Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I hope your week was blessed with good things from above. I had a productive week planting seeds and 6 students prayed to receive Christ. John and Tae prayed to receive Jesus on Thursday, please pray they each grow in their faith. I also encouraged, Christian a black guy with dreads a long chin beard and glasses in his faith. That was a great conversation about assurance of salvation. And Cody a guy with ringlet curls nearly to his shoulders took The Case for Christianity Answer Book and said he really wanted the sacrifice of Jesus for his sins to be true. That book has 60 apologetic questions on the faith by Lee Strobel.
John was sitting up on the third floor of the BIC in the hallway. He had light brown hair spiked up about an inch a boyish small face and skin like I had at his age (not quite as bad as mine). He wore dark shorts and a gray T-shirt. When I asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died he said, “Start a family,” which is a tell that a guy is a Christian or will trust in Christ. I asked what he would say to God if he died and were asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I don’t know what I would say, because I don’t think I’ve done enough at this current time to be in Heaven,” he replied. He thought the likelihood he would get into Heaven was 40%. I asked if he had been to church at all, like when he was a kid. “I went to AWANA Camp a few times,” he said. I began to go through the Gospel with him and when I asked what Jesus had done back in History to take away his sins he knew He died on the cross. So I went through the blood of Christ as cleansing for his sins and a payment to God. Then I explained the righteousness of Christ to his credit. He would not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good and he was connected to Him. Then he said something like, “OK I got it.” I said he had to receive Jesus to believe Jesus is God died for his sins and rose from the dead. Not that he just knew the story but that he put his trust in that to be forgiven. So if someone would ask, “Why should God let you in Heaven?” you’d say, “Because Jesus died for me.” This would mean he had faith and by grace he was saved through faith. I then showed him the 2 circles and asked if he would want to be forgiven or thought something else. “Be forgiven,” he said. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I talked through it with him asking if it was the desire of his heart. He said it was so I said he could pray it silently right now, I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven. “Yeah, I can do that right here,” he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. I told him then the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I gave him a Bible and wrote His name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave him Bible Promises for You and a Bible Study along with The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I would pray a Bible Verse for Him each day from now until Spring and one year after. “Beautiful, thanks so much Bob,” he replied. “You’re welcome I’ll see ya around,” I said and I headed off.
Later in the day I came upon Tae sitting in the hall on the second floor of the East Science building 20 yards from the bridge into the SRC. He was a very kind guy studying to be an engineer. He was a wholesome looking guy had an oval round head with short hair, almond shaped eyes and the occasional birthmark, one was the size of a hole punch for a notebook where a mustache might one day grow on his left. He wore black nylon pants tight at the ankle and a green COD logo T-shirt. He described himself as shy and intelligent and it fit. He had very little to say. I asked him what he would say to God if asked why he should be let into Heaven. “I believed,” he replied. He thought he would have a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. He went to a large church in Oak Brook. I went through the Gospel with him saying everything I usually say about the blood and righteousness of Christ, the resurrection, and also salvation by faith. He was visibly tracking all through. I asked if he would want to be forgiven or thought something else and stated as I always do the CliffsNotes version of Islam and the Buddha. And then asked, “When you are asking for forgiveness for your sins are you hoping you are good enough and God will forgiven you?” “Yes,” he said immediately. So I said since he hadn’t heard the other possibility, “Or are you thinking in your heart I know I will be forgiven because of what Jesus has done on the cross, or hoping you are good enough.” “The second one,” he replied. “Thinking you were good enough?” I asked to clarify. “Yes,” he said, nodding. “Ok well if you would want to be forgiven there’s a prayer you can pray,” I said and talked him through it asking if it was the desire of his heart. He nodded it was. So I said he could pray it silently, I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven. “Wanna do that?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said and I handed him the booklet and he said, “Thank you.” I turned away and he finished with “Amen.” I told him then the likelihood he would go to Heaven now trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100%. I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front of Bible Promises for You and gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after. He thanked me again while I quickly gave him a Bible study as he had to go. He thanked me and was off.
So thanks for your prayers for the Ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed.
In Him,
Bob
New believers this week:
- Alexa
- Vell
- Cooper
- Leah
- John
- Tae