I come from a seriously non-Christian background. As a junior transfer, I began to attend a GIG like study. Studying the Bible like that really helped me see Jesus for the first time, melted all of my false impressions of the Christian life and revealed to me my need for God. I became a Christian in 1992 and I forever will be grateful for the GIG I experienced. In my relationships with my non-Christian friends, I see the GIG as the castle that I want to have my friends eventually come to for rest and nourishment.
Some friends are incredibly eager to run right into the castle and check it out.
These folks quickly jump right in and feel at home right away. Others, however, are coming from another side and need to run over a moat to get to the castle. Some of the obstacles they must cross over are previous negative experiences with Christians, misinterpretations of the church, fear of cults, and terrible advice from friends and family to name a few. For these folks, it is crucial to lower the drawbridge of trust. God will often use the trust that we build with our friends to uncover in them a deep spiritual hunger for God that they did not know ever existed.