Joe wasn’t looking for a Bible study when he came to college. He grew up in a church and attended studies throughout his teenage years. But along the way, he lost interest in God. Once apathy set in, he just stopped going.
In fact, Joe wasn’t looking for any Christian friends his freshman year at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. But, after his roommate joined Asian American InterVarsity, Joe tagged along for some weekly large group gatherings his first semester. Throughout second semester, he began attending large groups more frequently as his interest in learning about God grew.
During that first year, although he was curious about a genuine relationship with God, Joe admitted he was also apprehensive about God and skeptical of institutional religion. After studying history and other cultures, Joe began to think of Christianity as a tool used for personal gain or manipulation. He didn’t understand how his InterVarsity friends could be so trusting of God, yet all the while he was intrigued by how they wanted to follow Jesus.
Chapter Focus Week
At the end of the school year, Joe decided to sign up for InterVarsity’s Chapter FOCUS Week – a weeklong camp of student training, worship, and fellowship. He chose to attend an in-depth inductive study of the first half of Mark’s Gospel. Although he still had his doubts, Joe was open to finding out more about God.
On the first day of the Mark study, Joe didn’t really know what to do as he watched people using multi-colored pens to highlight key words and annotate their manuscript Bible passages with strange marks. And yet, despite Joe’s unfamiliarity with a common InterVarsity Bible study method, he was affected by the words in front of him.
God spoke to Joe through Mark 1:16-18, in which Jesus calls Simon and Andrew to drop their nets and follow him. As he studied the passage, Joe recognized Jesus’ calling on his own life. “It blew my mind. I knew I wanted to follow Jesus,” he later said. “After that moment, I was really open. My heart and mind wanted to learn more about Jesus.”
Decision Time
On the last day of the Bible study, InterVarsity staff member Christy Klippel offered students an invitation to follow Jesus. Having spent the week going through the questions of, “Who is Jesus?” and “What is the Gospel?” Christy felt that it was now the perfect moment to ask students to make a commitment.
That day, Joe was one of three students from the Mark study who stood up in response to Christy’s invitation, representing his decision to follow Jesus.
“Students were encountering Jesus in the study, which is the point. That’s why it was so powerful when the three students made decisions in the end,” Christy said.
Throughout the week, Christy saw students discovering truths for the first time in scripture. While some students, like Joe, were making decisions to follow Jesus, other students found themselves gaining a richer understanding of who Jesus is.
Surprising Finds
UW-Madison student Megan McElroy said the in-depth study of Mark allowed her to engage God’s Word in new and surprising ways. “I was able to experience Jesus in a new, refreshing way throughout the week. I caught myself experiencing many jaw-dropping moments when words I had read multiple times before suddenly became so clear and fulfilling. It was great, and God definitely revealed himself to me through his Word.”
At InterVarsity, we love seeing God speak to students – both new believers like Joe and Bible study veterans like Megan – when they read his Word.
