Be a Temple in Your School

These days the word temple doesn't really pop up that often, and when it does we probably associate it with ancient places of worship in the Far East or a tourist attraction we've seen on the Travel Channel. But the Bible speaks of the temple in Jerusalem as a place where people could come from far and wide to get hold of God. A BIG place that was a visible point of contact between God and man, where He could make himself available.

In modern terms you could liken the temple to a mall, a cinema, a supermarket or a fast-food joint. Each of them visible with their big neon signs and billboards, all claiming to have what you need to make you happy. Each of them enticing you to come and buy the offer of the week. Each of them making themselves available. Whether it be the golden arches with their promise of a quick burger or a Happy Meal, the Nike ad subtly suggesting that their latest high-tops are all you need to make that dunk, or another smooth iPod commercial wooing you into the world of digital downloads. All of them with something on offer. All of them visible. All of them available.

Ask any young European today if they know where they can get a fast-food fix, find a packet of cigarettes or buy a new pair of Chuck Taylors and you’ll get an answer. Ask a British teenager if they know where to go for a dose of MTV or the latest episode of Prison Break, and they'll be able to point you in the right direction. But unfortunately when you try getting them to give you directions to the nearest church or asking if they know where to find Jesus, suddenly the percentages drop.

Recent surveys say that over 80% of European teenagers are religion and faith. Read that again! Over 80%!!! In many cases that interest will become so strong that these teenagers will even go looking for something to fulfil the spiritual void that can't be filled with shoes, food, films, relationships or anything else but God himself, and as Christians, we need to be in the right place at the right time. No longer is there a big temple in Jerusalem for everyone to go to, and many of our modern-day temples - that is churches, cathedrals and abbeys - have been shut down, or worse still, turned into museums, cafés and flats! That's why God needs another kind of venue where people can find Him. His own billboards proclaiming His name and pointing people in the right direction when they're hungry for Him.

Corinthians tells us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. That means mobile, modern-day venues where God can dwell. Living neon signs displaying God's name. Walking, talking billboards making God available to our generation in our schools and colleges. Every young person standing up for Jesus in their class is like a 21st-century version of the temple in Jerusalem. A meeting place between God and man. A point of contact between heaven and earth. A living outlet for the word of God. When John from Weston-super-Mare put up that poster of himself with the words ”I’m a Christian, ask me why!” in his school, he turned himself into a temple; a contact point between God and his peers. When Lina from London stood up at assembly and announced that she was starting a New Generation group at her college, when Joel from Horsham shared the Gospel with dozens of people during lunch break, when those girls from Nottingham put up hearts with Christian messages on them on Valentine’s Day, God didn’t just see a trembling girl, a guy trying to share his faith or a red piece of cardboard…God saw temples!

By deciding to stand up and be a temple you can be a meeting place where people in your school can get hold of God, and you can join together with thousands of other young people across Europe who are giving Jesus the chance to reach a generation that He’s longing to touch. Be the point-contact in your school. Show your friends where to find God. Start a Christian group in your school. Go for it!


For more information on how to start a Christian school group or get resources and support for your CU or lunch-club, go to www.newgeneration.co.uk