People today often start in a place of skepticism or distrust toward Christians. In Threshold 1, they move into a relationship of trust with a Christian friend. Trust is the seed that catalyzes the journey of faith.
In John 4:1-26, Jesus built trust with the Samaritan woman by initiating a conversation and inviting her into further, deeper conversation.
OUR FRIENDS do not yet have a reason to trust a Christian.
- "If Christians are fanatical and narrow-minded, keeping one's distance seems like the smartest posture to take around us." (I Once Was Lost p. 32).
OUR ROLE is to gain trust by loving genuinely and asking questions.
- Pray for God to soften our heart, to intercede in our friends' lives, and for opportunities to be involved in their lives.
Overview Threshold 2