The One Thing Andy Was Sure Of,  He Didn’t Like Christians.

Andy didn’t like Christians. And then the most enexpected thing happened.

He became one.

For as long as Anday can remember he didn’t trust Christians. In his mind, they were always trying to trick you.  They were after your money or were trying to get you to believe something that wasn’t true. There had been more than one occasion at school where he heard Christians talking about religious things he didn’t understand and that always made him feel a bit like an outsider.

But Andy had to admit that no Christian had ever tried to trick him that he was aware of. None of them had ever done anything to him to force him to believe anything. So he wasn’t quite sure where he had developed his thoughts about these “religious people.” Maybe it was the comments that he had heard at home over the years. Or maybe it was what he had heard from friends at school or on the internet. Everyone seemed to have an opinion. And after having heard these opinions for so many years he started to believe Christians were not to be trusted.

With all this skepticism that he carried around, Andy was even surprised when he said “yes” to a friend’s invitation to a Campus Life club. Andy was well aware that Campus Life talked about God and religious stuff. But he was intrigued to see what it was all about. The friend who invited him didn’t seem to be overly religious and Andy hoped there would be others there who wouldn’t judge him or make him feel out of place.

The first Campus Life meeting that Andy attended was nothing like what he expected. He had fun. He met new friends and even got to know a couple of the leaders. Yes, the leaders did talk about God. But they did so in a way that Andy could understand. And even better than that the leaders said it was “okay if they didn’t understand all this Jesus stuff. Campus Life was a safe place to learn about God and ourselves.”

As the weeks passed Andy learned more about who Jesus is and had many of his questions about God answered. And though he couldn’t explain it, he knew God was talking directly to him the night the leaders asked if there was anyone who wanted to trust Jesus. And then Andy did it. He said “yes” to Jesus.

Andy is a very typical student when it comes to their skepticism about God and religion. Each week Youth For Christ leaders enter this world of skepticism. They listen, create a safe place to ask questions, and then share the hope of Jesus with hundreds of teenagers each week. This is made possible through your generous partnership. We need you on our team. Your financial gifts, prayers, and volunteer hours are used by God to deliver Jesus to students like Andy.

Andy never thought he would be “one of those Christian people.” But now he sees everything very differently. He is growing in his faith and has even made his decision known to a couple of his friends and even his family. They don’t know exactly what to think of it. But Andy understands their skepticism. That was him just a few months ago. Andy prays for his friends at his school who do not know the “real Jesus.” And is glad that he has this “CampusLIfe thing” to help him explain Jesus to them. He knows it is only a matter of time before some of his friends discover what he has.

Andy’s favorite verse is John 10:10. “Jesus said I have come that you might have life, life more abundantly.” Andy says that before he met Jesus he was just going through the motions of life each day. Now he has found a purpose. Now he has life!

To reach more students like Andy, YFC is building a growing team of financial partners. We invite you to join our team and help deliver the Good News to overlooked teens across Tuscaloosa.