Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a good day walking with the Lord.  I had a good day on campus and went through the Gospel with 7 students.  No one came to Christ, though 2 students, who seemed to have no clear understanding of the Gospel but were faithful Roman Catholics, claimed to be trusting in Jesus though they began seemedly to be trusting in their religious works.  Explaining salvation by faith to Religious students like this, along with imputation, is a about 15% of the conversations I have, since DuPage county is about 60% Roman Catholic.  Some pray with me – almost all respond positively.  The guys were Kevin, an average sandy-haired guy, and Thomas, a shorter guy dressed like an athlete with bright red hair.  Both were really interested and grateful, and they took Bible Studies from me on the Deity of Christ that they were drawn to.  Thomas said, “Thanks I’ll think about all this.”  Both said the same thing when I asked them, after going through the Gospel, “If you do something wrong and feel like you should ask for forgiveness, are you thinking ‘Well I’m good and do good things at Church and God is good so he will forgive me,’ or are you trusting that Jesus has died on the Cross for your sins and that is why you will be forgiven?”  Each then said, after thinking about it, “I trust in Jesus.”  So I hope that is a first step for their faith if it was not already present at a saving depth.

Ken was really searching today. He’s a big guy with dishwater blonde hair and a day’s growth of beard. He wore metal-rimmed glasses.  He started out in Art but decided there was a better future in Heating and Air Conditioning. He was sitting on the floor, against the wall in the big lounge where we have Bible Study.   When asked why God should let him into Heaven he said he would say and ask.  “I would consider myself a good enough person. It seems like I’d be a logical choice [to get into Heaven]. But if He has some standard I didn’t reach, if He could tell me what I didn’t do to reach it and what I did do.”  We talked a long time and about Faith and that was the rub he’d had a hard time getting to.  Strangely, some rude guy sat down on the floor with us, trying to interrupt, but gave up somehow and walked away.  The guy didn’t even introduce himself and just began talking over what we were saying to each other with some brand of universalism then left.  It turned out Ken had been listening to The Case for Faith as he drove to work (an hour each day) given to him by an old High School friend.  He said it was pretty good and had some good arguments, but he couldn’t quite get to faith.  I went through the Gospel with him, quoting Eph. 2:8.  I recommended he pray to God while he listened to the book and ask God to give him faith, since it was a gift from God.  I explained the rest of Gospel to him entirely, the Trinity and the Holy Spirit.  I gave him Michael Heiser’s podcast to listen also, and a couple Rose publication hand outs on the validity of the Bible and 100 Prophecies Jesus fulfilled.  He was really interested in them and anxious to read them.  I gave him my contact information and a Bible study, so I’ll be praying for Ken.  It was the best conversation because I saw that I was a piece God was using along with his old friend to lead Ken to Himself.  I know God will complete it.  In the end he said the idea of asking for faith as he drove and listened (to Strobel’s book) really seemed a good one and he said he would likely do it. Please pray he does.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for Evangelism today if you had a chance. God blessed and I felt it was a good use of time serving the Lord.

In Him,

Bob