With the start of the school year comes limitless things that demand our attention- school work, recruitment & other chapter activities, your job(s),intramurals, and of course, Snapchat notifications.
It can be easy to have your faith take a backseat to those things. However, the good news is that – while we tend to keep the above things compartmentalized and separate from each other- we don’t have to do that with our faith. We can integrate our faith into all areas of our lives; when we do this we get the chance to see God move.
So as you gear up for the madness, here are three tips on integrating your faith with Greek Life:
1) Capitalize on Unique Opportunities
Sharing our faith can be hard but it’s a very real part of our faith in Christ. It’s not just something that someone else should do but something all of us partake in!
Romans 10 has been a convicting passage for me when it comes to sharing my faith with friends, family,and sometimes even strangers! It says:
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15, NIV)
It’s not always easy to share your faith with your sorority sisters or fraternity brothers. In fact, I’ve found the “softball scenarios” (where someone comes up to you and says something directly like “Hey, can you tell me about Jesus?”) are the exception not the norm! But here is a truth for you to sit in:
God has uniquely placed you in your chapter to show and tell your brothers & sisters about Jesus.
Did you read that? Read it again. Yes, you!
You are where you are for a reason.
What this means is that you have a unique opportunity that no one else has- not pastors, not family members, and not even your Greek IV campus staff.
You, as their brother or sister, have the unique opportunity to point them to Jesus, both in word & deed. You have the ability to live out your faith everyday in front of them.
This leads us to point number two…
2) Practice an Active Faith
Like it or not, Jesus has called us to an active, not passive faith. In the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20), Jesus says, “Therefore, go and make DISCIPLES” – not believers. If it said believers, then our job would be over when someone came to faith, but the term “disciples” implies a lifelong mission.
So don’t get comfortable in a “holy huddle” (e.g. only talking about your faith with other believers, never bringing it up with your brothers or sisters). Instead, see your chapter as the mission field that Jesus has called you to in this season of your life and get to work!
3) Do What Jesus Does
Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus “get in trouble” with the religious leaders of his day. He hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners- not the crowd you would expect a rabbi to rub shoulders with. (Mark 2:13-17)
In Greek InterVarsity, we often ask the question: Would Jesus go Greek? (I think he’d eventually join Pi Kappa Phi, but I might be a bit biased…) Based on how we see Jesus minister in the Gospels, if there was ever a corner of campus that I think we’d see Jesus, it’d be Greek Life!
Around the country, we have much to be proud of as Greeks – consistently higher GPAs and graduation rates than non-Greek students, and a majority of leaders around the country (including Fortune 500 CEOs and presidents) are Greek. However, we’d be kidding ourselves if we didn’t also acknowledge some of the extreme negatives – hazing, sexual abuse, binge drinking to name a few.
I think Jesus WOULD be at the house parties, the philanthropies, the socials, etc. I mean, come on - he turned water into wine as his first miracle (John 2:1-11). However, what we see about the life of Jesus wasn’t that he was at these parties to get drunk or participate in the behavior the others. He was there to love others and engage them with the truth of who he is. Jesus perfectly entered into the lives of those around him, neither condemning nor condoning them in the process.
So, following Jesus’ example, we can go to date parties, socials, house parties, etc with a clear conscience knowing that we get to love our brothers/sisters and show them Jesus through our actions (or inactions!). Jesus didn’t call us to live in a holy huddle, but to follow him into all parts of our chapter, campus, and world. And as we navigate Greek life, he also calls us to honor him in all we do. So let’s take a risk and trust God. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get out there, loving and living like Jesus did.
Our hope at Greek IV is that you would take advantage of the unique opportunity God has called you to, practice an active faith, and be like Jesus to your brothers & sisters. We believe that when faith & greek life intersect, we get a front row seat to God's movement in our lives, chapters and campuses!
To learn more about how faith & Greek life intersect, check out these articles:
Can You Really Be Greek & Christian? Finding Faith in a Fraternity
Why Does Greek IV Believe It's Possible to Be Greek & Christian?
Can Christians Have Fun at Parties?
How Do I Thrive in My Faith? It's More Than Just Surviving
You've Accepted a Bid, Now What? 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Greek Experience
