Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things from above. I had a good day on campus in that I got in some conversations to encourage Christians and a discussion with a kid philosophically adrift a bit and Sno prayed with me to receive Jesus. Her story is below if you want to spend the time. Please pray she grows in her trust in the blood and righteousness of Christ alone to save her. Thanks for your help in prayer.

Sno was an older black woman, I’d guess she was near 50 and since she’ll not read this I can’t get in any trouble if I missed the mark by much. But she had salt and pepper hair, more salt. She had frank symmetrical features and her hair had been braided on the top but was short otherwise. She wore a grey hoodie, leggings and a t-shirt. She was studying at a round coffee table in the hall down from the bookstore with some stuffed chairs. I took the one beside her and she said she’d do a student survey (with a tone that she would do me a favor, and she did). I asked her what she would say to God to get into heaven if she died. “Because I’ve done everything in my life to live the way You told me to, I’m not perfect but I tried my best,” she replied. She was certain she was going to Heaven, “100%.” I began to go through the Gospel then with her and she finished John 3:16 for me. I read, John 17:3 that eternal life was, “knowing God”, and this meant that He lived inside her but the problem was sin. I said God had to take away her sin so she was God’s type (like a blood transfusion) perfect and holy inside and He could live inside her. I asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sin. “He forgives you,” she stated insistently. I said, “Yes He forgives you but something has to happen for God to forgive you,” she did not know what that was so I continued, “He gets paid.” I began to explain that we could not come up to God because of our sin, so He becomes a perfect man. “Because you are supposed to be perfect,” I said. “God does not expect you to be perfect,” she cut in. “God does not expect you to be perfect in as much as He knows you will not be but the standard is perfection.” I sensed her back was up a bit so I prayed quickly God would speak to her and went on. “Jesus says you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” I said Heaven was not just a place it was the presence of God. If you lived under the water you’d have to be able to breath water. Now you breath in air. In Heaven you will have to be able to breath in the presence of God. I said the Bible says, “Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.” She said she knew that. So I said we have to be transformed and perfected here so that God can share His glory with us in Heaven. I explained how Jesus died and His blood cleansed her and then paid God back for all the imperfect things we’ve done that we owe God something perfect for. “The real reason God forgives you is He got paid, but he had to pay himself.” I explained the righteousness of God to her credit and that she would not go to Heaven because she was good but because Jesus was good and she was connected to Him. I said she had to receive Jesus and the work of Jesus. “So if someone would say to you, “Why should I let you into Heaven you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’” I explained then grace saved her by faith. I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done to forgive her so He could live inside her. “Yes,” she said. And her persona had changed at some point and she was receiving what the scriptures were telling her. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and talked her through it asking if she would like to pray it silently. “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven trusting in Jesus. Wanna do it?” “Yeah,” she said and she prayed to receive Jesus. When she finished I said, “Great, your sins are forgiven, not because I say so but God does.” She nodded. I explained then that the likelihood she was going to Heaven now trusting in the righteousness of Jesus was 100% and His righteousness was worth an infinite amount so there was enough for both of us though I was old and sinned every year. I explained the Christian life. She had a Bible so explained the fruit of the Spirit, living “Inside > Out” and praying for patience, saying a time I had done so. And then I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” inside. She liked the book. I also gave her a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I got up to go and she said, “Thank you, have a good one.” “Thank you for your time,” I replied and she again said, “Thank you.”

Thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God blessed today.

In Him,

Bob