Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

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

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

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

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

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

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

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

In Him,
Bob Bollow

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

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

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

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

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

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

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

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

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

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

Bob Bollow

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Well, I had a good day of sharing the faith today and two African American guys prayed to receive Christ, Jonathan and later Anthony.

Jonathan was sitting in the Big lounge near Starbucks and said he would do a survey with me. There was a believer sitting across from us, putting in some info here and there too, and later Kameron sat down who had prayed to receive Christ last semester (had grown a beard though so I did not recognize him at first).  Jonathan was a nice looking guy, intelligent, had a beard coming in.  He had a lot of questions and interrupted me several times and seemed to have come from a Christian background, but he had not prayed to receive Christ based on his work on the Cross.  He’d been trusting in his own effort to justify himself with God saying, “I believe I lived my life well.  I did everything you [God] asked me to do.”  Which is, of course, impossible.  Then in half-jest, grinning, he said, “I earned my wings”.  I went through the Gospel, explaining that he had to be perfect.  And he humbled himself and prayed, receiving Christ’s righteousness to his credit by faith.  So that was great and we talked a while with the other guy across from him.  I gave him a copy of More than a Carpenter to read and got his e-mail to send him stuff, telling him I would pray for him this school year and all through the next. I explained the work of the Holy Spirit in giving him power to live the Christian life.  He pointed out he was lucky to have come to Christ early in year saying he would get prayed for longer.

At almost 4 pm I saw Anthony sitting on the second floor from overhead in the same lounge. He was a really big guy with a big full beard and glasses.  He seemed older and was trying to get through Community College and finish up.  He was from a Church background too, but he did not know how God took away his sins.  He thought of himself as a “child of God” but when I asked him if he had ever asked God to forgive his sins based on what Jesus had done for him on the Cross (having explained the Gospel) and holding that in his heart, he said he hadn’t, but had only asked God for forgiveness.  I showed him the prayer that centered on the Cross and he prayed it and had real joy and thanked me a couple times, shaking my hand.  I gave him the Student Edition of The Case for Christ and I told him I would pray for him too.  And I explained to Anthony too that the work of the Holy Spirit is how God now is always with him and gives him power to live the Christian life.

So that was great. Thanks so much for your prayers for the ministry, and for the work of evangelism if you had a chance today.

In Him,
Bob Bollow

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I had a good day of sharing today and did a bit after Bible study yesterday also.  George committed to Christ yesterday and Dionne and Tomika prayed to receive Jesus today. George was in the lounge by Starbucks at about 3 PM and was willing to do a survey and talk about the Gospel. He was from a Roman Catholic Background and had gone to an evangelical church b4.  But he did not know how God took away his sins through the Cross.  He hoped helping out people counted for something.  He was a nice guy, curly hair, a bit on the short side.  His friend showed up towards the end and sat close, waiting, so when I offered him an opportunity to pray to receive Christ he said, “Can I take this with me, my friend’s waiting for me?”  And said he would like to pray it later alone. So I asked him, “Do you believe Jesus is God and died and rose from your sins to make you right with God and are you trusting in that?”  He said, “Yes”. I reached out and he took my hand and I shook it and smiled and said, “I’ll trust you for it.”  I told him I would like to give him a book and asked him if he liked science and he said yes, so I gave him The Case for a Creator.

Dionne and Tomika, African American girls, cute shoulder length hair, were sitting in the hall in the Science building and killing time and Dionne said she would do a survey with me.  Tomika did not want to but really tuned in when I went through the Gospel, seemingly more than Dionne.  They were fun and oddly had no interest in children or families, or so they said.  They seemed disillusioned with the men available.  They both went to church on occasion.  They did not know how God took away their sins, and hadn’t understood the atonement or imputation.  So I walked them through it, getting them to laugh here and there.  When I asked Dionne if she wanted to be forgiven she said, “Well yes, wouldn’t everyone?” and I replied, “No, some people would rather be right in their own eyes.”  Then I asked Tomika her name since she had been listening.  She told me and I asked her if she would like to be forgiven as well, and she said she would.  I said, “Well, God’s like a pretty girl, so you guys know what this is like.  He likes to be asked.  So if you ask Him, He will forgive you based on what Jesus has done.”  I went through the prayer with them and they prayed.   Though I could not talk them into a book they each took a bible study and I explained to them the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit in living the Christian life based on Galations 5:22.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance. I’ll head out tomorrow too.

Bob Bollow

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Well, I had a great day of sharing today and 4 African American students, three girls — Desire, Delet, Mesha and a guy Randy, all prayed to receive Christ today.

Desire was sitting between Mesha, who was standing, and Delet, sitting beside her on a couch, on the first floor at the base of the stairs down from Starbucks.  Desire had her hair up and pulled back with a laptop on her lap, she was tall. Mesha, standing, was a bit shorter, straight shoulder length hair and Delet was small, her hair in ring curls, cute. All had bright smiles when I got them to laugh. Only Desire wanted to do a Student survey, but the other girls said they would listen and they did as I went through the Gospel with them.  It was obvious from Desire’s answers that she was trusting in her good works and obedience to make her right with God, and she could not remember how God took away her sins, saying her grandma would slap her right now for forgetting.  She went to church.  When I was done I pointed out to Desire what she had been trusting in from her responses and asked her if she would want to be forgiven for her sins by trusting in what Jesus had done for her on the Cross.  She said she would.  Then I asked the other two girls one at a time for their names and then asked them if they would like to be forgiven as well.  They both said they would too. So I walked them through the prayer and each prayed to receive Jesus.  Desire finished first and then Delet and finally Mesha.  I showed them all the books I had and each picked one.   Mesha took the Student Edition of The Case for Faith, Desire took the Student Edition of The Case for Christ and Delet took More than a Carpenter. They told me I had their e-mails from the book table we had on student activities day.  I caught up with them in the hall later and remembered to give them each a Bible Study.

Randy was sitting on a bench in the hallway next to Jacky, who was a 300 pound defensive player for the football team. He had short cropped hair on the sides and a bit longer on top. He was from out of state and went to church at home, but he did not know how Christ had taken away his sins and it was obvious he was hoping his goodness (which he was not that confident in) outside of that church would be good enough to help him get into heaven. After I explained the Gospel, Randy wanted to pray to receive Jesus and prayed quietly based on what I had told him, not reading a prayer.  Jacky said he wasn’t ready to do it. He wanted to play pro-ball and was certainly big enough, whereas Randy said he wanted a family. After Randy prayed I taught them some more about the Holy Spirit and some prophecy about Jesus and His claims to be God. On two occasions, pretty girls walked by giving an endorsement:  A Blonde girl saying “amen” and an African American girl, so I think that helped keep Jacky interested.  Later a black woman came up to me and gave me a hug saying she had been praying for me while I was “teaching those boys.”  So I guess God sent me some help.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and today for evangelism if you had a moment, God heard them and blessed.

In Him,
Bob Bollow