International Student Track Reports
Six Nations…One Bible
Nick Johnson
Sunday morning, students in the International Student Track at Urbana had their first opportunity to gather together in small clusters around Scripture in small group Bible studies. Being a part of a 20,000-member Convention, the daily small
group times allow students to share more intimately what God is doing in their
lives and pray for one another with other followers of Christ.
The study I attended was amazing! As students shared what countries they were from, it was like hearing the roll call for the United Nations General Assembly meeting: China, Indonesia, Benin, Korea, Japan, America, India. It was truly a multi-national Bible study! But the one thing that united all these small group attendees was their passion for Jesus Christ and desire to learn more by studying Scripture together.
Aaron, the group's leader, prayed for the group to be open to receive all God had for them that morning, but also for God to break our hearts for the things that breaks His heart. Responding to God's call to live as Kingdom people is being addressed within the larger Urbana Convention, so its appropriate for students to be considering this theme in the small groups as well. The group of 10 delegates considered weighty matters as they read and studied Luke 3:1-20: Repentance, bearing fruit for God, justice, and extravagant giving of our material resources.
Sajit, an Indian student, was struck by how penetrating John the Baptist's call to repentance was. He found himself challenged to consider how God might be calling him to repent of things he's held onto in his own life.
Students explored how John's message could be called "Good News" for the people - repentance and God's coming wrath (which Dr. Luke talked about) were hardly welcome words to many people. But as the study progressed, students discovered that Jesus' coming forgiveness and Kingdom is Good News, but its diametrically opposite the kingdom and spirit of this world. Ben from Korea observed how greed had marked each audience in the passage: the crowds, tax collectors, and soldiers. He also observed sins of national (Jewish in this case) pride that was used to justify their actions - "We have Abraham as our ancestor." Students were most certainly finding application into their own national situations and contexts.
Sumit, another Indian student, noticed that repentance brings us closer to God. Repentance must be from the Holy Spirit, and coupled with faith, but its that initial conviction of sin that opens the door for understanding God's ways more fully.
Another international student grappled with humanity's separation from God and realized that repentance allows us to lay our crowns down at Jesus' feet.
Aaron asked students to conclude the study by breaking up into groups of three, sharing their expectations for Urbana and respond in prayer to the study that just took place. There was a genuine hunger on the part of students who came to the study. Cramming 10 students into a small college dorm room designed for two students was a bit stifling, but no matter. These international Christians were hungry for God, and wanted to study His Word in community with other Christians. And nothing was going to get in the way of their devotion.
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