Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed today as you walked with Christ by His Spirit.  I had a great day of sharing the Gospel and Pat and Gil prayed to receive Christ.  Pat was sitting in the PE building and said he had nothing to do, so I asked him some questions and went through the Gospel with him.  He’s got brown hair, clean shaven, 19 year old normal looking guy.  His plan is to go into Special Ed at Illinois State next semester and eventually become a dean of students.  He was an all around nice guy.  He attended a catholic church and figured he would go to Heaven because he was basically good.  He had never trusted in Christ as his Savior and said he’d gone to church because that was what his family had done.  After I went through the Gospel with him, I asked him if he had ever asked God to forgive him based on what Jesus had done.  He said he had been more the person with God on the outside of his life.  He said he hadn’t asked to be forgiven based on the work of Christ and believed God had been involved in the world.  I said, “When you hear the story of Jesus being God and dying for your sins to make you right with God, do you believe it, does it strike you as true?”  He thought for a moment and then said, “Yes, I believe.”  I offered him the chance to ask for God’s forgiveness and have the Spirit inside him.  I said, “When we are kids, a lot of time we just go along with whatever our family is doing.  But when you become a man you have to decide for yourself.”  He agreed and prayed to receive Christ.  He was thoughtful about it and took a Bible Study from me and a copy of More Than A Carpenter.  We talked for a while about his plans and marriage and life and he thanked me shook my hand and headed to class.

Gil was an interesting, smart, articulated guy.  He was sitting by the doors at the Northeast corner of the BIC building.  He is a big African American dude, already had a 5 o’clock shadow of a heavy beard, looked about 30.  He had been a great athlete and figured he’d play pro sports.  He had had the misfortune to be struck in the back by a forklift at a job before he got to College, and was told he would never play sports and might not walk again.  But he blew it off and completely recovered.  Realizing he would never play pro sports, he tried and succeeded at a number of other things, but was back at school realizing there was only so far he could get without a degree.  He wanted to be pre-law and go to Northwestern.  I explained the Gospel to him as he could not tell me how God took away his sins, though he’d said he “put Him [God] first.  I tried to live what I thought was a good life.”  He had never asked for forgiveness based on what Jesus had done, not knowing it.  I explained how God wanted to live inside Him and asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins.  He said he did, so I took out the booklet and showed him a prayer he might pray to be forgiven and he did so.  We talked more about the law and he felt he was naturally gifted in thinking in terms of it.  So I gave him The Case for Faith explaining the author [Lee Strobel] was a lawyer and had graduated from Yale and had been an atheist.  The book is set up like a Lawyer would examine the facts about Christianity.  He was really grateful and thought God had sent me to him.  I agreed it was not a coincidence, but then I don’t really believe in coincidence.  I also gave him a Bible study to read and suggested he contact me by e-mail if he wanted more things to read.  I encouraged him to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit to guide him and direct him in life and he grasped that and thought he would.

I had a great conversation for about 45 minutes that was really providential with Kailoni to end the day.  African American, she was a beautiful girl, lovely eyes but it had cost her a lot.  She was sitting in the cafeteria at the counter looking out.  She was a Christian but had done a lot of things wrong.  I encouraged her in God’s forgiveness and asking for His strength through His Holy Spirit to live the Christian life.  We talked about her father leaving her and the cost of it.  Though he was now back in her life somewhat, he wasn’t a Christian and I helped her recognize what had led to some of her mistakes.  I gave her a shoulder hug and she grabbed my shoulder in return and she felt God had led me to her and was really encouraged. So that was great.

Thanks for your prayers for the ministry and evangelism today if you had a chance.  It was a blessed day walking by the Spirit and I felt greatly used by the Lord.

In Him,

Bob Bollow

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

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed walking by your faith in Christ.  I had a good day on campus and Raina came to Christ after a few hours chatting peeps up.  She is a pretty African American girl . Petite with her curled hair.  She was fond of gold, on her nails, big wreath shaped hoop earrings and marble size gold balls covering her purse.  I think she had just come out of class and had plopped down in a hallway chair on the first floor of the BIC building.  Her arms were loaded with several colored folders and she was looking at her phone.  She said right away she would answer some questions.  When I asked her what she would say to God if asked why He should let her into Heaven.  She thought for a bit and said, “I’ve tried my best to follow your Word, what you said we should do. I feel like I deserve to be in Heaven.”  It seems like a good answer on the face of it, but if you think about it her words are really just a religious way of saying, “I am good.”  She went to church.  She wasn’t sure how good she was, as later she said she figured she had about a 70% chance of going to Heaven.  I walked her through some bible verses and illustrations.  She knew John 3:16 and Romans 3:23 and knew Jesus had died.  I continued to talk to her about how she had to be perfect to get into Heaven as her Heavenly Father is perfect.  She knew she wasn’t, and said she wanted to be forgiven for her sins after I had gone through the Gospel telling her, “We don’t go to Heaven because we are good but because Jesus was good and He died for us.”  So I asked her, “When you think about it, when you ask God to forgive you for something you have done are you thinking, ‘Well God is good and I am a good person so He will forgive me.’ Or are you thinking, “I know God will forgive me because Jesus died for me,’ are you trusting in Him?”  She kind of sheepishly said, “A little of both?”  I could tell she felt convicted and that she had not trusted in Christ.  I showed her the prayer and said, “If you really don’t think you have ever trusted before in what Jesus has done for you, you could pray this in your head now like I am not here.  God can read your thoughts.”  She took the booklet from my hand prayed and then I said, “So you can say this is the day you received Jesus.”  She smiled and agreed and said, “I’m going to show this to my mom, she would like this.”  So I offered her another booklet to take and she gratefully took it.  I talked to her awhile about churches and the Holy Spirit and depending upon Him.  She took a copy of the student edition of The Case for Faith to read and a Bible study and gave me her email to send her some stuff.  She might come to Bible study (once I told her Ellen would be there she seemed interested).  Fortunately the Holy Spirit makes people talk to me.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  P please pray Raina would grow in her faith.

In Him,

Bob Bollow

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

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and you had a good day walking with the Lord.  We had a Bible study on campus and got a couple new peeps.  Taylor, a big African American guy with a beard who came to Christ last week, came for the first time so that was great. Afterwards, I shared the faith for awhile before I had to head home to pick up my guitar for my class.  Two peeps prayed to receive Christ today, Ashely and Justin.  Ashley was sitting in the hallway, playing with her phone, but said she would answer some questions about God.  She had long, dark hair that curled at the ends.  She was nice and seemed kind.  She had been raised in a Catholic Church but hadn’t gone regularly lately.  She was interested in the Gospel and followed closely as I explained it.  I asked her, “What is the big thing God does with Jesus to take away your sins?”  She guessed, “Confession?”  I explained, as I have often before, that the priest is like an insurance agent.  He sells you insurance for your car, but when you get in a wreck the agent does not pay.  The company he represents pays.  All the priest can do is tell you that your sins are forgiven, but he can’t forgive your sins.  Only God can do that.  The priest is just a man, but he can say you are forgiven because of what God has done.  She nodded to this and I explained Christ’s sacrifice for her and imputed righteousness.  I asked her if she wanted to be forgiven, or if she thought something else, and she said, “I want to be forgiven.”  So I told her all she had to do was ask God and I walked her through the prayer and she prayed to receive Christ.  I gave her a Bible as she did not have her own at home, only a family Bible.  I gave her a Bible study on Doubt and got her email address to send her stuff.  She did not think of herself as much of a reader, so she happily took the DVD I have to give out “Jesus: Fact or Fiction” that has 50 apologetic questions and answers by experts and gives you places to look for more help.  She was really thankful and said, “Thank you very much.” when I left her.

Justin was sitting with his headphones on, but I interrupted him and he said he had about 5 minutes to talk before class.  I took closer to 10 as he came to Christ and talked him through the prayer and work of the Holy Spirit and it took him some time to pray.  He had brown hair combed straight back and a mustache that barely showed, big coat on. He was a really friendly, nice guy and had gone to Catholic school and a church across the street from his house for a while.  He was interested to hear the Gospel and knowing I might be pressed for time I went through it as fast as I could, but I covered everything and he said he wanted to be forgiven for his sins.  I offered him the booklet and he smiled and said, “I was gonna ask for that.”  He took a Bible study from me on the Deity of Christ and said he liked sports so I gave him, Playing with Purpose.  He didn’t want to take it, but I explained people gave me money to buy books so he said ok.  So thanks from Justin if ya help us buy books :-).

And thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you got a chance.  Please pray for Ashley and Justin, new believers in Christ, that they might grow in the knowledge and fear of Him.

Blessings In Him,

Bob Bollow

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

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a blessed day walking with the Lord.  I had a good day and Isaiah came to Christ.  He’s a black guy and he was sitting in the PE building and agreed to talk with me.  He had a south-side accent and I had to listen closely as he pronounced words differently than I am accustomed to hearing them, not being from the South side of Chicago.  He was a nice looking kid, perfect skin, smaller features and just the wisp of a mustache and goatee.  He had on a Chiefs stocking cap and a Cubs jacket.  . He was a nice guy and was happy, but he sobered up when I asked him why God should let him into Heaven.  He simply said, after struggling for a bit, “I don’t know.”  He hadn’t been to church much of late but had gone when he was younger and wanted to take care of his mom. He tuned right into the Gospel, not making any eye contact but following the verses I read and listening to me as I spoke.  It seemed like he had begun to remember the story of Jesus dying for him as I spoke, but he hadn’t been trusting in it at all.  He liked the analogies and at the end he said he wanted to be forgiven for his sins.  I asked him, “Do you believe Jesus was God, has died for you and rose from the dead?”  He said, “Yes.”  So I told him he could simply pray to accept God’s forgiveness.  Slowly I went through the prayer with him and he prayed to receive Christ.  I gave him a Bible Study on the Deity of Christ and since he was really into the NBA I gave him Playing with Purpose which is testimonies of NBA stars.  I said, “Hey it is Valentine’s Day coming up.  Here is a book you can give your Mom.”  And I gave him a copy of More Than a Carpenter for her. I got His email to send him stuff.  He was really happy when I left.

I had a great conversation today with a young guy who was back at school taking some classes.  He came from “Very religious” Catholic grandparents and parents, and I think it did not ring true for him.  Nick is a fireman/paramedic and considered himself an “Atheistic Humanist”.  Short-cropped sandy hair and short beard, wore a plaid zippered hoodie.  He had a Christian girlfriend at NIU he said was looking for a “group” like ours.  But after I began explaining the Gospel and the Trinity to him, and the nature of the impossibility of doing a purely good act or his good deeds fixing or making up for his bad ones, he said, “I have never heard anyone explain it that way before.”  I could feel God’s Spirit in me in talking to him but his class was beginning and he had to go.  He asked for a business card with my contact information so I gave him one.  I quickly gave him a booklet and the student edition of The Case for Christ.  I explained that I had an interactive DVD that had apologetic Q & A on it he could have [“Jesus Fact or Fiction”].  It also has a copy of “The Jesus Film” and he said, “Do you mind?”  I said “Not at all,” and he took that as well.  So I will be praying for him.  He was the most open, self-proclaimed atheist I have talked to in memory.  I always have several conversations with Atheists and most of them are friendly, never hostile.  Usually something bad happened as a catalyst for their unbelief.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  And please pray for Nick.  I think he may be close to the Kingdom of God.  And pray that Isaiah would grow in his new faith and find fellowship.

Blessings and thanks,

In Him,

Bob Bollow

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

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a great day sensing the love of God in your heart.  I had a good day of sharing and sensed God was guiding me.  I got a late start, diggin out of my driveway (snow) and helping some neighbors . But I got some time in at school this afternoon at and Devon came to Christ.  He was sitting at the cafe counter, looking out to the street and had just finished a subway sandwich and was willing to talk.  He’s black, good looking, small guy, mustache and goatee.  He went to church all the time until recently, when an internship took him into the city on the weekends and his church was in the suburbs.  Devon felt like he was a good man and had tried really hard, and thought he might have a 75% chance of going to Heaven.  Some peeps are more sure than that, but I think the idea that he had not been to church in a while made him a bit hesitant.  He tuned right into the Gospel, however, and wanted to be forgiven, having never trusted in God’s forgiveness through Jesus.  And after I walked him through the prayer, he prayed to receive Christ.  He was really thankful and I gave him the book Playing with Purpose to read.  He was a big NBA fan and this book has testimonies of Christian players.  I gave him a bible study on the Deity of Christ and got his e-mail to send him stuff.  I also bumped into Viviana, who prayed to receive Jesus last year, and gave her a DVD of the Jesus Film and 50 apologetic questions.  She is almost done at COD and will become a veterinary assistant.

I got through the Gospel with two Muslim peeps; a guy from Somalia (thin with glasses and a Michael Jordan mustache) and a pretty girl from Bangladesh. The guy, Taha, said I explained Christianity really well and the girl Farmina said of Christianity “The idea is pretty cool, love of God and extra credit [imputation] from Jesus.”  But they would only keep the booklets.

Yesterday after bible study a Catholic girl, Maggie, in the art building, committed to trusting in the work of Christ. . I gave her a bible study and the DVD and got her e-mail to send her stuff.  She seemed really enthusiastic about coming closer to God by trusting in the work of Christ, but I think to her it seemed like a shift in emphasis.  She had not been trusting in Christ for salvation, but more on religious works, and I said to her as I left her, “So when I ask you, ‘why should God let you into Heaven’ (she’d started out by saying, “I tried to be a good person.”) what would you say now?”  She smiled and said, “Because Jesus has died for me on the Cross.”  I think the Gospel really took firm root in her from what I taught her from the scriptures.  So I quoted her, Rom. 10:9 “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  So based on your confession I think that’s true.”  She was truly grateful for our talk, so I am hopeful.

So thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  God was faithful and helped me and lifted my heart.

In Him,

Bob Bollow

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

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you had a great day walking with Jesus.  I had a good day on campus following Him and Kathy and Taylor prayed to receive Christ.  Kathy is Vietnamese, cute kid, straight shoulder-length hair and glasses, French nails.  She was sitting messing around with her phone in the corner of a lounge with a glass wall that looks out on one of the courtyards in the BIC (which looks like it cost about $25 grand to lay out by a landscape architect.)  I sat down at her table with the sun pouring in through the glass wall to talk.  Though her family is Buddhist, she had taken the initiative to attend the Vietnamese church in town.  But I guess internal squabbles of one kind or another led her to leave.  I used some of this to help her realize that she had recognized her relationship with God as her Creator but had not trusted in Jesus as her Savior.  After I went through the Gospel with her, (she had not been able to come up with how God took away her sins with Jesus when I asked) we talked more and she decided to pray to receive Christ and did.  She confessed she’d realized her prayers had really been selfish and about what she was doing, not what He had done.  I gave her a Bible study on Doubt and got her e-mail address to send her more things, encouraging her to come to Bible study.  I also explained the work of the Holy Spirit to sanctify her, as I always do if there is time.  She was still in contact with her pastor so that was good.

Taylor was a quiet, big, African American guy with a full thick beard and short cropped hair.  He was a football fan so we talked about the game a bit.  When I asked him what he would say if God asked him why he should be let into Heaven, he struggled some and finally said, “I don’t know.”  I told him about the Bible study and said I’d show him some verses that would probably settle it for him.  He had had some minimal interaction with Christianity but didn’t really know anything, and lately had felt he would like to begin going to church.  He wanted to have a family.  He was very interested to hear the Gospel and tuned right in.  We had a good conversation.  He wanted to be forgiven and prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior and Lord after I walked him through the prayer.  He did not have a Bible so I gave him one, and also the book Playing with Purpose that has the testimonies of stars in the NBA in it, and a Bible study.

So thanks for praying for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  God has really been a blessing this year and I know the prayers of His people are bringing power to the time I spend on campus.

Blessings,

Bob Bollow

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

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I hope you day was blessed of the Lord today and you felt the presence of His Spirit.  I had a really good day on campus and Nia and Joy prayed to receive Christ.  Nia was the first person I talked to.  She was waiting for some friends to get out of class.  She is a very petite, pretty Filipino girl, long brown hair, small mouth.  She was pretty intense and seemed a little fearful from stuff she said, but a caring loving person.  She went to a Catholic church when she was younger but hadn’t any idea how God took away her sin.  But she lasered in on the Gospel.  I asked her, “Have you ever had someone do something really cruel to you and you felt like it killed you a little bit?”  She said she had.  I said, “Well when we sin we created death in the world and Jesus is God and the source of all life.  So when He gives His life for the world He restores life to all the places we have created death in us and others.  And then because we are under the penalty of death for our sins, He dies in our place.”  “Makes sense,” she replied.  So I continued to explain how she needed to trust in what Jesus had done for her to make her right with God, and offered her the prayer at the back of the booklet to accept God’s forgiveness in faith.  She acknowledged the prayer was the desire of her heart when I asked, and said, “Thank you.” She took the booklet from me and prayed to receive Christ.  I explained the Holy Spirit to her and gave her a Bible study on Doubt and the book More Than a Carpenter to read.  Her friends came out of class and she had to run after them.

Joy was sitting in the middle of the science lounge on the stairs made for seating.  She was pretty and had very full facial features and long hair past her shoulders, wearing a knit cap.  Joy was really friendly and wanted to learn.  She was willing to talk and we talked a long time about life and doctrine.  She is from Ghana and wants to become a Nurse Practitioner and return there to run a clinic.  She was very admirable in her goals.  She professed Christianity, but she was trusting in her own efforts to make her right with God and didn’t have much assurance of salvation.  She did not know how God took away her sin.  Even after I explained the Gospel to her, it took a few moments of explaining it again for me to help her understand that she had not been trusting in Jesus to make her right with God even though she was trying hard to do good things.  She was getting a daily reading from Joyce Meyers.  I cautioned her about Meyers prosperity gospel ideas.  Much of her doctrine is false.  But I am careful not to break too horribly bad on a teacher, with a student I just met, whom they have gotten some positive messages from.  Still, if you would like a critique of Meyers this is good: http://churchismessy.com/2013/08/05/why-i-called-out-joel-osteen-and-joyce-meyer/

I have Joy’s e-mail so I will send her the link too. Once she realized she had not been trusting in the work of Christ for her on the Cross, she wanted to pray to receive Him and did.  She was enthusiastic about coming to Bible Study so I am hopeful she will come and get more grounded.

Please pray for Nia and Joy to grow in their new found faith in the blood of Christ to save them and allow God to live inside them, trusting in His righteousness and not their own.

So thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God bless again today and I had a couple other really good conversations where students came closer to the kingdom of God.

Blessings,

Bob Bollow

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

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed walking with the Lord.  I had a good day on campus sharing the faith and Mike and Maursheka, two African-American students, prayed to receive Christ.  Mike was sitting on the stairs in front of the book store, waiting for a friend.  The guy who eventually showed up was huge, so I think he might play offensive line like Mike.  Mike was a big guy, he had really light skin, loosely curly hair.  When I asked him why God should let him into Heaven, he said he hadn’t done anything really good.  He had been to church as a child.  He listened well to the Gospel as I went through it, and said he wanted to be forgiven for his sins.  He’d had no idea how God took his sins away.  I asked, as I often do, what God did with Jesus to take away his sins but he had no idea.  I told him he could simply ask God to be in a relationship with Him and accept His forgiveness.  I walked him through the prayer and he wanted to be forgiven and prayed it silently.  I explained the Holy Spirit to him and I gave him a Bible study to read.  He said his mom had many Bibles at home and he could get one.  His buddy walked up and gave him a hand to his feet.  So I offered Mike a book and he took More Than a Carpenter to read on his own.  I’ll be praying he gets back into church and finds real fellowship.

Maursheka (mar sheik ah) was sitting in the eastern-most hallway on the second floor of the BIC building.  She had straight hair, tinted in the front and a high forehead, her hair parted on the side.  She was thin, with round cheeks and a long face.  She was very interested in the Gospel and really tuned in.  She seemed like a good person and, like Mike, her mom had taken her to church when she was a child.  She had not remembered any of the Gospel though when I tried to prime the pump of her memory with leading questions.  I couldn’t talk very loud, as we were in a hallway with open classroom doors, but she leaned in, interested in everything I had to say.  So I think the Lord was working strongly in her heart and mind as I taught her the Gospel.  She wanted to be forgiven of her sins and have God live inside her.  When I went through the prayer with her and asked her if she would like to pray to be forgiven she just said, “Yeah.” and prayed to receive Christ.  She had a Bible on her phone but wanted a book, so I gave her one and I gave her two Bible studies to read.  She gave me her e-mail address too so I’ll send her stuff that way as well.  I told her I would pray for her through the end of this school year and through the next, so that made her happy.

So thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  I know God is using prayers of His people to lead and guide me on campus and I am truly grateful for all your help as I go out.

Blessings,

Bob Bollow

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

“It is possible [through prayer] for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions.”
… John R. Mott

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed walking in the Spirit.  I had a great day walking around talking to peeps.  Joe and Dan came to Christ.  Joe attends a Lutheran Church each week, in a small farm community when he goes home on the weekend, but he stays with his grandparents locally all week.  He was just chilling out in the newly revamped PE center at school.  They just spent $59 million on the art center (called the Mac) and the PE building.  They took down my favorite sculpture too, sad story.  I hope they didn’t trash it, but it was WAY too big for my house so it’s not like I could have taken it off their hands.  Back to Joe though, he was wearing a Blackhawks sweater (looked like a real one) and had blonde hair and short, blonde beard.  He was up for talking.  He did not know when I asked him “What was the big thing God did to take away your sins?”.  “I’m drawing a blank,” he said.  So I continued to explain the Gospel to him and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.  He had thought he was a good guy, thinking he had always chosen the good in situations where there was an option.  But I explained to him he owed God a perfect life as Jesus commands, “So you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect”.  He hadn’t done that, and after I explained he could be forgiven by faith if he would trust Jesus work on the cross he said, “I’ll take it.”  And then he prayed to receive Christ as His Savior and Lord.  He was really friendly and I invited him to Bible study.  And got his email.  He took a copy of Playing with Purpose, a book on testimonies of players in the NBA, and a Bible Study on the Deity of Jesus.  So hopefully he will come to a bible study.

Dan is Roman Catholic and goes to church on Christmas and Easter.  Brown hair, shorter, perfect skin, looked young and Italian if I had to guess.  He was a good kid and once again hadn’t thought of himself as having done anything wrong.  He did not know the Gospel either, but tuned in really well.  He prayed to receive Jesus in the end when I offered the prayer to him.  He wanted to keep the booklet, but did not want a Bible study.  It is hard with some of the Roman Catholic kids I talk to.  They obviously look at the Bible as authoritative, but have not been raised to believe they need to study it.  Many pray, and those that do certainly seem to receive the Gospel in genuine faith.  And Dan was happy to pray.  I offer students the opportunity to pray but never persuade anyone to do so who is the least bit hesitant, but then just encourage them to think about it.  But I often feel like I have left them with so little.  Still I know the Holy Spirit has entered them if they genuinely believed, and this, with prayer, will carry them.  This is why I ask for prayer for whoever has prayed to receive Christ, and pray each night for them through the end of the following school year.  It is often the only way I have of watering what was planted, asking God to bring the growth through some kind of guy like Apollos watering (1Cor. 3:6  “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth”).

I bumped into a guy who had prayed to receive Jesus a couple years back [DJ] and he was still walking with the Lord.  So I gave him a Bible study.  His friend, who I’ve chatted up b4 about the Gospel of God and follows Christ, Kaylee, came into the room where we were in the Mac by the pond and they told me how they see me around and how much they liked talking to me and were really encouraging.  So that was a good thing today too.

So thanks for your prayers for the Ministry and for Evangelism today if you got a chance.  I am truly grateful, and I know it is how God works.

Bob Bollow

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

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Hope ya had a great day today walking with Jesus.  I had a good day on campus and Larry prayed to receive Christ today.  His father is a pastor, but Larry did not know the Gospel, or how God took away his sins.  When I explained that Christ’s righteousness was his he said, “That’s great.” never having understood this before.  He is an African American guy from out of the area, here to play football.  He was standing on the second floor balcony, overlooking the stairs next to the elevator by the bookstore, dressed in a College of Dupage hoody.  Just a regular looking guy, kind of a round face, maybe 5′ 10″, 2 inch afro.  He said he prayed every day and had a Bible at home (many of the athletes from out of COD’s area live in Apartments across the street from school as he does).  I talked, as I sometimes do, about meeting Derrick Rose at a club we were at and we both have Bulls caps on.  “Turns out Rose has extra tickets for his sky box, and we look like fans.  He wants to know if we want to go that night, so we say we do and he takes our names saying he will leave them at the gate.  So we show up and we say our names and that there are tickets left for us.  The girl at the gate asks, “Who left you the tickets?” I say, “Hey I’m Bob don’t you have a ticket for Bob in there?”  She says, “I could have 15 Bobs in here, you have to say the name of who left you the ticket.”  So finally I say, “Derrick Rose,” and she finds the tickets and we go in.  That is like our salvation.  We have to claim the name of who provided it for us by His death on the Cross, or we can’t pick up our ticket to Heaven.  We have to trust in Him and His righteousness and death for us.” I also said, “Good works are like if you know a guy who owns a train line and he gives you a ticket to ride anywhere.  You get to the train station and see some garbage laying around and think of your friend who owns the line and figure he’d appreciate it if you would pick it up.  So you spend 20 minutes picking garbage up.  But you are not trying to earn your ticket, the owner already gave you a free one.  You are just trying to show you appreciate the ticket and you love your friend.”  Larry liked the analogies and we talked a bit after I explained to him that, not knowing the Gospel, he had never asked for his sins to be forgiven in faith.  So he read the prayer through again after I explained it, and then prayed it when he agreed that was what he believed.  When I said many people attend Church but are not trusting in Christ’s work on the Cross to forgive them, he said, “I was just telling my roommate that going to church did not mean you were a Christian.”  “Yes,” I said “but you meant that he also needed to be moral and live to please God.  And I agree.  If a guy does not live to please his master, it probably shows he does not really believe he has a master or love him.  But it is Christ’s righteousness, not yours, that gets you to Heaven,” explaining this by ‘extra credit in a class’ as I sometimes do.  I got his e-mail and gave him a Bible study on the Deity of Christ.  I gave him the book, Playing with Purpose, as many athletes have told me they liked it this year.  I gave him an extra booklet to talk to his roommate with as well.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance.  God used them.  Please pray Larry will grow in his faith.

In Him,
Bob Bollow

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