Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your finding rest and peace with a grateful heart as we head into Thanksgiving Day. Classes are cancelled on campus on Wednesday before thanksgiving as students used to not come for the most part anyway. But I had a good day on campus on Tuesday. I had a long friendly talk with a former Muslim who described herself as between religions. We hit it off and I’ll be praying for Maya. Griffin and Kris each prayed to receive Jesus. Please pray they grow in their faith. Their stories are below if you have some time.

Griffin was sitting in a row of chairs as I come into the buildings through the computer center (inside tip it’s beside the parking lot closest to a door and Illinois has cold winters). They removed the lockers across from him but I have a secret place to lock my coat. He had a black t-shirt with a white graphic on it and black sweats. He had a mop of wavy hair the bangs swept from left to right. He had a round face and a day’s growth of what looked like a full beard. He seemed a pretty meek soul but described himself as competitive. It might have been he just didn’t have a lot to say. He was an online gamer and when I asked him one thing he wanted to do before he died he said, “Definitely have kids.” I replied that he’d be the cool dad who could teach gaming. Saying you want a family is a tell every time (so far in my limited experience) that you are a Christian or will pray to receive Christ.  I asked him, “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?” “I would say that it all depends on my actions. If I truly deserve heaven he would let me in and if I don’t I don’t deserve it.” He went to Church “sometimes on Sundays” and thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to heaven. As I went through the Gospel I asked him what the big thing was back in History that Jesus did to take away the sins of the world. He either misunderstood the question or didn’t know at all. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he had kind of a bemused shape to his mouth; I frankly could not tell if it was responsive or just the natural resting shape of his mouth. But I just prayed in my heart he would hear and said what I usually say about the blood and righteousness of Christ his sacrifice and resurrection. This he could receive by grace through faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven or thought something else and he said, “I want to be forgiven.” 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 nodded it did. I said he could pray it silently and asked if he’d want to, “Yeah,” he replied and took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I quickly explained the life in Christ “By the Spirit’s Power” living “Inside out” transformed by the Spirit. And I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. He had to go so I quickly gave him a Bible Study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100% and told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. And he was on his way and I headed off to sequester my jacket.

Kris was a Latino guy, mop of brown hair, sitting in the hallway of the north side of the BIC on the second floor, just down from where we have Bible Study. He said before I’d done more than asking him to do a survey, “I’m in between. I go to Church sometimes. I don’t know which way I’d go,” I saying he wasn’t sure he was going to commit long term to a Christian church going life. He wore glasses that had black frames across the top and a mustache with about a day’s growth of beard, full lips. He had a warm face with a ball chin and a kind demeanor. Had on a jacket and sweats. I asked him one thing he would want to do before he died and he said, “Get married to someone I love.”  I asked, “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?” “Wow. I feel like if you… I always had a pure heart; I never had intention to do evil.” I asked what he thought the likelihood was he would go to Heaven. “Zero to 100?” he asked. “Yeah,” I replied. He thought he had an 80% chance of going to Heaven and then said, “Maybe a little bit optimistic.” I said all I usually say about eternal life, it is knowing God—that He lives inside you but has to take away your sin. He did not seem to know or remember in the moment what Jesus had done to accomplish that. I went on to say we owe God a perfect life and must be purified to enter God’s presence, Heaven isn’t just a place it’s the presence of God. Jesus lives a perfect life for us and His blood and righteousness are given to us by God adopting us. He could receive Christ by faith. I gave him the options in CliffsNotes versions of Islam and the Buddha and asked “Do you want to be forgiven of do you think something else?” “I think I will probably be forgiven,” he said in a tone of voice suggesting the other was not really an option for him. “Well if you’d like to be forgiven there’s a prayer you can pray,” and I went through it with to him asking reading the line, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” He nodded it did saying, “Yeah.” I said he could pray it silently and know he was forgiven. “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yeah,” he replied and he prayed then to receive Jesus. I began to explain the Christian life to him. He had a Bible. I said to read in John and to pray and that when you fail God always forgives you because of Jesus. I told him the likelihood would now go to Heaven trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100%. I also I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. “Thank you,” he said pleased taking the book. I gave him a Bible Study, explaining it and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I stood up to go and told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. God’s plan to change the world is to make good people by living inside them with His Spirit. They change the world. I’m just looking to for people to sign up.  “Thank you,” he said shaking my hand. “You’re doing a good thing here.” I thanked him and was on my way.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism last week if you had a chance. God truly blessed. Two weeks of classes are left.

In Him,

Bob