Central Thought: A Believer should glorify God by his Lifestyle.
Hymn: When we walk with the Lord
Text: Matthew 5:13-16, Romans 12:6-21, 2 Corinthians 3:1-6
Introduction:
The believers were first called Christians in Antioch by unbelievers because their conduct was like that of Christ. In similar manner today our lives must lend credence to our testimonies and the gospel we preach.
Also, believers are the salt of the earth. If salt loses its value, it becomes worthless. Believers are also the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid (Matthew 5:13-16). Our lives as believers therefore should reveal Christ to the world. The Christian is a mirror viewed by unbelievers. Our actions, inactions, dispositions and in fact our total behavioral pattern form a book that men and women read daily. We are living epistles being read by all. The LORD Himself is our perfect example and we are expected to walk in His steps. The believer’s attitude in his/her neighborhood may influence a neighbor’s decision to embrace the gospel or not. Many persons around you may not read the Bible but they have you as their Bible to read daily.
This lesson discusses specifically a Christian’s behavior in the school environment. The school or campus is a place where lives can be molded positively or negatively. The Christian in such an environment as a student or teacher or lecturer has a unique opportunity of influencing young lives positively for Christ. This is why every Christian in the school environment must consciously live for Christ and bring glory to His name.
Lesson Objectives:
- To know that a Christian student should show exemplary conduct in all aspects of school life.
- To know how a Christian teacher/lecturer should behave in school.
- To understand how a Christian parent can contribute to his child’s development in school.
- To know the implications of a Christian student/teacher/lecturer not showing exemplary conduct in the school.
- To know the rewards for a Christian who lives an exemplary life in school.
Question 1.) How should a Christian student live an exemplary life in the following areas/situations?
- Punctuality and regularity at school.
A Christian student should cultivate the habit of being punctual and being regular at school. It is not good for a Christian student to be counted among latecomers or among those playing truancy in school. God wants His children to be hardworking. He does not encourage laziness. Lateness to and irregularity at school may be an exhibition of a lazy attitude. A Christian student should learn to wake up early pray and do his house chores so that he will not be late to school. Lateness to and irregularity at school may contribute greatly to a student’s failure or poor performance in the school.
The habit of leaving home under the pretense of going to school but actually going somewhere else is ungodly. Such students return home at closing time and their parents may never know that they were not in school. This is a very ungodly attitude and a Christian student should not be involved in it at all.
- Class assignments, tests and examinations
Deuteronomy 28:12
God’s word declares “And the LORD shall make thee the head and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD they God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them” (Deuteronomy 28:13). We will appropriate this promise as students if we are diligent in doing our class assignments and prepare adequately for examinations.
A Christian student should not hide under the guise of being very involved in fellowship activities and so neglects his academics. The Christian student should be able to make maximum use of his time, being at fellowship when he should be there and doing his homework when he should be. Adequate preparations should be made toward examination. Do not accumulate your work but study regularly.
- Attitude towards occult groups and their members.
A Christian student should not belong to any occult group and must not embrace any of their practices. The Bible says “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among them and, be ye separate, saith the LORD, and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the LORD Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). It is explicit from scriptures that the believer has no business being an occult member. If you have been lured into it by friends or classmates, you must obey God’s word by renouncing membership of such societies today and in true repentance come back to God. Every Christian student should not hide his identity but rather make his faith known and be a faithful witness for the LORD. These occult members need to know the LORD. Therefore the Christian student must witness to them.
- Living with a stubborn student who provokes you always.
The Christian student should bear in mind that he is commanded in scripture to “live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18). Also the Bible says we should not allow the sun to go down on our anger (Ephesians 4:26). As human beings it is not easy for us to cope with or live with people who provoke us always. Let us ask God for His grace and wisdom to help us in such situations. No matter what, the Christian student should never develop hatred for anyone. He should pray that the LORD will give him the heart to forgive others when they offend him.
- Examination malpractices
These are very rampant in our society today. Examination malpractices include outright cheating in examination halls, getting someone else to write an examination for you; bribing or attempting to influence examiners to alter your marks after the examination; bribing invigilators to cheat in an examination etc. The list is endless and in some cases parents are involved. Christian students and parents should not be associated with any form of examination malpractice. The Bible says we should have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11).
- A principal, teacher, lecturer demanding sexual relationship with a student.
The Bible makes it clear that fornication; adultery, and any other form of sexual immorality is sinful. The Christian should not succumb to threats by any principal, teacher, or lecturer demanding sexual relationship with him/her. The Christian should take such matters to God in prayer. The LORD will definitely fight for you. He has done it before and He will do it again.
- Call for labor in the school.
A Christian student should be of exemplary behavior. He should not be a truant when it comes to work/labors at school. The Bible teaches diligence. He should demonstrate diligence in such situations. A Christian student must view participating in labors as part of his educational training.
- Student’s demonstrations.
A Christian student should not participate in destructive or violent demonstrations. A Christian student should encourage fellow students to present their grievances peacefully to the school authorities and patiently wait for actions to be taken to remedy their situations. The Christian student should also pray on the issues involved.
- Handling of school property.
A Christian student must have the proper attitude towards school property. School properties should be handled as one’s properties. The attitude of spoiling such properties because they are considered as “government properties” should be discouraged. Laboratory wares such as pipettes, burettes, beakers etc. should be handled properly.
- Respect for constituted authority/school rules and regulations.
The Bible teaches every believer to respect constituted authority (Romans 13:1-3). A Christian student therefore should obey school authorities and rules and regulations set by them. However, when such rules and regulations contradict God’s word, the Christian student has no option than to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, Daniel 6:1-23).
Question 2.) How should a Christian teacher handle the following situations?
- Being asked to help students cheat in an examination.
A Christian teacher normally in a school should be dedicated to his duty, It is expected that he will handle his lessons with diligence. He should be able to complete his lessons/lectures before examination and plan to have a time of revision with his students. This what is required of a Christian teacher.
Having done his job properly, he should therefore not be involved, or in any way linked to any arrangement by anyone to help students cheat in an examination. The Bible says we should not partake in other people’s sins neither should be we bid sinners or evil doers “God speed” in their ungodly actions ( 2 John 1:11). Also, Ephesians 5:11 says “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them.
- A student offering money/gifts or her body to pass an examination.
A Christian teacher should not hide his identity: he should make his faith known to both students and colleagues in the school. Where this has been done, it will be difficult for anyone to have the boldness to bribe a Christian teacher with gifts, money, or sex as to pass examination. However, even when the enemy stirs up a student to tempt a Christian teacher/lecturer with such offers, the Christian teacher should resist the devil and bluntly say NO to such offers (see Genesis 39:4-12).
- A colleague begging for marks for his relative/friend.
This calls for discretion on the part of the Christian teacher. This is because the Christian though firm is also expected to be compassionate, merciful and kind. To guide his discretion, the Christian may wish to ask questions such as:
- Was this student sick during the examination or was he/she befallen by any mishap which may have contributed to his poor performance?
- Was this student regular in class and did he/she do the class assignments.
- Has this colleague taken money from the student involved? If indeed the student attended classes regularly and did his assignments but suffered a mishap during the examination, the Christian teacher/lecturer may listen to the plea of his colleague to assist such a student. Provided money has not exchanged hands between the student and the colleague. For conscience sake, in upgrading this students’ scores, it may be wise to help other students having similar scores. However, where a student has played truancy and was never serious in class, the Christian teacher/lecturer is not bound to listen to the pleas of his colleague. Remember, we (Christians) are to “provide things honest in the sight of all men (2 Corinthians 8:21).
Question 3.) In what ways can a Christian parent contribute to the development of his child in the school?
Some parents think that the school will help to sharpen or straighten their children without them putting in any effort. Experience has since shown that this is not correct. Every parent has a role to play in the development of his/her child.
The first thing a Christian parent should do is to get the child to know the LORD; that is, to accept the LORD Jesus Christ and be borne again. When this is done, and the child truly embraces the doctrine of the LORD Jesus Christ, the Christian parent will have less problems sharpening the child. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.
A Christian parent should have the habit of daily or regularly going through the child’s note books to ensure that he is working at school and doing his class assignments. Also take the time to study his term report sheets. In case of children in higher institutions of learning, the Christian parent should regularly discuss with the child, finding out how he is fairing in his academic work. Areas of weakness of our children should always be taken up in prayers.
Some parents quarrel with teachers for disciplining their children. A Christian parent should not do this; even if a Christian parent wants to express reservation about undue punishment meted to his child, it should never be done in the presence of that child. Furthermore, a Christian parent should endeavor to pay the child’s fees and provide the necessary learning materials for the child. A child’s morale may become low if he is always driven home for non-payment of school fees or non-possession of some basic textbooks.
Finally, prayer is an effective tool a parent should use with regards to the development of his child. Avoid negative confessions about your children. Always learn to pray and pray and pray continuously for and with your children.
Question 4.) What are the implications of not demonstrating exemplary lives in the school?
As Christian students and teachers, the implication of not demonstrating exemplary behavior in the school include
- Bringing reproach to the LORD’s name.
The bad behavior of any student or teacher/lecturer will make unbelievers in the school blaspheme the name of the LORD. When a Christian student cheats in an examination or breaks the laws of the school, his actions bring dishonor to the name of the LORD. The same is true of the Christian teacher/lecturer. When he begins to fornicate or accept bribes to pass students, he will be dishonoring the name of the LORD. The Bible says “Thou therefore which teaches another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preaches a man should not steal, doest thou steal? Thou that preaches a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written” (Romans 2:21-24).
- Creating an atmosphere of indiscipline in the school.
When Christians in a school begin to misbehave, they will eventually create an atmosphere of indiscipline in that school. This will not augur well for the overall development of the school.
- Exposure to Satan’s attack.
A Christian student or teacher/lecturer not living right may not have reward for his labors. By disobeying God, he exposes himself to the enemy’s (Satan’s) attack. Such a Christian may begin to have negative experiences in many areas of his life until he repents and turns to God.
- God’s judgement
When a Christian student/teacher/lecturer persists in misconduct, he/she exposes himself/herself to God’s judgement. Such may result in unanswered prayers, lack of peace and other blessings, in this world: and if care is not taken eternal separation from God after life on earth.
Question 5.) What are some of the rewards for a Christian student/teacher/lecturer who shows exemplary behavior at school?
The rewards are numerous. Such a Christian student/teacher/lecturer’s life will bring glory to the LORD’s name. The LORD will be delighted in such an individual. Some of the blessings he will likely receive are.
- Peace of heart
There is peace and satisfaction that comes to the individual who has done the will of the LORD. This will be the portion of the Christian student/teacher/lecturer who does the will of his Father in heaven.
- Material blessings
The blessings promised in Deuteronomy 28:1-13 to the obedient child of God will follow the Christian student/teacher/lecturer who chooses to obey God. He will definitely be the head and not the tail.
- Commendation from the LORD at His coming.
When life on earth is over and at the coming of the LORD, the obedient Christian student/teacher/lecturer will hear the LORD say to him “well done thou good and faithful servant” Luke 19:17.
Apart from these blessings to the individual, the school with a good population of well-behaved Christian students/teachers/lecturers will benefit immensely. There will be a general atmosphere of discipline, progress, prosperity etc. in such school.
Daily Living Application
Believers are a chosen generation, a peculiar people. Our lives must bring glory to God. The hour has come for us to wake up from slumber because our salvation is nearer than when we first believed (Romans 13:11). Let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. As Christian students and teachers/lecturers, let us remember that we are God’s light in our schools and campuses. Let us therefore live our lives to God’s glory so that fellow students and colleagues will glorify our Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).
Memory Verse:
Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven”
Daily Devotional Guide
Monday: The believer is a peculiar person.
1 Peter 2:9
Tuesday: Abstain from all appearances of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:22
Wednesday: Flee fornication
1 Corinthians 6:18, 2 Timothy 2:22
Thursday: Have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness
Ephesians 5:11
Friday: How to cleanse your way
Psalm 119:9, 11, 105
Saturday: Let your light shine before me
Matthew 5:13-16