Results of the Work – 8/25/21

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you had a good day walking with the Lord. I had a good day on campus and Solomon, Brandon and Joe each prayed with me to receive Jesus as their Savior today. Gabriel (who I gave a promise book too as he ran off to class, saying he would pray before class) and Adiel (I gave her and her friend Chrissy who was a Christian The Case for Christianity Answer Booklet) said they believed and would pray later.

Solomon was the first guy I talked to today. He had a narrow mustache and a beard, dark skin and a short afro and a SOX cap. Professional looking guy. He wore gray sweats tight at the ankles and a white hoodie.  When I asked him one thing he’d like to do before he died he said, “Create generational wealth for my family.” I told him he was way ahead of me at his age. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked “Why should I let you into Heaven?” He said, “I don’t really know. It would have to be from the heart. I always believed the Word. I tried my best to live according to it. I don’t know, I did some things. I’d say something along those lines.” He thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. I said “The last thing was to explain Christianity in this booklet and I think you’ll dig it because you can be 100%.” I went on to use some of the verses in the booklet and use illustrations of others. He did not know what Jesus had done to take away his sins. When I finished explaining the Gospel and the righteousness of Christ to his credit, I asked if he would want to trust in Jesus to be forgiven for his sins or thought something else. He said “Trusting in Jesus.”  I said there was a prayer he could pray. I explained it, but in the middle he got a text and glanced at his phone and so I asked him if the prayer was something he wanted when he was attentive again. He read it again and said, “Yes.” So I said he could pray it silently if he wanted, where only God would hear. Would he want to do that? He silently nodded and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. When he finished I said, “This is real generational wealth, as it is in Heaven for eternity and you can teach it to your children and they can have eternal life too.” I gave him the book Bible Promises For You writing his name and the date and “Forgiven” in the front.  I told him I would pray for him after explaining living by the Spirit’s power and transformation. As I left him, I said, “Hey flash me your face so I can remember you when I pray for you.” I stood apart from him and he gave me a warm smile as I thanked him and headed out.

Brandon was sitting with some guys on the football team at a long table in the PE building. I asked him and a friend at the end of the table if they wanted to do a student survey. And like several people have told me–they said they already did one. I said this was a little different, it’s how you get to Heaven. “You guys know how to get to Heaven?” I asked. They were both silent, wanting to brush me off so I launched into the question saying, “Say you are walking down the road and you get hit by a bus. So you’re dead and you stand before God and He asks, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?”  One guy did not know, but Brandon said, “I’d just call my Nana. I gotta be honest.” That got some scoffs from the table but he was unfazed. He’s about 6’3” and a corner back for the football team. I said, “Yeah, but you wouldn’t have a phone.” Brandon said, “Now you got me intrigued, ok tell me.”  I said, “Christianity was like a blood transfusion. I have A+ blood. If you fill me full of B- I would clot up and die. God wants to fill you with His Holy Spirit, but first He has to make you his type. The problem is we all have sin. So God takes away our sin. Now we are perfect and holy inside and we match God and now he can live inside us.” He knew when I said Jesus had died for our sins. I went on to explain the Gospel from there. I asked him at the end if he would want to be forgiven for his sins, trusting in what Jesus had done for him or thought something else. He said he’d want to be forgiven. So I walked him through the prayer and asked if it was the desire of his heart and he said, “Yeah.” So I said he could pray the prayer silently so no one would hear and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus.  I explained walking by the Spirit’s power and he showed me a long message his Nana had sent him, saying she regularly sent him stuff to read by text. So I told him he should tell her he has received Jesus. It would make her happy and he agreed. I asked if he would want a book with some Bible verses in it and he said, “Yeah.” As if to say “I could do that.” So I wrote his name and the date and “Forgiven” in the front. His ride was leaving then, so telling him I would pray for him for the next year I headed out.

Joe was sitting on 3rd floor against the wall in the lounge near the room the Muslims used to use for prayer. There is kind of a hall behind it with more lounge on the south side. He was kind of shorter and stout with reddish, sandy hair. He had a kind of scruffy beard and a thin mustache, small mouth. Looked like a dock worker. He had a blue short-sleeve shirt on with a flag on the arm and back and tan shorts. He said he had been to church a few times when he was younger. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I’d beg for mercy. I’ve been a good soul, hope He’d let me in.” When I asked him how likely it would be he said, “That’s for God to say not me. I could tell… I hope.” I went through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus had died for his sins.  And as I got to the end I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in Jesus or thought something else. “Forgiven” he said. I asked “Do you believe Jesus is God, died for your sins and rose from the dead? Do you believe that’s a true story?” “Yes,” he replied. So I said there was a prayer he could pray and walked him through it, saying if he wanted to he could pray it silently and know he was forgiven and he nodded and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I talked to him then about asking God for transformation to live the Christian life by the Spirit’s Power. He said he had a bible but was happy to take the book  Bible Promises for You. I wrote his name and the date and “Forgiven” in the front. I also gave him the Case for Christianity Answer Booklet saying there was more from Strobel on YouTube. I said I would pray for him for the next year and said “Have a good one Brother.” “You too,” he replied and I asked to let me see his face after I got a few steps off and he flashed me a scruffy beard grin as I left.

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

In Him,

Bob