Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I hope your day was blessed last week and you’re out of the snow. I was grateful not to live in NYC (of course I’m grateful for that in spring, summer and fall as well.) Last week I had a dentist appointment for a filling that came out and meeting but Antonio and Precious, prayed to receive Monday. Carlos prayed to receive Christ on Tuesday. I also had a good apologetic discussion with Ethan a lapsed Catholic. Lalo, Tae and Bobby each prayed to receive Jesus Wednesday and Natalie* said she would pray later but had to run to meet someone. The stories are below if you have time you want to spend. Please pray they grow in faith.
Carlos was a Latino guy in skin tone. He had a mop of dark brown hair bushy flyaway beard only on his jaw line. He had a teddy bear face and was shorter a solid looking guy, 5×5. He wore a black hoodie and pants. He told me at the end as he was leaving he wanted to do the criminal justice program but was currently a senior in High School. He was sitting in the cafeteria alone at a table. A friend sort of sat down later. The friend didn’t listen but was up and down. At the end he paced back and forth trying to distract Carlos (or had ADD). He might have been in fear of a bus ride they’d miss which came much later. Carlos looked me in the eye the entire time very interested and ignored his friend. I asked his one thing he would want to do before he died and he said, “Spend more time with my family.” I told him I’d read that that is what many rich men say at the end of their lives when asked if they would do something over. He agreed like he’d heard that before. I asked him, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” He thought for a bit and said, “Probably that I helped a lot of people growing up.” He was sure he would go to Heaven, “100%” and when I asked if he went to Church he said, “I been to church.” After that I began to go through the Gospel with him and he was lasered in attentively. He knew Jesus had died when I asked what He had done to take away the sins of the world. I explained how that His blood cleansed him to allow God to live inside him and was a payment to God. The Righteousness of God was earned by Christ and was to his credit. I said God adopted him and he was saved by faith if he received Christ. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done, then He would live in him with His Spirit and give him strength, take him to Heaven when he died? Or thought something else giving him a few explanatory sentences on the Islam and the Buddha. “So would you want to be forgiven for your sins?” I asked. “Yeah,” he replied. So I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I talked him through it and asked if it expressed the desire of his heart, “Yeah,” he said again. I said he could pray it silently; I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven, “Wanna do that?” “Yeah,” he said. He prayed the to receive Christ. His friend by then had his shorts in a bunch but I quickly gave him Bible promises for You, I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. He took it and said, “Thank you.” I gave him a Bible Study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet without explaining it. “Thank you,” he said again, enthusiastically and they were off.
Lalo was sitting in a sofa chair at the base of the stairs by the bagel shop in the MAC. There’s one chair there and I sat as his feet. He had bright rosy cheeks and a smaller face, small nose and a mustache just above his lips about the width of eyebrows. His short, mostly straight hair had a bit of a wave to it making high bangs. He didn’t smile at all and was typical height for a lot of Latino guys I meet. He had on a charcoal grey baggy hoodie and baggy black sweats. He wore white socks in Adidas one strap sandals. He thought he’d like to travel, possibly to Thailand. I asked him, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” He said, “I’m not worthy Bro. I sinned a lot. I gotta get right with God.” I asked him the likelihood he would go to Heaven when he died and he said, “15%.” I began to go through the Gospel with him, saying all I usually say and when I asked him what Jesus had done back in History to take away the world so God could live inside him with His Spirit he said, “He was crucified, He died for us.” I agreed and explained the blood to cleanse and be a payment to God for our sins and the righteousness of Christ. I said receiving Christ saved him, and believing He is God had died for his sins and rose from the dead. If he put his trust in that it would mean he had faith in Jesus. Faith saved him. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus. “Then you would be cleansed and God would give you strength, take you to heaven when you die or do you believe something else,” I said with the brief options Islam and the Buddha. I asked again if he wanted to be forgiven, He looked hard at the circle with God on the throne of his life for a moment. He finally said, “Trust in Jesus.” I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray I asked if it expressed the desire of his heart and he nodded. I said he could pray it silently, “Wanna do that?” I asked. “Yeah,” he replied and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I began to go through the Christian life with him. He only had a pocket New Testament from The Gideons that had recently been on campus. I asked if he would want one with the Old Testament. He said he did so I gave him one showing the study helps and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inner page. “Thank you so much,” he replied taking it. I explained living by the Spirit’s power, “Inside Out.” I gave him Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I told him I would pray a Bible Verse for him each day from now until Spring asking God to bless him. He said, “Thank you so much,” again. He stood up to go and I stood and shook his hand and he said, “Have a good day.” “You too,” I replied and he headed off.
Coming across Natalie she had a pretty wide, oval face, small nose with tight wavy hair parted in the middle, brown past her shoulders. She was 5’10” and raised in a non-denominational church. She said to the question, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “Because…Ooo, that’s a good question.” Then she said, “Because I grew up with God I know who He is. I’m not close with God but I know who You are.” She thought she had a 32% chance of going to Heaven. She said she would pray later and asked for the Booklet and I said “Sure.” “Maybe I’ll come across you again and you’ll have prayed, “Yes,” she said with some determination and she headed off.
Tae was sitting in the hallway not far from the bookstore entrance in an arm chair. He said he’d do a survey so I pulled the empty one near over. He had an oatmeal-colored watch cap that looked like it had been crocheted having semi square nobs on it the size of half dollars. He had finger width dreadlocks falling down out from under and the ends of which were light brown. He had classic back features a medium rounded nose and a beard just under his chin, full lips, reasonably good-looking guy. Tall and thin wearing a military green quilted zipper vest over closed over a black hoodie and black skinny jeans. He was over 6 feet tall and had a warm smile, was very casual and soft spoken. He said he wanted to make enough for his family as a welder and was in school for it. I asked him, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “Honestly I’d be like ‘Everybody deserves a second chance.” I asked him the likelihood he would go to Heaven when he died and he said, “I feel like if I died right now I’d go to Heaven.” I began to go through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus had died for the sins of the world and had gone to Church when he was young. I said everything I usually say to explained the blood and righteousness of Christ. A couple times as I made a point he said, “True,” in affirmation. He was engaged and liked listening it seemed. I said he needed to receive Christ by faith, believing he was God had died for his sins and rose from the dead, “Not that you just know the story but that that’s what you put your trust in. So if someone would ask, “Why should God let you into Heaven you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’” I asked him if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. I gave him the option of the other faiths and asked, “When you are asking for forgiveness for your sins were you thinking, ‘I know I’ll be forgiven because Jesus died for me.’ Or were you hoping you were good enough?” he said, “The second one.” So I said, “If you’d want to be forgiven there’s a prayer you could pray,” and I talked him through it asking if it was the desire of his heart. “For sure,” he replied. I said he could pray it silently and he said, “For sure,” again and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to him living by the Spirit’s power, “Inside Out.” I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” in the front. I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study and when I explained it he liked it and said, I’m gonna check this out. I told him I would pray a pray a Bible Verse for him each day from now until Spring asking God to bless him. I told him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I shook his hand and said, “I’ll be seeing you in Heaven.” I appreciate that,” he replied. And I headed off.
I came across Bobby later sitting one chair away from the clear walls just down the hall from Starbucks. He had a black hood up on a nylon zippered coat and a nylon black cap on under it, black shirt. Had on light brown baggy jeans and brown kind of traditional Ray Ban glasses, circle bottom flat on top. He had a narrow-trimmed mustache like Errol Flynn’s with a separation in the middle, smaller nose and thinner lip. He was African American with a firm jaw line and square chin, good-looking guy. When I asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died he said, “Get married”. That’s a good sign a guy will trust in Jesus, if they say, “Have a family,” basically it’s a lock. I asked him, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead. And you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “I’d say He probably shouldn’t honestly. Slot is narrow,” He replied. “Jesus said to enter through the narrow gate, but He is the Gate. He just means the other ways are excluded,” I said in response. I asked him the likelihood he would go to Heaven when he died and he said he didn’t feel like it was his place to say, “Me right now, probably not. But I still have time to get better.” I began to go through the Gospel saying Knowing God was eternal life, this meant in the New Testament that God lived inside him. So God wanted to live inside him with but first He had to take away his sins. I asked him what the big thing was Jesus did back in History to take away the sins of the world. “Baptism,” he guessed. “Well,” I said, “Baptism is symbolic of it you go under the water and die with Christ and come up and are raised with Him from the dead.” “Repent?” he tried. I said something like, “Well this is how it works,” saying, “He died for you.” Then he remembered that much. I began to explain the work of Christ, His blood to cleanse him and be a payment to God and the righteousness of God Christ earned perfectly fulfilling the Old Testament law and demonstrating flawless obedience. It is to our credit when God adopts us. We become His child receiving Christ by faith. I asked him if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting I what Jesus had done or if he thought something else also giving him a quick version of Islam and the Buddha. I then asked, when he asked for forgiveness for his sins if he had hope he would be good enough or did he think, “I know I’ll be forgiven because Jesus died for me.” “Be good enough,” he replied. So I said, “Well, if you’d want to be forgiven there’s a prayer you could pray.” I talked him through it and asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. He nodded it did. I said he could pray it silently and only God would hear him, “Wanna do that?” I asked and he said, “Yeah.” He prayed the to receive Jesus. He had a Bible but said, his uncle was a pastor and he asked him where to begin reading in the Bible but he didn’t really answer the question. I explained things in the New Testament were often explained looking for more information in the Old Testament but most people say to start in John. I said I had a Bible study that showed that on the Deity of Christ and I explained it and he liked it. I explained living by the Spirit’s power, “Inside Out.” I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and forgiven!” in the front. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I would pray a prayer for him each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. “Thank you,” he replied. I got up to go and he shook my hand and said, “You have a good one.” “You too,” I replied and headed off.
So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism last week if you had a chance. God truly blessed.
In Him,
Bob