Part of loving our neighbours is building meaningful relationships with people we study with. This is also the best way to share the gospel with non-Christians as well. Here are ten tips on how to get to know people and share you faith in a natural way:
- Organise social stuff for your Fellowship Groups so that you can get to know each others' friends in a casual setting.
- Lend and borrow things to people - CDs, books, DVDs. It moves the relationship beyond one dimension and gives you something to talk about in the future.
- Arrive early and stay late after lectures, pracs and tutes. Don't just disappear straightaway, like a ninja. Don't just wag classes and do it all online.
- Become interestd in people. Don't just restrict yourself to your own interests and hobbies. See every new person you meet as a new opportunity to learn about something else interesting.
- Try to be more of a 'Yes Man' (like in the Jim Carrey movie), saying yes to the invitations you get week by week.
- Extend invitations to acquaintances to come to social events, or to church, or to the Uni Fellowship.
- Go out of your way to get to know each other's non-Christian friends. Don't live two separate lives.
- Try to get out and about, rather than just ferrying to and fro, from home to class to home again. Try to do more stuff out 'in the marketplace'.
- Recognise that different people will have different types of opportunities to build relationships and share their faith. Don't compare yourself too much to others.
- Be thoughtful and kind to people in your life. Go out of your way to do good, rather than keeping to yourself.
