:26 And when I got back to my university, 07:28 I started to stay on campus more 07:30 because I realized that I needed to go 07:33 more deeply into the word. 07:35 And the people on campus were doing that. 07:38 And we studied about the names of God. 07:40 And it was such a powerful Bible study for me. 07:43 We and, as I continued to study there, 07:47 some friends introduced me 07:49 to powerful messages from GYC. 07:51 I'm sure many have heard of it. 07:53 And ministries at campus, 07:56 which we'll talk about later, I guess. 07:59 And it started to, to wake me up to the fact 08:03 that I'm a representative of Christ on the campus. 08:06 And it's not just about surviving as we said 08:10 but letting, representing Jesus, 08:12 letting Jesus show to others. 08:14 Now, of course, we were talking about Daniel, 08:16 you mentioned, you know, the University of Babylon 08:19 and of course with Daniel's circumstances, 08:21 he really didn't have much of an option. 08:22 He was under captivity and he kinda had to go 08:25 wherever it was that it was available. 08:27 But you mentioned a 70 percent? 08:29 Over 70 percent. Over 70 percent. 08:31 Why do you think, Kayla, 08:34 that such a large percentage of 08:36 of our young people do go to public university? 08:40 cWhat is it about public universities? 08:42 Why is that? 08:44 Private is the finances, the practical aspect of it. 08:48 But also, lot of young people 08:50 have these desires to leave home. 08:53 Right. Start grow up independent. 08:55 Independent, independent. 08:57 Be their own person, make their own decisions. 08:59 And some just wanna have that, some have these aspirations 09:05 and think that the public university somewhere 09:08 that will get them bit more in contact 09:10 with the world and-- 09:11 Right, more job opportunities. 09:12 Opportunities that are out there. 09:14 They decide to go there. Awesome. 09:16 So, Kayla, when you went to Harvard, 09:18 tell us what your devotional life was like? 09:21 When I started, 09:23 my--I was used to reading devotional books 09:28 in the mornings and things my family had taught us 09:33 and my brother, sister and I and at my church. 09:37 And so every once in a while 09:38 I would read the devotionals 09:40 and I made sure to pray before I went to bed. 09:43 And I went to, receive the Sabbath on Friday nights 09:46 and went to church, you know the usual. 09:48 But I didn't have that regular daily need to study 09:54 the word of God, to pray, to connect with the Lord. 09:57 Um, and it wasn't-- it was really 10:01 a blessing to have my parents. 10:04 Because they understood 10:05 the difficulties I was going through 10:08 and they decided to pray with me every morning. 10:12 And that sort of got me more on there. 10:14 Later on, in my junior year-- after my junior year, 10:19 I went canvassing for the summer. 10:22 And it was a really wonderful experience. 10:25 I'm canvassing, selling books, Christian books 10:30 and that experience really solidified in my mind 10:34 the need to have constant 10:37 daily devotional time with the Lord. 10:40 I think it's interesting, Dan, 10:41 if I can just say something 10:43 that it seems like that those two-- 10:44 very two interesting dynamics that she mentions about 10:47 how to have a devotional life. 10:49 It seems like your parents were 10:51 definitely high influential in your spiritual 10:54 well being even though you were-- 10:56 they weren't in close proximity to you. 10:58 And I think this speaks a lot about 11:00 the importance of parents in spite of your young adult 11:03 being far away in schools, that you still have influence. 11:06 You still have a role, not only in your prayers, 11:08 but maintaining touch. 11:09 And obviously that was a blessing for you. 11:10 And also being involved in service, 11:13 getting involved being active, 11:14 because I think we just-- literature evangelism. 11:16 Yeah, literature evangelism is gonna be 11:17 involved in school so, yeah. 11:19 I also like that, you know, you brought out 11:21 that your devotional life wasn't quite 11:23 as good in the beginning and you had struggles. 11:26 You had, you know, spiritual struggles that, 11:28 you know everyone deals with that university. 11:30 But your junior year and your senior year, 11:33 obviously it went a little differently right? Yes. 11:35 And was it more, you were more sure of what you're doing. 11:39 You were more firm in what you believed. 11:40 Or what was the tangible difference? 11:43 It was being more sure 11:46 that the things I've been taught, 11:48 the beliefs that I have as a Christian, 11:51 as a Seventh-day Adventist are true. 11:54 And they are powerful. They are life changing. 11:56 Not just for me but for others as well. 11:59 And even, even with that, I knew that there was, 12:03 that there was something missing. 12:05 What would've happened to you 12:06 if you stopped having devotionals? 12:10 I don't know. Scary thought. 12:12 I would've crashed. I know that I would have. 12:16 So it seems that somehow 12:18 being in spite of the surroundings of being highly, 12:22 you know, the possibilities of worldliness, 12:25 the possibilities of addictions or what not, 12:27 even though they were so prevalent, 12:29 it seemed like your devotional experience 12:32 is what kind of, was the motor, 12:34 was the engine that kind of kept you alive. 12:36 But it wasn't just your devotional experiences 12:39 also tapping into the right outward kind of outlets 12:45 and not only, of course, you mentioned service 12:48 but from the sounds of it, it seems like 12:50 you got involved with the right crowd 12:52 who were spiritually uplifting, who kind of took you in, 12:56 if I understand correct, I think that, you mentioned that 12:58 that there was a group of students 12:59 that were in the word and that's how 13:00 you got exposed to the GYC. Yes. 13:02 So I think there're several practical things 13:03 that we could definitely address 13:05 that if you're a young person in a public university 13:08 and you're struggling, you're trying to maintain 13:10 your Christian experience, try and get involved. 13:13 Do something. Look for a campus Christian club 13:17 that you can get involved in whatever. 13:19 And also look for the right choice of friends. 13:22 That would be uplifting to you 13:23 and that will kind of cater to your spiritual needs. 13:26 Now, one thing that many people struggle 13:28 with in an university is the different ideas 13:31 that they get bombarded with. 13:32 Whether its evolution and, you know, the arguments for it 13:36 or different ideas, what is it about 13:41 these unbiblical teachings that draws people away? 13:44 How do you--how do we avoid being drawn away by them? 13:48 You know, it's hard to say sometimes 13:51 because we want to know what's out there. 13:53 We want to be aware of the dangers, 13:56 the ideas that are there but the most, 14:00 the best offense against, against teachings 14:03 that will lead us away from Christ is the Bible. 14:07 Here, you know, it's the source of all wisdom. 14:11 And when we make that effort to, 14:16 to know what the God says about 14:18 different issues in the world, 14:19 about, about creation, about science itself, 14:22 about even interactions with other people. 14:26 Then we can, then we're set on the right path 14:28 and we know that even if we hear these, 14:31 these very logical, reasonable sounding arguments 14:33 on campus, we know that, 14:35 wait, I have to check what the Bible says, compare. 14:38 And then we'll follow it from there and judge, 14:42 then make the choice for myself, 14:43 use the God given ability to think. 14:48 So because the Bible was your standard 14:49 and because you made a firm decision 14:51 that you know, I'm gonna check everything, 14:53 everything must kind of line up with the word, 14:56 that's what gave you the ability to filter. 14:58 So it may be philosophies and ideologies 15:00 that were contrary to scripture 15:02 and I guess the opposite of that is just as true. 15:04 If you're a young person that is not grounded in the word, 15:07 you're not familiar with Bible truth. 15:09 It's gonna be very easy to get confused 15:12 and your faith is definitely gonna be shaken up. 15:14 And you know, I had some experiences 15:17 where I heard things going on. 15:20 I remember very distinctly one of my classes, 15:22 it was a sociology class. 15:24 And the teaching assistant 15:27 and students were in conversation about Christians 15:30 and the things that Christians do 15:33 and I disagreed with it that I didn't know when-- 15:37 what to say, when to say it, 15:39 and I didn't say anything. 15:40 And I felt horrible after that. 15:42 And I told a friend about it. 15:44 And he said, you know, things like 15:47 that have happened to me before 15:48 and the best thing that I have done is to study 15:54 to ask the Lord to show me, you know, how, 15:56 how I can prepare myself. 15:58 There's a verse in the Bible 16:00 if we can turn to 1 Peter Chapter 3. 16:07 1 Peter Chapter 3 and verse 15. 16:12 It says, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, 16:15 and always be ready to give a defense to everyone 16:17 who ask you a reason for the hope 16:19 that is in you with meekness and fear." 16:22 And that's the advice that he gave me, 16:23 prepare yourself, study to show yourself, 16:25 approve unto God. 16:27 And so that you'll be ready 16:28 if the similar situation comes up in the future, 16:31 to give an answer with meekness and fear. 16:34 Not to enter into controversy, not to have an argument 16:37 but to put a seed in the people's minds to say, 16:40 you know, maybe this truth that was in the Bible 16:43 or this truth that this person is talking about is valid. 16:47 And the Lord is the one who waters 16:49 that seed and allows it to grow in the future. 16:52 I think it is so critical where you mention 16:54 the second part of that text, 16:56 you know, with meekness and fear. 16:57 I think some of other translations says, 17:00 you know, with respect. 17:01 And I think sometimes as Christians, 17:02 we're kind of viewed as kind of the people 17:04 that are rough around the edges. 17:06 We're kind of very narrow-minded. 17:08 We're not very flexible, 17:10 you know, even to open to other new ideas 17:13 and I think it's so important in a college setting 17:15 that this text in the Book of Peter 17:18 is so critical to apply. 17:19 Not only be ready to defend but also be meek, 17:24 be respectful, be flexible to other people's ideas. 17:27 It's kind of like a balance. 17:28 It's a really difficult balance to maintain 17:30 but I think is an important one. 17:33 So obviously, you know, you graduated, 17:35 you're a solid Christian but you want to get more training 17:39 'cause I met you at CAMPUS ministries. 17:40 So tell us a little about the training you got? 17:43 CAMPUS, you know, the Center for Adventist Ministry 17:45 to Public University Students, it's a long acronym. 17:47 So that's another acronym. 17:48 Another acronym that we have and I rambled through 17:51 that pretty fast but it's called CAMPUS in Michigan. 17:55 So what was your experience like there? 17:57 I decided to go because I felt 17:59 that I needed more progress in sharing the word of God 18:02 and being very firm in my beliefs. 18:04 And while I was there, I learned a lot about 18:08 the different teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist faith, 18:11 more about living a Christian lifestyle 18:13 and interacting with students on CAMPUS 18:15 who we worked with, Adventist students 18:18 and had small groups. 18:20 And we also did outreach. 18:22 We did surveys to enter into dialogue with other students 18:28 whether we don't know if they are Christian or not at first, 18:30 but to start talking to them. 18:33 We did massage. 18:37 We're trained in doing 18:38 some simple chair massages to just reach out 18:42 to the students, show them 18:43 that we care and had some events on, 18:47 at the University of Michigan, 18:49 and Eastern Michigan University. 18:51 So what kind of, I mean, 18:53 did your vision change for public university, 18:56 you know, did you wish you were starting 18:57 your undergrad again afterwards or, 19:01 you know, obviously, I don't know 19:02 if anyone wished that, but, I mean, 19:06 what was the vision that you got after that training? 19:11 To an extent, I did wish 19:12 that I was back at school that I could've gone back 19:15 to Harvard and had the same level of understanding 19:21 and sense of purpose that I had 19:24 when after I went to CAMPUS, after I got that training. 19:27 Because it made-- it makes such a difference, 19:30 on your outlook if you're going to school thinking 19:33 I'm just going to go, get a degree, 19:35 get a good job after this, 19:37 it's very different from going and saying, 19:39 I'm here because I-- God has sent me here, 19:43 yes to learn different things from different classes, 19:46 different teachers but mainly so that Jesus Christ 19:49 can be revealed to the people on this CAMPUS and so. 19:55 But I was, after I finished, I did have the desire 20:00 to continue cooperating with CAMPUS ministry 20:04 and then it's something that I still, 20:06 it's still in my heart. 20:08 Now, Kayla, for some young person 20:10 that's been watching this program 20:11 who maybe going to a university whether secular or private, 20:15 um, how would they get in touch with this program 20:18 that you were involved with CAMPUS, 20:20 if they're interested in more information, 20:22 where can I find CAMPUS? 20:23 CAMPUS, there's a website campushope.com. 20:28 And you can go there 20:29 and check out some of the information, 20:31 get in touch with some of the people. 20:32 And you know CAMPUS isn't 20:34 the only CAMPUS ministry out there. 20:36 There's a NEW in the Mid Atlantic. 20:39 And, of course, there's the ACF 20:42 for the North American Division and so there's-- 20:45 there're ways for young people to get connected. 20:47 They don't need to be alone. 20:49 They might--there might be other Adventist students 20:51 on CAMPUS that are-- they might be the only one 20:53 but the important thing is, 20:55 you know, trying to get connected. 20:56 Yeah and that's good. 20:58 I think, you know, lot of, a lot of times, 21:01 we don't focus on college students or young professionals. 21:04 And the church, you know the fact 21:06 that we have ACF, CAMPUS and a NEW. 21:08 These are all very new organizations. 21:11 There, you know, CAMPUS is 10 years old. 21:13 ACF isn't that old and NEW is a few years old. 21:16 But for years, you know, this group of, 21:19 this demographic of people in universities, 21:21 public universities are going unreached. 21:23 But there is a big need 21:24 because the majority of Adventists 21:26 are going the public university route. 21:29 And so it's encouraging, you know, 21:30 that church is not taking an interest in this area. 21:34 But we realize there's so much more to do so. 21:36 If you could tell us, you know, for the students watching, 21:41 how can they get involved, 21:42 you know, when they're not in the East Coast, 21:44 or not involved with the NEW, not involved in CAMPUS, 21:46 not involved with ACF, there's nothing 21:47 under campus, what do they do? 21:50 The very first thing is to purpose in their heart. 21:53 And if you're watching the show especially you have, 21:56 not especially but it helps to remind us of the sense 22:00 that we're to go school to share Christ 22:04 and so we need to begin with that decision, 22:06 I'm going to do within my part-- 22:09 what I can to share Christ with others, 22:14 much prayer that goes without saying 22:17 and start with whatever is close to you, 22:20 with your roommates, with your friends. 22:22 Invite them to study the word if, you know, 22:25 if that's-- if the opportunity arises, 22:29 try to find other Adventist students on campus 22:32 if there are, you know, Listservs or Facebook. 22:34 All these wonderful things out there, networks. 22:38 And getting together with that group 22:41 especially is a good way to start out, 22:44 keep ourselves accountable to each other 22:46 and as the group grows, there are ways 22:49 to register our groups on with the university 22:53 to be able to have resources, get rooms, 22:57 meet together and continue growing and moving forward. 23:01 You are saying start more on the grassroots level like, 23:04 you know, if it was just me and Jay 23:05 here at university, I'll call up, Jay, 23:07 hey, let's get together 23:08 and study the Bible. -Exactly. 23:10 Invite your friends, come to my room, 23:11 my dorm room, let's meet in the hall. 23:14 That's, that's kind of what we do? Yeah. 23:15 And then when you got a few people, 23:16 just try to register? Yeah. 23:19 Yeah, slowly though, slowly it'll build up and spread. 23:22 And I think, you know, this, 23:23 this timeframe of like university age, 23:26 I think is so critical because 23:27 that's the time where you're making some of 23:29 the most important decisions in your life. 23:31 Number one, you're establishing 23:33 what your career is gonna be, 23:35 sometimes, most of the time. 23:37 And also at times, you're establishing 23:40 who your life partner is gonna be. 23:42 So it seems like in the-- at the university timeframe 23:44 is the most critical decisions that you make. 23:46 And I think it's important for young Christians 23:49 in public campuses to be a light 23:52 and to reach out because there is somebody 23:54 that's about to solidify a decision. 23:56 And what best the most important decision 23:59 than the decision to commit their lives to Christ. 24:01 So I think it's such a relevant time 24:04 and such a relevant subject that we're talking about. 24:06 It's a relevant time and a great place 24:08 because especially with public campuses, 24:11 private campuses, I guess too, 24:13 the whole world seems to come to that place. 24:16 It's a vision field. Very international. 24:19 Exactly, very sensible word. 24:21 Imagine if, if young people from Africa, from Asia, from Europe 24:26 come to United States where you are 24:28 and you're able to reach them with the word. 24:31 They go back home and what, imagine what can happen? 24:33 Wow. So it's very exciting idea. 24:36 Yeah, I had an experience like that. 24:37 Actually at the University of Michigan, 24:39 I met some Chinese people. 24:40 They didn't speak any Chinese and I knocked on their door 24:43 and I offered them Bible studies and they, 24:45 I don't know how, but they, they said yes. 24:46 So I came back with my friend Jomo 24:48 who spoke Chinese, and he was from Florida. 24:51 He wasn't Chinese. 24:53 And we had Bible studies and, you know, 24:55 they were reading Genesis and John 24:57 and we're going through and I had the, 24:58 you know, the opportunity to see them 24:59 pray for the first time and accept this truth. Wow. 25:02 And of course that semester, they were gone. 25:04 And I got an email one day saying 25:05 they were sharing what they had learned 25:07 with their friends back in China. 25:09 You know, somewhere I can't go and preach the Gospel 25:11 or you can't go there. 25:13 You know, I guess now it's a little easier 25:15 but back then, you know, it was tougher. 25:17 So this is the kind of place that the universities are like. 25:21 I think, you know, this subject of being elite 25:23 in campuses, is not anything new, 25:27 although we've kind of lost sight of it. 25:28 I think, for whatever reason 25:31 that hasn't been a priority and I think it should be. 25:33 But when you look at history, 25:34 when you look at some of the most greatest revivals 25:36 that have taken place, 25:38 most of them have taken place in campuses. 25:40 You know, you have John Wycliffe. 25:41 You know, you have Martin Luther 25:43 where they kind of took a stand, 25:45 they purposed in their heart like Kayla mentioned earlier. 25:48 And because of that one decision revival spread. 25:51 And I think we are in need of 25:55 another wave of revival particularly in campuses 25:58 where you have young people 25:59 who are the most innovative, more creative. 26:03 And if we could once again, if we can inspire people 26:05 to make decisions in this time of their life, 26:07 I think it will bless the future of our young adults. 26:11 It's a good investment in the church. Absolutely. 26:13 Addressing our college students. 26:14 And that's what we like to see. 26:16 I know, Kayla, you would agree that we want 26:18 to see a Bible based Revival Movement 26:20 where every student is a missionary, right? Yes. 26:23 Somewhere where, you know, 26:24 we can prepare these secular universities 26:26 for the return of Christ. 26:27 So what is, real quickly, the greatest conviction 26:31 that you gained from your time at a public university? 26:33 I realized that, knowing that it's a place 26:40 where it's so easy to lose your faith, 26:43 to be let astray. 26:46 I--during one of my most difficult times, 26:49 I was reading the Book of John. 26:51 The Book of John is all about believing, 26:53 belief, belief, belief. 26:55 And the passage that really impacted me 26:59 was where Jesus had been teaching some difficult things 27:04 to hear to take and people started leaving Him. 27:08 Jesus asked him-- asked them, 27:10 would you leave Me too but then Peter answered, 27:14 "Lord, to whom shall we go? 27:15 You have the words of eternal life. 27:17 And we have come to believe and know 27:18 that you are the Christ, the son of the living God." 27:21 It's all about centering ourselves in Jesus Christ 27:23 remembering that there is no where else to go. 27:25 He is the one who will help us to survive on campus, 27:28 to let our lives shine and go further than we ever imagine. 27:32 Amen. Well, thank you, Kayla,for being here. 27:34 We're glad that you can make it. Thank you. 27:36 I appreciate your testimony. 27:37 If maybe you're watching today, 27:38 and you find yourself a young person 27:40 at a university struggling with your Christian experience, 27:43 with your faith and you don't know what to do, 27:46 you're ready to give up. 27:47 Well, we want to bring you a message of hope 27:49 and encouragement today 27:50 that if you keep pressing on-- keep being faithful to Jesus 27:53 that He will see you through like He did with Kayla. 27:55 Thank you for watching. God bless you. 27:57 And we hope to see you back next time until then. |
Revised 2014-12-17