
This website is designed for friends to have spiritual conversations together, especially as one friend explores faith in Jesus.
Each step has a prompt that both the Christian friend and the exploring friend can discuss together so that they can grow in authentic conversation and growth towards Jesus.
We hope that it challenges and encourages participants and opens doors to conversations that many of us feel too awkward or shy to pursue on our own.
Many people that first encounter Christians with a lot of distrust go through five stages, or thresholds, before they are willing to make faith in Jesus their own.
For more on the Five Thresholds, please read I Once Was Lost (InterVarsity Press, 2008), or watch the videos on our website.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is a national university ministry that seeks to develop student leaders who help transform their campus and their world. The Five Thresholds is used throughout InterVarsity to help create authentic conversation spaces for the communal pursuit and exploration of faith in Jesus.
Learn more about Jesus by using these 15 minute bible studies based on the steps to faith. Click to download.
Threshold ONE. Luke 19: Zacchaeus.
Threshold TWO. John 2: An Unsusual Wedding.
Threshold THREE. Luke 14: An Unexpected Banquet.
Threshold FOUR. John 1: Come and See.
Threshold FIVE. Luke 15: The Prodigal Son.
Short, animated videos about the 5 Thresholds.
In order to have spiritual conversations together, we have to be able to trust each other by identifying and addressing the barriers that we face.
For the friend exploring faith:
For the Christian friend:
Debrief together:
Taking steps on a spiritual journey involves learning about how other people see and experience the world. Curiosity is a choice to learn about something new or different. We cultivate it by asking questions.
For the friend exploring faith:
For the Christian friend:
Debrief together:
Growth on our spiritual journey requires taking an honest look at ourselves and identifying where we need to change. We have to be open to change and admit that there are places we need help.
For the friend exploring faith:
For the Christian friend:
Debrief together:
Spiritual experiences often bring more questions than they do answers. It is important to seek the answer, but first, we have to be honest about what we really need to find.
Which next step would help you trust Jesus more?
Learn more about Jesus by using these 15 minute bible studies based on the steps to faith. Click to download.
I need to experience what Jesus can do.
For seven days, bring your honest needs or questions and pray together, asking Jesus to meet your needs and reveal himself to you.
I need to know if I can really believe in Jesus.
Step Five is where you consider whether you are ready to follow Jesus.
Pam had been meeting with Ellen for a month to look at the story of Jesus. When Ellen asked her if she was willing to consider following Jesus, Pam responded, “I don’t know how.” Ellen shared the big story of the gospel and invited Pam to follow Jesus.
"Everyone who drinks water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life" - Jesus (John 4:16).
For the friend exploring faith:
For the Christian friend:
Use the four worlds diagram to share about what Jesus said about following him:
Designed for Good:
God created the world with purpose, dignity, and beauty. We are made in His image, designed to live in peace with one another. God wants to be at the center of our relationships.
Damaged by Evil:
The world broke down when humans pushed their creator away. Because He is no longer at the center of our lives, our world is divided and hurting. Without God, we are all trapped living self-centered lives.
Restored for Better:
God did not abandon us to live in a broken world. Jesus came into the world to heal. He took our personal evil and our world’s evil to the grave with him. He came back to life to bring new life to us.
Sent to Heal:
The Spirit of Jesus fills us with God’s power and presence. The Spirit sends us out to restore relationships, repair communities, and seek justice. We invite others into God’s healing.
Debrief