Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed today walking in the Spirit. I had a good day on campus and Alissa, Christopher and Kadin each prayed to receive Jesus today. I’d be grateful for your prayers to bless them. Thanks so much for praying for the ministry. God blessed and guided me. Their stories are below if you have the time.

Alissa was sitting in the MAC Arts center lounge. She had a painting in front of her on the table. She was dressed in black and had long brown hair past her shoulders, her bangs swept to the right she had an oval face and wore glasses and looked a bit Asian. I asked her if she’d want to do a student survey. She said she was already in a Bible Study group and had gone to 2 Bible studies it seemed, the one they just did was on “The New Name” but she could not seem to remember what it was about. I asked her if she’d like to hear the big question she could use to start a conversation about faith. She said “OK.” So I asked, “You’re walking down the road and you get hit by a bus, so you’re dead and you stand before God and He says, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “What would you say?” she quickly replied. “You tell me first and then I’ll tell ya what I’d say.” She thought for a bit and said she did not know what to say. I asked if she went church and what they’d say got you into Heaven and she said the Bible Study group was the “Chicago Church of Christ”. She did not know the answer still. I thought the cult group by that name (that emphasizes works righteousness and baptismal regeneration) went by another name on campus this year. There is a regular church called the “Church of Christ”. So not knowing what the Church was I could not condemn it outright. She said she was really new to Christianity. I asked if she would want to hear some Bible verses that explained how you would get into Heaven. She said she would. I sat down and got her name gave her mine and began to go through the Gospel. I said God wanted to know and live inside her and asked what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world to make that possible. She did not know so I began to explain how Jesus had died and this cleansed her and was the payment for sin. I explained the righteousness of Christ and salvation by faith. I explained why her good deeds would not be a payment for her bad deeds and I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done for her on the cross or thought something else. I think she said, “A life entrusted to Christ”. (The booklet uses that phrase so sometimes people say it, as it the first sentence by the circle they chose.) I said since she had not put all this together before there was a prayer she could pray and know she was forgiven. I walked her through it. I asked if it expressed the desire of her heart. She read it again and said it did so I said she could pray it right now and know she would be forgiven. She agreed she’d like to and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I began to explain the Christian life living “Inside > Out” by the Spirit’s power to do any good thing she wanted to do. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside which she liked. She already had a copy of The Case for Christ and had Bible Study’s with her group. I said I would keep her in my prayers praying a Bible verse for her each day from now until Spring and on year after. I showed her the survey (she had not done) and said one of the questions was “What is the likelihood you will go to Heaven.” I said for her now this was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus, both being of infinite value. She thanked me and I said if she had any questions about anything my email was on the back of the booklet. I’ve already been praying if she’s in a bad church something will happen that she can’t attend anymore. I said I’d see her around and headed out.

 Christopher was sitting right across from the locker I used. I had forgotten to put more booklets in my back pack so went out to my truck to get a few and passed him on the way in. He’d heard me go through things before with a friend and was back at school this year after a semester (at least) away. He wanted to hear the Bible verses after I asked him, “Did I ever ask you the question…”  the question I had asked Alissa. He said no and so I asked if he’d want to hear what the Bible said was an answer. He said sure he had 10 minutes before class. He had an oval face and looked like a classic Latino with a narrow mustache a small goatee. He had a truckers cap he and on backwards a blue zip up hoodie and Khaki cargo pants that looked a bit deeper than the typical color. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he could not remember what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world saying, “I haven’t been to Church in a couple months.” I explained the atonement to him also. I began saying “God sees you can’t come up to Him because of your sin. So He comes down and becomes a man Jesus. And Jesus lives a perfect life.”  “Oh,” he said, I think remembering what Christ did in seeing the picture of the cross on the page. I continued to say he was supposed to live a perfect life. He couldn’t so Jesus lived a perfect life for him. I explained then he was a sacrifice for sin, the blood of Jesus cleansing him from sin and being a perfect payment to God. He listened then to the rest and after I had explained John 1:12 “the right to become Children of God” and “Believe on His Name” to mean “If you believe Jesus is God died for your sins and rose from the dead. Not that you just knew the story from Church but that that’s what you place your trust in to be forgiven. So if someone would say to you, ‘Why should God let you into Heaven you’d say, Because Jesus died for me.” “Jesus died for me,” he repeated.  He needed to believe by faith and faith saved him. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in Jesus so God could live inside him. Or did he think something else. “Well, I’m a Catholic,” he replied. “So that one.” He pointed then at the circle with Christ on the throne of his life. I had shortened a bit of what I usually said by illustration knowing he had little time and asked if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I talked him through it mentioning the symbolism in the Mass. I asked if he’d like to pray it silently after he affirmed it was where he was at. “Sure,” he said. He took the booklet then and prayed to receive Jesus. I quickly gave him a Bible Study and Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. Knowing he had to run I said he could read the rest of the booklet. He stood up and reached out his hand to shake mine saying, “Appreciate it.” I said sure and I’d see him in Heaven and he headed off to class.

I passed Kadin walking in the hallway ramp that is above the bookstore and leads to the library. I asked him if he’d do a survey a bit passed him, feeling compelled. I usually look for people with some time sitting down. He had ear-buds in and did not hear me so I turned around and caught up to him and asked if he’d do a student survey about God for a Bible Study group. I saw then he had a couple gold necklaces on and one had a cross on it. He was African American, shorter than me and his hair dyed rust on the top in thin braids, straight up. It was short on the sides. He had a gold ring in his left nostril and wore a black corduroy (sort of) jacket that zipped up and jeans. Wider nose, classic features, good-looking guy. I asked him what he would say to God. “I’ve tried to begin following Him, not earlier but in the last 2 or 3 years I’ve done better giving my life to Christ. I wouldn’t say I haven’t done anything bad. But I would say I haven’t done anything that meets the criteria of going to Hell.” I asked if he went to Church at all. “When I was younger, 13, I’m 19 now so it’s been a few years. My parents made me go.” I began to go through the Gospel with him and when I asked him what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world he said, “He sacrificed Himself.” I explained what the atonement meant then to purify him and as a payment to God. I explained the righteousness of Christ to His credit if he was adopted by God as His child. I explained salvation by faith not by works and the rest. I asked if he would want to be forgiven, trusting in Jesus’ work to save him or thought something else. “What else is there to think,” he said enthusiastically. “I want to be forgiven.” I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it. I asked if it expressed the desire of his heart and he nodded. I said then he could pray it silently and he said, “Yeah.” And took the booklet saying, “Out loud?” “No silently, it’s not my business,” and he smiled and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained then the Christian life “Inside > Out” By the Spirit’s Power. He had a Bible so I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I gave him a Bible Study illustrating one of the points for him and The case for Christ Answer Booklet. I said the likelihood he would go to Heaven was now 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Christ. I told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after. And I said God would bless him when he asked as much as would help him follow God. “This was good,” he said. “I’ll see you in Heaven,” I said shaking his hand. “I like that, I’m gonna use it.”  “Thank you Mr. Bob,” he said as we parted. I said he was welcome and thanked him for his time.

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

In Him,

Bob