Hello Again!
We have had the best day yet on our trip to the UK. Today we were in "The King's Academy". This is a charter school that was founded upon a Christian ethos 60 years ago, though they are quick to say that they are not a Christian school. We met up with Mike Taylor, the head of UK/USA Ministries, and went straight to work. The morning started with a large group assembly. I spoke to the "Year 8 and 9" group and Mike spoke to the "Year 7" group. The theme of the assembly was "Aim Higher". We were able to share explicitly from God's Word why students needed a relationship with Jesus Christ in order to "Aim Higher".
At The King's Academy we had been given permission to share anything about Christianity and God's Word that we wanted. The only thing we were asked not to do is give an altar call or evangelize (help students to make faith decisions). After the assemblies, we were off to classes. In England, Religious Education is mandatory in all schools. This is mainly to promote pluralism and inclusion, though it provides an awesome platform to talk about having faith in Jesus Christ.
Our team was split into three groups to go into classes. Teams led a brief quiz about Christianity in the 21st Century (this was our assigned topic). Afterward, our students were able to share their testimony about becoming a Christian. Then we broke into small groups and led discussions about the most difficult questions Christianity faces in couture today. Students were allowed to ask any questions they wanted about Christians. Here are some that they asked:
Why does God allow bad things to happen?
Is it ever right to take a life? Is capital punishment okay?
Does God approve of war?
How can you believe in a God you have never seen, touched, or actually heard?
How do you hear from God?
What do Christians think about gun control?
Is premarital sex okay for Christians? Why not?
How do you become a Christian?
And many, many, many more questions...
Many of these questions were covered in our pre-trip training and we were able to answer intelligibly from the scriptures. Even more important, most teams were able to turn the conversation toward the Gospel. As I wrote earlier, The King's Academy is not a Christian school. Most students were wide open in telling us they do not believe in Jesus. Many others shared that they are from another faith (Islam, etc.) This is a dark place spiritually, but the truth is getting through! Several teams were able to make Gospel presentations in each class period. While we cannot call for a decision, many of these students now have the knowledge they need to know how to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. With UK/USA Ministries partnerships Youth for Christ and many local churches, we hope that these students will soon cross the line of faith and become followers of Jesus Christ!
We'll have one more day at The King's Academy tomorrow. Pray for the new groups of students that we will be with tomorrow. Pray that they would come with open hearts and curious minds. Pray that our team finishes this trip strong tomorrow. Pray that the Gospel would flourish here in Middlesbrough, UK!
Steve
ps - Sorry, no pictures today. We cannot take cameras into the school.
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