Encounter: Who Is This Man Jesus? What Does He Want From Me?

His first reaction was “no.”

Marc Beverly’s wife, Karen, was doing the Encounter group when someone from her table invited Marc to a men’s study of the book “Not a Fan.”

“I did it, but I didn’t know anyone,” Marc said. His “yes” was born more out of getting to know more people rather than an interest in the book.

Marc said it was a great experience. Still, when his wife suggested he go to the next Encounter group that fall, he said “no.” He wanted to do some research, see if this group was really right for him. An engineer by trade, Marc likes to analyze and assess every situation.

“God knows I need a slow lead up,” Marc said. “I felt Him nudging me in that direction.”

As Marc began going to Encounter, he was intrigued by the study’s approach. Each week, they simply looked at the Book of John to answer two questions, “Who is this man Jesus and what does He want from me?”

Marc had grown up in a small country church, but had never done a Bible study.

“For me growing up, church was a chore,” he said. “Bible stories felt like fairy tales.”

That’s where Encounter was different.

“It felt very genuine to look at the Bible in the present tense,” he said. “This is a real, live, active thing. This is in the present tense.”

Through open, honest discussions, Marc began to experience a transformation.

“I went from who I thought God was to a place where I accepted who Jesus is.”

He surrendered his life to Christ on February 3. He then had to decide whether to be baptized. Again, he was hesitant, but said “yes.” And the man who had led the “Not a Fan” study baptized him.

“Now I look back and see how the seeds were planted,” Marc said. “Jesus meets us where we are... No matter where you are, there's room for growth.”

You can sign up online for the next Encounter group starting September 15.