In the banking industry, one of the fundamental requirements of a teller on the front lines is to not accept phony money as the real thing. Accepting phony money is not only shameful for someone who handles bills on a daily basis, it loses money for the bank. So the question becomes, ‘How do the banks train tellers to recognize a real U.S. government issued bill?’ The answer is more simple than most people initially think. They simply help them learn everything they need to know about the real thing. There are so many frauds out there, that to train every teller to recognize the frauds would take forever. Then the next fraud would come up with something new and the teller might let it go through after not recognizing it. So, by training the teller to know what a real bill looks like, they know that if something is different, to flag it and take it to a manager.
I believe the best way to help students share the gospel is to help them recognize the truth of the gospel in their life. In leadership circles it is said that you cannot lead people to where you have not gone yourself. We need to help students in understanding what the gospel is. Many Christian students who have gone to church their whole life cannot articulate their faith in Christ in 30 seconds or less. Then we can help them to see how God has worked in their life, write that story down, and provide a place to share it with their peers. By having a clear understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and how that has changed their life, they will have everything they need to be light in a spiritually dark life they encounter daily in the halls of school.
Peace,
Brad Schelling
