Romans 12:1 begins with the word “therefore.” Therefore means “as a result of.” It’s the transition from the cause to the effect. During the revival of last year, many of us began or expanded our personal relationship with Jesus. This year, it’s time to grow up in our faith. As a student body, we are in our “therefore.”
This year, we want to see God move in our school in new ways, maturing old and new believers alike. Now that many of us have that relationship with Jesus, it’s time to learn what to do with it. We have gone from accepting the love and truth of the Gospel to needing to understand how to live it out as followers of Christ. Therefore, Judah’s high school retreat looked a little different this year. During this year’s retreat, we tried to answer the question “where do we go from here?” We paved the path for the next chapter in our story.
Romans 12:1 was our key verse at retreat: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” To see an example of someone being a living sacrifice day by day, we watched a documentary one night rather than having a traditional chapel service. The movie Mully showed us what offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God could mean and what a difference we could make living for the kingdom of God.
Senior Lydia Tian described the impact that watching Mully had on her. She said, “That is what the kingdom of God looks like! As God’s people, we are called to bring His kingdom into the world. That is what Mully is doing in Kenya. God is answering Mully’s prayers in the midst of his faithful working and waiting. It’s hard not to be moved by that. Mully showed me that God is calling me up. Mully showed me that God knows the bigger picture and that He just needs me to obey. Mully showed me what obedience to God looks like.”
Most of us aren’t multimillionaires and don’t have acres upon acres of land to use to rescue thousands of orphans like Mully does, but Mully’s story showed us something. Mully showed us what it takes to be a living sacrifice. He was willing to be transformed. He was willing to do what God was asking of him. God is doing miraculous things in Mully’s life because he is being obedient to what God is asking. God is guiding, and God is providing.
Mr. Neethling then shared with us what being a living sacrifice might look like as high school students. He said that this year’s goal was not to repeat the revival of last year but rather to disciple those who have come to faith. He said that Romans 12:1 is a command to any believer, new or old, to sacrifice yourself to God and let Him work. He said that this is where the training wheels come off and we become followers of Jesus in the kingdom of God, because Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15).
After Mr. Neethling spoke, we asked ourselves difficult questions about our relationship with Jesus. Questions like:
Am I doing this for real?
What’s in between me and Jesus?
What’s He calling me to give up?
What excuses do I wrestle with?
How do I overcome the fear of diving into the unknown?
The answers weren’t handed to us on a silver platter. We had to search with God inside ourselves for them. We left with more questions than answers. This was the goal. The purpose of this year’s retreat was to cause a stirring of the mind and to ask challenging questions of the heart. It was to challenge new and old believers alike to evaluate themselves and truly follow Christ.
The effects of this challenge were immediate. At the first chapel after the retreat, junior Avoni Kelly shared her story of how sacrificing herself to God over the summer has strengthened her faith. She told the whole school how the challenge of retreat had resonated with her. She said, “Mr. Neethling talked about how following the world will not lead us to a good place. He talked about what God wants us to do in His kingdom instead. Even after the retreat, this message has stuck with me and motivated me to become a stronger, genuine Christian.”
Avoni and Lydia were just two of the many students who felt the Lord call to them and spark curiosity about what He wants to do through them. Many students have continued to reflect on the challenge of retreat as the year has matured. Typically at retreat, we have a whole message and get back on the buses feeling complete. But this year’s retreat served as a launching point for the rest of the year. It was open-ended and put us on the track we needed to travel.
Retreat did all it could. Now it’s up to us students to make this faith our own. The message of being a living sacrifice isn’t finished. In fact, it’s just the start. God gave us a vision. He answered our questions: Where do we go from here? How do I truly follow Jesus? How do I truly worship God? At retreat, He told us, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.”
Retreat is so much more than showing up to a cold chapel building covered in dirt, moss, and sweat. It’s more than playing nuke’em and nine square, swimming and canoeing. It’s more than playing pranks in the cabin, getting up before dawn for sunrise hikes, and staying up way too late. While all these things make great memories, retreat is so much more. It’s a quiet place to grow with Jesus, each other, and our teachers. This year, we all certainly had our fun. But as we got back on the bus, we knew the challenge ahead: How can I be a living sacrifice?
—Keaton Welch and Braden Laird, class of ’25
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