Results of the Work – 9/17/15

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Hope your day was blessed in Christ and His benefits.  I had a joyful day and Joi and Joy, two African-American students prayed to receive Jesus.

Joi was sitting in the Mac Lounge by the ground floor elevator on a bench.  She had a black & white “Death Star” [a weapon in the movie Star Wars] t-shirt on and tights and a skirt.  She’s a cute kid and was wearing black glasses and some random necklaces, powder blue nail polish and looked like the creative type.

She and her family went to church down in the city.  She had younger siblings though, and it was kind of a drive, so they often went to Calvary Chapel on Rt. 59 not far from here and she liked that.  It’s a good church.  When I asked her what she would say to God if He asked her why He should let her into Heaven she said, “I would like to be reunited with my family… I’ve sinned many times in my life but whatever my life has shown to make me worthy… whatever makes it possible to be with the greater people.”  She was pretty sure she’d go to Heaven, 90%.  She listened attentively to the Gospel and seemed to know it in part.  So at the end I asked her if she would want to be forgiven and she said she would.  I questioned her more and she seemed to feel she had grown up kind of knowing the story, so I asked if she had been trusting in Christ and His work on the Cross to be the reason God forgave her.  She said she needed to “look deeper” into that which seemed to mean take it to heart.  She’d really just hoped she was a good enough person to go to Heaven, as her answer early on would suggest.  She said she believed Jesus was God and had died for her and she wanted to trust in it and she prayed to receive Christ.  I explained to her the work of the Holy Spirit in living the Christian life and gave her a Bible study.  She wanted to read the Student Edition of The Case for Faith and she gave me her email so I could send her more stuff.  She shook my hand and gratefully said it was nice to meet me, so that was great.  She was a really likable kid and I told her I would keep her in my prayers.

Joy was sitting up in a lounge on the 3rd floor of the BIC building a bit later in the day.  She was a pleasant, round-faced young woman with her hair in rows of braids.  She was dressed in black.  She also went to a church in the city and seemed to know a bit of the Gospel, in as much as Christ had died for her.  She tuned in to the Gospel and seemed to like the explanations for it.  I thought she was a Christian, but wasn’t sure since she had said she would say to God “Because I believe in you” for a reason to let her into Heaven.   Kind of a generic response because it matters what you believe about God.  But as I went through the Gospel she came to the realization that she had not been trusting in the atoning work of Christ to forgive her sins, but that she had been religiously good.  She wanted to be forgiven, trusting in Him.  So I walked her through the prayer and she prayed to receive Christ also.  She took More than a Carpenter to read and a Bible study and was appreciative and kind.  I told her I would pray for her too.

I also had a great conversation with a black girl named Sharon today.  She was an intelligent kid, wearing a flannel shirt and a sea shell necklace with black leather converse high tops on, petite.  She really was interested in the Gospel and wanted to be forgiven.  But having not gone to church since she was little, she wasn’t sure Jesus was God.   So I gave her the Student Edition of The Case for Christ and a Bible study.  In giving her my contact information later, I encouraged her to pray and ask God to show Himself to her and she agreed.  I really liked her, so I hope she’ll come to Him.  I’ll be praying for her too, that the Holy Spirit might wrinkle in and she will believe.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  God truly blessed and I had good conversations.

In Him,

Bob

To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 9/16/15

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Well, I hope ya had great day in the Lord.  I had a good day on campus, though I only got to talk to 4 Students.  The first 3,  Ben, Keith and Brian, all prayed to receive Christ today.  

 

Ben was sitting outside the PE building on a concrete & stone half-wall bordering the landscaping.  He was a nice, soft-spoken guy with a short beard and shortish curly-brown hair that matched.  He was tall, wearing jeans with torn knees and a cardigan sweater.  I had walked past him but felt pressed to turn back and he looked up at me as I approached and said he’d answer some questions.  He had attended Catholic Church.  When I asked Him what he would say to God if God asked him why He should let him into Heaven he said, “Because I always tried to help other people, and help other people be happy.”  He hadn’t understood the Gospel as I went through it with him, not knowing how Christ had taken away his sin.  It seems what many students pick up from the Catholic Church is that their “original sin” is taken away by their baptism.  At the same time, they don’t really know how to define what original sin is or what the implications for them might be now, were it at one time eradicated.  He patiently listened to the Gospel and wanted to be forgiven.  I showed him the prayer, explaining it and asking if it was the desire of his heart and said, when he agreed it was, “You could pray this then, asking God to forgive you, trusting in what Jesus had done and He could live inside you.  You know what you really want in a relationship with another person is you want them to be able to believe you and for you to be able to believe them, so faith.  That is what God wants.  So you think you might want to do that?”  “Yeah,” was all he said and prayed to receive Christ.  He took a copy of The Case for a Creator and a Bible study.  I explained the Holy Spirit to him and transformation inside by the Spirit leading to living for God, by His power, and a symbolic view of the Mass to suggest it was a time to be grateful for His forgiveness through the Cross.  I said I’d pray for him and walked into the PE Building after we said goodbye.

 

Keith was an African American football player at COD, sitting in the PE lounge downstairs.  He was wearing some kind of NFL official gear black sweat jacket and red sweats, red socks, with his shoes off.  I kidded him about being so color-coordinated as I sat down at his feet.  He was a nice guy and wore sunglasses (though we were inside, old school look) until the very end when he took them off to pray and we talked more.   Keith had a short, nappy afro – straight up the sides and was a clean shaven, good-looking kid.  When I asked him why God should let him into Heaven he said, “Because I always believed in God and to my friends who didn’t believe in God, I didn’t follow them but still believed.”  (It reminded me of the verse in 1Pet. 4:4 “And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you;”)  He was trying to be a good guy, but when I asked him how likely it was that he’d go to Heaven he only gave himself 70%, just a C in college.   But he tuned into the Gospel and knew Christ had died to take away his sin.  But he had not been trusting in it somehow, but was instead hoping he was good enough.  In the end he decided to pray to receive Christ and did.  I explained the Christian life by the Spirit to him and he asked, “What about people who say they believe but don’t live like it?”  I said, “It depends.  They could be lying and don’t really love God and are not saved.  But they might be struggling with things you didn’t struggle as much with because God gave you more grace or they are just in a down time where they are having a hard time living for God.”  I explained we could not see inside others to know, but that he should try to remember to pray for his friends that were like that so God would help them and he agreed he would.  He took a copy of Playing with Purpose to read as he was into the NBA and it seemed like having a few spiritual heroes would do him some good.  I got his email to send him some stuff and gave him a Bible study and told him I would see him in Heaven.  He has football practice when we have Bible study.  Maybe next semester we’ll have it earlier and he could come.

 

I found Brian in the Science Building, sitting in a chair against the windows in a black, long sleeve shirt and black shorts.  He had curly brown hair, curly beard mustache with the ends turned out.  Brian had to be the most laid back person I talked to all year.  He did lean forward to listen as I was sitting on the floor at his feet.  When I asked him what he would say to God, he paused for a minute and said, “Because I love Him.”  He seemed pretty content and was self-described as lazy.  He gave himself a 75% shot at Heaven.  But he listened patiently to the Gospel.  He wanted to be forgiven and I asked, “So when something goes sideways and you feel like you should ask for forgiveness, are you thinking God will forgive you because Christ has died for you or because you are a good person and have been somewhat religious.”  “I don’t know,” he replied.  “I guess I never thought about that before.”  I suggested that if he had never thought about what Christ had done for him then he was not trusting in it and he agreed.  I explained the prayer to him and said again as I had to Ben, “So you think you might want to do that?” and again I got “Yeah.”  He did not want anything more than the booklet to read.  But I did give him a card for a church since he had not been going.  So I hope he will begin to get plugged in and that the Spirit will move him.

 

The last guy I talked to, Zak, was being forced by his parents to attend a Lutheran church.  He had some criticisms of the New Testament that I cleared up for him and I think I made some headway past his pride, explaining away some of the “Synoptic Problem” and some seemed contradictions he thought he’d read of.  Many of these, with a bit of perspective, are easily dismissed.   He was a bearded guy wearing plaid shorts.  So I’ll pray for him in the hope he might turn and I pointed him in the direction of SED physics which answers some Biblical science questions.  I think we had a good rapport by the end.

 

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for Evangelism today if you had a chance.  God truly blessed the work.

In Him,

Bob
To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 9/15/15

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
            I hope your day was truly blessed walking in the Lord.  I had a great day talking with the students and Brooke and Rod prayed to receive Christ.
            It was a beautiful day today so I walked outside the buildings some and I came across Brooke, a pretty brown haired girl was wearing jean shorts and a long sleeve black shirt with Hollinger written down the arm.  She had sandals on, bling-ed long nails and long eye lashes that made shadows on the cheeks in the bright sunshine, sitting outside the BIC building on a bench.   I walked past her since she was looking at some papers, but another guy turned me down and as I passed her again she agreed to answer some questions about God.  She wanted to become a Nurse and change the world.  Brooke had attended a Methodist Church growing up and had faith of a kind.  When I asked her what she would say to God if He asked her why He should let her into Heaven she said, “Because I believe.  I’m faithful and loyal to my friends.  I’ve made a lot of good choices and bad choices, but I’ve learned from them and said I’m sorry and all that.”  She really thought she’d go to Heaven because of her behavior. “If you are sorry, but if you are rude and don’t care you know you won’t go.”  So little by bit I showed her Bible verses and helped her see that she needed to trust in the sacrifice of Christ, not having thought of Him before.   When I said, “So you don’t go to Heaven because you are good, but because Jesus was good,” she said, “Oh” realizing she’d not known that.  She wanted to be forgiven and trust in Christ, having Him live inside her to give her the power to live the Christian life.   So I explained the prayer to her and she prayed to receive Him quietly.  She took the booklet and I explained the work of the Holy Spirit to her a bit more by the Fruit of the Spirit.  She said she wasn’t much into reading but was up for taking More than a Carpenter She took a Bible study too and gave me her email for another one.  She was really nice and she seemed grateful to have learned about Christ.

            Rod was sitting in the Science building lounge a while later in the day at the other end of school.  He was from the Philippines and looked his nationality, with straight, dark, short hair and almond shaped eyes.  He had a blue polo-styled shirt on and was wearing green pants and white tennis shoes with a wisp of a mustache and some growth on his chin.  He’d gone to Catholic church some as a kid, but it had lapsed in his family of late.  His parents were both Doctors in the Philippines and were studying to be able to practice here.  I began to explain how knowing Christ was eternal life because we’re one with Him,  His Holy Spirit living in us.  “The Holy Trinity,” he put in and I agreed (realizing once again that evangelism is easier with those raised with some pseudo-Christian religious background).  When I asked him why God should let him into Heaven he said, “I haven’t done any severely bad deeds in my life.”   I explained how he had to be perfect to be in the presence of God in Heaven, and that nothing he had ever done was entirely perfect.  “No altruism,” he put in, seeming to agree.  I talked to him about the need for enlightened self-interest but that, “Yes, unless in a last moment of your life you threw yourself on a grenade to save your companions, you have probably never done something entirely selfless.”  I explained to him how, through the life blood of Christ, his sins were paid for and cleansed and the He died in his place.  Rod realized he had not been trusting in the sacrifice of Christ but in his own goodness, hoping God would be merciful, as when I’d put it to him that way he’d nodded.  So after I had talked him through everything and he’d said he wanted to be forgiven I asked, “So it seems like you really haven’t had a chance to trust in this before right?”  He agreed and so I talked him through a prayer and he prayed to receive Christ.  He was very grateful and I gave him a Bible to read and explained the work of the Holy Spirit giving him a card from Church since he hadn’t been attending.  I gave him a Bible study and got his email to send him some stuff.

            I had some other conversations with skeptics and believers that I think helped them today too.  So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 9/10/15

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

            Hope ya had a great day so far walking in the fruit of the Spirit.  I had a good day of sharing on campus and Justis and Jazmin each prayed to receive Christ as their savior.  

 

            Justis is a basketball player at school.  He had a chin beard and a baseball cap on backwards, good lookin’ African American guy.  He went to Church regularly but believed he would go to Heaven, “‘Cause I’m a good person”.  I walked him through the Gospel and he had understood it in some sense, though he had not understood imputation, and had not been trusting in Christ to save him, but his own effort to be good.  He figured he’d only have a 50/50 shot at Heaven.   I talked to him about how nothing he had done in life had been perfect.  “Even when you made that perfect move to the rim and scored, it was just that move that went perfect, not the entire day and when you think about it you did it for yourself.”  “Selfishness,” he said.  “Right,” I replied.  He wanted to be forgiven, trusting in Jesus’ Blood.   I explained trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit to transform him and he took a Bible Study and a copy of Playing with Purpose to read on NBA stars.  I also got his email to send him some stuff.

 

            Jazmin was from a Mexican family background, short, about 5″2′, pretty.  Long dark hair,  almond eyes and a bit wider nose.  She had been raised Catholic but her parents were not insistent she define her faith that way.  She didn’t go to church anymore.   She had not been trusting in Jesus either.  When I asked her what she would say to God if He asked her why He should let her into Heaven she said, “I admit my sins but I hope that you can forgive me.”  I explained to her the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ and she said she’d want to be forgiven and to trust in that.  But instead of showing her the prayer, when I might show someone else, I went on to explain the presence of God by the Holy Spirit and His power and Him living inside her.  Then I explained she could ask God for that and she said, “God is with me all the time already.”  I agreed that He was with her and that the Bible said that (Paul basically says this in Acts 17:27)  God is the Creator and with all of us, and she could say she had a relationship with God since everyone does.  “Everyone has a relationship with God.  The question is do you want to be IN a relationship with God.  Where He lives inside you, is with you and has forgiven your sins based on faith.   She saw my point then and I said, “God’s like a pretty girl.  He just likes to be asked.  You know what that’s like.”  She laughed and said she got it, and decided to pray quietly to receive Him.   I gave her a couple Bible studies since she did not want a book, and told her she had made me happy .  We said our goodbyes and she ran to class.

 

            I had a good conversation with an atheist girl, Gina.  She was dressed all in black, cute brown haired girl turned off by Catholic Church stuff.  I also talked about SED physics with her boyfriend and he thought he’d read up on it.  She was softened a bit and took a copy of The Case for a Creator. So I’ll be praying for her and her boy friend, Michael.

 

 

So thanks for your Prayers for the ministry and for Evangelism today if you had a chance.  God truly blessed.

 

In Him,
Bob


To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 9/9/15

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I had a good day of sharing today.  I hope your day was truly blessed as you walked by the Spirit.  Two guys prayed to receive Jesus today, Joey and Vasyl.

Joey was sitting in the Science building on a bench looking at his phone.  He had short hair and hadn’t shaved recently, though his beard grew without uniformity.  He had blue sweats on and a t-shirt and tennis shoes.  His clothes looked worn, his glasses were on the thick side and he was sad, by his own description.  Short, dishwater-blonde hair.  He said he was in counseling.  His dad had taken him to church regularly when he was younger, and still took his sister to a Catholic Church.  He’d stopped going with him and had become depressed.  When I asked him what he would say to God if asked why He should let him into Heaven he said, “I’ve been through too much already.”   He was kind of struggling with time, school and such.   He listened to the Gospel closely though and liked the stories I told him.  We seemed to hit it off.  He was a really nice guy, respectful.   I asked him in the end if he wanted to be forgiven and have Christ live inside him and he said, “I would want to be forgiven. I don’t want to go to hell!”   I don’t think anyone has ever put it that bluntly before, though some may have thought it.  He believed Jesus was God and had died for him and rose form the dead.  Joey said he wanted to trust in that and I walked him through the prayer.  He prayed it very slowly and thoughtfully it seemed.  He seemed to brighten and I explained the work of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit.  I said he could ask God for peace and joy by His Spirit and in time God might grant this to him.  He did not have his own Bible, though he said he often saw his father reading his, so I gave him one, a Bible study and More Than a Carpenter to read.  I got his email and as I got up to leave I told him I would pray for him.  He said “Thank you sir,” twice, and I said I’d see him in Heaven and he said, “See you in Heaven sir.”

Vasyl was from the Ukraine, though his people were from the western part so it was safe there from the Russian attacks.  He was a neat, clean-cut, good looking kid, with a young face.  He was wearing a white Adidas shirt and shorts with the Adidas stripes down the sides.  He was really into science and seemed very bright.  When I asked him one thing he’d like to do before he died he said, “Make an important scientific discovery.”  I gave him some stuff to look up on SED physics and the red shift explanation, which I recently learned of through Dr. Missler and then Dr. Setterfield’s lectures.  Vasyl said he had some of his best scientific ideas from his dreams.  I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven and he said, “I don’t know. You try to be a good person but you know at times it’s not the best you could have been.”  He was hoping he was good enough to go to Heaven but did not see value in his parents’ religious practice.  They were “very religious” orthodox Christians.  He had not understood the Gospel but listened and said he’d want to be forgiven, but felt he had “prayed a prayer like that”.  I asked him if, when he prayed for forgiveness, he was hoping to be good enough to be forgiven or if he had been trusting that “Jesus had died for his sins.”  He admitted he had not been trusting in that (but believed it now) so he prayed his own prayer by way of confession and I said, “Amen then” and he said, “Amen”.  He took The Case for a Creator to read and a Bible study.  I explained the work of the Holy Spirit to him and encouraged him to ask God to give him a scientific discovery.  He said he’d read Mendeleev had dreamed several of his discoveries, so I said, “Ask God for a dream.  The Bible says that [filled with the Holy Spirit] “your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams,”   So who knows if He might not give you one.”  George Washington Carver said God revealed to him the secrets of the peanut, so hey.  And many in Muslim countries are dreaming of Jesus, I am told.  I encouraged him, with his more or less forced attendance in the Orthodox Church, to remember during communion that Jesus had died for him.  He said he’d been the equivalent of an altar server for a few years as a boy.  I told him I would keep him in my prayers.

So I had an interesting day of sharing and God blessed. Thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  God was Good.

In Him,

Bob

To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 9/8/15

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I hope you had a great day walking with the Lord.  I had a good day on campus and Hezekiah and Louie both prayed to receive Christ.  Marissa committed to Christ but had to run into class.

Louie was sitting by himself in the science building hall, working on some computer cable, putting a connector on with a hand tool.  He was a nice guy, average build, curly hair.  He looked like he could be the 4th son of the Brady Bunch.  He was wearing black sweats and sandals with socks and a white t-shirt.  He was the first student I talked to today and said God should let him into Heaven because, “I had always lived my life [for] the benefit of others, [did] what they wanted.”  His family only went to a Roman Catholic Church on Christmas and Easter.   But he understood the Gospel and was really into what I was saying to him.  He was a really friendly guy.  I offered Louie the opportunity to be forgiven and have God live inside him and he said he wanted that.  So I asked if he believed Jesus was God, had died for his sins and rose from the dead.  He said he did, and so I asked if he wanted to trust in that.  Louie did, and I walked him through the prayer in the booklet and he prayed to receive Christ.  I explained living as a Christian through the power of the Holy Spirit.  His family had a Bible but he didn’t, so I gave him one and More Than a Carpenter to read.  I gave him a Bible study, got his email and gave him a card for a local church to look into.

Hezekiah was sitting at a table in a lounge in the BIC building, at a table in the corner.  He wore the old-school glasses that are popular now (like Ernie wore on the TV show “My Three Sons”).  He was a tall black dude with a short afro, a nice guy.  He was up for doing a survey for the Bible study group.  He believed he was a Christian because “You know because I tried to go by the Bible.”   I asked him if he thought he went to Heaven based on how closely you followed the rules in the Bible and he said he did.  “So you go to Heaven because you are good?” I asked.  “Yes,” he agreed.  I said “Well let me show you what the Bible says.”   I began to read him Bible verses and explain grace and imputation to him.  The light dawned on him and he realized he had not been trusting in Christ’s blood and in His power to live the Christian life.  Instead he had really been trying to be good in his own strength and hoping that would bring him to Heaven.  So Hezekiah prayed to receive Christ and trust in His blood to cover his sins.  So that was great.  I gave him a copy of the book Playing with Purpose, as he was into the NBA, a Bible study, and I got his email.  I explained to him how Christianity is living inside out.  God transforms us and gives us the power to live the Christian life, not we work harder to be a certain way until it sticks – like learning to play the guitar.

I walked through the Science building and looped back around on the 2nd floor and a girl made eye contact in a lounge.  So I thought about talking to her, but for some reason I kept on walking and then doubled back, and then she was busy.  But doubling back I passed another girl at the end of a row of chairs who had looked at me, so I could sit on the floor next to her.  I was gonna go back but then kept walking.  I couldn’t get past the prompting so I walked back down the hall and went through the Gospel with Marissa who was willing to do the survey.  She’s a pretty, long brown-haired girl who had shorts on and a t-shirt.  She had grown up in the Catholic Church and had gone to confirmation as a kid.  She said stuff went sideways in her family and when she finished and they kind of stopped going to church.  She said she’d say to God, if asked why He should let her into Heaven, “”Well, I didn’t really do anything bad.”   I had to rush a bit then before her class started, but got through the Gospel with her and the prayer and she said she believed and wanted to trust in Christ.  So I showed it to her and encouraged her to pray later.  I am hopeful I can check to see if she prayed on Thursday, knowing where her classroom is located at Noon.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  I had a couple of other good conversations that I am hopeful God will use, but am grateful for those who trusted Christ

In Him,

Bob

To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 9/2/15

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Hope you are having a great day walking with the Lord.   We had a very good day on campus at our table during the Student Life Fair, and  Irvin prayed to receive Christ and Jake committed to Christ.  We also made some good contacts, inviting peeps to the weekly Bible Study.

Irvin was interested in attending a Bible study and was checking out all the books, so I asked him if he was going to church.  He had shoulder-length, tight curly hair that was dark brown and was wearing a black t-shirt with the symbol for a comic book super hero called Deadpool.

He said he was going to church with his grandma down south a ways from school.   So I said, “You wanna answer the 50 million dollar Question?”   He said sure.   So using a version of the great evangelical pick up line for evangelists, I asked him what he would say to God if he died and stood before Him in Heaven and God asked, “Why should I let you in?”   He basically thought good deeds got him into Heaven.  So I said the Bible said something different and I walked him through the booklet I use and add to, giving him all the verses and tales I tell to explain them.   At the end he said he wanted to be forgiven for his sins.  I explained the prayer he could pray by faith and said he could pray it in his head right then, like no one was around, and he said, “In my thoughts?”   (looking to see if I wanted him to pray out loud) and I said, “Yeah” and stepped away a bit.   He had a big smile on his face when he was finished praying.   So I showed him all the various books on the table.   He did not have his own Bible so I gave him a NKJV I had and a modern translation of the NT telling him he could use it to look up a verse that the language was confusing in.  I gave him a copy of a bible study on the Deity of Christ and he took a copy of a book he thought he’d read and said he’d try to get to the Bible Study.

Jake had shoulder-length sandy hair  young face, tall good looking kid.   He had loose jeans on and a t-shirt and was kind of casually looking at the table, saying he might be interested in a bible study.   He said he went to church sometimes.   I asked him a similar version of the same “pick up line” question and he said something about being a good guy.  It was pretty loud in the lounge we were all in, though it is the size of a small gym.   I started telling him the Gospel then and then quoting him verses and asking him finally if he believed Jesus was God, had died for his sins and rose from the dead.   He said he did and so I asked him if he would want to trust in that to be made right with God and he said he would.   I came out from around the table showing him the booklet and explaining the prayer he could pray to ask God and accept His forgiveness.   He thanked me and since his body language had been like a guy who would bolt at any minute the entire time, I let him take it, asking him again and saying if he did trust in Christ that the Bible said that if he would confess with his mouth Jesus was Lord and God and believed in his heart God raised him from the dead he would be saved.   I encouraged him that the prayer was a way he could talk to God about it.   He took the booklet and a Bible study, so I will be praying for him in the hope he has truly believed on Christ.

We had some good conversations with some other students and hopefully the group will grow a bit for Bible Study.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and today for the table and evangelism.   God blessed us and it was a good investment of time.

In Him,

Bob

To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 9/1/15

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I hope your day was blessed.   I had a good day sharing the Gospel with the peeps on campus and two students from Roman Catholic backgrounds, Megan and Kirk, prayed to receive Jesus.   Megan had an orange top on and shorts, cute kid with brown hair and an occasional freckle.   She was sitting in the Cafeteria and told me she had already done a survey.  So I asked her if they had asked her this 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?”  “I don’t know,” she replied.  I asked her if she’d like to know the answer and she said she would, so I began to explain the Gospel to her.   After a bit, I got out a booklet so she could have a copy of some of the verses I was telling her.  She stopped me about then and said, “Wait, what did you say your name was?”   “Bob” I said.   “I thought so,” she replied.   “That was my Grandpa’s name.”   I asked if he was still alive and she said he wasn’t ,but he was very religious and there had been some strange things happening and it was scary.   “Scary in a good way, right?”  I asked.   “Yeah,” she said back, “Like God is doing something.”   It turned out that a man who had really meant a lot to her had died and his wife had brought over his Bible for her.  Her sister had gotten cancer and Make a Wish was going to send them all to Hawaii, but it looked like she would recover from her colon cancer operation that had removed some of her intestine.  She felt like my explaining the Gospel to her was part of a series of events, and after I had finished going through the Gospel with her she prayed to receive Christ.   She took a copy of a Bible study on why you should read the Bible and More than a Carpenter to read.   I got her email to send her more stuff and she was happy and took off for class.

I had a few more discussions today with some Christians, teaching them about the Atonement and showing them how to use the booklet to share their faith and helping them with assurance.   As I walked out, I passed one last lounge at the stairs to go down and out from the 2nd floor of the SW corner of the Science Building.   I was tired, and the guy in there was on his computer (I don’t bother kids who are occupied or studying as a rule.  I figure God can keep them idle, make them look up at me or make some kind of eye contact).   I had one foot in the doorway but felt prompted to see if he would talk, so I went in and interrupted him as he looked up.   Kirk asked how long it would take and I said “7 minutes or so”, but it took longer.   He is Filipino, has a couple of big freckles on his nose, dark hair and was wearing plaid shorts and a blue t-shirt.   Really nice guy.   When I asked what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “Because I always do what you ask, like going to church and stuff.”   But he thought he only had about a 60% chance to get there.   He was interested to hear the Gospel though, and sober about it as I talked him through it.   When I explained imputation and that he did not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good, he gave kind of a quiet exclamation like he was getting it.   He hadn’t been trusting in what Christ had done for him on the Cross and prayed to receive Christ.   It was obvious he really had taken in the Good News about Christ.   He was into science and so I gave him a copy of The Case for a Creator.  I also gave him a Bible study on the Deity of Christ in Scripture and he gave me his email too so I can send him some stuff.

So thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  God blessed.

Blessings in Christ,

Bob

 

To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 8/31/15

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and things went well.   I had a good day talking to students on campus.  Two students, Omar a Roman Catholic guy  and Alyssa  a girl from a Lutheran background, both prayed to receive Jesus.  And I got some good seeds planted today  with a couple guys who were open to the Gospel.

Omar was sitting inside a lounge on the NE corner of the BIC building on the second floor.   He had shorts on and a T-shirt. He was on the short side, short hair with bangs, rough complexion, kind of looked like a young Anthony Quinn.   I asked if he wanted to do a student survey for our Bible study group and he said he’d done a survey already for another Christian group.   One of the other groups asks peeps to do a survey, but never goes through the Gospel with them.  So I asked him what he would say to God if he died and stood before Him in Heaven and God asked, “Why should I let you in?”   He went regularly to a catholic church but didn’t know what to say.   So I explained the Gospel to him, and part way through explaining why God had to take away his sins I asked him how God did that and he said “Baptism?”  [Referring to the removal of original sin, the Roman Church claims to perform with pedobaptism.]  So I explained the Atonement to him through Bible verses and explanation and he said, “Oh.”   He wanted to be forgiven.   I asked if he’d been relying on being religious and basically good to be forgiven, or if he’d been trusting in the sacrifice of Christ.   He said he didn’t know.  “If you don’t know then you really are not trusting in it right?”  I said.   “Right,” he replied, and decided to pray to receive Christ.  He prayed, while I sat there, at my encouragement.   I explained a more ‘remembrance’ idea of the Lord’s supper to him and the work of the Holy Spirit in living the Christian life.   He took a copy of More than a Carpenter to read and a Bible study on the Deity of Christ.   So I hope he will grow trusting in Christ’s blood and righteousness for Salvation.  He wished me a nice day.

I headed over to the Mac Arts building where Alyssa was sitting outside on a picnic bench by the back west doors.   She was waiting for a friend, but stayed tuned in even after her friend showed up and had no interest in our conversation.   Alyssa’s got a cute face and a pug nose, brown hair with highlights she had pulled up in a bun and a Stanley Cup Champions t-shirt on.   I asked her why God should let her into Heaven and she said she “didn’t really know to be honest” saying she’d gone to a Lutheran elementary school called Trinity in Schaumburg.   But she was pretty sure she’d go to Heaven, giving it an 85% chance.   She was interested in the Gospel however, and did want to trust in Christ.   I was a bit surprised she’d want to pray with her friend waiting, but she did.   She took the booklet with her and I gave her a Bible study to read and she headed off.  So I will keep her in my prayers in the hope that the Holy Spirit will begin to lead her into fellowship.

I had good conversations with Brian, who I gave a card for directions to church and More than a Carpenter to read, along with a Bible study.  He was a slim guy, about 5’8″, dark hair and glasses, sitting in the Science building.  He was really friendly.  His parents were divided on faith, being Roman Catholic and Protestant which left him with nothing.  Another guy, Mike, with dark hair combed back like a 1960’s beach movie who was Roman Catholic had more questions but had to run to class.   I encouraged some other Christians as well.

So thanks for your prayers to lead me today and open hearts.  I am grateful for them and God blessed.

In Him,

Bob

To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp

Results of the Work – 8/27/15

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Hope you are having a great day walking with Jesus by the Spirit.   I had a good day on campus Thursday, sharing the Faith with the peeps.   Sam committed his life in faith to Christ and Anton prayed to receive Christ as Savior.   Sam looked like he might have been Filipino; stick straight hair with product in it, larger features, t-shirt on.   He was a Veteran and didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life.   He said he’d done everything he’d thought he wanted to do.   When I asked him what he would say if God asked him why He should let him into Heaven he said, “I’m surprised you gave me a chance.”   He seemed a bit down and lost and I went through the Gospel with him and he listened.   I asked him if he believed Jesus was God and had died for his sins and risen from the dead and he said he did.   I asked him if he wanted to trust in that and he wanted to do that too.   But there wasn’t visible joy in it, though he seemed convinced.  I think the Gospel was still working its way into him.  I talked to him about the people God had forgiven in the Bible who had done pretty evil stuff, like David.   He wanted to pray later, and when someone does not want to pray there is always a reason.  But that reason is impossible to know, and the person might not know themselves.   I try to respond a bit to the mood people are in, but sometimes it is very difficult to imagine where someone is at or why, in such a short time span.  But God knows their heart and can penetrate it.   Through the years of doing evangelism I’ve come across several students some weeks later in the year who had said that they would “pray later.”  They had prayed on their own and had joy and conviction.  So I am hopeful he has come.   He didn’t want a book to read but took a Bible study and kept the booklet.   So I am hopeful he trusted in Christ, or will, and I will pray for him this school year.   I gave him a card for a local church to attend with a time and a map on it, as he said he lived near school.

Anton was sitting outside the cafeteria in some chairs against the wall, looking out the doors.   He said he’d answer some questions and seemed religious.   He named a church he had gone to in the city and a Catholic Church earlier in life.  He’s African American, not very tall, fair skinned, wearing skinny jeans and white tennis shoes.   A nice guy, intelligent, with short hair and a round face.  I asked what he would say to God if he died and stood before Him and he said, “I did everything possible to make sure I spread your love.”   Of course no one has done that, but fortunately we are saved by grace.   When I asked him how God took away his sins, he thought for a minute and said it had been a while since he went to church, so I immediately began to explain the Cross and the imputation of Christ.   After I had explained everything and he’d said he wanted to be forgiven I said, “Well, it seems like you hadn’t had a chance to put all this together before right?”   He agreed and so I walked him through the prayer and he prayed it silently, sitting beside me.   He was happy and said, “You know Bob, I gotta give you your props.  Definitely, Definitely.”  (Talking about how I had explained things.)   He said, “I wanna show you this book I’ve been reading” and he pulled out a hard-backed copy of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, which I then said I had read sections of.   I said I thought it was a pretty good book and that Warren talks a lot about the Holy Spirit as the power to live the Christian life (which I had just explained to him).   It seemed like God had been drawing Anton to Himself and I was the one blessed to explain the Gospel and the Atonement to him.   Since he had a book he was working through I did not give him another, but gave him a couple of Bible Studies to read.   I hope he might come to our weekly Bible study.   He said he’d email m.  He had just lost his email address and hadn’t set up another one.  So I’ll pray for him and hope he emails me, if there is more help in life God would wish to use us for in Anton’s life.  So that was great and lifted my heart.

Thanks so much for your prayers this week.  God really blessed as 5 students prayed with me and 2 others committed to Christ.  I don’t go to school on Fridays.  It is kind of a ghost town and I’m trying not to burn out.  May God bless your weekend as you walk by the Spirit with Him.

Blessings in Christ,

Bob

To donate to our college ministry:
http://www.razoo.com/story/Third-Watch-Ministries-Nfp