Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope ya had a great day walking in the faith. I had a good day on campus and Daisha prayed with me to receive Jesus today, please pray she grows in her faith. Nick said he might pray tonight a shaggy sandy haired small guy in the cafeteria with a short groomed beard, he thanked me for “explaining this” to him. I gave a book a Muslim girl who interrupted my going through the Gospel with Frank who took The Case for Christ Answer Booklet So God had some work for me today. Thanks for your prayers. Two students trusted in Christ at the Bible study last night Victoria and Antonio.

There are some recessed alcoves on the third floor they have made into seating areas. These overlook the third floor of the SSC lounge where we have Bible Study. Daisha was sitting in one that had two stuffed chairs and an end table between them. African American, she had long light brown hair falling to her shoulders sort of fair skinned. She wore a t-shirt and grey sweats and had wire frame rectangular glasses on with red socks and white red-laced shoes. She had a wide mouth and a cute, short face. I asked if she’d want to do a student survey for a Bible Study group. “I’ve already done one,” she replied. “With me?” I replied knowing we hadn’t talked this year. “No someone else,” she replied. “Well, this is different the big question is; ‘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?’ She said, “I don’t know what I’d say.” “Well,” I asked, “would you like to hear the Bible verses that tell you how you get to Heaven or aren’t you interested. She said OK so I put my backpack against the other chair and said, “I’ll sit at your feet, like you’re a queen,” I replied and sitting on the floor to her left I began to explain the Gospel. I said all I usually say saying God wanted to live inside her but had to take away her sin. I asked what Jesus had done back in history to take away the sins of the world. “He died on the cross,” she replied. “Right, He died for you,” I replied and explained how Jesus blood had cleansed her of sin and was a payment to God. She was engaged but seemed pretty shy. I explained how Jesus had earned the righteousness of God illustrating it like getting someone’s extra credit you did not earn getting 100% in class. She grinned at that story and I said then she needed to receive Jesus by faith, believing Jesus is God died for her sins and rose from the dead. “Not that you just knew the story but that that’s what you put your trust in so that if someone would say to you, ‘Why should God let you into Heaven?’ you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’” I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done or if she thought something else. “I would want to be forgiven for my sins,” she said. So I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I read it through for her and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart reading from the booklet. “Yeah,” she replied. So I said she could pray it silently right now, “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven. Wanna do it?” “Yeah,” she said again and she prayed to receive Jesus. I took the booklet back and she said, “Thank you.” I explained living the Christian life by the Spirit’s power and asked if she went to Church. She said she went to a Christian Church. I told her I had a book for her and gave her, Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. She liked to read and so I also gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I gave her a Bible study and explained it and told her I would pray a Bible verse for her each day from now until Spring and one year after. I said if I saw her again I would just say hi and she said, “Thank you,” brightly and I headed out.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed with all good things from the Lord. I had a good day on campus so far and I’ll return to teach a Bible Study towards evening. A guy whose name was Prodigy prayed with me to receive Christ today. His story is below if you have some time. Please pray he grows in his faith. I’d be grateful if you’d pray we get students back for the Bible study as I am hoping some have trusted Christ after going through the Gospel with them last week.

Prodigy was sitting just after the fire doors on the hall side of the SRC building. He had a black tank top on and a gold chain, his black hoodie zipped up halfway and black sweats. He had smallish, handsome, boyish features. His loose afro was pulled back into a knot behind his head. He had a barely showing mustache. He was studying computer science and wanted to get some kind of virtual business going. 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?” “Just ‘cause of how kind I been to a lot of people. I also stood up for a lot of people being picked on… I done a lot of good for a lot of people so why not,” he said. He thought he had a 100% chance of going to Heaven and went to church a couple times a month. I began to go through the Gospel with him and explaining that God wanted to transfuse His life into him by the Holy Spirit living in him but first had to take away his sins. “So what’s the big thing Jesus did back in History to take away the sins of the world?” I asked. He could not think of anything so I began to go through the Gospel explaining the blood and righteousness of Christ. He listened to the analogies and looked me in the eye, interested. I explained that he needed to receive Jesus to believe Jesus is God died for his sins and rose from the dead. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done. Then the Spirit would live inside him and give him strength, take him to Heaven when he died. Or did he think something else. He pointed with his finger to the circle with Christ living inside him on the throne of his life. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I read it through for him explaining each line. “I like this,” he said in response to the prayer. I asked if it expressed the desire of his heart? “Yeah,” he replied. I said he could pray it silently and know he’s forgiven. “Wanna do it?” “Yeah,” he said again and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. “Thank you,” he said as I handed it to him. I asked if he liked to read he said he liked to read some things. I showed him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and explained Strobel’s story. “I’d read that,” he replied. I gave him a Bible Study explaining it and it didn’t seem he’d heard the story of Jesus walking on the water so I told him and the story and explained how it was a claim to be God based on the description in Job. I 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. He said he appreciated it. I got up to go and said, “Cool to meet you.” “Nice to meet you too,” he replied. And I headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and sisters in Christ,

I hope you day was blessed with good things from above. I had a good day on campus and Jamai & Luke each prayed to receive Jesus. Their stories are below. Please pray they grow in their faith.

I got a couple of good seeds planted too with Collin (real short sandy hair and short beard), a guy clean and sober for 3 years. He took The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study understood the gospel completely for the first time. In the PE building a few Lacrosse players were sitting and one I’d gone through the Gospel with before, of the other 2 Piero was a Christian but Mike wanted to think though the Gospel and was close. He had brown hair and an Errol Flynn mustache wearing a Lacrosse T-shirt.

Jahmai [j my] was sitting on a bench on the outside of the corner lounge students sit to wait to take a test just down from the doors that lead to the water fall. His hair was in ringlets out 5 or more inches from his head like he was wearing fireworks. His skin was on the fair side for a black guy and his features were more Euro than traditional African American. He was wearing a black hoodie and sweats with white piping down the edges. He was a friendly nice guy. 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?” “That’s a really good question,” he replied and thought for a little. “I was always faithful in the Lord. I’m not a perfect person but I definitely pray every morning,” he finished. I asked the likelihood he would go to Heaven when he died and he said, “I can’t say,” he replied. I began to go through the Gospel with him and asked what Jesus had done to take away his sins. “You ask for forgiveness,” he guessed. I said Jesus did forgive and this is how it works and began to explain how God became a man to cleanse us from out sins by dying and pouring out his blood as a payment to God for what we owed God. Jesus earned the righteousness of God and we inherited this righteousness by adoption. He took everything in attentively looking at the booklet rarely at me. After explaining being saved by faith I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins. He pointed at the circle with Jesus on the throne I had explained as Christ living inside him giving him strength through life and taking him to Heaven when he died. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it and he said “OK.” I said he could pray it silently, “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yeah” he replied and he prayed then to receive Christ. When He finished I said the likelihood he would now be forgiven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. He had a Bible and went to Church regularly. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and I told him Strobel’s story and gave him a Bible study. I 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. He said he was just sitting here planning to study for a test and take it. I said I would pray for his test and asked if he wanted to pray now. He said he did so I took off my hat and prayed he would do well and God would help him recall everything to mind but that was not God’s plan he would be guided by whatever happened. He thanked me and I said I would see him in Heaven and he could tell me how things went and I headed off.

I came across Luke sitting in the cafeteria. He looked a bit like Rick Fox the old Laker’s player but was darker and with a slightly shorter face, he wasn’t as tall. He wore a black and white Jersey black regular shorts and his afro was about an inch high. He was clean-shaven.  He hoped to play professional soccer. 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?” He thought a minute and said, “Because I believe He is the Higher Power.” He thought he had a 30% chance of going to Heaven. He went to a Lutheran church and went a lot when he was younger but he hadn’t been in a month. I began to explain the Gospel to him and he began to track with me. I asked what Jesus had done back in the day to take away his sins and he said, “He rose from the dead,” then added, “He died on the cross.” He asked, as I had explained that Jesus died to pay for our sins and cleansed us, if anyone went to Hell. I said they definitely did saying they had to receive Christ to avoid it and receive the rights of a child of God. I went back and explained the righteousness of Christ and that God gave him through adoption. I said he had to receive Jesus and believe on His name. “So if God would say to you, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.” “How do you have to say it?” he asked. “Can you say it any way or is there a specific tone of voice. I said it was not an incantation like magic words you had to believe in your heart. I asked if he was fast, he said he was. I said so when a guy with the ball is coming toward you, then you are making a calculation of where he is trying to get to and you trust in your speed to get you there, to get to where the ball will be. He agreed. So like that you have to trust in Jesus to get you to Heaven. That registered. I asked if he would want to be forgiven and he said he, I would be forgiven.” I said then there was a prayer he could pray and I asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. He took the booklet and read through the prayer and said, “Yes.” So I said he could pray it silently and he gave a sound of agreement and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. When he finished he reached out and shook my hand and said, “Thank you.” I explained that the likelihood he would not go to Heaven trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100%. “I like this,” he said. I said, “I’ll right that down and that you shook my hand.” “I’ll shake it again,” he said and did with a grin. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day until Spring and one year after. I told him Strobel’s story and gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet, and a Bible Study. He said he would try to make the one at school. “Thank you it was great to see ya,” I said. “It was great to see you too thank you for coming into my life,” he replied. I said he was welcome and 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

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was filled with life and peace in the Holy Spirit. Last night’s Bible study had 5 students and I went through the Gospel. It was good and I think 3 students there will pray to receive Christ as they said they would. Victoria, Madeline and Antonio. I’ll check next week. I had a good day on campus today. I found out Tate from last October (I had prayed for him all summer) had prayed to receive Jesus. He was a changed man and was sitting at the same table in the P.E. building. Tate’s a tall solid built strawberry blonde now former Methodist. He now had a beard he’d been clean-shaven. He had said he would pray when he was alone last October and it turned out he had. “I picked up what you are laying down when you were taking about the crucifixion,” he also said then having said when we met he was trusting in the good things he had done to get into Heaven. He’d only thought he had a 50/50 chance to get there. I gave him The Student Edition: The Case for Faith today.  He drives in from Indiana 2 days a week. Then Teinua from Africa and Kaden whose father is a pastor in Indiana both prayed with me to receive Jesus. Please pray they grow in their faith. Their stories are below if you have time today.

I came across Teinua [t new ah] sitting in the hallway just a little down from the tunnel exit over to the PE building where I had been speaking with Tate. He had short hair close to his round head, he was dark skinned with classic African American features. He wore a long sleeve dark grey shirt and black pants. He said he wanted to have a closer relationship with Jesus. 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?” “’Cause I… I follow His word, I obey His word. I seek Him out every day. I prioritize Him.” He replied. “I don’t want to oversell myself,” he said then as a disclaimer. He thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven saying you couldn’t know how things would go. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he knew Jesus had died to take away his sins when I asked. He had an earnest look on his face as I continued and explained the work of Christ on the cross His blood to cleanse him and pay for his sins. I explained the righteousness of Christ. “So Jesus is your robe of righteousness, He’s your garment of salvation. You don’t go to Heaven because you are good but because Jesus is good and you’re connected to Him. Like if you marry a millionaire you got a million bucks or if you get adopted into a billionaire’s family you get to live I the mansion and drive the cars.” I explained God adopted him and the blood and sacrifice and righteousness would be his as a result. I talked about being saved by faith and how his good things could not make up for his bad things. I asked him if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. I then added, “When you are asking for forgiveness for your sins are you thinking God will forgive you because you are a good person or have you been thinking I know God will forgive me because Jesus died for my sins?” “This has been hard,” he replied talking bout what I had explained to him. “I knew Jesus would forgive me…” “But you were not really trusting in what He had done,” I put in. “But yeah,” he said. I said if he wanted to be forgiven trusting in Jesus there was a prayer he could pray and I asked if that was something he thought he needed to do. “Yeah,” he said. “I said he could pray it silently and he took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life living by the Spirit’s power. I said the likelihood he would now go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. He had the identical promise book I give people so I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave him The Student Edition of the Case for Christ. I gave him a Bible Study. He asked what had made me talk to him and I said I liked talking to black students because I often found them spiritually sensitive and I saw the cross around his neck. “But I think God leads me to people,” I replied and he agreed. He thanked me and I shook his hand and told him I would keep him in my prayers each day from now until Spring and one year after. And I headed off.

Kaden was sitting at the counter in the cafeteria. He had fair skin for a black student and full lips a smaller noes and a square jaw long face. He had 5 inch pencil width curls in kind of a mop. He wore a black hoodie and Grey shorts. Good-looking guy. He had come here to play basketball and was a shooting guard and sometimes a point guard. He hoped to get a scholarship for his efforts when he transferred out so he could study to be a computer engineer. His dad was a pastor in Indiana. When I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven he said, “I would say I did my best to live in a way that pleased you,” he replied and confidently said the likelihood he would go to Heaven was 100%. As I went through the Gospel with him asking what Jesus had done to take away his sins he knew Jesus had died.  I told him the Gospel using the illustrations I always do explain in that Jesus had said he was to be “perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect.” As I had also said to Teinua I explained the righteousness of Christ and salvation by faith not works. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done for him. I also asked if when he was asking for forgiveness for his sin he had been thinking that he was good enough or had really been trusting in what Jesus had done and that was why he knew he would be forgiven. He said he had “never gone into it in depth like you just taught me.” He said it had always been drummed into him at church but he hadn’t put it together to be forgiven, “Yeah I was just trying to feel better,” he said, about getting over screwing up. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I walked him through the prayer and asked if he thought it was something he still needed to do. “Yes, “ he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. I quickly explained living by the Spirit’s Power. I gave him, Bible Promises for You  and I wrote 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 told him I would keep him in my prayers each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. He shook my hand and I said, “God bless you.” “God bless you too,” he replied. “Thank you,” I said, “you know for the blessing.” He smiled and headed out happy.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed recognizing the grace given to you. I had a good day on campus and Emily and Jaylin each prayed to receive Jesus. Please pray they grow in their faith. Their stories are below if you have time.

Emily had long brown hair parted in the middle and a pretty mature face, looked Latina. She wore a grey sweatshirt and leggings with flared bottoms. She was sitting in the hallway and had 5 minutes until her class stated. I asked her “the big question” that she said she’d be willing to hear. “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?” “Because of all the good things I’ve done,” she replied. I said, “Well think about it this way, “Christianity is like a blood transfusion, I have A+ blood if you fill me full of B- blood I would clot up and die.” I told her as I tell just about everyone God wanted to transfuse His life into her, live inside her with His Holy Spirit but first that to make him His type, by taking away her sin. I asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sins and she knew He had died. I began to go through the Gospel with her speaking of the blood of Christ and his resurrection from the dead. I left out the righteousness of Jesus imputed to her except to quickly mention it. I asked her if she wanted to be forgiven for her sins or thought something else, “Be forgiven,” she said. So I went through the prayer with her and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart. She was thinking of something else and I asked again and she said, “Oh,” and read it and said, “yes.” I asked if shed like to pray it silently, she nodded and prayed to receive Jesus. I quickly gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front and she thanked me. I gave her Strobel’s book The Case for Christ Answer Booklet.  And she had heard of his story before. I gave her a Bible study and told her I would keep her in my prayers each day from now until Spring and one year after. “Well I’m going to make you late for class,” I said. She agreed, “Nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you too,” I replied and she hurried off. I thought it was 2 minutes after her class began but later realized my watch was 4 minutes ahead so I think she just made it.

Jaylin was sitting outside the “Everyone is welcome” sign room with glass walls near student activities. They were loudly beating drums in exactly the same cadence over and over again. I had walked through the area about 40 minutes before and they were still at it when I came back through, no change. He had short braids and his hair was shaved an inch past his his hair line in front and similarly over his ears, it made the look of his hair like a cap. He had on tan pants and a grey hoodie. He also wore a small black cross as an earring hanging beneath his left ear. He was small slight and had a caterpillar mustache and something of a goatee under his chin. He had sharp features and a small sharp nose. Good-looking guy. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and were asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I would say… I don’t know what I would say to God. I think I would say, I don’t know. I don’t know why you would.” I asked the likelihood he would go to heaven when he died. “50/50 where I am right now,” he replied. I went through the Gospel with him and he had a basis for understanding it all. I said God wanted to be one with him and live inside him but first had to make him His type by taking away his sins. I asked how Jesus had done that and he knew Jesus had died. So I explained more clearly than he had understood about the blood of Christ to cleanse him and pay God and the righteousness of God Christ earned. Explaining he was saved by faith I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “I wanna be forgiven,” he replied. I explained there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it and asked if it expressed the desire of his heart. He nodded it did. 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 it?” “Sure,” he replied. He prayed then to receive Christ. He had a Bible but hadn’t been to Church in a while. I told him to start in John. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and forgiven in the front. “Thank you so much,” he replied. I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I said he might find one of the questions in it valuable. I talked him thorough a Bible study a bit and told him I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after. I got up to go and said, “OK baby see you around.” “Thank you so much,” he said again and I headed off.

So thanks for your prayer for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed. I’m off to go to a Bible Study.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed walking with the Lord. I had a good day on campus and Ben, Marquese and Shawn each prayed with me to receive Christ. Pat gained assurance of faith and I answered some Christian life questions for George after he heard me talking with another student. Please pray these guys grow in their faith. Their stories are below if you have time.

Ben had a tight pad of blonde curls the sides were short, he wore a grey t-shirt, black shorts and had a good-looking athletic face. Muscular. He was sitting in some new booths that they have placed into the wall along the edge of the SSC lounge they just remodeled. He wanted to become a fireman like his father who had been a Priest in the Catholic Church. He went to Catholic schools as a kid. Though he’d grown up in the Catholic Church he had been looking into faith and said he was kind of finding his way through it. It turned out his girlfriend Jordan was a Christian who was really into her faith and she’d been kind of steering his quest. They’d dated for 3 years. I walked up and he was not sure he wanted to do a survey so I asked if he would want to just answer the big question. He agreed to consider it and I said, “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 believe everyone goes to Heaven,” he replied. I asked if he would want to hear some Bible verses on how you get into Heaven and he agreed. I began and asked him what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world. He could not think of anything in that moment. I went through the Gospel with him saying everything I usually said about the blood of Christ and His righteousness and he asked some questions for clarification. I added as I sometimes do that Heaven was not just a place it was the presence of God and you had to be perfect to enter it. Jesus was perfect and cleansed us so we could be in God’s presence and He could live inside us. I said that he would not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good and he was connected to Him. I explained that God adopted him and made him His child and gave him the sacrifice for his sins the blood that cleansed him and the righteousness of God that surrounds him and then filled him with His Spirit. I said he needed to receive this by faith. I asked finally if he would want to be forgiven for his sins or thought something else. “Trust in God,” he said. So I said if he wanted to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done for him there was a prayer he could pray and talked him through it asking if it was the desire of his heart. “Yeah,” he replied. I said he could pray it silently and I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear him and he’d know he was forgiven. “Wanna do it?” I asked. “Yeah,” he replied again and he prayed to receive Jesus. I explained then that everyone would not go to Heaven or Heaven would be just like earth. “No,” he agreed realizing they wouldn’t. In order for everyone to get along there they would have to be transformed and for many people they would no longer be themselves at all if God made them fit for Heaven I said and he agreed. We talked about marriage and women and men and the differences. I could tell he really admired his girlfriend. He asked what the differences were in Roman Catholicism and Christianity as I’d explained it. I said at a base level regardless of what the Church says for many people they only believe the basic thing, that Jesus is God died for their sins and rose from the dead. They have faith in that and don’t understand what the Church is saying about the rest of it anyway. I explained sacramentalism to him and said that if it were true that certain sacraments helped you to be drawn near to God they could still only do so by the power of the Holy Spirit. I said I did not think that it was impossible for God to decide to work in you honoring these things but it was still God at work not the things. I talked about the Mass and said at one point if people kneeled during it because they thought the elements of the Eucharist had become God that would mean they were wrong. He agreed and replied that he had always done that as a kid to be respectful and had never thought of it that way. It seemed he had left the Catholic Church so I did not go on. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I told him I would keep him in my prayers each day praying a Bible verse for him until Spring and one year after. He thanked me and was grateful and I headed out.

I leaned against the wall around the corner and sat on the floor to make some notes on the conversation with Ben. I never got to it as a 6’2” thin black guy got a drink for the fountain about 8 feet in front of me and asked me how I was doing. He looked like a wide receiver. Maybe I looked like I needed help. He had a mop of braids about 5 inches long, the sides were shaved. He was clean-shaven with sharp features, good-looking guy, wearing a black hoodie and black narrow leg sweats. I said something like, “Well, I’m old so you know.” He asked what I meant and I talked about a few of my mishaps on the road on motorcycles and in cars and said I’d hurt my neck and today had a headache from it, the basic stuff. He asked what I did here and I said I walk around and talk to people about Jesus. He was supportive and so I asked him what he’d say to God to get into Heaven question. He said “I wouldn’t.” “You wouldn’t stand before God?” I asked. “No I wouldn’t be let into Heaven,” he as much as said that he had not done enough. I said that wouldn’t get him into Heaven anyway. He said he knew that you had to believe in Jesus but he did not think that was enough. (It turned out he did not understand a saving faith as believing in Jesus.) I told him “Christianity is like a blood transfusion, I have A+ blood if you fill me full of B- blood I would clot up and die.” I told him God wanted to transfuse His life into Him, live inside him with His Holy Spirit but first that to make him His type. I said lemmie show you this. I got out a booklet so he’d have something to take with him. Like a blood transfusion God had to take away his sins I explained. I asked him what the big thing was that Jesus had done to take way his sins. He did not know. I began to explain the atonement to him, that he owed God a perfect life. He couldn’t live it and everything he did took away life, stealing someone’s stuff they had spent their life acquiring. Everything came down to life. He resonated with that. I explained the payment for his sins, that Jesus blood was filled with life of infinite value because he was the creator God. “So that’s the key,” he said. I agreed it was and explained the righteousness Christ earned. This was his through adoption he needed to receive Christ by faith to have the right to become a child of God. He asked if it was enough to believe it, did that reach his soul? I said he should look like he believed but your will and your mind were your soul and though you would leave your body behind at some point your will and mind would go with you when you died. He seemed to see that was true and agreed. I asked if he wanted to be forgiven for his sins. He did. I showed him the prayer. “Can I have this?” he asked.  “Yes and you can pray it right now,” I replied. Saying it could be silently, “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven,” I replied. “I’ll pray it out loud,” he said assing, “Now I have to really think about this so I will mean it.” Then he prayed to receive Christ as I prayed too taking off my hat. He’d gotten a message someone was waiting for him. I told him I would be praying for him each day and I gave him Bible Promises for You I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I gave him a Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I gave him a hug and we battered a bit more and he said, “One more time,” hugging me and saying, “God bless you.” “God bless you too,” I replied and he headed off.

I sat back down and wrote a couple things down and then walked ahead through like a mini lounge up on the third floor. I was kinda feeling worn so I turned down the connecting hallway heading south. I walked by Shawn sitting in a sofa armchair with an empty chair across from him and turned back to ask him. He had straw blonde hair a bit long on top. Was a solid guy and wore a plaid shirt and tan pants. He shook my hand as he sat down. He had a round head and a smaller face. Kind of an average everyman looking guy, 25 years old. He started talking to me about a lot of things. He had been the Navy. It turned out he personally thought China was our worst threat and so he always put in for the Pacific theatre. He’d gone in to be a computer tech but they made him a mechanic. I said with all the AI he might find being a mechanic more profitable. He said he’d thought that but he was back in school learning computer science anyway and at times not sure it was the right idea. We talked about the Navy, war, threats to society and agreed on everything interestingly enough. We’d spent too much time talking already that I new he’d probably have to take off. (It’s always a press for time with impromptu conversations and even more so on campus where they have a goal.) I said, “Well let me just ask you the big question. “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 don’t know. I think that’s the whole thing. I’m not really worthy to go to Heaven. It’s up to Him from here, [it’s not up to] that person.” It turned out he wasn’t really raised in a church with his mom but had gone with his grandmother. He didn’t mention his dad at all. I began to go through the gospel with him and I explained the atonement and that blood had been a payment for his sins and cleansed him. He knew the basic thing that Jesus was God and had died. I explained God’s righteousness and adoption and salvation by faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus and he said, “Yeah I would want to be forgiven.” I said there was a prayer he could pray I read it he agreed it expressed the desire of his heart. I said he could pray it silently if wanted and he said, “OK.” He prayed to receive Jesus. He didn’t have a Bible so I gave him one and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I gave him Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I gave him a Bible study but just cited one quick example. He thought he might come to a Bible Study some time. I said that he had been on the track and just needed a bit more. He agreed he needed “a nudge over,” he’d been right on the edge and had been looking now on the plateau. We spoke of how God sent me along to give him the next piece. He asked for my contact information. He shook my hand saying as he did, “Once again, I appreciate it.” “You’re welcome,” I replied. “Have a good day.” And he headed off to a veterans meeting at school, thanks to me he was a little late.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

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:

1. Alexa
2. Vell
3. Cooper
4. Leah
5. John
6. Tae

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and you were given all good things. I had a good day on campus and Alex an episcopal student committed to Christ. (He had brown hair and a nice tan and the perfect skin of the young, tall, good looking long face.) He thought he would pray later. I had a good long conversation with Bujar from Albania and went through the Gospel with him. (He had very short hair and a couple days growth of beard, looked like Jimmy Cagney’s cousin or a dockworker.) I gave him the book Dear Muslim Friend. He liked it. Finally Leah prayed to receive Jesus. Her Story is below if you have time. Please pray she grows in her faith.

Leah is African American and was wearing blue jeans and a Hooters hoodie. I think it might have been more about owls to her since she had no salacious aspect to her persona, not even remotely. But the restaurant may have changed from it’s rep, I’ve never been there. She had a plain oval face with perfect skin and full lips. She wore a white headband and straight hair poured out the back of it to her shoulders. Her medium sized nose was pinched between the very large blue frames of near square glasses. She said she went to a large church on Rt. 59, I had heard of, which was 25 minutes from campus. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven if she died. “I feel like—I don’t know, I feel like I’d say there’s better people than me that are more worthy of getting in than I am,” she replied. She thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to heaven when she died. I explained that Jesus had said knowing God was eternal life and said this meant God lived inside her. I said the problem was sin, like a blood transfusion God had to make her His type, so he took away her sins. So I asked her what Jesus had done back in History to take away the sins of the world. “I don’t know,” she replied unable to think of anything. I began to explain the Gospel to her then and she agreed with the points giving verbal ascent to the blood and righteousness of Christ and God adopting her. I finished explaining that she received Jesus by faith, believing that Jesus was God had died for her sins and rose from the dead. Not that she just knew the story from growing up at church (though she hadn’t known it) but that she put her trust in this as an adult. “So if someone would say to you, ‘Why should God let you into Heaven?’ you’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’” I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus then he would live inside her and give her strength and she said, “I would want to be forgiven.” I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and the read it through to her and said, “So if you don’t think you have ever prayed a prayer like this before asking God to forgive you trusting in Jesus you could pray it silently right now. I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven.” “OK,” she replied and took the booklet and closed it. “Did you pray it while I read it?” I asked. “Yes,” she replied. I took it back and then explained the Christian life. She told me I had nice hand-writing and I said I did the best I could. I explained the Christian life living “By the Spirit’s Power”. I found out she already had a Bible at home. So I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. “Thank you,” she said taking the booklet. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. She thanked me taking that and I gave her a Bible study. I told her I would pray a Bible Verse for her each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless her. She was grateful and said it was nice to meet me and I headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance, God truly blessed bringing Leah to Himself and I got some seeds planted.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day was a blessed one with all good things from above. I had a good day on campus, Ryan (sandy mop of hair and a jaw line beard) and James (very short dark hair   and a mustache and goatee) each committed to Christ as they wolf down a couple chicken sandwiches, took booklets might pray. Wendy (a pretty Latina with a rigid lined nose) said she’d think about it. Eli (glasses mop of hair, like Mr. Peabody’s boy Sherman) said he’d think about it. Finally Cooper prayed to receive Christ. His story is below if you wish to spend some time. Please pray he grows in his faith.

Cooper was sitting in the MAC arts building. He was a big dude with sandy hair parted down the middle, shaggy but exposed ears, and a sharp nose and angled jaw line. He looked like a offensive lineman he had me by 4 inches. He wore black nylon shorts and a black hoodie. He said he played Lacrosse in HS. His friends went to the Inter Varsity Bible Study but in a couple of day his class started at that time and he did not want to go once and quit. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?”  “I don’t really think he should,” he replied. “Is there a but there of any kind?” I asked. “I don’t know, I’ve had a lot of lustful thoughts the past 5 years.” I said that was probably true of most guys his age but he could ask God to cleanse them away. He thought he had a 50% chance of going to Heaven. He had gone the Yellow Box Church of Naperville for their youth group in HS but attended a Catholic Church. He planned to be confirmed eventually. I explained God wanted to live inside him. So God took away his sins and asked what it was that Jesus had done back in History to take away the sins of the world. He could not think of anything and I said it would come back to him. He saw the cross on the next page then as part of the illustration and said, “Oh he was crucified.” I said that was true. I began to explain the blood of Christ as that which cleansed him from sin and was a payment to God. He knew Catholic Doctrine, at least concerning transubstantiation. He said the priest forgave your sins in confession. I told him standing Catholic doctrine was that only God could forgive your sins. I compared the priest with an insurance agent. You bought the insurance from him but when you crack up your car the agent does not pay, the company pays. The Priest could only tell you, God forgave your sins, he could not forgive them.  “Like a middle man,” he replied and I agreed, and said confessing to a priest might feel better but if you travel to china and they put you in jail and there is no priest around if you confess God will forgive your sins.  I explained the righteousness of Christ and that he would not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good and he was connected to Him. “Does anyone ever shout at you in here?” he asked. Meaning the MAC arts building was pretty filled with anti-Christian people. I agreed it was pretty leftist at this end of school but the kids were pretty cool to me that I asked. But I assumed the faculty did not like me much (I’d actually had direct experience of this I did not mention.). I went on to say that he needed to receive Jesus by faith. So that if someone would say to him why should God let you into Heaven he’d say, “Because Jesus died for me.” I asked if he’d want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done for him. “I mean yeah,” he replied.  I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it asking if it was the desire of his heart. “”Yeah,” he replied. I said if he wanted to he could pray it silently and I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven. “Yeah,” he said again and I turned away from him to let him alone from where he was sitting at a counter height table in the MAC lounge overlooking an exhibit. He prayed the to receive Jesus. I explained living the Christian life, “By the Spirit’s Power. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front, which he liked. I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a bible Study. I told him I would keep him in my prayers praying a Bible verse for him each day. I told him then the likelihood he would go to Heaven trusting in the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus was 100%. “Thank you,” he said as we both got up to go. “Cool, take care man,” I replied. “Have a good one,” he said and I headed off.

So thanks for your prayers for the ministry and for evangelism today if you had a chance God truly blessed.

In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a blessed day walking with the Lord. I had a good day on campus and Alexa and Vell each prayed to receive Jesus today. Their stories are below if you have time. Please pray they grow in their faith.  I went through the Gospel with Max a sandy haired guy (had a mop of straight hair combed raggedly forward) who wanted to keep the booklet and think about it, he also took a Bible study. I had a long talk with John, the guy in the works righteousness cult on campus, on the idea that you must be baptized to be saved. He is a former Muslim. He added to passages; it was interesting how he used the idea of context to add a different idea. He had no answer for how the Spirit would enter you as soon as you believed [Eph 1:13] if you were not cleansed of your sin by faith before any baptism. I agreed one should have been baptized in their Christian life but not that it contributes to your salvation.

Alexa was sitting in the south hallway of the west-most Health and Science buildings. She wore long jean shorts and a pink long-sleeved top. He had long brown wavy hair parted in the middle a diamond shaped face with pronounced cheeks, she wore red lipstick and had lined on a slash off the corner of her eyes like a comma. She was a kind person. She was shorter and thin, looked Latina. I asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven if she was hit by a bus and died. “Oh that’s a good question,” she replied as she began to think. “I guess I like, pray every night.” She thought she had a 90% chance of going to Heaven and said she went to Church occasionally. I explained that God wanted to live inside her, transfuse his life into her with His Holy Spirit, like a blood transfusion. The problem was sin and I asked what Jesus had done in history to take away her sin. “He was crucified,” she replied. I agreed and went then through the Gospel with her telling her of the Blood and righteousness of Christ. I said God adopted her and all this was hers by faith. If she received Christ, if she believed Jesus was God had died for her sins and rose from the dead, this was faith. So that if someone asked her why should God let you into Heaven she would then say, “Because Jesus died for me.” I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in what Jesus had done or thought something else. “I would want to be forgiven,” she replied. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray. I talked her though the prayer and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart. “Yeah,” she replied. I said she could pray it silently and asked if she’d like to. “Um hum,” she replied and she took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. When she finished I told her I would pray a Bible verse for her each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless her. I explained living by the Spirit’s Power. I said the likelihood she would now go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I gave her a Bible and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I gave her Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study. I got up to go and she said, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome I’ll be praying for you. And I headed off.

I came across Dom a friend from last year who I occasionally had a Bible Study with sitting in the Cafeteria with John who invited me to enter into a discussion on Baptism they were about to have, Dom was relieved to see me. After John left we stayed at the table and talked a bit and Vell came over to say hi to Dom. Dom is a very likable and good-looking guy and knows a lot of students. Vell was wearing a grey watch cap and light grey sweats. A good-looking African American with a small face, he had earrings, something of a mustache and goatee. Vell gave me an acknowledgement nod and Dom sort of introduced us unsure if we’d met. So I asked Vell his name again and since he had a 50-cent size cross around his neck I asked if that was just decoration or meant something to him. He pushes up his left sleeve a bit to show me a tattoo of a large cross with rays coming out it. “OK,” I said. “You wanna hear the Big metaphysical question?” “OK,” he said a little begrudgingly. “You’re walking down the road, you get hit by a bus, so you’re dead. And you stand before God and He asks, ‘Why should I let you into Heaven?’ What would you say?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “I’m working that out.” “Well, you got like 2 minutes for me to show you something?” I asked. He said OK again less than enthusiastic as he’d just walked over to say hi, Dom said he could sit down, he’d stood up to greet Vell but I said he could stand it would be quick. I began to go through the Gospel with him. He liked all the word pictures and it began to win him over or God just gave him ears to hear as likely. I asked what Jesus had done to take away his sins back in the say. “I don’t know,” he replied. So I began to explain the blood of Christ to cleanse him and be a payment for what we owed God. I explained the righteousness of God and said he had to receive Jesus. It was all novel to him as I told him Isa 61:10 and Gal 3:27 as it’s fulfillment saying, “So you don’t go to Heaven because your good you go to Heaven because Jesus is good and you’re connected to Him.” I explained God adopted him and he needed to receive Jesus by faith for all God had done to be his. By grace he was saved through faith. I asked if he would want to be forgiven for his sins trusting in what Jesus had done. “Yeah,” he replied. So I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray. I talked him through it and asked if it was the desire of his heart. He said it was so I said he could pray it silently, we wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven. He agreed and he prayed then to receive Christ. I gave him Bible Promises for You and write his name and the date and forgiven!” on the inside and he smiled a big smile. I explained living by the power of the Holy Spirit. I told him I would pray for him each day a Bible verse for him from now through Spring and one year after. I also gave him and Bible study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. He gave me a side by half hung while shaking my hand and was grateful. His friend a Christian I’d met, Jordan, then walked up and we talked about the idea Jordan and Dom might come to Bible Study. He was going to one in the PE building at 2:30 a guy had invited him to do one. Dom checked and it wasn’t with John.  So he 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