(by Geoff Brown)

The mission statement for Northwest Christian School is posted in every classroom and office on this campus, a point of reference for each decision we make and each direction we take: “The mission of Northwest Christian School is to provide a Bible-based program of education that enables students to develop a Christian worldview.” 

As clear and concise as that statement is, it happened again this past week that I was asked, “But, what does that look like?” As we prepare to launch another group of graduates into the world in just a few weeks, what do we expect “mission fulfilled” to look like in their lives one year, five years, twenty years from now? 

When the question comes, I always answer the same way…

It is a true story but to fully grasp its weight, picture yourself there. The year was 155 AD and Antoninus was Emperor in Rome. Germanicus was a young man, maybe seventeen-years-old, and from Smyrna.  Because of his Christian faith, he had been brought to the Coliseum on this day. Germanic knew that because he would not deny Christ and swear spiritual fealty to the Emperor, he would meet his end via the savagery of lions for sport and entertainment.  As the crowd chanted “Antoninus, Antoninus, Antoninus”, his heart racing and ears ringing with maddened cries for his death, Germanicus walked across the arena and stood before a Roman official. As he approached the Roman proconsul, the arid wind blowing and dust swirling, several times he had to step around patches of mud.  These were the dry soil mixed with the blood of brothers and sisters from the Christian church in Smyrna. History tells us that the Roman officer who raised the gates and loosed the hungry lions into the arena–a spectacle cheered by the blood-thirsty crowd–begged Germanicus to renounce his faith, present an offering of allegiance to the Emperor, and ask Antoninus for mercy because of his youth. Germanicus bowed his head, and his voice barely rising above a breathless whisper, refused, explaining that he would never abandon his Savior.

The official shrugged and pulled the rope that raised the dark, iron gate and loosed the rabid lion into the arena. Living in Smyrna, Germanicus had heard the stories and knew what to expect. He had seen it dozens of times throughout that fateful day. The lion, which had not been fed in days, sprang from its pen and, as the crowd roared its approval, ravenously pursued the Christian men and women clinging to faith in Christ around the arena. Each time it happened the same way:  the lions leaped upon their prey to the continued chants of “Antoninus, Antoninus, Antoninus”.

But history tells us that Germanicus was different. Instead of fleeing as the gate was raised, Germanicus turned and ran straight towards the lion. The Roman proconsul gasped and the crowd was silenced by a muzzle of shock and awe.  As beast and boy sped towards each other, the lion pounced and just as it did, Germanicus grabbed it by the mane and pulled the gaping jaws of the beast towards his own throat. In that instant, Germanicus was absent in body, but present with Christ. Standing at the side of Jesus in eternity, Germanicus watched what happened next. The crazed Coliseum crowd was stunned into silence, their chanting dead in the sight of matchless courage and conviction, the likes of which they had never seen. After a few moments, a new chant stirred the crowd to their feet–“Germanicus, Germanicus, Germanicus”.

While I would like to say that our students will never face actual lions, the truth is that with each passing year, our graduates and alumni face a world increasingly hostile towards a Biblical worldview. But, I relish in the fact that our students are ready. With the courage and conviction of Germanicus, they are growing in their faith and equipped to meet challenges to their worldview head-on. As the world watches, their faith in action will change hearts and, ultimately, the course of culture. And, that is what “mission fulfilled” looks like.

Geoff Brown is the Superintendent of Northwest Christian School located in Phoenix, AZ. Northwest Christian School is one of the largest private Christian schools in the state of Arizona and the only ACSI Exemplary Accredited school in the state.

This post is sponsored by NCS Online. NCS Online is a fully online K-11th grade Christian school providing an online education that is rigorous, affordable, and rooted in Biblical worldview. To learn more about NCS Online, visit NCSonline.org.