Our Judge, Defender and Hope

“Teacher, what happens if the judge is witness to a crime? Could that judge still rule justly when presented with evidence even if it points to the wrong conclusion?” Sam,* a student in Christar worker Marcy’s intermediate English class had ventured off on another tangent. The class, offered through the Global English Project in the Middle East, had just learned terms related to equality and justice, opening a natural opportunity for conversations with spiritual significance.

But before Marcy could answer, Rona, the only girl in the class, asked for Marcy’s dry-erase marker and approached the whiteboard. She shared with the class that she had spent a lot of time thinking about these concepts. On the board she drew a court scene, including a judge with lots of circles around him. Inside the circles, she wrote phrases such as “likes rich people,” “usually believes men” and “prefers his religion.” She concluded that there was no perfect judge because all of them had circles around them.

Marcy explained that the English word Rona was looking for was “bias,” and that all people have an inclination either for or against something or someone. She added that we can get our biases from our culture, religion, family or experiences. Rona sat down, disappointed by how unfair the world is.

But, Marcy wasn’t finished. She picked up the marker and wrote “God” above the judge her student had drawn. “Class, did you know that one day, God will judge the world with righteousness and its people fairly? He will be both witness and judge because He sees and knows all!”

Excitedly, Marcy drew another stick figure in front of the person on trial. Above him, she wrote “defender,” and continued, “This is the defense lawyer. On the day I stand before God and my sins are brought against me, I am thankful that Jesus Christ will stand as my defense. When God looks at me, He will see only the perfection of Jesus. He will declare me innocent, and He will be just in His ruling.”

Christar workers serving through the Global English Project praise God for providing frequent opportunities to share spiritual truth with their students, both in and outside of the classroom. Since this English school opened in 2015, it has opened doors for workers to build relationships and communicate the gospel in a community that’s nearly 100 percent Muslim.

Marcy’s class has covered material on topics including human rights, technology and American history, and these subjects often lend themselves to meaningful discussions. Her students have debated issues such as the effects of smartphones on society, the dignity of human life and the importance of passing down history to the next generation.

As they weigh in on topics like these, Marcy and her co-workers seek to convey the hope they’ve found in Christ. “In all of our conversations, a key theme is that my students are looking for hope. Hope for society to change, hope that the problems their country has will be solved and hope for their own future,” Marcy explains. “My hope is that my teammates and I will be able to share the love of Christ with our students through our words and actions.”

Participate by Praying:

• Praise God for giving Christar workers serving through the Global English Project opportunities to share spiritual truth in the classroom.
• Ask God to bring more least-reached people with open hearts to language classes held by Christar workers.
• Pray that many English students will place their faith in Christ.
• Ask God to provide the ongoing funds needed to run the Global English Project.