Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you are having a good weekend filled with joy in the Lord of Hosts. I’m a bit behind on my results as I have been digging out of the snow and had Valentine’s Day stuff. But I had a blessed day of Evangelism on Thursday and Kevin and Jayda each prayed to receive Jesus. Their stories are below if you have some time. Please pray they grow in their faith.

 Kevin was sitting in a lounge on the first floor, north side of the BIC building. He sat on the first cushioned bench as you enter the lounge, which emptied of all other students off to class as we talked. He had the hood up on a grey sweatshirt, a mop of sandy curls poured above his forehead, a slight build.  He wore black sweats and had a good-looking boyish face, his skin showing the stress of school. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and were asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” He thought for a minute with an Um and said, “I don’t think there’s an answer to that really. There’s no specific thing you can do to earn your way into Heaven.” I agreed you could not earn it, you’d never know when you had done enough. I asked what he thought the likelihood was he would go to Heaven when he died. “I don’t have an answer to that either,” he replied. He figured he had a chance though said 50%. He said he went to Church but, “Not as much as I should.” I started to go through the Gospel with him, asking what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world. He remembered He had died. I explained then how he was reconciled to God. The blood of Christ cleansed him and so God then could enter him by the Holy Spirit and Christ’s blood was a payment to God. He had a good sense of humor and like the illustrations. I explained the righteousness of God earned by Christ to his credit, that you don’t go to Heaven because you are good but because Jesus is good and you’re connected to Him. God adopted him. He was saved by receiving Christ, believing in His name, not by works. So I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or did he think something else giving him a cliff notes version of Islam and the Buddha. “Definitely that one,” he replied pointing to the circle with Christ inside his life. 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 heart. He said it did. I said he could pray it silently and asked if he’d like to he said, “Yeah,” and took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I explained the likelihood he would go to Heaven now was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and forgiven in the front. I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I explained this was the symbolism I the Mass, the wafer was symbolic of His body and the wine His blood, it memorialized Jesus had died for him and he was forgiven so when he took it he should just say, “Thank you.” He was grateful and smiling and as I got up to go he reached out and shook my hand and said “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” I replied and I said I’d see him around the college and headed off.

 Jayda was sitting in the lounge by the payment windows. She had her phone propped up against her purse and though I did not realize it immediately was on face time as we talked. She wore a peach-colored track suit that had a zip up hoodie. She had what I guess you’d call a handsome face, a little less feminine, wore no visible makeup, her features were not full in the classic Africa American profile. She had an athletic frame. She had very long thin braids that parted on the right and swept over her head and were tied into a knot behind her head making a ponytail. I asked her what she would say to God if she were hit by a bus and died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I deserve to be in Heaven,” she opined. “I have faith. I follow; I have what’s enough.” I asked her then what she had faith in saying, “You had faith in that chair before you sat down you just plopped down on it. So did I. I just assumed mine would hold me.” We sat in the same chairs across the table from each other. “I have faith in my path, in Him delivering me.” I asked the likelihood she would go to Heaven and she replied. “100%, I’m there.” I began to go through the Gospel with her and I asked what Jesus had done to take away her sin so God could live inside her. She said, “He forgives you?” I said he did and this was how it worked. Beginning to give her verse for the atonement. I said we owed God a perfect life as Jesus had said “You are to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” We had not lived a perfect life. So I explained how Jesus had died and shed His blood and “the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” I said this was how God got paid and why He could forgive her. Jesus earned the righteousness of God and it was too her credit. She would not go to Heaven because she was good but because Jesus was good and she was connected to Him. Then God adopted her and made her His child. I explained that she needed to receive Christ to believe, “Jesus is God, He died for your sins and rose from the Dead.” Not that she just knew the story but that that’s what she put her 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. That would mean you had faith in Jesus and the Bible says that it’s by grace you are saved by faith,” I explained to her. I turned the page and showed the 2 circles and said, “Which person would you want to be? Would you want to be forgiven for your sins trusting in Jesus so he could live inside you…” She cut me off with an emphatic, “I’m here!” pointing to the circle with Christ on the throne of her life. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked her through it and said, “It says here does this prayer express the desire of you heart?” She said it did. So I said she could pray it silently. “I read it,” she said. “OK, Amen?” I said. “Amen,” she replied and I reached out and fist bumped her. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. She thanked me. I offered her a Bible study but she said she was good. “I needed this today. Thank you,” she said. I said she was welcome. I told her I would keep her in my prayers each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless her. “Thank you, this is my going to church today.” She said and I got up to head off and in reply to whoever was on the phone she said, “Yeah he is.”

 So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism last week God truly blessed.

 In Him,

Bob