Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with every good and perfect gift. I had a good day on campus. LeDonte and Lucas each prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray they grow in their faith to honor Christ. Their stories are below.

I encouraged some Christians as well. AJ (a 6’5” track guy) whom I had been praying for was moving closer to God. I gave him a booklet as (he seemed to have lost the one I went through with him last fall though he had a promise book he said he looked at) and it seemed he would begin a relationship with God in Christ praying to receive Him. So I’ve prayed for him again as I do each day in hope. I gave a NT to another Christian who I talk to from time to time and wrote down the Roman Road of salvation in the front and we talked about how he might share his faith with some friends he was praying for. Tara (a pretty blonde girl with straight hair down to her elbows, long eyelashes, dressed all in black) seemed to have her perspective reoriented and said she would pray later so I hope she will begin to trust in Christ alone for salvation. She had been trusting in her good works though she only thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. I explained that trusting in the Blood and righteousness of Christ this would be 100%. She believed Jesus was God and had died to take away the sins of the world but had not been trusting in that. I gave her Bible Promises for You which she really liked.

LeDonte looked to be over 35. He had a thick rough top afro and a thick beard (not long) and mustache. His brown skin-tone was not deep black. He had an oval face and slightly lined, worn out looking eyes. He wore a yellow hoodie under a black puffy coat and wore black sweats. When I asked him one thing he would like to do before he died he said, “Leave some for my son… my child so he can be good.” I asked him what he would say if he died and God asked “Why should I let you into Heaven?” He said, “Because I’m a good person—that sometimes made bad choices but over all I’m a good person.” He thought he had a 10% chance of going to Heaven. So I began to go through the Gospel with him. I said God wanted to take away his sin so he could live inside him and that seemed to sound good by his body language, kind of a relief. When I asked him what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world he knew He had died to that purpose. I explained the blood of Christ to cleanse him and that this was how God was paid so it was just to forgive him. I explained the righteousness of God Christ earned that was to his credit and salvation by faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins or thought something else. “I would like to be forgiven for my sins,” he replied. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and talking him through it, he nodded that it was the desire of his heart when I asked.  I asked if he’d like to pray it. He nodded and took the booklet and prayed. I explained the Christian life to him. He had a Bible and I told him the Christian life was always asking for God’s help in everything by the power of His Spirit. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. Then telling him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the righteousness of Christ and His Blood to save him. I gave him a Bible Study on the deity of Christ and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and said I would keep him in my prayers. I asked if he had any questions, “No you covered everything I think,” he replied. He shook my hand and said, “Nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you, I’ll see you in Heaven.” I said I’d keep him in my prayers through Spring and one year after. We were sitting in the hallway that headed toward the Book Store. I got up and headed down the hall and on the way back got his son’s name, Lamaree. I told him I would pray for him too writing his name in my book.

Lucas was sitting I the hallway just past the first outside door on the Northwest end of the BIC building. He had a tan watch cap on pulled down stopping at his black glasses, which were black frame, large near round ovals. He had a small pale face, pointed chin, I could not see any of his hair. Wearing a black coat on over a white shirt with grey sweats, he was a bit smaller than me in stature. He said he was already in a Bible Study. I asked him if he wanted to hear the big metaphysical question to think about and he said, “Sure, ok” I asked him “So you’re 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?” “I don’t know what I’d say,” he replied. “Would you like to hear some Bible verses that tell you how you get into heaven?” “OK,” he replied and I sat down and he said, “I have 24 minutes before class.” “Ok, it won’t take that long. So I began to go through the Gospel with him. He leaned forward, genuinely interested whenever I began to read a Bible verse out of the booklet to better follow along. I asked him if he went to Church and he said he went to “Church of God”. I asked him also what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world and he said, “He was a sacrifice”. I explained the atonement and resurrection and the righteousness of God Christ earned and that this was all had by faith. He would not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good and he was connected to Him. I asked if he wanted to trust in what Jesus had done to be forgiven for his sins or thought something else. He said “I would want to be forgiven. I was raised Catholic so.” I said there was a prayer he could pray and talked through it. He nodded when asked if it was the desire of his heart. I said he could pray it silently; I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven and God would live inside Him. He took the booklet then and prayed to receive Christ. I explained the Christian life to him too. I said, as I always do, that Christianity was Inside > Out first asking God to transform you and then you become a good person and do good things. He had a Bible and I also gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and forgiven in the front. I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I said I think the Church of God talks about good works a lot but these do not save you and we do good works by the power of the Spirit. He agreed. I told him that if a church wasn’t working out for him he shouldn’t feel bad about leaving he could talk to God about it. He took that in and thanked me and I shook his hand and said, “You’re welcome and we both got up and he went to class.

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

In Him,

Bob