Sharing Your Faith

NLI 24: Student Leaders Receive a Rousing Call to Campus

ryan.cheng@intervarsity.org — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 20:44:08 +0000

August 01, 2024

Hannah Keziah Agustin

NLI 24: Student Leaders Receive a Rousing Call to Campus

“The Lord met me face to face and showed me the revival starting in our generation,” said Nina, a student in the Greek ��ñ�� chapter at San Diego State University.

Nina is one of 65 ��ñ�� student leaders who attended the National Leadership Institute (NLI) in Wheaton, Illinois this past June. Students like her gathered from all over the country to engage in manuscript Bible study, participate in prayer and worship, and workshop with fellow student leaders about being missional on campus.

NLI was a unique opportunity for ��ñ�� student leaders to learn from national leaders in the movement. ��ñ��’s Executive Leadership Team hosted and served as small group leaders for the student attendees. Vince Bacote, IVP author and Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, taught them how to engage in conflict and to listen deeply as acts of loving their neighbor. Ed Ollie, the chair of ��ñ��’s Board, gave a challenging call to campus. And NaKhia Hopkins Grays, Assistant Regional Ministry Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region, led a Bible study on Moses’ life.

Learning to Trust

Students learned how to bring their whole selves into their leadership. Like Moses, some of them may have felt unworthy, unqualified, and anxious, but they were reminded of the importance of trusting in a God who qualified them and is the ultimate source of their qualifications.

One of the most powerful experiences for the students came during a 10 a.m. Bible study session. Students were struck by Moses’ words to God: “If your presence does not go with us, I won’t go.” The Holy Spirit moved in the room and the students responded by crying out to see God’s glory, presence, and holiness on their campuses. They were kneeled and cried, longing for revival on their colleges and universities.

Renewed Purpose

For some student leaders, NLI was a place of encouragement. “God confirmed my calling to campus leadership,” said Avion from the College of Wooster.

“I learned how to intentionally use my gifts for God’s kingdom,” said Isaac from Eastern Florida State College.

“God showed me the unique strengths he has given me to use for leadership,” said Olivia from the University of Utah.

For others, NLI was a space for discernment. “I felt God calling me to communities that the church overlooks,” said Emily from the University of Houston.

“God softened my heart to consider applying to be an ��ñ�� staff,” said Haley from The College of New Jersey.

“I have a renewed sense of purpose for leadership and a greater burden for the lost on campus,” said Esther from Hofstra University.

Faithful Steps Moving Forward

Through NLI, student leaders saw how they could live with purpose on campus and beyond and partner with God through small yet faithful steps of obedience. Students like Skylar and Maya were so encouraged by what they learned at NLI, they began taking bold steps to reach others with the gospel almost immediately after NLI ended. Skylar evangelized to people at the airport and Maya shared her testimony with someone who sat next to her on the plane. Another student even shared the gospel with his Uber driver! Many others continued chatting excitedly with one another over Slack about how God used them on their travels home.

As these students return to their campuses this fall to lead their ��ñ�� communities, may everything God began in them at NLI continue to fuel their faith. Join us in praying for them to lean into their God-given callings as they head to campus!

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Hannah Keziah Agustin

Hannah Keziah Agustin is a Social Media Coordinator/Writer for ��ñ��’s Communications Team in Madison, Wisconsin. You can support her ministry at givetoiv.org/hannah-keziah-agustin.

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Defense Against an Incomplete Gospel

ryan.cheng@intervarsity.org — Fri, 24 May 2024 20:11:07 +0000

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May 24, 2024

Christopher K. Lee

Defense Against an Incomplete Gospel

Students and young adults today are spiritually hungry. They've been disappointed by existing social structures. They've been disillusioned by cultural images of success. They've been disoriented by the moral confusion of this age. Across the nation, they yearn for connection, for purpose, for truth.

I recently had dinner with Jeff Severn and Colby Putnam from ��ñ��’s philanthropy team. I asked them: “What draws young adults to Christianity today?” Colby shared two criteria from his experience: Is it beautiful? And does it work? Indeed, our gospel is both beautiful and true.

Unfortunately, there are times we may present an incomplete gospel. As mature Christians, we won't add to Scripture. But we are prone to leave out integral parts of God's design. We may isolate practical applications from spiritual truths - failing to connect salvation to sanctification and service.

Why might this occur? In part, it's because we've bought into misguided cultural narratives about faith. We've allowed them to darken our worldview and diminish our witness. Rather than being the light of the world, reflecting God's perfect radiance, our light is filtered through our cultural lenses.

Here are four false narratives many Christians unconsciously believe:

1. Our culture thinks all religions are the same.

They all teach morals and give to the poor. Christianity is one of many flavors, and the church is more or less replaceable. That's how the world views us. It has forgotten the contributions of Christian men and women over the ages - shaping everything from civil rights to health care to public education.

The problem is that Christians today don't remember either. We've forgotten our legacy. We take for granted institutions that were formed on Christian convictions. We assume that what is has always been. We even hide our differences in the name of being relevant or socially acceptable. If we don't have a firm grasp of our Christian distinctiveness, how can we expect the world to embrace it?

When we act like we're no different from society, it causes a disjointedness between our witness and our service. As Scripture teaches, those who are double-minded are unstable in all they do (James 1:8).

2. Our culture says that faith is a private matter.

It's fine to have a religious tradition. It's great to be spiritually motivated to help others. But don't talk about your faith; you might offend someone. Society wants our good works without our good news.

In 1905, Andrew Carnegie donated $10 million to fund pensions for educators. The catch? Faith-based institutions were not eligible. In response, Brown University severed ties with its Baptist denomination. Dartmouth and other colleges followed suit. Carnegie's gift accelerated American secularization. In their book Mission Drift, Peter Greer and Chris Horst write: "The economic incentive caused administrators to put a dollar value on their church relationships and historical Christian identity. Often, money won."

We witness this today as well. Some ministry leaders rationalize it: "With this money, we can help more people, which will glorify God." But Matt Chandler argues that the gospel must be explicit. Otherwise, the church becomes "indistinguishable from the world." We like to believe that people will see how we're different and attribute it to our faith. In a post-Christian society, that's just wishful thinking.

Make no mistake, this occurs on campus as well. We may downplay our Christian devotion during new student outreach. We may highlight the free food and social activities instead. We may present a watered-down message to attract a larger crowd. But that’s not what we really want. And that’s not what our peers want either. Their souls yearn for good news that cannot be found outside of Jesus.

3. Our culture is ambivalent about spirituality.

Many of our neighbors identify as "spiritual but not religious." They treat faith as a source of inspiration, not truth. They view prayer as self-expression, not divine communication. They entertain God as a vague concept, not a knowable Being. Spirituality has its place. But what matters is the work of their hands.

In our ministries, we too may put up walls between the spiritual and the physical. Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert write in When Helping Hurts: "Too often we drill wells, dispense medicine, and provide food without narrating that Jesus Christ is the Creator and Provider of these material things. Then later we offer a Bible study in which we explain that Jesus can save our souls. This approach communicates evangelical gnosticism: material things solve material poverty, and Jesus solves spiritual poverty."

This sacred-secular divide minimizes God's jurisdiction. It portrays Him as master of the spiritual realm (e.g., Scripture, worship, evangelism, discipleship) but largely irrelevant to daily life (e.g., business, politics, science, the arts). This view cannot be further from reality. In Finding God at Harvard, editor Kelly Monroe Kullberg exhorts us to pursue "the truth of Jesus Christ in vast relation to all of life." Without recognizing his sovereignty, Christianity becomes relegated to the sphere of morality.

4. Our culture views Jesus as a "good teacher."

People talk about being a good Samaritan, turning the other cheek, and loving their neighbors. The teachings of Jesus are ingrained in Western consciousness, even among nonbelievers. And the truth is, many of these behaviors are beneficial regardless of one's spirituality. Being kind and forgiving others will improve your relationships and results in life, whether you're a devout Christian or not.

I had a history teacher who was decidedly agnostic. He rejected the idea of absolute truth. Yet he sent his kids to a private Catholic school. Why? He wanted them to grow up into good, respectful people. He wanted them to learn morality. If that came with a side of religious instruction, then so be it.

An incomplete gospel tends to focus on the teachings of Jesus apart from the person of Jesus. It acknowledges the wisdom literature separate from the only wise God. It misses the forest for the trees.

Embracing the True, Complete Gospel

Ultimately, an incomplete gospel fails to tell the whole story.

We don't prove Christianity by trying to make church relevant. We must present Jesus as he is, for he can relate with our human experience (Isaiah 53:3; Hebrews 4:15).
We don't prove Christianity by merely doing good works. We must proclaim Jesus both in word and in deed - that our service is a natural outflow and display of our faith.
We don't prove Christianity by only preaching on salvation. We must submit our will to Jesus and let him transform the way we engage with the world.
We don't prove Christianity by teaching morals and manners. We must pursue Jesus' ministry of reconciliation, for righteousness comes from God alone (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

All these things must point to Jesus. Let us fixate not on expressions of Christianity but on the author and perfecter of our faith. Only in him will our good news be complete.

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Christopher K. Lee

Christopher K. Lee is an ��ñ�� alumnus from Southern California. He often speaks at colleges about work, meaning, and identity. He writes a weekly newsletter at christopherklee.substack.com.

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Feeling Feelings This Easter

ryan.cheng@intervarsity.org — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:20:22 +0000

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March 27, 2024

Taylor Straatmann

Feeling Feelings This Easter

I often don’t feel the way I think I should. I want to feel joyful in my work, consistently loving toward my roommates and family, and properly confident in God and in myself, but it’s usually not that simple. I’m a big over-thinker and can spend a lot of time and energy analyzing my actions and my feelings and being frustrated with myself when it doesn’t all align.

I love the part of the Easter story when the angel appears to the women at the tomb (Matthew 28-1-10). The angel calls out to the women and reminds them of Jesus’ promise to return to them. The women are invited to look into the tomb for themselves as they process, and the angel gives them a role and a way to be an active part of this story as they are sent to tell others this news that changes everything. It is hope filled and empowering.

This passage is also careful to note that the women went away “afraid yet filled with joy.” Why include this detail of how they felt while they went? Are these women like me, wishing that they could be completely joyful?

We don’t know exactly why this detail is included. Unlike the guards in the story, who were so afraid of the angel “that they shook and became like dead men” (Matt. 28:4), the women are afraid yet filled with joy. It’s comforting that in that mix of fear and joy they go and share this news with others. It reminds me that God acknowledges the complexity of emotions about the things he calls me to do. And I am called to move forward.

Rather than getting too caught up in whether I feel the way I should, I can trust that Jesus will meet me in the midst of my feelings. In this same way, Jesus meets the women in the midst of their feelings. He acknowledges their fear and he sends them on. They don’t even have to complete the task the angel gives them before Jesus meets them himself!

Most of our lives with God are lived in these in-between places of emotion. The first time I ever shared the Gospel with a friend on campus, I was afraid. In fact, I was so nervous and flustered that as I shared about Jesus’ life and his willingness to die for us, I skipped the part about the Resurrection altogether! But God was present and my friends were patient. We laughed together at my stumbling as I tried a second time to share the good news that Jesus conquered death. Despite my mistakes and nervousness, God still moved, and she decided to follow Jesus! I got to also experience the joy of praying with her and celebrating her decision with friends.

Now, in my 6th year on ��ñ�� staff, I’ve had more spiritual conversations with strangers on campus and shared the gospel more times than I can remember, but I still get at least a little afraid every time. There’s other “and yets” in following Jesus for me too. I can be annoyed at my roommates, and yet love them. I can be overwhelmed by a new risk that God is inviting me into, and yet be excited. I can be doubtful that God will speak during my time in scripture and yet be open to him. I can be disappointed by a hard ministry season, but also grateful that I get to partner with God. In the middle of the places where I’m trying to move forward, even in my frustrations, fears, or doubts, Jesus can meet me.

This Easter season, I’m saddened and grieving wars and violence in the world and news from Gaza. I’m a bit overwhelmed by changes in my personal life and ministry challenges that have made focusing on the good news of Easter difficult. And yet, I’m hopeful. The good news of this passage, that Jesus has overcome death and that we get to be with him, is still really good news. Jesus still meets us in our fears and invites us, not into just a superficial celebration that covers up all of our other feelings, but into the deeper joy that comes with getting to know him and being on mission with him. However you’re feeling this Easter, whatever blend of emotions you may be feeling, may Jesus meet you and show you the hope and joy of the resurrection.

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Taylor Straatmann

Taylor Straatmann is an ��ñ�� Campus Minister currently serving at commuter and community colleges in the Boston area. She is passionate about seeing the ways the gospel speaks into our multifaceted identities. Taylor also has a soft spot for dogs, teen novels about horses, and a good business casual outfit. You can support her ministry at givetoiv.org/taylors.

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Trusting God for Bigger Things: Cade’s Story

emily.baez@intervarsity.org — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 20:29:26 +0000

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January 26, 2024

Hannah Keziah Agustin

Trusting God for Bigger Things: Cade’s Story

Going to church on Sundays was no longer enough for Cade. He wanted to see his congregation fight for justice outside of the sanctuary walls. He wanted to see the hope of Jesus proclaimed in the streets for all people to hear.

Cade’s parents were in ��ñ�� when they were in college.He was raised to be intentional about his faith, to live it out and take ownership of it. He did this by being passionate about social justice. But when Cade saw that the actions of the people in his church didn’t seem to reflect the Bible, he struggled. “I never was over Jesus, but I was definitely over organized religion coming to college,” he said.

Cade tried ��ñ�� at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) after his parents urged him to give at least one Christian club a try. He joined an ��ñ�� Zoom meeting in 2020 and was welcomed by two students who were excited to meet him. Cade immediately connected with them, so he decided to get fully involved in Bible studies and large group gatherings.

Before ��ñ��, Cade never met people his age who were so serious about their faith while taking the time to get to know him and his hobbies, play video games with him, and even help him choose what classes to take. They did life together. They grew in love for Jesus together. “They reminded me more of Jesus than most of the people I had met before,” Cade said.

Soon, Cade met Kang, a student from Malaysia who was the only Christian in his family. Kang mentored Cade and taught him the joy of witnessing to others despite the challenges that came with it. Although it was sometimes uncomfortable for Kang to share God with his loved ones, he did so anyway because knowing God's love transformed his life. Seeing Kang’s boldness transformed Cade’s faith into something that wasn’t just comfortable and safe but sacrificial and loving.

In his sophomore year, which was also his first year fully on campus after the pandemic, Cade decided to take up a leadership role in his ��ñ�� chapter. This involved taking risks to lead Proxe outreaches on campus. Growing up, he never thought he would be bold enough to share the gospel, let alone talk to strangers who were walking to class. But he saw, for the first time, what it meant for the Holy Spirit to act on his behalf. “I truly learned what it looked like to allow Christ to choose my actions for me by doing things that were not in my character.”

Currently, Cade is a “cluster leader” which means he leads a group of other small group leaders. His chapter divides the school into different areas so that they can focus on reaching all corners of the university. He spends time empowering student leaders and reminding them that they can lead not because of who they are but because of who God is––something Cade had to grow in too. “Doing God’s work is the best thing I can do with my life and that is truly fulfilling,” he said.

Cade wants to spend his last year on campus investing in fellow leaders. With a firm conviction that God will meet students and do transformative work in their hearts, he continues sharing his faith in love.

“God's faithfulness only makes me trust him for bigger things,” Cade said. “And as I've trusted him for bigger things, I've met him in bigger ways.”

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Hannah Keziah Agustin

Hannah Keziah Agustin is a Social Media Coordinator/Writer for ��ñ��’s Communications Team in Madison, Wisconsin. You can support her ministry at givetoiv.org/hannah-keziah-agustin.

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Jesus and Joysticks: How Playing Games Shaped My Faith

emily.baez@intervarsity.org — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 19:13:14 +0000

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September 07, 2023

Nick Yeh

Jesus and Joysticks: How Playing Games Shaped My Faith

“Do you know Jesus?” I say to my headset with proximity chat on in Call of Duty, laughing as I think about what’s coming. “Because you’re about to meet him.”

I grew up playing video games. Like many kids born in the 90s, I remember my first Gameboy Color and loading up Pokémon Blue. I remember having a GameCube and playing Smash and Double Dash, and I also remember playing Halo with my youth pastor as a high schooler.

To be honest, it’s safe to say that I was a gamer before I found Jesus. However, playing video games helped me develop a relationship with him.

Gaming and Growing Up

I remember growing up in Taiwan and attending the same English church from elementary to middle school every year. By the time I reached middle school, I didn’t experience any growth or interest in my faith. I asked my parents if we could switch churches, and we found another international church. This one had a youth group. I joined and quickly became friends with the pastor.

At the time, the church had a youth center for hangouts near my school. It was a safe place for students to relax after hours, but no one came to this wonderful haven, except me. I would play Halo: Combat Evolved on the church’s Xbox on my own, or I would sometimes play games with the pastor.

The time I spent with my pastor chatting and asking questions were the first steps in my faith journey –– questions like understanding the dichotomy of faith and works, or baptism as a declaration of faith. It was a huge part of getting me to where I am in my walk with Jesus today.

Gaming and Building Community

Video games allowed me to not only deepen my relationship with Jesus, but also with his people.

When I was a student at Occidental College, I played a lot of video games with my friends, oftentimes using that time to strike up spiritual conversations with them. Some of my favorite memories in college involve a group of friends bunched up in a room playing FIFA and swapping controllers around. Those games led to hangouts, which led to invitations to small groups, which led to lifelong brothers and sisters in Christ.

There was a season where I played with my ��ñ�� friend on his PS3. His non-believer friend at the time also joined us. We played often, sometimes winning, sometimes losing, but always having authentic fun getting to know each other.

Growing up, gaming was never mainstream, but during college, and especially during COVID, gaming was all over the place. Whether it was finding a group of friends to play Among Us or hosting a Super Smash tournament, gaming was a great opportunity to strengthen existing bonds or get to know new people. And it still is! Since then, I’ve heard that some schools have started to furnish common spaces with consoles in order to promote gaming as an extracurricular option. Colleges are beginning to recognize that for both casuals and try-hards, gaming is here to stay, and it can bring people together and open doors to building friendships.

Gaming and Being Missional

These days, I’ve found ways that gaming can be a part of joining God in mission. I queue up in public lobbies in Call of Duty and I talk to other players online. I share a bit about my story and try to find ways to share who Jesus is in my life.

I serve as a volunteer staff of Virtual IV in Discord (VIVID), ��ñ��’s national Discord server. ��ñ�� staff, alumni, and students connect in it over games like Terraria, Gartic Phone, Jackbox, and Call of Duty. I love that it’s a space where ministry happens as people come together and share what and how God is working in their lives.

Some introverted students would rather meet online than in-person, so we're providing a community and a place for them that they might not otherwise have. We’re also reaching non-Christian gamers who might not otherwise be interested in faith at all. We bring people together from different time zones, all across the country through gaming and have even had high school students join that we’ve been able to guide as they explore college options.

I believe that gaming can be a form of ministry. It can teach us to embrace places of discomfort and to love one another in that. Everyone is invited into fellowship, much like the Parable of the Great Banquet.

So, consider inviting your peers to play games with you. Whether it’s a one-off session or a weekly commitment, create a genuine and authentic space for time spent together, and that’s how deep relationship can begin.

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Nick Yeh

Nick Yeh is the volunteer staff for VIVID, ��ñ��'s National Discord Server. He previously headed up the Urbana AID Discord project for Urbana '22. Nick graduated from Occidental College in 2017 and Tufts University in 2020 where he served as an ��ñ�� volunteer staff.

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What If I'm Bad at Evangelism?

ashlye.vanderworp@intervarsity.org — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 17:31:56 +0000

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August 17, 2023

Stephan Teng

What If I'm Bad at Evangelism?

I don’t recall what she said, but I do recall how I felt as my Campus Staff Minister invited me and other students to do evangelism on the streets of New York.

Confusion.

Dread.

A hint of panic.

My mind raced to think of excuses or ways of doing evangelism that would allow me to escape potential rejection, mockery, and failure. I had seen fellow Christians do evangelism who were great at it –– they were extroverted, fun, and winsome. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with people like that? I, however, was introverted and nerdy. Who would want to pause their life to listen to a guy like me? Even I wouldn’t!

Perhaps you’re feeling like I did. Perhaps you know God wants us to share his love with others (Matt 28:19), but you’re feeling like you’re just bad at it, that you’ll make a fool of yourself, that others won’t listen, they’ll walk away laughing, and that you’ll fail God. If that’s you, don’t worry. There’s hope.

Reasons We’re Bad at Evangelism

Several reasons come to mind when I think about what makes us (or me in particular) feel like we’re not cut out for evangelism.

Skill gap: You may feel you don’t know how to say something winsomely or persuasively. How do I bring up spirituality when it’s already such a messy topic? How do I make it feel natural? How do I not make it sound like an argument? Some may have a legitimate speaking impediment or struggle with social cues. How can we speak about the gospel if speaking is already a challenge?

Knowledge gap: You might wonder what to say. What if they ask about evolution? Or aliens? What if they ask about weird passages in the Bible? Or what the Bible says about sexuality? (Dun dun dun) Our sense of unknown can make us feel unequipped and therefore unqualified to evangelize.

Compassion gap: Others may struggle to honestly care about our friends’ faith journeys. As harsh as that may sound, you may not be completely apathetic, but you may feel like they’ve got a lot going on, and so do you. Grades, relationships, careers, family, housing, food scarcity, mental health, the list goes on. And so, you may struggle to tend to friend’s spiritual needs since there are more immediate felt needs.

Spiritual gap: You might feel far from perfect enough to witness. You might feel far from God. You maybe haven’t gone to church consistently, let alone read the bible consistently. You may have even cussed in front of our friends (gasp!). If you share the gospel with them now, would you feel like joke or a hypocrite?

What do we do?

If any of these resonate with you, I have good news. None of these gaps can hold power over you. Why? Because none of these gaps hold power over God. God is moving history to his glory and to the good of those who love him. And he promised that we aren’t alone in this evangelism thing –– he has given us his Spirit to accompany us and empower us in our evangelism attempts. In fact, Jesus demonstrated this very thing when he chose ordinary, unschooled men and empowered them to be his apostles. (Acts 4:13).

Some Ways To Be better at Evangelism

Pray. It seems so simple! But the first place to start if you feel like you’re bad at evangelism is to pray. Pray for God to cover your gaps. Pray for him to let his love replace your fear. Pray for God to give you opportunities for evangelism and for you to notice. Pray for him to move in your friends’ lives and give them curiosity and hunger for him.
Listen. The next step seems may seem counterintuitive but is one of the best things you can do. Listen to your friends’ problems, struggles and hopes. Empathize with them. Get to know their story. Grow and know them as a friend, not a project. Also, try sensing what the Holy Spirit may bring up for you as you listen, like a Bible verse or worship song that may encourage them. If your friend is quiet or not sharing vulnerably, ask them good questions. You can find some tips here.
Ask for permission to share. If I see an opening for a spiritual conversation but I’m unsure if my friend will welcome it, I simply ask for permission to share my thoughts. If they respond yes, I can share how I’ve seen Jesus in similar circumstances.
Invite. Lastly, you can invite them into some sort of response to Jesus. Maybe invite them to try praying or receive prayer from you. Maybe study a gospel passage or read a book together. Maybe invite them to church or fellowship. Or maybe even invite them to believe and follow Jesus. Jesus invited many who came to him to follow him. The most loving thing we can do when someone hears and encounters Jesus through us is to offer an invitation of some kind.

Remember, God’s Spirit is the one who will move in your friends. The pressure is off!

Evangelism isn’t a task to be done perfectly; it’s an opportunity to be faithful (and loving). Sometimes, we get to see our friends choose Jesus! Praise God! And sometimes, we’ll get to help them move a tiny bit toward Jesus. I’ve experienced both as I’ve tried to grow in evangelism –– but in both situations, I’ve felt God’s peace, assurance, and presence. I can’t wait for the same to happen for you.

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Stephan Teng

Stephan Teng serves as an ��ñ�� Campus Staff Minister at Indiana University, where he currently staffs an Asian American chapter. He is a fourth-generation minister, alumnus of NYU, and is passionate about creativity and leadership. You can support his ministry at givetoiv.org/stephan_teng.

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How to Prepare Your Faith Story

AD-18513 — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 16:52:13 +0000

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December 15, 2022

Jason Gaboury

How to Prepare Your Faith Story

Since your first awareness of God’s presence in your life, you’ve had a story worth telling.

Your classmates, family, and friends who hear your story will benefit in many ways. They will benefit spiritually, hearing your firsthand testimony about Jesus’ presence, beauty, and love. They will also know you more deeply. In “The Four Loves,” C.S. Lewis observed that friendships deepen as they orient around a shared love. By sharing your love for God (one-on-one or in a small group or with your friends and family if you’re heading home for Christmas), you’re giving people a chance to deepen their relationship with you.

Nervous? Excited?

The thought of sharing your faith story may fill you with a lot of different thoughts and feelings. This is normal.

I imagine most of the excitement comes from a sincere love of your friends and a desire to see God move in their lives. Writing in a journal has helped me focus my excitement into specific desires and prayers for my friends. I picture myself sitting with Jesus and asking him what he sees when he looks at these friends.

The nervousness is normal too. It’s impossible to share something so personal without feeling at least a little bit vulnerable. Since you’re sensitive to others’ thoughts and opinions, you’ll likely feel the need to protect yourself from the vulnerability.

I’ve found the best way to pray about this vulnerability is to do a simple breath prayer from 1 John 4:18. As you breathe in, pray, “There is no fear in love.” As you breathe out, pray, “But perfect love casts out fear.” Then imagine Jesus looking at you with love, ready to hear you tell your story.

As a writer and preacher, I want to say so many things about this topic, but I don’t want to complicate something meant to be simple and beautiful. Jesus doesn’t need our stories to be curated and photoshopped. A simple, clear story told with sincerity is often better than a long, complicated story that seems rehearsed. Still, a little planning ahead of time using practical guides like those below can help you prepare your faith story.

Find the Focus

First, see if you can identify the focus of your faith story. Sometimes we think our faith story is limited to a moment of conversion or awakening. These are important stories, but so are stories about answered prayer, discoveries of God’s love and beauty, or ways we’ve experienced healing or transformation over the course of our lives. So prayerfully ask yourself what’s the story you’re being invited to share. Try writing a simple description of the story in 15 words or less.

Make a List

Now make a list of the relevant ways God took action to bring about the change in your life. Don’t worry about putting these sentences together in a comprehensive story just yet. The point is to capture how you experienced God. Be concrete and descriptive. For example:

When I first met Martin, I thought, That guy knows God …
What if it’s true, I wondered. What if Jesus really could break my chains of addiction, hate, and selfishness?

Making this list may draw you to a deeper appreciation for what God’s done. You may find yourself drawn to worship. This list will also help you identify and emphasize those parts of the story where Jesus is the actor. It may help you even feel less self-conscious.

Put It Together

See if you can put it all together as a simple cohesive story. Don’t worry if it takes a few tries. Keep at it until you have a simple faith story you can tell in one paragraph. Keep coming back to your story focus sentence and make sure you’re telling the story you mean to tell.

Refine Your Story

Once you have your story paragraph, you can revise and refine it. Is there some Scripture that’s meaningful or illustrative? Can you sharpen the language to be simpler and clearer? Try reading your story out loud. Does it sound like you? Share it with someone you trust who can give you honest and encouraging feedback. You may also consider closing your story with a question or invitation to keep the conversation going. Here’s an example based on my faith story.

I stopped believing that God was real or relevant around fifth grade. After my church leader Dad hit me, I figured God either didn’t exist or didn’t care. But then as a college freshman, I met Martin. That guy knows God, I thought. I wanted to know more about him but was afraid. I’d developed destructive habits and relationships over the years. I was ashamed of my habitual addictions, hate, and lies. But I really wanted to be like Martin. One day he said, “God doesn’t see you through your past mistakes. He sees you as you are. And he sees who you can become in his love.” This idea shook me on the inside. I asked Martin how this could be true, and he told me the story of Jesus. He said that Jesus’ death meant that the chains of addiction, hate, and deception that felt so overpowering to me were broken, and that if I wanted to, I could live in friendship and freedom with God as a follower of Jesus. In John 8:36, Jesus said, “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” That day, I experienced Jesus’ words coming true in me. I’ve been living in friendship and freedom with Jesus ever since.

How would you describe your experience of God? Would you like to explore the freedom and friendship of Jesus?

Your story may not look like mine, but it’s just as powerful. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to give us power to bear witness (Acts 1:8). The fact that you’re reading this, that you want to share your story is evidence that the Holy Spirit’s already at work, already empowering you for this meaningful step.

I’m excited for you! I pray that the Spirit would work more powerfully through your faith story than you can ask or imagine!

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Jason Gaboury

Jason Gaboury serves as the National Director for Alumni Relations. He has contributed to two ��ñ�� Press books: Drama Team Handbook and Drama Team Sketchbook. He and his wife, Sophia, have two children and live in New York City. You can support his ministry at donate.intervarsity.org/donate#890.

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Loving Friends Who Leave the Faith

AD-18513 — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:19:00 +0000

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July 28, 2022

Jason Gaboury

Loving Friends Who Leave the Faith

I’ll never forget seeing Kyle at the deli. There I was, overwhelmed by the number of different kinds of hard cheeses and keeping my young daughter from a third free peppered pastrami sample, when I saw him.

Recognition and surprise registered on both our faces. I tried to smile. Kyle mumbled a terse greeting and quickly turned away. My daughter’s hand returned to the samples, but I barely noticed. The deli worker waving a package in front of my eyes finally snapped me out of my daze.

The thing was, most people who knew Kyle in college — including me, his campus minister — were certain that he’d go into church ministry. He was the ��ñ�� leader we all counted on for consistency and enthusiasm. Where other small groups met in the campus ministry office, Kyle moved his to the cafeteria so that anyone passing by could join. When he wasn’t studying, Kyle volunteered to mentor youth in the Bronx court system. His thoughts on worship and prayer deeply expanded my sense of God.

When someone told me that Kyle wasn’t a Christian anymore, I didn’t believe it. Then I saw his social media profile where he described himself as an atheist wanting to disentangle himself from his Christian past.

I wish I’d responded differently. Several exchanges later, neither of us any wiser about our life circumstances, our relationship had changed. The deli’s awkward silence physicalized and reinforced our digital encounter.

If you’ve experienced this yourself, you know the deep and complex emotions it raises: betrayal, grief, guilt, confusion, fear, and more. And if you haven’t yet experienced this, I’m afraid to say that you likely will.

In an informal study of recent ��ñ�� alumni in 2020, more than half of them felt less connected to God, faith, and Christian community than they did as college students. Between one quarter and one third described themselves being in a spiritual crisis. Without an intervention by God’s grace, many of these ��ñ�� alumni may leave the Christian faith.

After my disastrous encounter in the deli with Kyle, I decided to learn everything I could about loving people through faith transitions. As someone deeply committed to the way of Jesus, I know that the way I treat other people in their moments of doubt, disillusionment, and disbelief matters. Here are some of the things that have been most helpful for me in loving others through their faith transitions and pointing them back to Jesus.

1. Lead with Empathy

Nobody I’ve seen walk away from the Christian faith has done so casually or callously. Most often, people go through long periods of disillusionment and questioning. As Christians, we have a responsibility to listen to our friends and empathize with their experience, even if we disagree.

Empathy is especially important in contexts where there has been spiritual, emotional, or physical abuse. If I had listened first — instead of leading with criticism — I might have known that Kyle’s pastor had been spiritually and emotionally abusive. This would have helped me more deeply appreciate how Kyle’s choice to walk away from faith wasn’t simply an abandonment of a set of values we’d shared. He felt he needed to say no to the abuse and therefore no to the concept of God that reinforced this abuse.

2. Affirm the Relationship

Recently, at a Christian conference, I spent an hour talking to an acquaintance about her disbelief. In this context, affirming the relationship simply meant expressing gratitude for her honesty, appreciation for her questions, and commitment that I was not going to pressure her to conform to my beliefs and perspective. Affirming the relationship helped our conversation continue instead of getting shut down by the dissonance between our perspectives.

If we immediately accuse someone who’s wrestling with their faith of heresy, if we immediately question their salvation or label them as a backslider, we’re likely only adding to their disillusionment. They need to know we love and care for them first as people, not based on their status in the church, theology, or how they identify themselves spiritually.

3. Address Your Emotional Iceberg

If we’re unaware of the swirling emotional dynamics at play in a friend’s decision to leave the faith, we can easily react in an unhelpful way. I had a lot of emotions under the surface with Kyle. I was embarrassed and then angry that I hadn’t believed what friends had said about him. I feared that Kyle would reject me and the meaningful parts of our shared religious experience. I felt betrayed and guilty. I was a campus minister after all; my friends aren’t supposed to abandon faith. What would other people think of me and “my” ministry?

These feelings undermined my ability to do the one thing that mattered: love and pursue Kyle like Jesus, like the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that’s lost (Lk 15:1-7). When we name our feelings and bring them to Jesus in prayer, we’re better able to reflect Jesus’ searching and compassionate heart.

4. Engage with Conviction & Curiosity

So far, you might think that our primary response to friends who walk away from faith is simple affirmation and empathy. Such a response is incomplete. As followers of Jesus, we are commissioned and empowered to make disciples (Mt 28:18-20). Friends leaving the faith deserve to know our convictions about Jesus, Scripture, faith, life in the Spirit, and our future hope.

At the same time, our convictions about Jesus will be best received and understood if they come from a place of conviction and curiosity. Recently, someone asked, “Why Jesus alone and not all faiths equally?”

“Because of Jesus’ unique combination of spiritual vitality, radical others-centeredness, shocking self-oriented claims, and resurrection from the dead,” I answered. “Why is it important to you that all faiths are equal?”

Just answering their question would have satisfied the curiosity but ended the conversation. But by combining conviction and curiosity, I was able to open an important barrier to this friend returning to faith in Jesus.

5. Pray Without Ceasing (1 Thes 5:17)

We love our friends in times of faith transition by praying with and for them. Prayer is powerful in reorienting our hearts toward others in love. We pray for wisdom in how to skillfully love our friends. We pray for grace to work through our own emotional reactions and grow in empathy. We pray for the Holy Spirit to help us bear witness to Jesus in ways that offer hope and healing. We pray for patience and quiet trust, knowing that God’s at work even when we can’t see it.

That interaction with Kyle was years ago. I still grieve the loss of this friendship and pray that someday, by God’s grace, we may reconnect with joy. In the meantime, I’m grateful for what the experience has taught me about friendship and Christian witness.

Next time someone you love goes through a season of disillusionment, consider taking these five steps. Commit yourself to loving them well in the prayerful hope that they may come to an even deeper faith on the other side of this season!

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Jason Gaboury

Context & Community—Striving to Be Good Missionaries

AD-18513 — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 13:55:07 +0000

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December 03, 2020

Rashawn Ramone

Context & Community—Striving to Be Good Missionaries

“What would you say to people in 2030?” I was asked for a video during ��ñ��’s National Staff Conference in January 2020.

I didn’t really know; only Creator God knows what the future holds. Eventually, I said, “I don’t want to be a bad missionary.”

As soon as I said that, it hit me—I believed I wasn’t serving Native students and their community well. It reminded me of being back home on the reservation, where I saw missionaries sharing the gospel but who weren’t very relational. Others would try to be, but then they wouldn’t stay for long.

Throughout my life, I never thought I’d be a missionary, let alone a good one. But as followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), called to share his good news to all people, we’re all missionaries in some sense (Matt 28:19–20). And being called to be a missionary on campus has brought a lot of healing in my life.

Since January, I continued wrestling with this fear and deception, something I think many of us can relate to. We’re so afraid of being bad missionaries in how we share the gospel with friends, family, and classmates to the point that we’re scared to act or say anything at all.

And then the pandemic happened.

We Don’t Need Titles to Serve God

When the coronavirus broke out in the US, I couldn’t keep up. I knew I wasn’t in the right mindset to continue ministry like before. So I went camping with a friend in the middle of winter, not for a retreat but rather a reformation in my life.

I believe Creator God told me to go back home to the Navajo reservation. I questioned it but knew I needed to trust in him now more than ever and overcome this fear of being a bad missionary.

Being on the reservation gave me a different perspective on ministry. I knew that Creator God had called me to disciple Native students to start witnessing his presence in their homes and families. I had to do this in my own home too. This helped release my fear, and God helped me realize that just by being present and listening to and caring for my family, I was doing ministry. We don’t need to have titles or even be called “missionaries” in order to seek his kingdom.

Missionaries as Relatives

When I went on a trip with another campus minister, Courtland, we drove through South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation. Courtland received a vision from Creator of Jesus hitchhiking onto the reservation.

This really healed a part of my spirit, leading me to think about the teachings and stories Native people learned before missionaries arrived. And like Jesus hitchhiking onto the reservation, humbly, relationally entering the culture, I believe Creator God is reminding us to honor a culture’s customs and traditions as we contextualize the gospel.

It’s like what Donnie Begay, Nations Native Ministry Director, shared during Native ��ñ��’s recent LiSteN webinar. He stressed how the gospel still lives on today and can be shared with Native students on campus as we treat each other as relatives.

This connects to Acts 17:10–34 where Small Man (Paul) traveled to Athens and starts sharing God in a way the Athenians can understand:

In times past Creator overlooked this empty way of thinking. But now he wants all people everywhere to return to the right way of thinking, because he has chosen a day when he will decide, for all people, who has done right and who has done wrong. He has chosen a man who will do this and has shown all people who he is by bringing him back to life again from the dead. (vv. 30–31, First Nations Version)

Today, Creator continues using Small Man’s example to teach us what it means to be invited into people’s homes, villages, and campuses to share the gospel. Creator God used all this to help me see that being a good missionary really looks like being a good relative to others. The gospel is a way of life not an expedition.

Being Relatives on Campus

Accept God’s Invitation

The old saying goes “out with the old, in with the new.” For many Native students learning about Creator’s Son, they often hear something similar, that they have to forget their heritage and cherished traditions to follow Jesus. It can be very disheartening.

But when we decide to believe the Good Story (gospel) and follow Creator Sets Free, he fulfills our identity. He renews our culture and customs. I’m on that journey myself, understanding more about my Dine’ identity and how Creator Sets Free is my fulfillment. What I might have missed is allowing the Holy Spirit to help me, to let him heal my wounds and revive our culture and language.

Find a Community to Help You Receive the Gospel

I’ve witnessed Native students go on a journey in community, contextualizing the gospel through their understanding of sharing stories and customs, discussing about Jesus, culture, and how to love one another. They learned that it doesn’t matter what background you come from; the community can help you receive the gospel well and become a good relative to each other.

Native ��ñ�� became the community where I met Creator Sets Free and saw how my identity was redeemed in Creator’s Son. And even after college, I’ve learned we still need each other’s help as my alumni friends continue to strengthen their identity with Creator Sets Free.

Listen & Contextualize the Gospel

In Matthew 22: 1–14, Creator Sets Free shared about how the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. Later, the king noticed a man who wasn’t wearing wedding clothes. The king questioned him, and the man was speechless and then was removed.

This story has many layers to it, one of them being how it can connect to contextualization. Creator Sets Free allows us all to be good relatives and missionaries by giving us the wedding clothing and inviting us to the banquet. The wedding clothing can represent contextualizing the gospel well as we honor people’s customs and dress for the occasion. By wearing the wedding clothing and honoring culture, we honor Creator Sets Free and have the chance to invite more people to the banquet to hear his Good Story. But if we ignore people’s culture completely, it’s like failing to wear the proper clothes for a wedding and may bring dishonor to Creator Sets Free.

Looking back on the journey Jesus has taken me on this year, if I were asked that same question about what I’d say to people in 2030, I think I’d have a different answer now: “Learn how to be a relative among one another. Trusting Creator Sets Free can heal us from intergenerational trauma. Seek to listen to each other well.”

If you’d like to learn more about our ministry through Native ��ñ��, visit our website here.

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Rashawn Ramone

Rashawn Ramone is a campus minister working with Native ��ñ�� at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico. He is from the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation.

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Why Do Evangelism in a Time of Crisis?

AD-18513 — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 19:08:08 +0000

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August 27, 2020

Kelly Aalseth

Why Do Evangelism in a Time of Crisis?

As many of us prepare for Online New Student Outreach during this pandemic, it’s easy to wonder: Why would I care about evangelism in a time like this? Isn’t just getting myself out of bed each day enough of a risk?

Part of Our Healing

We need to remind ourselves that we do evangelism in a time of crisis not to fill some “good-Christian quota” but because it’s good for our souls. Evangelism is a part of our own healing and development, especially in a time of crisis.

In John 9, a blind man is miraculously healed by Jesus and then finds himself in a crisis. His friends and leaders don’t believe him, and his parents refuse to stand up for him. The thing that brings him through this crisis is the act of sharing his story . . . over and over again! The more he tells it, the more he knows Jesus, and the more his confidence grows.

As a freshman, I was invited to lead an ��ñ�� Bible study. The week before my first leaders meeting, my dad passed away suddenly. My whole world fell apart. My campus minister told me that, of course, I could opt out of leadership. I was grateful for the grace. But I felt Jesus’ invitation to lead that Bible study because it would be the avenue for my own healing. As I look back on that season, I remember the grief, but I also remember the joy. The more I took risks with Jesus, the more I knew he was trustworthy with all my pain.

Seeing Others Transformed

Evangelism is good for our souls. Taking risks is a major part of our own healing journey with Jesus. But what happens when he meets those risks with his miraculous, transformational power?

In Mark 6:30–44, Jesus invites his disciples to feed thousands of hungry people. They are tired and want Jesus to send the crowds away. But he invites them to share the little they have. As they say yes to Jesus, albeit grudgingly, they witness a great miracle. Jesus satisfies the empty stomachs of the masses, and the disciples get a front row seat to witness the power of God.

My cousin, Erica, decided she was an atheist in college and studied world religions to prove that God wasn’t real. Both of us had experiences with chronic physical pain, which gave us a special bond. One day, Erica experienced a miraculous healing and asked, “Kelly, do you think this could be God?” I took the risk to invite her into an online Bible study (since she lived in another state).

I said, “Let’s study the Bible for four weeks with an assumption that Jesus could be real, and at the end of the four weeks, I am going to ask you to make your own conclusion about him.”

By the end of our studies, Erica said something I never imagined I’d hear from her: “I used to think I would regret having anything to do with Jesus. Now I know I would regret it if I didn’t give my life to him.”

I am now a godparent to Erica’s first child, and I watched her dedicate her son to God. Erica and I have continued to share in our sufferings, and she has become my biggest mentor in trusting Jesus with chronic pain.

When I think about the greatest moments of joy in my life, this one is in my top five. There’s nothing more joyous than seeing Jesus transform lives and the next generation.

How do you need more joy during this pandemic? Have you considered that Jesus’ invitation to do evangelism may be one of the ways he wants to bring you joy? Who is one person you can invite to study the Bible with you this week? Who knows, maybe that person will one day become your biggest mentor!

Adapted from kellyaalseth.com/2020/05/14/example-post-3/

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Kelly Aalseth

Kelly Aalseth is a Regional Coordinator for Leadership Development for ��ñ�� in the Greater Los Angeles Region. She is the author of Keeper of Your Life: Actively Trusting Jesus Through Chronic Pain. She enjoys helping young people connect the dots between what God is doing in their inner lives and in mission. She graduated from UCLA in 2008 and now lives with her husband in Santa Ana. You can donate to her ministry here: donate.intervarsity.org/donate#12852.

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