Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope ya had a good day and had joy and peace in believing. I had a good day on campus and  Shay and Angel each prayed to receive Jesus today. So that was great.

Shay was sitting in a side hallway on the ground floor of the Science Building that runs into the dental cleaning offices. She wore a green polo shirt that still had her work ID on it and Khaki cargo pants. Her hair was straight and in a bun, she was pretty with a pug nose, full lips and a round face, she said her mom was Malaysian and her dad was African. She was going to a local church. When I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven she said, “I try [tried] to show God, [to others] through kindness, as much as I could.” She was sure she was going to Heaven and she knew Jesus had died to take away her sins. She listened to the Gospel and took it all in patiently. When I asked her if she would want to be forgiven or thought something else she said, “That one,” pointing at the circle with God inside you on the throne of your life. So I asked if when she was asking for forgiveness if she thought she was doing the right things and was in the group God would forgive and was hoping she was going to Heaven or if she’d known she’d be forgiven because Jesus had died for her. “I know you knew the story but had you placed your trust in Jesus?” I asked. She was uncertain. I asked if she thought she might go to Heaven because she was good enough. “I know I’m not good enough,” she replied. But she really struggled to think of where her heart had been. I believe that if you struggle like that as to if you have been trusting in Jesus or not, and if you answer the question of why God should let you into heaven making no mention of Jesus, but just things you’ve tried to do, then you are not trusting in Jesus. I think she landed on that notion too. I said that there was a prayer she could pray if she wanted too so she’d know she was forgiven and I walked her through it asking if it was the desire of her heart. It was and she decided to pray to receive Jesus kind of nonchalantly. I’ve been to the church she attends and I wasn’t surprised she had not been led to decide to trust in Christ for forgiveness. But when she’d finished praying she was happy she had done so. I said, “You know what it’s like God likes to be asked, like a pretty girl.” She smiled at that and I gave her another illustration of it. I gave her 20 Things God Can’t Do writing her name and the date and forgiven in the front. I wrote Just Ask and By the Spirit’s Power. In the front saying God was her heavenly Father and anything He was asking her to do He would give her the Power to do it by His Spirit. “I’m interested to read this book,” she said. I gave her a Bible study and she was happy ask I got up to leave and told her I would pray for her. “Thank you,” she said. “Have a good one,” I replied. “Thanks, you too,” she said and I left her on the bench.

Angel was an interesting looking guy, which I am always grateful for as it helps me remember a face when I am praying for someone. He sat at the counter in the cafeteria later in the afternoon. He had very short stick straight brown hair on the top of his head and a pencil thin mustache in the style of the movie star Errol Flynn. But his was not rimmed it just grew perfectly that style. He wore rounded semi-rectangular glasses a red hoodie and black sweats. He thought he had a 95% chance of going to Heaven but said he did not go to church often but had gone with his grandmother. He had his own interaction with God and Jesus. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “Because I believed in you all my life and I have trusted in you.” He listened to the Gospel and also knew Jesus had died and rose from the dead to take away the sins of the World. I explained the righteousness of Christ which Jesus earned by perfectly fulfilling the Law and that it was to our credit and the Blood of Christ which was a power in the world to cleanse us from sin. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus or thought something else he said, “I’ve been a little of both.” I asked if he had placed his trust in Jesus or if he was just trying to do the right thing. He misunderstood me a bit and said, “Every night I hope I did the right thing.” I explained the prayer to him and said he could pray silently if he thought he had not trusting in Jesus for forgiveness. He looked at the prayer and said he thought he’d done something like this before going to the front of the Catholic Church with his grandmother but he had not understood what it meant. He said it had had something to do with becoming one of the Sons of God. I explained what that meant, how in Heaven God shared His glory with us and could do that because our sins were paid for by Christ. I said I didn’t think saying a prayer before he had not understood would have counted for much and he agreed and quietly read the prayer receiving Christ. He did not have a Bible but said he wanted to ask his grandmother for one, she was very religious and he asked her questions. He did not want a book or a Bible Study either. I think he wanted a reason to tell his grandmother the story of trusting in Christ for forgiveness. I explained that now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus to be his righteousness the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. I told him I would be praying for him and got up to go. “Thank you,” he said. “God bless you,” I replied and I headed into the cafeteria a bit further as he walked out.

So thanks for your prayers for the Ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob