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In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33)
As a ministry, we’ve been considering Jesus’s overcoming of the world through the perspective of Revelation in a four-week read-through of the book. For almost two thousand years, this apocalypse has helped readers look beyond their present tumults and see Jesus—unshaken, overcoming, and worthy beyond description. The book’s imagery can be so foreign to us and difficult to piece together, but the main message comes through loud and clear: Jesus saves and Jesus wins. We concur with the great multitude that cries out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
...
Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory.” (19:1, 6-7).
Ephesians 6:11
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
The theme at Christian Union Martus for this spring semester is Christian unity and perseverance. A personal theme has been summed up in a word: fight. Fight for unity, for hope, for joy, for the proclamation of the gospel, for that which is good and beautiful and true. Fight for each other. Mindful that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the enemy of our souls, we utilize the grace that God provides. Students are tentatively returning to campus. Freshmen, who have spent a semester attending Penn from their homes, are moving into the Quad. The commencement of the semester still comes softly, with many restrictions in place and many students deciding to study from home. But there is hope that a breeze will blow into the upper room and bring God’s reviving Spirit to Penn’s campus. To that end, please join us in praying:
Our Biblical faith is the affirmation that God’s presence changes our lives in transformative ways. Once we were no people, but now we are God’s people; once we had not received mercy, but we have now received mercy. Once we were nothing, now we are something (1 Peter 2:10).
With Yale University students back on campus for the spring semester, CU Lux organized a retreat that invited students to unite for conversations about God’s transformative power and presence in their lives. The virtual retreat began with icebreakers that warmed up the conversation and continued with a heart-opening time of worship. Students experienced the liveliness of God’s presence in small group Bible study, silent moments of reflection, one-on-one prayer, and large group testimony sharing.
Praise be to God! You are making a tremendous difference in the lives of many through your prayers. As we partner together for God’s work in the NY area, Christian Union is focused on prayer. All of our full-time ministry faculty meet every single day, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM-11:00 AM to seek the Lord together. Christian Union has been crying out to God because we recognize that it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord that anything impactful and lasting will happen. We are in desperate need of repentance and returning to God together so that God can mend us and heal our land. Your partnership in prayer is increasing the volume of our cries before the Lord and He is answering! We are so grateful for you.
Columbia Student Is a Leader with Christian Union, John Jay Society
By Luke Brown
In his Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas said, “There is no greater act of charity than to lead a neighbor to truth.” At Columbia University, Jonathan Tanaka ’23 is passionately seeking this greatest act of charity in a bold and wholehearted way.
“I believe that since God is the perfect, supreme arbiter of truth—He is truth. It is not only a good thing to pursue Him by pursuing truth, but it is my duty to do so,” said Tanaka, who serves on the executive team for Christian Union’s Lumine ministry at Columbia.
Freshmen Enjoy Leadership Roles During Annual Dinner
By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer
Thanksgiving was a different holiday for most people this year, but thanks to the leadership and creativity of the freshman class, Christian Union Vox’s turkey dinner was one of the highlights of a socially-distanced semester. The annual event offers a unique chance for the freshmen to lead as well as an opportunity to invite non-Christian students to share a meal and hear the Gospel. With this year’s challenges due to COVID-19, the freshmen pulled off an impressive and impactful event.
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.— 1 Corinthians 1:10
This continues to be a most unusual year! Out of an abundance of caution, Brown decided to return students to campus in waves. Just recently, a second group of students moved back, while many more have chosen to study remotely this semester. In a normal year, we’d be sharing updates about our Leaders’ Retreat on the Cape, welcoming freshmen to dinners at the Judson Center, and giving away coffee on the Main Green. Nonetheless, we are thankful for those students who were able to return this semester and grateful for the technologies that enable us to move forward with online meetings!
On behalf of all the staff and students at Christian Union Lumine, let me wish you a Happy New Year. We pray you had a restful holiday. At present, Columbia University is on break and the spring 2021 semester begins on Monday, January 11. It’s a very short break — about 2 weeks — but a needed break for the students, nonetheless.
We’re wishing you a happy new year from snowy Ithaca! Thank you for your continued prayers for our staff and our students. We are trusting God and praying for a fruitful 2021 filled with Christian growth and maturity, new faith, and revival on our campus. We are happy to report that the students are doing well, and over the winter break, we have had several new students show interest in joining Bible courses and leadership for the upcoming year. Our staff and student Bible course leaders are preparing to teach Acts, Sex and Spirituality, and Seeking God Bible courses during the spring semester, which we pray will fill our students with truth that will empower their witness for Christ at Cornell in 2021, and we look forward to starting a new prayer meeting this spring that one of our amazing new freshmen has volunteered to lead!