Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you were blessed so far today with life and peace. I had a good day on campus and James, Melody, Quami and Shaun each prayed to receive Jesus today. If you have a moment please pray they each grow in their faith in Christ. There stories are below if you have the time to spend.

 James was sitting in the east side of the science and Health buildings on a second-floor balcony at a table that overlooked the lounge dividing the two buildings. He was wearing khaki pants and a dark grey t-shirt. He had a rag mop of dark hair parted on the side making a wave across his forehead. Looked like he hadn’t showered in a couple days and had about 3 days’ worth of beard on his large oval face and was working on an extra chin, big guy. But if there’s not a pretty girl in your class who cares—at his age. It’s not uncommon for me to talk to a girl in the science building who looks like she just rolled out of bed and pulled on some sweats. I’d walked by him once but he’d looked like he was studying on a dark grey laptop. I asked if he’s like to do a student survey for a Bible Study group. He said he was going to a Bible Study on Thursday. “Oh is that Intervarsity?” I asked but that didn’t seem to sound familiar as he got a look on his face like he wasn’t sure so I said, “Would you like to hear the big metaphysical question to think about until Thursday or are ya busy?” “Sure,” he said in a friendly way. “Say 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?” “That’s a good question,” he replied. He said something about hoping he’d done enough. “Would you like to hear some Bible verses that tell you how to get to Heaven?” I asked. “Sure,” he said. So I began to go through the Gospel with him. I told him God took away his sins so he would be perfect and Holy inside and God could live inside him. I asked what God had done to take away his sins. “He forgives you,” he replied. I agreed and said, “What does he do so He can forgive you.” He couldn’t think of anything so I said, “What’s the big thing Jesus does to take away the sins of the world?” “Oh his sacrifice on the cross,” he replied. “Right. Sorry I didn’t ask the question right,” I said. He smiled and half laughed and said, “No problem.” I went on to explain the rest of the Gospel and he knew of course knew the atonement and so I explained Jesus’ blood cleansed us and was how God was paid so He could forgive us. I explained the righteousness of God to his credit and that God adopted him. He was saved receiving Christ, that he believed Jesus was God had died for his sins and rose from the dead, not that he just knew the story but that that’s what he places his trust in to be forgiven for his sins. And grace by faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done, then He would live inside him and give him strength by the Spirit and he’d know he was going to Heaven. “Or is God on the outside of your life?” I asked, and briefly explained Islam and the Buddha. Saying then, “So when you are asking for forgiveness for your sins are you thinking in your heart that you hope you’ve been good enough and God would forgive you? Or are you thinking I know I’ll be forgiven for my sin because Jesus died for me. I could tell you knew the story.” “Yeah, I was raised in the Catholic Church,” he put in. “So were you trusting in what Jesus had done or were you hoping you were good enough?” “Definitely the later,” he replied. “Well, if you’d want to be forgiven for your sins there’s a prayer you can pray,” I turned to the prayer and read through it saying what it meant. And asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. He said it did. So I said he could pray it silently and I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d be forgiven. “Wanna do that?” I asked and he nodded and took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I went through the Christian life with him and he had a Bible so I told him the Christian life was living “By the Spirit’s Power,” and gave him an example of asking God to change him on the Inside and then he would do good things on the outside. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. “Well ya got a Bible study to go to so that’s cool I’ll pray a Bible verse for you each day until Spring and one year after asking for God to bless you” I said. I showed him the card with the survey on it and the question asking how likely he thought it was he’d go to Heaven and explained that now trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus it was 100%. He said “OK,” seemed please and I headed out.

 I came across Melody in the PE building on the ground floor of the lounge. She was pretty and had her curly/wavy hair in a very short boy’s haircut. She had on a black shrink top and plaid long pants. Though African American in coloring and accent, her features were Caucasian, small nose and a sharp jaw line. I had spoken with her before but it was only to quickly go through the Gospel and leave her with a booklet. She’d been sitting under the stairs by the bookstore last year but I had forgotten her. Now she was sitting at a table alone and said we’d talked and I’d given her a booklet and just the other day she had read it, “Now all I need to do is get a Bible,” she said. I said I had a couple Bibles and if she’d like one I would give her one. She picked the more compact of the two. I asked if she had prayed the prayer in the booklet. She didn’t seem to know what I had meant. So I said a couple things and then explained the prayer. She said she’d read it but she had not prayed it. I asked if she would want to pray it and she said, “Yes,” and she prayed to receive Christ. I waited wanting to make sure I spelled her name right and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I said I would pray for her each day until a year from Spring asking God to bless her. She thanked me and I went and sat down for a minute and wrote her name in Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and I went back and showed them to her, “Can I have this one?” she asked of the promise book and I said they were both for her. I also gave her a Bible study and said if I saw her I would wave she smiled and said “OK” and I headed upstairs.

Quami was on the second-floor sort of laying on his side (like the last super) on a couch wearing a grey hoodie and light grey sweats. His head was on his backpack looking at his phone. Good looking African American guy he had a square chin with a bit of a beard and a mustache.  His dockworker block nose had small raised bumps on the end of it. I couldn’t remember seeing on a nose before, but I’m always grateful for something on a face to help me remember someone. He had an afro stacked straight up 5 inches but the top of it ended in thin 4-inch braids. He didn’t look that tall but said he wanted to play in the NFL. I talked about a friend I knew who made the NFL and asked if he played corner. He said he did so I asked if he had hops and he smile a proud grin saying he did. I asked if he knew a guy had gone to school here for a year that played I the Super Bowl, he knew. I asked what he would say to God if he died and He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I’d be like, ‘I’m a great individual at heart and I followed your ways,’” he paused a moment and added, “And I didn’t commit any really big sins.” He thought he the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. He went to Church. I began to go through the Gospel with him then and he knew Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world. I explained how Jesus’ blood and righteousness had cleansed him quoting 1 John 1:7. “I understand,” he said. I also explained the righteousness of God and how because Jesus did the work it was worth an infinite amount because he was God. He would not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good and he was connected to him. I compared it to a Quarter Back who wasn’t really that good but had a great Offensive line and a great running back and they made him look good. “And guys to throw it to,” he added.” I agreed, “He could just throw it up and they would go get it.” “He’s got his people,” he replied. Right Jesus is all your people. He liked that and stretched back listening with a grin. I explained he had to receive Christ, to believe He was God and died for his sins and rose from the dead. Not Just knowing the story but putting his trust in that. I explained everything and asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus. “I want to be forgiven for my sins,” he replied. So I said there was a prayer he could pray and I began to read through and explain it and realizing he was praying it as I went I paused a bit after the phrases. So I asked if it was the desire of his heart and he said it was so I asked if he wanted to pray it silently. “I was reading it,” he replied. “OK, Amen?” Amen,” he confirmed. I fist bumped him. I went through the Christian life with him. He said he had an app on his phone to read the Bible and had one at his mom’s also. I explained living by the Spirit’s power. I gave him, Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “Forgiven!” on the inside. “For real,” he said seeing the word. “Yeah,” I said. “Things have been going… I needed some guidance,” he said. “That’s why God sent me along,” I replied. I said the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus. I asked if he liked to read and he said “I like to listen. I can see things too.” I told him he was what’s called an auditory learner so I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and said he could look for the author’s stuff on line. “I appreciate you so much,” he said as I got up to go. And I stood up and shook his hand and said “Thanks.”

 I cut across to the BIC building outside, rare to do in January. I sat and wrote some notes down and just down the second-floor hall I came across Shaun sitting on a row of chairs. An African American he had a nylon cap on and some thick braids coming down from under it. His black jeans had no knees left, he wore a hoodie and a T-shirt. He had a wiry build and looked a bit like Russell Brand in profile, from the front his nose was flatter, he had high cheek bones a more Caucasian mouth. Nice guy he said he wanted to buy his mom a house. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven. The question really made him think and he said, “It’s a bigger question than that,” he felt like the answer would be longer than the question, to clarify. Finally he said, “I’m not too sure. I pray to Him. And then we’ve all done some good and some bad. I just pray and ask God to forgive,” he finally concluded. He thought he would have an 80% chance of going to Heaven. It seemed like he used to go to Church regularly but now he went mostly on Holidays and then thinking about it he said he just went on Holidays. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he didn’t immediately know what Jesus had done to take away his sins. I explained all of the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins and the cleansing blood of Christ as a payment for what he had done. “Hum,” he responded listening. I explained this was how God got paid so He could forgive him. I told him about the righteousness Christ earned to his credit. God wanted to adopt him and that he needed to receive Christ to believe Jesus is God, died for his sins and rose from the dead. This was a gift of God’s grace by faith. His good stuff could not fix his bad stuff. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done or if he thought something else. “This one right here,” he replied pointing to the circle with Christ inside him on the throne of his life. “Well if you want to be forgiven there’s a prayer you can pray,” I said and explained the prayer talking him through it. I asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. “Umhum,” he replied. I said he could pray it silently. “Ok, can I keep this?” he paused and asked of the booklet. I said, “Sure,” and he prayed then to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to him then, he had a Bible and I said everything in the Christian life was “By the Spirit’s Power” and that Christianity was living inside out, first asking God to change him on the inside so he would do good on the outside and then in everything he should “Just Ask”. God would help him in all things. I told him that the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the Blood and Righteousness of Christ. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I also gave him, The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible Study. I told him I would pray for him each day through Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. I told him I would see him in Heaven and he should look for me. “Ok it’s Bob right?” I said it was. Good to meet you,” I said. “Good to meet you too sir,” he replied and I headed off.

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

In Him,

Bob