Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?

… Corrie ten Boom

The Coronavirus Is Swiftly Breaching Defenses Across The World | Peak Prosperity

Hey Brothers and sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed today and you found the light and life of Christ. I had a good day on campus since Sam prayed to receive Jesus today which was great.  I got a good seed planted with Matt; white kid with brown hair friendly clean cut future small business man type also who was Methodist as a kid. I offered him a book when he said he’d think about it and he said, “Whatcha ya got.” I gave him the case for Christianity answer booklet; I think he was very close to trusting in Christ.

Sam was sitting in the cafeteria and it had been about 2 hours since I had found anyone to go through the Gospel with, though I’d chatted with some who’d received Christ and was just spending some time encouraging a Christian I know who wanted to sent me up to talk to some friends who he thought needed Christ without that knowing he was behind it. So we conspired a plan for later in the week. As I headed out I saw Sam. He was sitting at a table by the doors and said he’d do a student survey.  He’d been born and reared in Nigeria but came here as a kid about 11 years ago. He was wearing a winter cap and round plastic rimmed glasses. He wore a pullover gray fleece, had a neatly trimmed beard, wider nose, cheerful good looking guy. He identified as a Christian and said “I tried to live a life close to Jesus,” when I asked what he would say to God to get into Heaven. He thought he had a 50/50 chance to get into Heaven. When I asked what the big thing was that God had done to take away the sins of the world he said, “He gave His Son.” He knew the Gospel but had not thought much into it in his personal life, particularly concerning the righteousness of God earned by Christ that Paul said he had by faith. As I’d finished the Gospel I asked if he’d want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus he said he did. I said, “Well, it seems like you knew this stuff pretty much.” He agreed, so I asked if he’d been trusting in it. “I know you knew the story. But when you were asking for forgiveness, were you thinking you would try harder next time or were you thinking I know I’ll be forgiven because Jesus died for me.” “I was thinking I would try harder,” he replied. I didn’t think I would just be forgiven because that is BS.” I explained the righteousness of God again then by the illustration of the parable at the beginning of Matthew 22 where the guy is sent to Hell for wearing the wrong clothes to a party. I explained he was trusting in his own righteousness and not the robe the King provided who is God. That robe of righteousness is being clothed with Jesus (Romans 13:14 NIV). “Where is that parable? Can you write that down?” I said sure and wrote Matt 22 in the margin of the booklet. Then I explained that without faith it is impossible to please Him. So if you tried to do good things without trusting in the Holy Spirit’s power to do those things, you were just doing them in the flesh. He saw my point and so I showed him the prayer, walking through it and added writing at the bottom, “I trust in the righteousness of God” and asked if he thought he needed to trust in Jesus for his forgiveness and the righteousness of God not his own to enter to Heaven. He agreed that he needed to do that saying, “Yeah absolutely, sure.” Then he took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. When he finished he said, “This is perfect timing that you came by.” He was grateful. I explained living “Inside Out” trusting in God’s transforming power by the Holy Spirit. “First you ask God to make you a good man, then you do good things.” I said, “Now this is 100%,” writing that by his answer about the likelihood he would go to Heaven. “Of course,” he said, now understanding that the righteousness of Christ would be his righteousness. I gave him a copy of 20 Things God Can’t Do writing his name and the date and “forgiven” and “Just ask By the Spirit’s powers” in the front. I also gave him a Bible Study. He again said how it was perfect timing I came by. I said I would keep him in my prayers each day and he said, “Thank you,” as I made to go, shaking my hand happily. “I’ll pray for you too.” I thanked him, saying if he thought of me that would be great. “Have a good one,” I said standing to go.” “You as well,” he replied and I headed out.

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

In Him,

Bob