The challenges and opportunities of being a Christian at university
If you're heading off to university then a whole bundle of changes await you. All of a sudden, you’ll find you have new friends, a new routine, new freedom and new responsibilities. Student life presents an almost endless list of challenges, from finding your first lecture room to finding friends, from managing your student loan to managing your laundry, from studying in the library to studying the idiots’ guide to microwave cooking. There's a lot to get your head around!
For Christians there are added challenges: finding a church, finding other Christians at university and not abusing new-found freedoms. But don’t think of life as a Christian at university an ongoing struggle to survive in an unknown environment. Instead think of it as living life to the full God’s way- growing in your relationship with him, and seeing the lives of others transformed by his life and power.
Being a Christian is about living all of life for Jesus. Your course, your relationships with others, the way you play sport or music and your use of money all matter to God. People see how good, loving, and powerful God is as we depend on him in every area of our lives.
Being yourself and sharing Jesus
It’s really important to build friendships with other Christians in church and CU, but don’t let these people become the whole of your social life. University is a crucial time for all students, and for lots of people it allows space to think about the deepest questions of life. Having a wider group of friends is a great opportunity to share Jesus with people who don’t know him.
There are loads of ways to do this. Get to know the people in your flat or on your corridor- even those who seem to want to hide in their rooms! Join a club or society devoted to something you’re interested in. Here you can make plenty of natural friends: after all, you’ve already got one area of interest in common.
In all this, temptations will inevitably come your way. Be ready for them and resolve now to follow Jesus no matter what. Don’t drop your commitment to him in order to blend in. If you’re someone who stands up for what you believe in, you will stand out. This can be uncomfortable at times, but being yourself and sticking to what you value shows strength, character, and self-confidence.
Make the choice to stand strong. Be the same person to everyone you meet; those at church and CU, those on your course, those in your sports team or band, and those in your hall or flat. Always look for ways to be like Jesus, praying that these actions will cause people to question what makes you different. And when they do, be ready to give an answer for the hope you have.
How should Christians go about their university studies?
Everything good comes from God our Creator. Your brain, your skill at maths or history, your eye for design and your ability with your hands all come from him. With that in mind, you’ll want to do your best on your course. Be humble as you use your gifts to study, because you know that you never came by them yourself. Instead, use these gifts and skills to please God.
Christians will want to offer their talents and abilities in their studies which means that we will work hard, whatever grades we get and even when our studies aren’t fun. At the same time, we won’t get obsessed with our course because we’re secure in God’s love for us. Sometimes we’ll give our time to serving Jesus above our work, but we need never be ashamed of wanting to do our best in our studies as long as our motivation is to please God, rather than to earn our own praise.
We don’t need to be scared of grappling with the ideas that are taught on our course. We might worry that too much study will make our faith weaker. It’s true you might well come across challenges to Christianity on your course, but if you do, don’t be afraid. If Christianity really is true, it will stand up to whatever criticisms people throw at it.
How can I speak for Jesus at university?
Christians live for Jesus and as a result want to love and help other people. You’ll see loads of needs around you at university, but the ultimate need that each person has is for the relationship with Jesus they were made for. If we love the people around us that don’t know Jesus, we’ll want to introduce them to him.
Speaking about Jesus can be a scary prospect – although the thought of evangelism is often worse than actually doing it! But we need to ask ourselves the question: if we don’t pray and take opportunities to tell people about Jesus, who will?
If you are living life for Jesus with non-Christians and praying for opportunities, you should find that you don’t need to crowbar Jesus into conversations. Watch out for natural openings when you’re talking about what you got up to over the weekend, chatting over issues raised by your course, sharing what you love and why.
You’ll also find that events organised by CU and church help you to speak for Jesus. Think of these events not as ends in themselves, but a springboard into conversations of your own.
Finally, don’t feel like you have to go it alone in your evangelism. There are only two places in whole of the New Testament where we read of just one Christian sharing their faith on their own. When you work with other Christians, you can combine the gifts and knowledge that God has given you all, and you can pray together for the friends you have in common. If you find you’re the only Christian in your sports team or on your course, try and introduce these people to your Christian mates.
How can I develop my relationship with God at university?
If you’re a follower of Jesus, your relationship with him isn’t only about the big decisions like where you live and who you marry. Your love for Jesus should show itself in a million small decisions in the average week.
If we’re going to live for Jesus in this way, we’ll need to focus our hearts and minds on him regularly. This comes as we spend time in Christian community – for example, in church and in CU. But Christians down the ages have also found it helpful to set aside a time each day to read the Bible and to pray. The Bible reminds us of how things really are – why Jesus deserves our worship, what it means to follow him. We can then ask the Holy Spirit to help us follow Jesus with our whole heart.
Your time at university is a great time to get started in spending time getting to know God better. Why not choose a point each day when you can read the Bible and pray? Don’t get too uptight about these times – you’re not reliant on them to stay in God’s good books! They’re simply about getting to know your Saviour, Friend and King better.
