The Lord stood near Paul and said, Take courage!

As you have testified

about me in Jerusalem so must you also testify in Rome. (Acts 23:11)
Courage to Speak
Paul spoke the truth, about Jesus, with boldness to all he met, even those
above him in authority. For doing this, his very life was threatened and plots were
being made to murder him. In these trials Jesus appeared and stood next to Paul and
encouraged him not to be afraid of those in authority. He encouraged Paul to boldly
testify of Him before consulates, tribunals, and even Caesar himself. He reminded
Paul of his prior bold witness in Jerusalem.
Though our lives are not often threatened in our schools, we do face many
trials and difficult situations. Jesus stands beside us, reminding us of past victories and his present support, wherever
He sends us to declare His word. One place He has sent all of us to declare his Word is the public schools. We are all
ambassadors and missionaries for Him. We are His salt and light in the classrooms, schools, and profession where we
serve.
Charlotte works at an inner city public high school. The employer she strives to please first every day in her
classroom is Jesus Christ. She is the Masters (Jesus) teacher and as a result she is a teacher of great courage, faith,
and excellence. Several years ago the principal called her into his office and began to compliment her. For several
years Charlotte had been experiencing extraordinary success with high-risk and low-performing students. Some had
been previously incarcerated in juvenile detention facilities. Many of these students had been unsuccessful after several
attempts to pass the English portion of the state-mandated tests. When Charlotte heard the principal beginning to praise
her, she knew the source of her success. It was clearly Jesus.
When the principal was done speaking, Charlotte boldly announced, Jesus has been doing the teaching in my
classes and with His Holy Spirit giving me instructions. He was able to have an almost perfect record of state-
mandated test scores. Surely, you realize that Jesus was the best teacher that ever walked the face of the earth.
Because she had spoken the truth out of humility and love, not pride, the principal took her words seriously
that day as she declared Jesus the source of all the students success. It would have been easy for Charlotte to have
been intimidated by the principals position or taken personal glory for her students successes, but she knew that she
needed to testify of Gods faithfulness that day. Her desire to be a witness was greater than any fear or false pride.
Similarly, when students asked Charlotte why she would teach in a low-performing school when she had so
many credentials, her response was, I have no rights. To follow Christ means I am to obey His will; at the present
time, it is His will that I teach you and these other students in this place.
In her early years when her mentor teacher continued to ask her why she would choose to teach these students,
she replied, I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ Jesus who lives within me, and
the life I live, I live for the Son of God who gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) After the same answer several
times, the mentor teacher stopped asking. Charlottes mentor and her principal were being taught that truly great
teachers are those who must first sit at the feet of and follow Jesus, the true Master Teacher.
In classes filled with felons, juvenile delinquents, and troubled youth, fear would have seemed the most likely
choice for Charlotte. Certainly, she had not planned on teaching these kinds of students when she envisioned a career
in education. However, God knew that He wanted her to serve the least-of-these in the public school. Despite, a
tenuous and frightening beginning in a very hostile ungodly educational environment, she sought Gods will above her
own desires. She laid the skills, gifts, and intelligence that He had given her at His feet and He used them to teach the
students farthest from Him so they could experience excellence, success, and be drawn closer to Him.
Right now Jesus is standing next to us saying, Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem
(your home and community church), so must you also testify about me in Rome (at school). How will we respond?
Prayer: Lord, because you are with us, We need not fear sharing the truth of who you are and giving you the honor
you deserve among our peers in education.
Application: Start giving God public credit for your professional successes.
Sharing: Share a time at school when you did or did not give the credit and glory back to God for your professional
success. How did you feel afterwards?

CLASSROOM LIGHTHOUSE SERIES: TEACHER! TAKE COURAGE! (For inquiries contact ceaihouston@sbcglobal.net.) WEEK 24