Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
How was your day?  Blessed I hope.  Mine went ok.  I encouraged some Christians in their faith and eventually came across Melissa who prayed to commit to Christ.  I was headed out of the Science building and walked past Melissa, but felt prompted to walk back again, which does not always work out.  But Melissa was willing to talk and turned out to be an older student, 36, in pastel sweats. She was also divorced and pregnant.  Her story was kind of interesting as her parents had been Roman Catholic, but when they moved to Illinois with her as a baby, the Catholic Church they were attending would not baptize her as they had not attended long enough to have given enough to the Church financially.  I guess Catholic Churches had kind of a “pay to play” thing going then, might still now, who knows.  Anyway, this completely alienated her parents, understandably enough.  They have not been back to a Catholic Church since.  She married a Lutheran guy, was married in that church and had attended a nondenominational church.  But when I asked her  why God should let her into Heaven she appealed to the minimal least morality I’d heard anyone put up.  Effectively she hadn’t stolen or killed anyone or done anything she thought would keep her out.  After going through the Gospel with her I pointed out to her that she seemed to be depending on not having done anything very bad and that, like most people, she seemed to kind of assume God was forgiving and that would get her into Heaven when she died.  She acknowledged she was and I said, “Well, if you just know the story of Christianity and are not holding that in your heart when asking forgiveness, trusting in what Jesus did for you on the Cross, you have not received Christ.”  She seemed somewhat surprised to realize that.  I offered her a prayer she could pray but she wanted to pray later, so though it seemed she committed to Christ and I asked her and she confessed this, I’m not sure if she will, but will pray for her. I gave her the booklet and a Bible study to read.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. I’m grateful.

Drive safe. 🙂

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ.

I had a good day of sharing the Gospel today and Josh came to Christ.  He is an African American guy, plays sports at school, Cub fan,(so he knows how to suffer and that should help him in the Christian life.)   Josh regularly went to church when he lived at home and thought he’d go to Heaven, though he had no idea why God would let him in.  When I asked him how God took away his sins he didn’t have any idea.  He tried, “Baptism.” I said, “That is symbolic of it — what is the big thing Jesus does that takes away the sin of the world?”  He had nothing.  He was sitting with Sam in the Cafeteria and  when Josh said he’d do a survey Sam jumped in, but as I went through the Gospel Sam wasn’t interested and played with his phone a lot.  But Josh tuned in and wanted to be forgiven and prayed to receive Christ. I  messed with Sam about it some and did get their e-mails.  I hope Sam turns someday and he is not the seed that falls on the rocks.

Thanks for your prayers for the ministry and today for evangelism if you got a chance. I had some other good conversations with Christians, so it was a pretty good day. But then it always is when someone believes. Please pray Josh grows.

In Him,

Bob Bollow

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Well, I hope you were blessed today walking with the Lord by His Spirit.  I had a good day.  Markus and Mark prayed to receive Christ. It felt like it took a long time to get going.  No one wanted to talk to me for the first hour it seemed like, but I kept praying and walking and eventually I saw Markus sitting at a table just west of the sky bridge connecting the SRC building to the Science Building.  He agreed to do a survey.  He is a big 6’3″ good looking black guy, plays Basketball and Football at COD.  He had been to church a little but had not heard the story of the Gospel of Jesus.  But he tuned in and he believed and prayed to receive Christ and truly trusted Him.  I explained the work of the Spirit to him and he said he had 3 Bible Apps on his iPhone, so I encouraged him to read in the book of John.  He had never been out of the state but he will get to Heaven one day.  I gave him a Bible study and he took More than a Carpenter to read.  I got his e-mail to send him stuff.

Mark was sitting at the counter looking outside, about to eat lunch in the cafeteria.  I said “hey” and kept walking past him.  I was a little tired and I had asked around the room, been turned down a lot already and figured I’d head out to another building.  Then I felt like I was supposed to go back and talk to him.  It feels awkward to walk back across the room to someone, but hey he agreed to talk. He was a white kid with wavy brown hair wearing a jersey of a team I did not recognize.  He is Roman Catholic and knew Jesus had died for sin but had never even thought about it relative to himself or asking to be forgiven by God.  He had simply thought God was forgiving.  After going through the Gospel with him, he prayed to receive Christ as well.  I offered him a Bible but he said he had several, but took a bible study on the Deity of Christ.  He did not want a Christian book saying, “I’ll just read the Bible.”  So that was great.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry of evangelism at COD and for today’s work if you had a chance. God was with me today.

In Him,

Bob Bollow

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 
I hope you had a good day today walking with the Lord.  I had a good day being led around by the Spirit for a few hours, and Bible study went well for the 6 of us.  Mike prayed to receive Christ.  Also I had a really friendly conversation with Ayaa, a Muslim girl from Iran, and encouraged some other peeps.

Mike was in the hall of the Science Building a bit after 2 PM.  He didn’t seem to have much to do, so he was willing to do a survey with me.  He is Roman Catholic and thought he would go to Heaven because of his “good deeds.” As I went through the Gospel with him, he said he would want to be forgiven and have God live inside him.  He had never asked God to forgive him while trusting in and thinking about Jesus work on the Cross, but thought he’d just figured God would forgive him, not thinking about why.  I offered him a prayer he could pray and Mike prayed to receive forgiveness in Christ.  He took a Bible to read as he did not have one, and a Bible Study on the Deity of Christ.  So that was great.  I told him I would pray for him.

Ayaa (pronounced “I ahh”) was the last person I spoke to today.  She had a head scarf on, so I did not think she would probably be interested and walked by where she was sitting in the lounge where we have Bible Study.  But I felt a prompting I thought might be from the Lord to go back.  She was up for talking to me and was very friendly and receptive, saying what I said about Jesus was taught at her home.  I don’t think she could have meant ‘everything’ I’d said, and I might have lost something in translation, but she had overheard our Bible study earlier and thought she would be interested to come.  After I went thought the Gospel with her she gladly took the booklet and a copy of the Student Edition of The Case for Christ. She thought she might like to attend the Bible study so that would be really great.  I prayed for her, that she might not get in any grief at home over the materials I gave her, and I encouraged her to ask God to show Himself to her.  I said it was my understanding that God came to people who were from Iran in their dreams and spoke to them.  She said she believed that too.  I said, “Why not ask God to show you Himself in a dream?” I explained that this had happened to a Muslim friend of mine who had lived in Lebanon, Hicham, who is now a Christian.  She thought that would be cool and I am going to pray God comes to her and affirms His word in the Gospel as I gave it to her.
Well, thanks for your prayers for the ministry.

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

So how was your day?  I hope you found something in it to remind you of God’s love and lift you up.  Two people prayed with me to receive Christ today who had not understood the Gospel before, Viviana and Austin.  Austinis Asian, goes to Church with his parents periodically at a nondenominational Church inNaperville, and Viviana is Latino and Roman Catholic.

Viviana was sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs at the top of the steps in the SRC where the revolving doors are.  She was just a nice, pleasant-looking girl, seemed a bit reserved and shy.  She was willing to talk, though, and after I had gone through the Gospel with her she said she would like to be forgiven.  I asked her if she had asked God to forgive her sins with the idea of Jesus dying on the Cross for her as the reason why she would be forgiven, or if when she prayed she hoped God would just be forgiving and was magnanimous.  She had not been able to tell me how God took away her sins.  She thought about it a bit and said that she had really just thought God would forgive her.  I read through the prayer with her, explaining that she should ask then to be forgiven because of what Jesus did, and asked her if she would like to pray and be sure God forgave her and lived inside her by faith.  She said she would and prayed.  She took a Bible and then remembered one she had at home.  She took a Bible study and I encouraged her to read in John and gave her some other passages to look up explaining the work of the Holy Spirit.  I told her I would pray for her.

Austinwas sitting on the window ledge in the hall out from the student services center lounge where we have Bible Study into the BIC building. He said he had five minutes, so I did a survey with him.  When I asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died, he said, “Have a 3 way” (meaning “ménage à trios'”).  So I was not very optimistic he would come to Christ.  (I had just had a pretty blue conversation with a mixed group of 4 or 5 African American kids and somehow God helped me to corner it with one guy to walk him through the Gospel.  But about a third of what they said I’d be sure you wouldn’t want me to print.  I think this had dimmed my optimism.)  ButAustinwas actually very receptive and was a caring guy deep down.  After I walked him through the prayer I said, “So is this the desire of your heart?”  He said it was and I said in all seriousness, “The 3 way is never gonna happen if you pray this.”  He kind of half-smiled like he had been kidding, and nodded and prayed to receive Christ.  So what do I know? He said he did not read, but He took a Bible study on the Deity of Christ and he and his friend rolled off.
So thank you so much for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  I’d covet them for Viviana and Austin if you would take a moment, that they might grow in Christ.

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I had a good day today and was encouraged talking to some Christians who knew God.  At the end of the day I talked with Marquis, a tall, solid-looking black guy with a big smile who said he’d do a survey.  I went through the Gospel with him and he was tuned in, but had a bit of attitude.  He was pretty cocky but listened to the Gospel, though his friends were around him and he said he would pray later.  He was in a good spot as his friend had begun taking him to Church the last three weeks.  I said fine, and that if he would send me an e-mail I would pray for him.  But I asked him, “Do you believe Jesus has died for your sins and rose from the dead and do you trust in that to make you right with God?” He said yes and so I reached out and we shook on it.  He sent me an e-mail when I got home just saying “it’s Marquis.”  That’s all I asked for, so I’ll be praying for him.  As I was leaving, Jen, who had prayed to receive Christ last semester, walked up smiling and I told her I was praying for her.  So a good day.

Thank you for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. Please pray for Marquis that he would continue in the faith.

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Thanks for your prayers for the ministry, and today for evangelism on campus if you got a chance.  Wade prayed to receive Christ today.  He was sitting with a friend Geo in the lounge near Starbucks, near where we have Bible Study.  Wade plays defense for the football team and Geo plays quarterback.  They were both big, athletic looking guys.  They did a student survey with me and I went through the Gospel.  Wade was from a Christian background but Geo was not, and after I had gone through the Gospel with them, though both of them expressed a desire to be forgiven for their sins, Geo did not feel like he was ready to give his life to the Lord.  Wade prayed and I talked to them both about the Holy Spirit and the Christian life.  I gave them each a Bible study and offered them books.  Both of them wanted the student edition of The Case for Faith .  I had and extra copy in the locker I have at school, so I went and got it and asked Geo if it would be ok if I prayed for him and he said it would.  Wade was on his phone, but signaled me as I was leaving and thanked me and shook my hand.  They seemed like solid guys, so I will be praying for them and hoping Geo comes to faith in Christ.

The cult group “Churchof God” had a few people walking around today.  I prayed against them for a bit.  They are Korean in origin.  The founder left the Seventh Day Adventists and claimed to be the second coming of Christ.  He later declared his wife the “Mother goddess”.  He’s dead and she is still alive, unfortunately.  The group tries to convince people through passages in the Bible, of which no one who had a superficial working knowledge of the NT would ever believe (fall for) their interpretation.  But then many people I have met who call themselves Christians do not even know the Gospel.  I sabotaged their work with a couple people they talked to, waring them in one way or another.  The people walking around are pretty dull looking so I imagine that can’t help so that is good.  They try to get contact information and pressure people.  Cult tactics are one of the reasons I have decided I have to be very low key and allow the Holy Spirit to lead people after they come to Christ.  I never pressure anyone anyway, of course, but the verse in Revelation 22:17 comes to mind “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”   I think that I personally am not asking them to do something or buy something leaves them with a positive sense of their commitment to God and gives Satan less opportunity to provoke doubt.  And that is why I pray for each by name every night.

So thanks again for your prayers, God lead me today.

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

So how was your day?  Good I hope.  Mine was good in that Damian, a black guy, prayed to receive Christ.  I had a rough conversation out of the gate with an Atheist girl named Tori.  She seemed interested to talk to me, but I think it turned she wanted to vent.  I got the typical questions…why is Christianity teaching all homosexuals go to hell?  I said it does not teach this, but if they practice it they are condemned.  As recently as the 1960s the preponderance of psychological practice taught Homosexuality is dangerous for you and destructive . Male homosexuals live shorter lives and since God does not want you to destroy yourself and others he is opposed to it . Lesbians, we would maintain, are not happy and in most cases have no hope of family or the security of a male, [who has been largely replaced by the state now and is probably a large reason many single women vote democratic.  Not that many Republicans are shining banners of small Government, but the Dems have the social program provision rep.].  I told her if she had a child, she would not let them play in the street or with their dad’s electric chain saw and we are like children to God.  Basically societal rules preserve us.  I explained other religions were not offering Heaven, but that Romans 1 basically teaches that if people would live up to the ethical code God has placed in them by giving them knowledge of Himself, they would be justified.  But they do not and so they are without excuse.  When she first began to ask questions and I could see where it would go I said, “Well, I will tell you what Christianity teaches if you promise not to get angry and we can just discuss it.”  She promised, but ended up throwing the booklet more or less at me as she stormed off in the end.  This, I was grateful for, since it has my contact information on it and really did not much want her to have it.  I told her that the Bible teaches there really are no atheists (Based on the idea of Romans 1) and I agreed with that and basically thought people were just angry at God or wanting to do as they wished.  She did not really argue with that in the moment.  What upset her most was that she thought she should be allowed into Heaven and given the chance to decide after death.  I said “so you don’t think there should be justice?”  She said she did and was up for people going to hell if they had told God F you.  She just did not realize she was doing that.  I offered her the book The Case for a Creator as she said she was rational, suggesting religion was not.  She did not want it.  She said some stuff that would be considered really offensive to Christians, but hey, I’ve heard it all b4 and I get peeps are just angry about something.  But when I agreed with her that she would go to hell for her unbelief as would anyone who was not a Christian, she blew a gasket.  “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”  It kind of threw me off, but then I spoke with a nice black lady who was a Christian and took my side and let me teach her some stuff so that was great. Hung with some of my student friends who I dig and then rolled back out.

Damian was just sitting killing time. He had somehow dropped out of basic training for the Marine Core and was talking classes.  Nice guy; glasses, shaved head, not a big dude at all.  As I went through the Gospel he seemed to know it, though he had appealed to good works to go to Heaven.  I talked to him about that and it was obvious he had never committed his life to Christ nor had he thought in terms of Christ’s work to forgive him.  It was kind of like he assumed that was how it worked somewhere in his mind at one point and then never given it another thought.  But he wanted to receive Jesus and prayed.  I gave him More than a Carpenter to read and he thanked me.  I told him I would keep him in my prayers.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God was with me.

Bob Bollow

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Well, the Book table got a few good conversations going and we got a few new names for the Bible Study.  The best part of the day was going through the Gospel with 2 girls from the Chicago Church of Christ, which is a cult that preaches Baptism is necessary for salvation.  Of the two girls, one said she thought she was saved by baptism and the other by her righteous works.  The cult of the International Church of Christ believes both of these necessary for salvation plus belief in Christ.  Like any cult that is really teaching salvation by works, the only essential thing in their doctrine we can agree with them on they omit.  In the end all believe they are saved by their good works after you are in the cult for a while.  After all, why would a Satan Cult emphasize any of the truth?  Someone might slip up and be saved by their faith.  I explained the Gospel to them.  The works girl seemed to accept it, though she was a transplant from their LA operations (she said she would like to come to the Bible study, an unlikely event but hey).  The second girl had her back up a bit but did not know what to say and I gave them both booklets to read through.  Neither had any assurance of salvation, and hey if you are going to be judged on the righteousness of your works, no introspectively honest person would think they had a shot.

Later a guy came by also from LA [International Church of Christ takes the name of whatever city it is from so these now said they were from the Chicago Church of Christ].  He seemed to be a little more well versed in their shtick and offered Titus 3:5 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” (NASB)  He claimed this washing was not a metaphor for justification but meant submersion and Baptism, which the verse is not about (even by superficial examination).  He put out things impossible to say about the Greek language, which I explained to him.  This is another mark of cult groups, they don’t know Greek but know what they have been told about one Greek word here and there.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses use the same pattern.  I got his e-mail to continue the conversation.  These groups are growing exclusively through campus work.  Colleges used to refuse them status on campus as, in effect, many kids leave school when the cult gets full hold.  But lately it seems they can’t be bothered to block them access.  Not surprisingly as in effect, colleges and cults work for the same kingdom of lies.  I pointed out to him that no one, by his examination historically, was saved on earth from about 400 AD until some Anabaptists surfaced at the time of the reformation and that all the reformers, Calvin, Zwingli, Huss and Luther would be in hell. Of course he had no problem with that, which is another characteristic of cults, arrogance.

We also had a brief visit from the woman who leads the Newman Club, a Catholic Group (and from everything I have heard her say a universalistic group opposed to evangelism, I pray against her at night before bed often, we have spoken b4). She interrupted, telling us her thoughts briefly while I was talking to an Indian man who was a professor on campus and an evangelical Christian. He immediately excused himself and she left which I was grateful for in consideration of Matthew 7:6. A verse he undoubtedly had in mind as he exited.

So thanks for your prayers today if you had a moment. Please pray for the destruction of the cults on campus, if you feel like throwing the Neman Club under the bus in your prayers as well feel free, I know I do.
In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Well, it was cold today, but warm inside, and two people prayed to receive Christ.  Dani, a Philippino girl who sometimes sits at a table of peeps I talk up from time to time and Calvin, a black football player.

Dani is a cute, short girl with glasses and long hair, just a really sweet kid.  She was waiting for her boyfriend (Jerald, also of Philippino descent) to come out of the bookstore, sitting on the base of the stairs just beneath the revolving doors where the cold flows in.  He had short hair and looked a bit more Asian.  She had a coat on but it was cold to sit there. She had Faith in God and went to a Christian Church, but had not understood the Gospel and when she had in the past prayed for forgiveness she did not trust in Jesus and His work on the Cross. She was very attentive to what I explained to her, and her boyfriend popped in and out of the store reaching in his bag and listening. I guess he was waiting for something to be finished inside.  After I explained how Jesus had died to take away her sin and she needed to trust in that, Dani prayed to receive Christ.  She took a copy of The Case for Faith and I gave her and Jerald each a Bible study to read.  He only got the Gospel in bits and pieces but took a booklet to read on his own.  I explained the work of the Holy Spirit to them, telling them I would pray for them both and we talked about some of their friends.  It was a good time and I got her e-mail.

Calvin was sitting in the big lounge across from Starbucks where we have Bible study.  He’s a good looking guy and seemed very confident, plays cornerback. He went to church here and there and seemed certain he would go to Heaven and that he had been forgiven for his sins.  But when I asked him how God took away his sins he did not have any idea.  When I started to explain it, I said, “Well, He does it with Jesus.” But he said nothing in response and there was no look of even subtle recognition on his face.  When I was finished, I told him how he could receive Jesus and walked him through the prayer.  He took the booklet with his left hand and shook my hand with his right and said, “Appreciate it.” Then he prayed. He took a bible to read, as his was back at his mothers house, and a Bible study and I got his email to send him stuff.

So thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry and today for evangelism if you got a chance.  I’m grateful for your help and the Lord blessed.

In Him,
Bob Bollow