Our children are worth fighting for. We have seen the enemy at work in our schools for decades, stripping God out little by little. I am always grateful for bold men and women of God who fight the good fight to give our children a biblical foundation. I had the pleasure of speaking with Joel Penton, the CEO and Founder of LifeWise Academy. Children can receive Bible education during school hours — and you can pray for and be part of it. 

Over time, we have seen how God has been stripped from our schools. Ministries had to meet either before or after school hours to share Jesus. However, a law says they can learn the Bible during school hours. Penton explains, “In Zorach v. Clauson in 1952, the Supreme Court ruled that public school students can be released from public school during school hours to receive religious instruction if the program is off school property, privately funded, and students have parental permission.”

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This ruling was the driving force behind LifeWise Academy, officially launched in Ohio in the fall of 2019. However, Penton was inspired by a “release time program” in his former hometown in 2012, in which children were taught the Bible during school hours. Penton described the program: “It was a rural town in Northwest Ohio. 95% of the entire school was enrolled. An old acquaintance asked for my help with this program. I had run a non-profit for schools. I was taken aback when I saw the Word of God’s impact on these children who learned regularly.” 

Penton was deeply impacted by this release time program, which led him to ask himself, “If it’s legal, and it is. If it’s so impactful, and it is, then why doesn’t every community have one?” He had the idea to create a plug-and-play program that any community can implement to remove barriers to entry. His idea was so good that his acquaintances suggested he should do it, and LifeWise Academy was born.  

The first LifeWise Academy was in Columbus, Ohio, in 2019. It is now in 30 states. Academies can be found in affluent and poor neighborhoods, rural areas and inner cities with the highest crime rates. Next year, LifeWise will be in Los Angeles. They are coast to coast and still growing. 

The children begin with Genesis in the first grade. The curriculum continues through the fifth grade and ends in Revelation. The children are taught how each story connects to Jesus and how God’s love transforms us and our characters.

Tens of thousands of children will legally attend Bible classes during school hours every week this school year.

Lives are being changed by the word of God.

A girl whose parents signed her up on the first day asked what LifeWise was. When told she would learn the Bible, she asked, “What’s a Bible?” Afterward, she stopped a volunteer and said, “I’ve heard of God, but this is the first time anyone has ever taught me about God.“ Penton tells another story, “When the teacher opened the Bible to the book of John, a student asked why the book pages were so thin. This is a typical story we hear from staff. We take it for granted, but some children are unfamiliar with God and the Bible. Teaching children presents opportunities to connect the children to God and the church.”

“Another girl fell in love with Jesus through LifeWise and decided to attend church. Her parents refused to take her, so she walked to the closest church to her house. She loved it and asked to be baptized. When she got baptized, her whole family attended, and they are now a part of the church. This is what we see a lot through LifeWise. It’s having a positive effect on society. From kids learning the Bible, whole families are saying yes to God,” Penton said.  

School Bible Instruction Needs Your Intercession

“There was practically no opposition in the first year, but as it’s grown and received national attention (MSNBC ran a story about LifeWise), there has been increasing opposition. Some people don’t like Christians teaching children the Bible. I’m not surprised, Penton said. Didn’t Jesus say, “If they hated me, they will hate you (see John 15:18)?

Penton said, “Pray for the Body of Christ to unite amid growing opposition. They want us divided because it will slow us down.”

Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, through the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10 TLV).

“The greatest obstacle to LifeWise Academy is spreading the word. Most people don’t know about the ruling permitting Bible education during public school hours,” Penton reported. 

Pray for open eyes and ears about the excellent fruit Lifewise is producing. As the word spreads, ask God for a LifeWise Academy in your state until all 50 states are covered. 

Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:23 NLT).

Pray for the resources needed to teach a growing number of children and abundant provision for LifeWise Academy.

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:31-33 ESV).

“A lot of prayer goes into each LifeWise Academy. Please pray for God to raise the right people for our teams, which include teams, teachers, leaders, and volunteers”, Joel said. 

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV).

LifeWise Academy wants to be available to more children. “There are 13,000 school districts, 90,000 public school buildings, and over 50,000,000 public school students. We can see a viable path to reach more children. I know it won’t happen overnight, but when God’s people rise up, it can happen faster,” Penton said. 

The Bible verse that inspired Joel’s heart to reach children is, “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come (Psalm 71:18 NIV). 

He concluded, “God is generational. All throughout the Bible we see him instructing people to teach the next generation about Him (see Joshua 4:4-7, Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Deuteronomy 11:18-20). We must think in generational terms. The Christian church in America must step up and say, ‘I will do whatever it takes to bring the Word of God to the next generation!’” 

How You Can Help

LifeWise is a grassroots campaign; everyone can get involved on some level. They provide all the tools and resources needed to get started. All they do is coordinate with the schools about the release time. It does not cut into core classes such as math, reading, writing, etc. Penton explained, “The children get released during recess, free library time, or very seldom gym, but it doesn’t interrupt their education in any way.”

If you are interested in learning more, you can visit LifeWise Academy. There, you will see different ways to get involved. You can enter your zip code and find out if there is an academy near you. You can look up any school district in the country. “It begins with a signature campaign, which only takes 50. After that, the process begins, which consists of meetings. You can serve, volunteer, give, or start one. It all starts with one person raising their hand. It begins at the grassroots, but it is a community effort. We coordinate and create a system for the community to come behind,” Penton said.

Let’s pray.

Father, 

We thank You for what You are doing through LifeWise Academy and ask for provision for every need to be met in Christ Jesus. We ask that You bless the work of their hands and every staff member in every state who has answered the call to invest in the next generation. You are a generational God. We thank You for the excellent fruit produced in the children and spreading to families. We thank You for miracles coming from this ministry. 

We ask that You protect them from every fiery dart of the enemy. Let all slander, accusation, and lying lips be silenced. We pray that every attempt to hinder this work be thwarted. Take what the enemy means for evil and turn it for Your good, including media coverage intended to misinform. We ask You to spread the message that children can receive Bible education in public schools. 

Cover every LifeWise academy with Your favor as a shield. We ask for divine partnerships. Connect and raise the right people at the right place for the right time. We are asking because we believe in the next generation. We believe that a mighty harvest will come from these children. We believe Your Word to be accurate, and You said in Isaiah 54:13 that our children will be taught by the Lord, and their peace will be great. So we ask for this, in Jesus’ name, amen. 

Please share this information with someone you know, and continue to pray.  What do you think about God’s work through LifeWise? 

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast. Photo credit: LifeWise Academy.