Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I hope your day was blessed with the good things God prepared beforehand that you might walk in them. I had a good day on campus and Daniel and KD each prayed to receive Jesus. Their stories are below if you want to spend the time. Please pray they grow in their faith.
Daniel was sitting in the lounge that sits half way down the south hall on the second floor of the east Health and Science Building. Several students have come to Christ there this year (one yesterday) and I went there thinking that. Daniel was a good-looking black guy, a short afro, he had smaller soft features on an otherwise everyman face wearing a ball cap. He looked like Jackie Robinson with a bit smaller nose. He was clean-shaven and wore a black zip neck fleece and light gray sweats. I asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died. “Read more of the Bible,” he replied. “Live more of God’s [word] share it more. I’ve grown up in Church. I haven’t been as much as I want to be but I still have time.” I asked him what he would say to God if he died and were asked “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “Um well to be honest technically nobody should. I shouldn’t, even you shouldn’t.” Continuing he said, “You say you died for our sins. Ultimately reason we do is ultimately we have to live a righteous life. I wouldn’t say I’ve lived a righteous life. I want to. For the sake of the question if I were to die today I don’t think I would make it.” I asked him what the big thing Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world adding, “You already said it.” “He died,” he replied. “Right,” I said and went to explain how the blood of Christ cleansed him of sin and was a payment to God. I said Jesus earned the righteousness of God and he would not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good and he was connected to him. I then explained he was saved by faith receiving Jesus so that if someone asked him what God should let him into Heaven he would say, “because Jesus died for me.” I got to the end and asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done, then he would know he was forgiven and going to Heaven. Or did he think something else. I said, “I know you knew Jesus had died but when you would ask for forgiveness would you be thinking “I know I’ll be forgiven because Jesus died for me on the cross, or were you trying to earn it?” Yeah I was trying to do that,” he said agreeing with the second option. I said, “Well if you would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus has done not your own work there is a prayer you can pray.” I talked him through the prayer and asked if it was the desire of his heart. He said it was. “It says in Ephesians 1:13 that as soon as you believe the Holy Spirit enters you and seals you.” I said then that He would always be there. He could pray it then silently right now and know he was forgiven. “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d be forgiven for your sins. Wanna do it?” “Yeah, thank you,” he said taking the booklet. He read it through and then closed his eyes and prayed to receive Jesus. When he opened them I said, “Amen?” “Amen,” he replied. I began to explain the Christian life to him and said “by the Spirit’s power” he could live “Inside out” where God would transform you and make you a better person who would do good things. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I recommended Bible Gateway to get a reading plan that would prompt him to read the Bible more. I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. He asked about the Bible study and I said we had it at 2 PM today but he had class so I said to feel free to email me any questions he had. I explained now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness and His blood to pay for his sins the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I got up to go and he was happy. “I’ll see you in Heaven,” I told him. “Thank you, Thank you sir!” he replied with a big smile. I reminded him, “My name and email are on the back of that booklet. He nodded and I headed out.
KD was standing at the doors in front of the cafeteria waiting for a ride. I had about 20 minutes before I was going to meet a guy there so I asked him if he would want to do a student survey. He said sure. He was a black student with a red watch cap on and really thin braids poking out from under it. His face was narrow and he had sharper features. He was working on some lamb chop sideburns that were not coming in and had a Michael Jordan mustache some under chin beard going on. He was my stature and height. And wore a black long sleeve t-shirt with some red designs on it and black pants. He had an easy smile. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and were asked: “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “What would I say in front of God?” he mused. “That’s a great question.” “Hmm, I don’t know what I would say.” So I asked what he thought it was that got someone into Heaven if you take away the face to face with God pressure. “Spread the word, live a righteous life, walk like Jesus. Be forgiven because he forgave you, be in the word know who God really is.” He listed. I asked if he thought he would go to Heaven when he died, “You think you got a shot?” I asked. “I have a shot, definitely, definitely,” he replied. “50/50,” I asked.” “45%,” he replied. He had not been to church much of late but had been thinking he wanted to get back into it and go a couple times a month. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus had died and knew the gospel in as much as he was affirming it as I went. The booklet’s first verse is John 3:16 and he kind of finished it out loud as I said it. He hadn’t understood the imputed righteousness of Christ. I finished explaining the Gospel and asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done. “I need this right now,” he said to no one in particular. And then, “Yeah I’d be that one,” he said. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I talked him through it and he had to text whomever was picking him up. I ‘m definitely going to pray this today,” he said taking the booklet. I said, “You could pray it right now, you wanna get it done?” He was looking at the prayer when I said it (having texted through part of the explanation). “Yeah, I’ll get it done,” he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. I said now he knew he was forgiven. 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. Then I quickly gave him a Bible Study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. “He put it all in his back pack. “Thank you,” he said. And then said, “Have a good afternoon.” I missed it as he was bending over we’d stood through it all and asked what he’d said. He said it again. “Oh thank you man, that’s cool of you to bless me as you go,” I replied. He shot back a grin and headed out the doors.
So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed. 70 Students have trusted Christ this semester so far
In Him,
Bob