Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a good day walking with the Lord. I had a pretty good day on campus talking to some students I knew. One in another ministry (He’s a black guy with a beard) on campus was drifting into heresy but I did what I could to explain why the modalism he had gotten into was wrong. He wanted to say God made a body and then entered into it, but this would be Man becoming God. I also explained that if Jesus was not fully God the sacrifice of His life was not worth an infinite amount and so would not pay for everyone’s sins. On perfect man could only pay in death for one other sinner. I explained Phil. 2:7 where Jesus seems to have emptied Himself of “God-ness” leaving a man who was yet fully God. He seemed to have encountered a cult he was getting his info from. I explained that John wrote in the 1^st chapter that “The Word became flesh.” This Word was “The Word of God” who came to the prophets in the Old Testament. I also bumped into Sam from Last year, who had prayed the night after we spoke. (I found this out from him a couple months later after first speaking with him December 6^th of 2022). He’s closer to the Lord now and took The Case for Christ Answer Booklet though last year in February he did not want a book at all. So it was good to see someone who prayed walking with the Lord. COD is a revolving door few students stay longer than a couple or 3 semesters and so all I can do is pray for them as I have been for Sam each night. Carlos trusted in Christ today, praying to receive Him as savior so that was great. Thanks for your prayers for him his story is below if you have a moment.

Carlos was sitting in the cafeteria and had some time and was willing to do a survey. He said he went to several different Catholic Churches sometimes with his family, or what his schedule allowed for it seemed. He had a royal blue pullover hoodie on and blue jeans. He had a mustache shaved down to look like a couple weeks of growth and a thinly manifesting jawline beard. His hair was receding a bit and short, the top swept to the side left to right. He had an oval kind face and was soft spoken. A really kind guy.  When I asked him one thing he’d like to do before he died he said, “Have a family”. (This as an answer is a tell for a guy that he will pray to receive Jesus or is a Christian already). I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “That’s a good question,” he replied. “The first thing that comes to mind is all the good that I’ve done on earth. I’ve always seen goodness in every action. I don’t know it sounds cheesy but I do go to Church every Sunday. I know it’s not enough but…” “Going to Church does not make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car,” I replied. “But it seems like it should be part of it,” I finished for him and he agreed. He thought he had a 50% chance of going to Heaven saying, “It’s not my call.” I agreed suggesting an argument would not seem to be very effective. He said he thought he could do all good things and then one bad thing might send him to hell. I pointed out that only God could know and do the good. This was because you have to be all knowing and all-powerful to do the good. You have to be all knowing to know what the good is and be all power so that the good action you did can be maintained as a good outcome into the future. It does no good to pour distilled water into a mud puddle.  He seemed very attentive as I began to go through the Gospel leaning in when I wrote a verse to see it or drew in the booklet. I asked him what the big thing was that Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world and he said, “Death.” “Right he died for you,” I replied. I went on to explain the cleansing blood of Jesus and that this was how God got paid. “The Bible says if we confess our sins He is faithful and Just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” I said. “So why it is just for God to forgive you because there was a payment for your sin.” He nodded in agreement. I explained the righteousness of God Christ earned for us which when God adopts us as his Children belongs to us as the blessing of His family. I said all that was his if he received Jesus by faith, believing Jesus was God had died for His sins and rose from the dead. Then by Grace he was saved by faith. So I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “Definitely trust in Jesus,” he replied. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it asking if it expressed the desire of his hear. He agreed it did. So I asked if he would want to pray it silently and he said, “Sure.” He took the booklet and then looking at it said, “Just recite it?” “Yeah pray it in your heart,” I replied. He prayed then to receive Jesus. I went through the Christian life with him. He had a Bible and talked about living “Inside > Out” where God transforms us on the inside and we do good things by the Spirit’s Power. I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven” on the inside of Bible Promises for You saying he could read the verses for encouragement or use them as prayers. “Oh I have to get to class, he said noticing the time. So I quickly gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I would pray a verse for him each day through Spring and one year after. “Thanks so much,” He replied. “Thank you,” I said and I headed out leaving him to gather up stuff to go.

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

In Him,

Bob