What if I told you that you don’t have to have all the answers to tell someone about Jesus, or that you don’t have to have the Bible memorized to share His light?

Our second worship night of the semester consisted of heartwarming worship tunes performed by the newly formed worship team, the wonderful presence of each and every one of our attendees, a message so powerful and eye-opening that two people delivered it, and of course, free pizza.

If you happened to miss our second Night of Worship, we covered some Christian feel-good material in Acts Chapter 8.  Have you ever found it difficult to start a conversation with someone about his or her faith?

One: You’re not alone.

Two: Luke’s got some good news for you.

The term “evangelist” can seem pretty daunting at first glance. However, one’s job as an evangelist on Earth is actually much simpler than what you may have originally thought. Believe it or not, God will provide you with the right time and place and person to share his love with. And when this situation arises? You don’t need to go into a deep theological lecture. You don’t even need to quote the Bible. The best plan of action is to share why you believe what you believe; what God has done for you; why it has been a fruitful experience for you to live by faith. The best words (and more importantly, actions) come from the heart – and if your heart is full, then your words and actions will show it.

If you’re in need of some spiritual encouragement, advice, or you’re just trying to get through the semester, we invite you to experience what we’re all about and take refuge in Jesus. We’d love to have you! Interested in joining a life group? Follow this link to find a group that fits your schedule: http://www.impactatiupui.com/lifegroups 

May God’s peace be with you as the going gets tough!

Haley Welch, Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI Student President

Photo cred: Taylor Sidwell

team - a group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport; two or more people working together.

At our first night of worship this semester, we heard teaching on the importance of teams in our lives, a lesson I have struggled to learn these past three years at IUPUI. No Christian is meant to serve God in isolation. As I reflected on my own journey, I considered why it was so hard for me to identify my team. I realized that, until recently, I didn’t know what a team was meant to look like. Fortunately, the founding Christians had to learn this valuable lesson, too.

“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” Acts 1:14

After Jesus ascended, the disciples gathered in Jerusalem to pray. They had no idea what lay in store for them, so they did what preparation they could: intense prayer.

When I identify the teams in my life, they are most certainly the groups of people I pray with: my husband, my close friends, and my mentors. I have been blessed to be part of a tight-knit group of Christians for the last three years, and they have prayed me through some of the most challenging moments of college. We frequently message one another offering to pray, and for a semester we met weekly in the halls between classes to pray for our classmates.

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.” Acts 2:1

At the very moment of the coming of the Spirit of God, all of the apostles were together.

To me, this is the most obvious mark of a team. I have a few close friends left from high school, and I still get a lot of joy from keeping up with them. But as much as I enjoy their company, they are not my team. Why?

My team is the group of believers I meet with regularly. I have prioritized my life groups in my weeks. As much as I can, I try and meet with them every week. They have been with me, and I with them, in the most profound moments of God working in our lives. They have seen me laugh, and cry, and fall asleep during conversations. They have been able to tell, without my saying a word, those moments I am struggling inside. These relationships did not appear out of thin air.

By God’s grace, my team has grown together through regular, intentional gathering.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers… And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42, 46-47

The end of Acts 2 gives a beautiful model of a church community - eating together, gathering in homes, worshiping, teaching, learning. What happened when this community gathered? They had favor with non-believers around them, and the Lord increased the number of those saved daily.

In my life, I have seen my team grow and shrink. Some of my friends have graduated, moved away, or transitioned to a new phase in life. Others have brought new Christians into our life group, and they have quickly become as much a team member as those before. Don’t be afraid to let go of those who are leaving. They will soon get the chance to form new teams of Christians and build the body of believers wherever they end up! Don’t be afraid to welcome new people into your team. They may soon become your most trusted friend.

The church as God intended it is a collection of believers who “stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb. 10:24). How can you be stirred up if you are alone? More importantly, how can you stir others if you have not chosen to gather, pray, and grow?

A team will not happen by chance. If you look at any sports team with any amount of success you will find at least two common characteristics: first, that they all have the same goal in mind; second, that they all meet regularly to plan and perfect the methods needed to reach this goal. Our goal is laid out by the gospels: to reach everyone in the world with the good news of salvation. We must intentionally devote our time to the lives of those around us to pray, meet, and grow. I pray that you will find a team as you seek God and his goal during your college career.

Things we all have in common:

We’re stressed.

We’re tired.

We’re overwhelmed.

We’re over-scheduled.

Impact is for:

The stressed.

The tired.

The overwhelmed.

The over-scheduled.

And finally, those in need of love - the wonderful, life-giving, unconditional kind that we can only get from one source. College is hard, and goodness knows we can’t make it through the year running on only our own strength and motivation. 

The first weeks of Impact have really set the pace of what to expect for the rest of the year. Over 30 students have experienced a weekly life group, and about the same number attended our first Night of Worship. We appreciate the presence of each and every one of you, and we’re so glad you got to experience Impact firsthand - whether it be the first time you’ve heard of us or you’ve been a regular. We’re also incredibly thankful for being able to connect with all the students we’ve seen at the Involvement Expo and before classes even started at freshmen orientations.

This semester, we’re delving into the book of Acts. If you have questions about the start of Christianity - how ideals were formed, how the church was formed, how it all started to take shape - then Life Groups will quench your curiosity, and even spark more questions. We’ll explore events and things that real people dealt with in order to get the Christian Church started.

What does it mean to be a Christian? How can you be a light with your blessings and circumstances right now? How can you get inspired and inspire others naturally as a result? Every one of you holds an important place in the kingdom of God. To get connected to this study of Acts, you can start (or continue) attending one of our weekly life groups here on campus. We’d love to have you! Times and locations are here: http://www.impactatiupui.com/lifegroups. 

On your marks… Let’s make this a blessed semester.

Haley Welch, Student President of Impact Christian Fellowship at IUPUI