I'm starting off this chapter with an author's note. Weird right? You may be wondering why.

That's because this is the last chapter of the book.

Being the last chapter of the book, it's not only a 1000-word chapter, but 3000 words. It took so long and I've just published it today (May 21) because it was a challenge having to write those 3000 words.

This chapter is a mix of the final chapter and the epilogue of the book.

Thank you for your support and love for the book! More of my message in the next chapter.

For now, just enjoy the chapter. Contemplate on the preaching that is to come from this chapter. I recommend playing powerful worship songs as you internalize the preaching in here.

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So my heart will sing

You are good, you are good

And with everything

I will praise, I will praise!

I grabbed my phone beside me and turned off the alarm. Without hesitation, I woke up. Usually, after I turn off my alarm, I just sleep again and wait for my father to just wake me up again.

I feel so positive today. I got out of the bed in a happy mood and went downstairs to eat breakfast.

Today is a happy day because it's the last day of school. The last remaining hours that I'm still in 9th grade.

After eating breakfast, I proceeded to the bathroom to shower and prepare for the big day. Before showering, I played a contemporary Christian song to make me feel the moment.

While showering, I just couldn't help but think of the things that happened to me since last year. I got an amazing dream, a vision, became a Christian, experienced things I have never experienced before, and so many others. It's just so overwhelming that so much has happened in that span of time. And now, I'm moving on to becoming a 10th  grade student. I couldn't help but think of all the challenges that I may face in the future.

My train of thoughts crashed as I heard a loud knock on the bathroom door. "It's already 7 am! You've been there for almost 15 minutes!" my dad yelled outside. "Sorry, dad! I'm just finishing up!" I replied back.

As I went out of my bathroom, wrapped in nothing but my towel, I caught sight of mom and dad wrestling playfully in their bedroom. It's their weird way of having fun but I'm down for it as long as they are happy. I mean, it's not like they are physically hitting each other that hard. Just playful and gentle slaps.

I put on my uniform and prepared my bag. I noticed that my bible was not there and it filled me with worry. I looked around the bag and it was not there. I looked around and there it was, sitting on the desk with my devotional notebook on top of it. This bible is the one that Colin gave me when we were evangelizing at the plaza. He surprised me with a CEV bible just like his won because, according to him, he noticed that my bible was NKJV and he wanted me to understand the Word better, so he bought me the bible. It really helped, because by understanding the Word more clearly, I was blessed with much deeper revelations. Anyway, I put the bible and my devotional notebook in my bag.

I waved goodbye to my mom who was in the kitchen as I exited the house. Dad and Matt were already taking their baths. It's kind of my fault that they're going to be running late today. Haha!

Things couldn't get any better. In the past, I would have to wait for at least ten minutes for me to be able to ride a jeepney. Because when a jeepney passes my way, it's already full. Now, upon crossing the pedestrian lane, a jeep with no passengers emerged and I was its first passenger.

Upon arriving at school, I quickly ran to the classroom. I was somewhat excited because, again, it's the LAST DAY!

Upon entering, I saw very few classmates already present. Being the last day of school, there are no more classes because our grades are already finished and all our requirements are gone. By gone, I mean finished as well.

"Hey, Gray!" Denver greeted as I sat down. I greeted him back and bro hugged. "Didn't think you were going to show up today. After all, it's the last day of class." He said. I replied, "That is why I came here. It's the last day and I feel like something big is going to happen. I'm feeling fresh and positive today."

We just told each other stories and laughed when Vince arrived and joined us. He arrived after recess which was not surprising considering the school isn't strict on punctuality at this point in the school year. Not a single teacher has entered the classroom since there's no more reason to even go here. That means, we have all the time to ourselves.

After our storytelling, we went awkwardly silent. None of us laughed or talked for quite some time until Denver suggested something great. "Let's have a bible sharing!" He yelled. Vince and I looked at each other and nodded. We took our bibles from our bags as well as our devotional notebooks.

"Wait, what time is it? There's Friday service at noon!" Vince yelled.

Oh, that reminds me. I will be preaching for the last Friday service here at school. When we had our leader's meeting on Wednesday, Ma'am Jane suggested that I preach and of course, I couldn't say no. It's also a good way for me to try something new. Although at first I was scared because I knew I would be preaching to strangers mostly, I knew that it's not me who will speak, but God.

I've practiced countless of ties last night. From the preaching to the ministering, I practiced. I have a habit of practicing things I'm excited in doing.

I check my phone to look at the time and to my surprise, it reads...

11:47 am

I showed them my phone and we quickly ran to Ma'am Jane's classroom. We were talking so much that we didn't even notice the time!

By the time we arrived, people were starting to exit the classroom making it obvious that we're not late.

As the room goes empty, we enter and wait for a couple of minutes before the next batch arrives. Some church leaders are there to welcome us. "Are you ready, Gray?" Colin asked.

"More than ready, I'm totally excited!" I exclaimed. I excused myself to go to a corner alone. I needed to calm myself and get rid of the nervousness that's trying to possess me. I prayed and took deep breaths as Denver, Vince and the other church leaders were welcoming the students attending the service. Pastor Jane is not here that is why she asked us to manage.

Service started with a quarter of the room full. I couldn't listen to the testimonies because I was observing the crowd. I'm kind of sad to see that the room's not full like the other weeks. I was ready to preach to a full room, but I think God insisted that this would be my practice audience for now.

"...let's clap our hand to the Lord for the life of brother Gray!" As soon as I heard my name, I was pulled out of my train of thoughts. The audience applauded as I went up the small stage, devotional notebook and bible in hand. As I stood there, I scanned the room. I saw Vince and Denver raising their thumbs up and the church leaders smiling. I also caught sight of the students, eyes locked into my gaze. I took a deep breath and started.

"Hey guys! Are you all blessed?" It's as if a wave of enthusiasm took over me. Energy flowed through my body throwing of the nervousness that tried to hug me.

"AMEN!" They exclaimed.

"All right! It's another Friday and we are here to rest in the Lord's presence. Before we start, let us pray." I waited for them to bow their heads and close their eyes before continuing. "Yes, Oh Father God, we thank you for gathering us today in this room to feel your presence through your Word oh, God. Thank you for this opportunity to be used by you to preach to these people of your good news. We pray that you continually shower us with your blessings and prepare our hearts for what is about to happen today. Bless our families, friends and teachers, Lord. And make the ones who are coming here arrive safely. We ask forgiveness for our sins, oh God. This we ask in the might Name of Jesus,"

"Amen." All of us said in unison.

"All right! Let's move on to the word! Bring out your Bibles if you have them." I said as I flipped the pages of my Bible. "Okay, so our text for today is Ephesians 1:3-14. It may be long but it's worth reading." I read the passage as everyone followed along silently reading on their own Bibles, whether book or phone app.

"Okay, so the passage tells about the spiritual gifts that God has given us. Have you ever felt depressed? To the point that you lock yourself in your room and cry it all out?" I heard many say yes. I noticed that the number of people in the room are slowly increasing, which boosted my confidence and enthusiasm.

"Sometimes, we feel unwanted or unloved. To man, sometimes we are trash. But to God, we are to die for. Here are three reasons why we should be thankful and depend on God:" At this point, almost half of the room is full. The seats are all occupied and some people have seated on the floor.

"Number 1 is because he created us. Have you ever thought that you can made into a plant? An animal? A grain of sand? God could have made into other things but He chose to create you to be human. Why is that? It's because He loves you. He loves you so much that He created you to be one of His superior creations. Reflect on this: Your life would be so different if He didn't make you human. You couldn't be with the people you love and have conversations with them and basically, you can't do human actions. I want you to whisper to yourself: God loves you"

"God loves you." They said in unison while looking down at themselves. Some even closed their eyes and hugged themselves.

"We move on the 2nd reason, which is: He keeps His promises. All the way from Abraham, Moses, David and even in the New Testament, He never broke a promise. Try reading the book of Kings and Chronicles at home and you will see proof that He keeps His promises no matter what. Some people are scared of hanging on to God's promises. Are you one of them?" I ask. Some bowed their heads as if they are guilty. Some just whispered yes. Some did not speak. "If you are one of them, think of this: If God did not break His promise in the past? Why would He break them now? Amen?!"

"AMEN!" They yelled.

"Okay, so the last reason is that God sent Jesus to die for us. Remember when I said we were worth dying for? Well, it's true. If it weren't God would have just ditched us and see us suffer because of our sins. But no, He sent Jesus as our restart button. He sent Jesus to die so that we could have a chance to repent and be born again! Jesus loves us, too. He was willing to die for us! I want you to envision the scenario that I'm going to narrate and contemplate on that." I say. Many of them bowed their heads and closed their eyes while others keep their gaze locked on me.

"You're one of the audience when Jesus is in trial. You see Pilate in the middle of Jesus and a man named Barabbas. You look at Jesus. Now, Jesus is sinless. He just preached the Word and healed people while also doing good deeds. He looks at you and smiles." As I said that, sounds of sobbing began to emerge. At this point, it was already a full house. I then continued. "You look at Barabbas. Barabbas is a murderer. He has committed so many crimes and deserves to be punished. Pilate yells, "One will be crucified and one will be saved! Who do you choose?" I want you now to yell out the name of the person you choose."

"JESUS!" they yell in unison with tears streaming down their faces.

"You yell Jesus' Name and He hears you. The people shout Barabbas' name. At the top of your lungs you shout Jesus' name but Jesus whispers to you, "This is for you, I must die for I love you so much." Pilate unshackles Barabbas and grabs Jesus. Before he disappears with Pilate, He takes a last look at you and smiles. Now contemplate on this: Jesus endured the suffering as man and not as God. Jesus can snap a finger and everything would be over. Put yourself now in between the audience as Jesus is now carrying the cross. He falls right in front of you. When He saw you, He stood up and smiled at you. His face is beaten and his body is brutally wounded yet He managed to give you a smile. He carries on walking while being mocked by the people watching and being beaten by the guards mercilessly. You are Jesus' inspiration throughout the pain. He thought of us while He was carrying the cross, enduring the pain. If that were you, can you endure it? I wouldn't either."

All the students at this point are now bowing their heads and crying loudly. I gestured for the church leaders to turn off the lights. They did so and I resumed ministering.

"Now, I want you to talk to God. Just be silent and talk to Him. Imagine Him walking up to you, ready to listen. What do you want to say to Him? Now is your chance to say it." They were whispering while sobbing. Many were just crying loudly as I began to give them a moment of silence.

"I want you now to tell Him everything that's been bothering you. He wants to know how you've been. He misses you dearly. He always waits for you but you don't have time for Him. He approaches you but you turn away. You look for Him when He's just behind you." This made the crying louder. Again, I gave them time to reflect and have a conversation with God.

I may not see it, but I know that God is in here listening to their cries and smiling at me for being available to be used by Him. I, for one, am also thankful because I've never preached in front of a full house, not to mention creating this much of an impact!

After some minutes, the crying noises started to fade into gentle sobs and that was my cue to end it. "Let us pray." I said and silence was spread throughout the room. "Yes, Lord, thank you for your Word today. Thank you for reminding us everyday that you love us. Thank you for everything you've done to keep us alive and well and thank you for always being there when no one is. We are sorry for not recognizing everything you have done for us. We are sorry if we let our problems overshadow the thought that you love us. We ask that you continue guiding us and keep reminding us that you do love us. Thank you for listening to our cries today and we know that you are now acting on our prayers. We know that you are acting on our homes and surroundings. Thank you, Lord. We truly love you. We ask this in the Mighty Name of Jesus, and everybody will scream..."

"AMEN!!" Everyone yelled in unison.

The lights were turned on and everyone wiped their sweat and tears. Vince gave me a bottle of water and let me borrow his towel.

We sang praises after that and before I knew it, service was over. We all exited the room and went back to our classroom. I didn't notice my other classmates enter the room while I was preaching so I thought that it was only me, Denver and Vince who attended the service.

Upon entering our classroom, everyone went back to what they were doing earlier: eating, playing and chatting. Vince, Denver and I went back to our usual spot and rested for a bit. "It's only 2:04 pm. We still have 3 hours to kill. Shall we resume our bible sharing?" Vince suggested. Without a word, we all grabbed our bibles and devotional notebooks and prayed before starting.

After praying, we let go of each other's hands and opened our eyes.

"Who goes first?" I ask.

"I will. You can go later. You've already shared at service haha!" said Denver. Vince and I gestured for him to begin and he flipped his bible.

"Our word for today is—"

"Mind if I join you?" Denver was cut off when Janette appeared behind us. We gave her a seat and we resumed. Before Denver could talk again, six of my other classmates joined in. They all kept piling up until we formed a big circle that occupied the class.

Time passed and many have shared. Our bible sharing became a sharing of experiences.

"I was bullied and now, thanks to Gray, Denver, Vince, Janette and Jet, I have now found confidence and had the mindset that I exist for God and for men. Thank you guys!" said Julia with tears streaming down her face.

I look at the time and it's already 4:27. "Hey, want to minister them while I write the praise lyrics on the chalkboard?" I whispered to Janette. She nods and proceeds to start the ministering.

I separate myself from the circle to write the lyrics to Shout of the King on the chalkboard. As I recall the lyrics and write them, I can hear the sobs of my classmates. Janette's doing an amazing job!

When they finished ministering, I was done writing. "Hey, guys! Let's move the chairs to the side and let's celebrate!" I exclaimed. Vince grabbed the guitar and started strumming the chords to the song while everyone hurriedly put away the chairs.

I give you praise for you deserve it

I give you praise for what you've done

It's truly a wonderful sight to behold. Everyone raising their hands and dancing to the beat of the music as we sing the song. It's amazing to see everyone praising the Lord in unison.

The shout of the King is among us

God is here in our praises

The shout of the King is among us

Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him in everything!

Vince handed me his phone so I could take pictures as my classmates created a circle and went around the room singing the song. I grabbed a chair and stood on it to take pictures.

As I took pictures and danced, couldn't help but look back at everything that I've been through. I was once a sadist. I hurt others for my own benefit. I've also said many bad words and did horrid actions. But now, here I am. Changed for the best because of God.

I look at my classmates and wow; God's change is infectious. This is truly great. A class changed by God's grace. We were once a class full of fights but now here we are uniting to praise the Lord.

We are a class of mixed religions but somehow, we united in lifting the Name of the one true God we all worship.

Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him in everything!

When the song ended, I gestured for all of us to take a group photo.

They assembled behind me and as I snap the photo, I wonder:

Will this be a temporary feeling?

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==============END OF THE TEENAGE CHRISTIAN==============

Last author's note in the next chapter!

For now, I would like to show you the pictures that we took during that moment in our classroom! Sorry if they're low quality photos. I just transferred them from my phone to my laptop.

I now encourage you to spread the change in your own classroom! See how amazing it is to be in a class that is changed by God! It's truly a wonderful thing! 

God bless you! :)