Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I hope you had a great day among the righteous saved by faith. I had a hard time getting any conversations going but Ali received Christ today so that was great. He responses are below if you have some time. Please pray she grows in sanctification by the Spirit.
I had given a print out to a student I made form a commentary to a student and thought I would head up to the third floor. I walked to an elevator as my knee has been giving out when I climb stairs. The elevator I went to was closed for repairs. So I headed to the North side of the BIC where the next closer elevator was and road it up. This put me right in front of the hallway that crossed over to the lounge. Ali was sitting in one of the cut outs on the 3rd floor overlooking the Student Services Lounge a floor below. I felt later like God had led me right to her with a closed elevator. She had a diamond shaped pretty face, high cheek bones and thick French braids on her head, atypical sharp features for an African American. She said for something she wanted to do before she died, “Go on a hike.” I told her about the national parks telling her of the hikes my wife and I look for there. I asked her, “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’d say I always thought of ways not only to be a better person for me but those around me and follow His purpose for my life and do that every day,” she replied. I asked the likelihood she would go to Heaven and she said “Right now…over 50… 60%, I have more to do.” I began to go through the Gospel with her and she agreed with every point enthusiastically. She knew Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world when I asked her. I explained that it was “Just” for God to forgive her because of the payment of Christ’s sacrifice through His death; this blood cleansed her. He earned the righteousness of God to her credit when God adopted her. She had to receive Christ by faith. I explained it was not by works she had listed but faith saved her. I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. She said she would. So I asked if when she was asking for forgiveness for her sins if she had hoped she was good enough and went to church and did good things or if she thought in her heart, “I know I’ll be forgiven because Jesus died for me.” “Good enough,” she replied. So I said there was a prayer she could pray and explained it. “I prayed a prayer like this today,” she replied. Though she could not have understood it were this correct I said, “In praying it now then would you say Amen?” “Yes,” she said. “Great,” I said. “So now you are trusting in the blood and righteousness of Christ not the works you said before?” She agreed. I said, “The likelihood you will now go to heaven is 100% trusting in Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” I explained the Christian life asking for transformation by the Spirit’s power, “Inside out.” I gave her Bible Promises for You and asked, “Is it right to say you received Christ today understanding everything?” “Yes,” she replied. So I wrote her name and the date and forgiven in the front. She asked if she could keep the booklet and I said she could and I also gave her a Bible study and explained it in a way she enjoyed and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet telling her some of Strobel’s story. “This is great, thank you.” she said, turning some pages in one of the books. I told her I would pray a prayer using a Bible verse for her each day asking God to bless her and if I saw her I would give her a wave. “It was a pleasure to meet you,” she said. “It was a pleasure to meet you too,” I replied. “Thank you,” she said softly and I headed out.
So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God truly blessed.
In Him,
Bob