Kevin, a student leader at K-State, was all set for launching a spring bible study. He’d been praying for weeks, listening from God for the people he would invite to join him in the study, and his friend Mike came to mind. Kevin was really nervous about the prospect of the invite: the two had only known each other before Kevin dedicated his life to Jesus and their previous relationship had been centered around using marijuana together in high-school. Kevin was praying for change in Mike’s life, but there was serious fear about how he would come across to his old friend.
On the day that Kevin held the first bible study meeting, Mike suddenly got a strong sense that he needed to go be a part of it. Unbeknownst to Kevin, Mike was at home, two hours away, and preparing to fly out the next day to study abroad. Yet, he responded to a “gut-feeling” and joined Kevin’s small group anyway. That night, Kevin presented the gospel and made a call to faith in the small group, and Mike said yes to following Jesus! All Mike could say afterward was, “Dude, why didn’t you share this with me a year ago? My life would have looked so different.”
As much as this story highlights the Spirit at work in Mike’s life, Kevin was also being shaped by the Lord. Kevin later reflected, “I was really convicted when [Mike] asked me why I took so long to talk with him about spiritual stuff. I was honestly terrified of being rejected and I was even more terrified of owning up to my past. I really feel like God is calling me to just be bolder with more of my friends.”