Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your weekend was blessed with God things in the company of the Lord. I had some distractions and doctor appointments and am behind. On Thursday the 27^th, I talked with a Muslim guy Taha for 2 and a half hours and Natalie prayed with me to receive Christ. The things she said are below if you have the time. Please pray she grows in her faith. Taha (a short/slight Pakistani guy 23yrs old, here without his parents, had a short beard and mustache) asked me to pray for him after we had gone through the Gospel. He had many questions.  I explained that the Muslim belief that Jesus did not die on the cross did not change just one story but negated all the content of the New Testament. I said, “If I told you my wife’s name was Sarah and you saw me later and said you got a new girlfriend named Sarah I might say, ‘You’re dating my wife!’ But then you might say she had Brown hair and was from Lebanon and I’d reply my wife is blonde from Norway. Same name different Girl.” I explained that just because a Christian Arab used the name Allah for God did not mean he had the same God as he did. I gave him a Bible study and a Rose Publication one why the Bible is reliable looking at manuscripts. He believed he had verifiable dreams and I asked him if he had a dream of Jesus if he would believe it. He basically said he would so I am praying he will be directed that way. As we parted he said maybe we could get together and pray. “We’d be praying to different people,” I replied. “You’re praying to the brown-haired girl I’m praying to the blonde.” He remembered the analogy from an hour earlier and we parted amicably.

 Natalie was sitting in some sofa chairs in the hallway along the bookstore with a circular ottoman in front of her. She had on a purple fleece half zipped up over a t-shirt and black leggings that flared out at the ankles. She had brown hair just past her jawline, kind of wavy and tucked behind her ears. I told her she looked like the actress Natalie Wood her jaw was a bit more squared. She said a lot of people told her that. Her face really lit up when she smiled but she was very sober through the Gospel. When I asked her one thing she would do to get into Heaven she basically said she was kind to others. She thought she had a 50/50 chance of getting into Heaven. She went to, what she called, a Christian Church with friends some times. When I asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sins she knew He had died. She tracked right through with explaining Christ’s death as a payment to God. His blood cleansed her. The righteousness of Christ would be to her credit when God adopted her and gave her the blessings of His family. I said she was saved by faith and her good stuff could not fix her bad stuff. I asked her if she wanted to be forgiven and showed her two circles one with God inside her one with God outside her. “Be forgiven,” she said, “I’ve been trying to get closer to God.” So I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and talked her through it. I asked if it was the desire of her heart. “Yeah,” she replied and I said then she could pray it silently and she said, “OK,” and prayed to receive Jesus. I told her then the likelihood she would now get into Heaven was 100% trusting in the blood of Jesus and His righteousness to be hers. I explained the Christian life living by the Spirit’s power in prayer and circumstances and I explained Christianity was “inside out”. First we pray for God to transform us on the inside then we become good people and do good things on the outside. I gave her Bible Promises for You writing her name and the date and forgiven!” on the inside. She thanked me and then I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible Study and ways Jesus claims to be the God of the Old Testament. I talked to her about being a Child of God and the beauty in everyone I see. I apologized then for keeping her and she said that was fine and I got up to go. “Thanks so much I really appreciate it,” she said and I thanked her and, “You’re welcome,” and headed off.

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

In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope your day was blessed and you walked with God in Christ. I had a good day on campus and Jess prayed to receive Jesus today. Her story is below and if you have some time. Please pray she grows in her faith.

 I met Jess in the lounge between the science and health buildings. She was wearing blue scrubs and was tall and thin had long, stick straight, brown hair and a pretty face with a pug nose a bit flat across the top. She wore no make-up, which I think is standard in you are a woman in one of the nursing or medical programs like dental hygiene. She was sitting on a couch with no back against the pit in the middle they’ve now filled with tables. She said she didn’t have much time before class so I said, “Well I’ll just ask you the main question.” So I asked, “Say you’re and walking down the road and 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?” “Umm, I would say I feel like I’ve become a faithful servant, a good disciple, a good representative of who you are. I do what’s right. I feel like I’ve extended the same grace you gave me. I’d ask His forgiveness for anything I did wrong,” she replied. I explained to her that Christianity wasn’t what she did to be forgiven but what God had done. I began to go through the Gospel with her. Showing her the verses that God loved her and wanted to know and live inside her. But first, like a blood transfusion God had to make her his type by taking away her sin. So I asked what Jesus had done to take away her sins. She knew his had died. So I explained that his blood cleansed her and was a payment to God. I explained the righteousness of God that was to her credit and that God adopted her. I went pretty quick and left out a couple illustrations. But wrote all the verses of His blood and righteousness. I told her that to be in Heaven we had to be perfect. She would not go to Heaven because she was good but because Jesus was good and she was connected to Him.  I explained receiving Jesus by faith, “believing that Jesus is God, died for your sins and rose from the dead, not that you just know the story but that that is what you place you trust in to be forgiven so if someone would ask you ‘Why should God let you into Heaven?’ You’d say, ‘Because Jesus died for me.’” I explained being saved by faith and that her good stuff would not fix her bad stuff. I asked if she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. She said she would. I asked if when she asked for forgiveness for her sins if she was hoping she had done enough of the right religious things or if she thought “I know I’ll be forgiven because Jesus died for me.” She replied, “I was going to a Catholic Church that taught that but I have been going to a Christian Church with my Boy Friend now. I’m still learning.” So I said if she had not told God she would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done there was a prayer she could pray and I walked her through it and said if she wanted to she could pray it silently, I wouldn’t hear her but God would hear and she’d know she was forgiven. “Say it in my head?” she asked. “Yes, God can read your thoughts so he will hear you,” I replied. She took the booklet then and prayed to receive Jesus. I told her then Ephesians 1:13 says as soon as you believe the Spirit lives inside you and seals you so He will never leave you. I explained the Christian life to her praying and reading the Bible. “I’m reading through the whole Bible right now,” she replied. “I’m not doing it just to be able to say I read it but to understand it as I read.” I said that was great and it takes a while. I said everything was by the Spirit’s power and Christianity was Inside out, not outside in, she could ask God to change her on the inside and then she would become a good person and do good things on the outside. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet she had heard of Strobel and I said he had other things on line but she could look at the chapters when she had time and she might fine one she was interested in. I also gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I then gave her a Bible study saying she could do it with her Boy Friend and explained Jesus claimed to be the same God as the God of the Old Testament by what he said and did. I told her I would pray for her each day from now until Spring and one year after and asked her Boy Friends name. “Tony,” she replied. I said I’d pray for him too and hopefully in a year they would still be together and she said that was the goal. “Well, thank you, I gotta go,” she said shaking my hand. “Ok,” I said and she hurried off to class.

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

 In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope you have had great day walking with the Lord and in His word. I had a good day on campus Monday. Dom and I had a Bible study and set a regular time and Drew prayed with me to receive Jesus. His story is below if you have some time. Please pray he grows in his faith.

 Drew was sitting in a lounge in the BIC on the north side first floor. He was right at the entrance and was willing to do a survey. He had mid-tone brown hair, short under a ball cap he wore backwards. He had round cheeks kind of a pointed nose and looked a bit like Luka Dončić who plays for the Lakers in the NBA. He was only 6’ however I’d guess. There was a couple days growth of beard on his face and he was wearing a black hoodie with black sweats. He thought he wanted to travel and went regularly to a Roman Catholic Church. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I would say, I’ve tried to live by His word in the Bible and I believe that I’ve done that.” I asked what he thought was the likelihood he would go to Heaven and he said he thought it was 85%. I began to go through the Gospel with him and he had an amused smile off and on thinking on it. I said knowing God was eternal life and that this meant God lived inside him but had to take away his sins to do so. I asked what Jesus had done to take away his sins, he began to think, “Historically,” I prompted. “He died,” he said then. “Right He died for you,” I replied and explained how Jesus’ blood had cleansed him and His righteousness was too his credit. I said all I usually say and explained that he could receive this by faith and that would mean he had the “right to become a child of God.” I showed him the two circles I explain the second one pictured first and asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus of that second circle. In response he said, “The second one.” So I asked if when he was asking for forgiveness he hoped he would be good enough or was trusting in what Jesus had done but he didn’t understand the question and said, “ I believe but that’s why it’s faith,” So I said if he hadn’t told God he wanted to be forgiven trusting in Christ before there was a prayer he could pray and I read it through to him and saying, “I says here does this prayer express the desire of your heart. He looked hard at it then reading it again and he said, “I’d say it does.” I said he could pray it silently and know he was forgiven. “Wanna do that?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said in a matter-of-fact way. I handed him the booklet and he said, “Thank you Bob,” and prayed then to receive Christ. When he finished he said of the booklet, “Can I keep this?” I said he could and explained the Christian life, “By the Spirit’s Power” and I explained living “Inside Out” asking God to transform him. I told him in everything he should “Just ask” God wanted to help him through everything in life. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and forgiven. I gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible Study. I told him the likelihood he would now go to Heaven trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus was 100%. I told him I would pray for him each day until Spring and for the next year after. He reached out and shook my hand as I got up to go. “I’ll see you in Heaven,” I said. “I’ll see you there,” he relied and I thanked him for talking to me and 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 your day was filled in joy and peace and believing, abounding in hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. I had a good day on campus and Joe prayed to receive Christ. His story is below if you have some time. Please pray he grows in his faith.

 Joe was sitting in the cafeteria playing a video game on his lap-top. He was a big dude, wearing a bright green hoodie and black pants. He wore wire rimed rectangle glasses and had a day’s growth of beard on a wide face. He had light brown hair a thick mop of curls combed back that was receding a bit. His mouth was on the small side his lips showed a bit of orange from a kind of chili in a cup he’d been eating as I’d interrupted his lunch. He was also playing a video game but he didn’t seem that interested in it as he readily talked with me.  He was a very kind guy. He asked what the survey was about and I just said the main 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?” He thought about it and said he believed and had tried to be good. Trying to find out what he believed I told him in Christianity God lived inside him with His Holy Spirit. In order to do that God had to take away his sin since God could not be in the same place as sin. I asked him what God had done to take away his sins. “I don’t know,” he replied. So I asked if he would like to hear some Bible verses about how God took away his sins so he could go to Heaven. He said “OK.” So I sat down and showed him the verses where God love him and wanted to know him giving him eternal life. This meant God would live inside him so he could have eternal life. I began to explain further, the Gospel to him. The blood of Christ cleansed him and was how God got paid for what we owed Him. I explained Jesus earned the righteousness of God, which was to his credit. God adopts us and gives us the blessings of His family, the sacrifice for our sins, the blood that cleanses us and the righteousness that surrounds us. And then fills us with His holy Spirit. “So ya got some place to go Heaven, and something to wear when ya get there the righteousness of God.” I explained salvation, receiving Christ by faith. I asked if he wanted to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done. He said he would. I asked them if when he was praying for forgiveness if he hoped he’d be forgiven because he went to Church and that kind of stuff or if he thought he’ be forgiven because Jesus died for him. He said he most often just hoped God would forgive him but sometimes he hoped Jesus would forgive him. He wasn’t trusting in forgiveness because Jesus had died for him. So I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray I talked him through it. He decided to pray to receive Jesus. He prayed then silently to receive Christ. I asked if he went to Church. He said that his family went to 3 different Churches and he could not remember their names. I asked if they had “Saint” in their names. “Yeah,” he said. So I explained the symbolic idea behind the Mass, “The wafer represented Jesus body and the wine His blood. It is reminding you Jesus died for you so you know you are forgiven so when you take it you can just say, ‘Thank You.” “OK,” he replied. I began to explain the Christian life to Him. He did not have a Bible but wanted one so I gave him the NKJV I had and I wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I showed him all the study helps in it. It lists prophecies fulfilled by Jesus and His miracles and parables and a word index. I also gave him Bible Promises for You and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet explaining Strobel’s story a bit. Then I gave him a Bible study on passages where Jesus claims to be God. “Thanks so much for telling me this,” he said. I said, “Yeah sure,” I said I would see him in Heaven and if I saw him around I would just say hi. He was grateful and I headed off.

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

 In Him,

Bob

Hey Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope ya had a good day walking with God in the Holy Spirit. I had a good day encouraging some believers and Ashley prayed to receive Christ trusting in His work to save her. Jake had stick straight hair ruffled up bangs in the front, wearing a black t-shirt and sweats. Waiting to do a workout he was sitting in the upstairs of the PE lounge. He did not have much time so I got his response to the question and he listed some of the good things he would be known for with friends and family. I went through the Gospel with him and he said he would pray at night. I’ll hope to see him again and find out. Ashley’s story is below if you want to take the time. Please pray she grows in her faith and Jake receives the Lord.

 Ashley was sitting towards the back of the cafeteria at a table. She’s a mom and had thick stick straight thick blonde hair and a square chin. She looked to be in her mid-20’s, old enough looking that I asked if she was a student when I first asked her to do a survey. She ate her yogurt cup as we talked. She had a brown and tan thin striped sweater on and jeans, wore glasses, looked like an attractive business woman. I asked her what she would say if she died and stood before God and he asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “Because I learned from my mistakes and I acted better—something I was doing wrong, I changed it,” she replied. I asked her what the likelihood was she was going to Heaven. “Highly likely,” she said. She said she prayed a lot and was very grateful. It seemed like her prayers sometimes involved her kids, asking God to help them to see she did not mean something she’d said in a negative way, possibly in frustration, but they’d think of it in a way she had intended, or later hoped so. Almost as if He would change their memories. I began to go through the Gospel with her and she agreed with the first points that God loved her and wanted her to believe in Him. Eternal life was that He would live inside her. I asked what Jesus did that took away her sins so God could live inside. “He forgives you,” she replied. I asked her what Jesus did to forgive her. “He opens your eyes so you can digest how to act better?” she replied. I said the Bible taught something different than that and went on to explain the death of Christ and his blood cleansing her and being a payment for God. She seemed to accept that but didn’t really hear it. I explained the righteousness of Christ. She heard it but I could tell she wasn’t getting it. I explained how her good stuff could not fix her bad stuff and God had to make our actions into good. I asked if when she asked for forgiveness was she thinking that she’s know she would be forgiven because Jesus died for her or hoping somehow her actions would allow for it. She reiterated that she was thinking she would try to do better and learn from her mistakes. I prayed silently that God would break through and help her see what I was saying because it wasn’t getting through. I said if she wanted to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done and I walked her through the prayer. She somehow didn’t really hear what I had just explained. “I do that a lot by my own words,” she replied speaking of her prayers. She said also she had felt God presence since she was very small, 5 years old. I agreed that God’s Spirit had been on her influencing her. I said this is different it is asking God to forgiven you because the blood of Jesus paid for your sins, not because of anything you do. It seemed to finally dawn on her. “That’s a different perspective I hadn’t thought of it that way before,” she replied. I said then she could pray it silently knowing she was forgiven based on what Jesus had done. She agreed and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I went on to explain the Christian life to her going to God in prayer and confessing her sins and living “By the Spirit’s Power” asking Him to change her from the inside to be made good so she’d do good things on the outside. I gave her Bible Promises for You and I wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” saying now forgiven by His blood. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study on passages where Jesus claimed to be the God of the Old Testament. She thanked me. I told her I would pray a Bible Verse for her each day asking God to bless her and I’d ask for blessings for her life with her kids. She was delighted to hear that and said, “Thank you I’ll pray for you too.” “Oh thank you that would be great,” I replied. I got up to go saying I would see her in Heaven and being old I’d get there first. She laughed a bit and said, “OK I’ll see you there.” 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 day was blessed and you are resting in God’s protection and peace.  I had a good day on campus. Elizabeth and Jeremiah prayed to receive Jesus. I also went through the Gospel with Joey who had been baptized yesterday at a church that meets at school but had no assurance of salvation though he said Jesus had done for him. He did not appeal to his works but just did not seem to understand what the criteria was to go to Heaven, he just hoped it would work out.  But he understood by the time I explained some verses to him. I also told him that as soon as he believed. Eph. 1:13 said, he was sealed by the Holy Spirit and so the Spirit sealing him did not leave him, he looked the verse up on His phone and saw this was true. Since God was then one with him and God can’t go to Hell he wouldn’t go there either. He was happy to have assurance. Elizabeth and Jeremiah’s stories are below if you have time. Please pray they grow in the faith.

 Elizabeth had a round sort of flat face brown eyes and long brown hair parted down the middle. She wore a blue, fleece lined hoodie and jeans.  She was a bit heavy set and cheerful. She sat against the counter in the cafeteria looking out toward the science and health buildings. I asked her what she would say to God if she’d died and He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I work in an animal program to help animals who are injured go back into the wild.” Later she said, speaking of it, “That’s why I’d get in,” later as we were talking. She said she went to a Lutheran Church and I said I was raised in the Lutheran Church too. I asked her what the likelihood was she would go to Heaven and she said, 50%. I began to go through the Gospel with her and asked her what Jesus had done to take away her sins so God could live inside her. “I don’t know,” she replied. As I continued to explain how Jesus lived a perfect life and His blood cleansed her and His righteousness was to her credit these facts seemed novel to her. I continued to tell her if she received these things by faith. I asked her if she would want to be forgiven or thought something else showing her the circles representing a life. She pointed to the circle with God in her life trusting in what Jesus had done saying, “That one.” I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray. I talked her through the prayer and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart. She said it did. I asked if she wanted to she could pray it right now, I wouldn’t hear her but God would hear and she’d know she was forgiven. “Wanna do it?’ I asked. “Yeah,” she replied and took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I went through the Christian life with her saying everything was “By the Spirit’s Power” Then I explained asking God to transform her on the inside so she would do good things on the outside. I explained now trusting in the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus the likelihood she would go to Heaven was 100%. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I also gave her, The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and 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. I got up to God and said if I saw her around I would just say “Hi.” “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you, you’re welcome,” I replied and headed off.

 Jeremiah was reclining on a hard bench under the stairs in the PE lounge. He had dreads, the longest of which was 10 inches some shorter. Most were the width of a pencil. He had a patch of beard under his chin and a mustache, sharp jaw line and a medium sized nose. Good looking guy with a very slight build. He ran sprints and short relays for the track team. He had on a black backpack that was completely stuffed and a black puffy coat, skinny jeans with a torn knee.  He said he lived in Chicago but went to church in Oak Park. He said he already went to a Bible study so I asked if he wanted to hear the big metaphysical question to think about. He said, “OK.” I asked, “So you’re walking down the road and 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 asked if he’d like to hear the Bible verses that told him how you get to Heaven. He said, “OK,” again so I got his name and he reached out and shook my hand with a solid grip. I just took out the booklet using part of it as I always do and adding, that Jesus was God, His blood cleansed you and His righteousness was too your credit. These things are not in the booklet, nor is Hell. I added that too. He tuned right in to all of it. When I asked him What Jesus did to take away his sins so God could live inside him he said, “Repentance, baptism?” in a tone like he was guessing. So I said, “Yes you repent of your sins and Baptism is symbolic of it.” I began to explain what Jesus had done through his blood to cleanse him and be a payment to God and His righteousness to his credit when God adopted him. I explained receiving Christ by faith. I offered him the two circles and he said, “This one.” He pointed to the circle with Christ inside. I said if he wanted to be forgiven trusting in Jesus there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it. I asked if the prayer expressed the desire of his heart. He nodded. I said if he wanted to he could pray it silently, I wouldn’t hear him but God would hear and he’d know he was forgiven. He gave a nod with a tilt of his head took the booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to him also, living “By the Spirit’s Power” “Inside Out”. I gave him Bible Promises for You and also wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. “Thanks I appreciate it for real,” he said taking the book.  I wrote his name in The Case for Christ Answer Booklet (he hadn’t heard of Strobel) and a Bible study. I told Jeremiah I would pray a Bible verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. I offered him a Bible Study but he felt like he was in one. I asked, “If I ask now, do you believe Jesus is God, He died for you sins and rose from the dead?” “Yeah,” he replied. And do you place your trust in that to be forgiven?” He said he did so I shook his hand and said, “Ok so I’ll see you in Heaven? He said he’d see me in Heaven. I shook his hand and he said, “I was always trusting in Jesus.” “It’s what you trust in about what he did,” I replied. “Maybe there’s just a few things God wanted you to know,” I replied. He accepted that idea and was smiling. As far as I could tell he had not been trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins or fully understood the Gospel but he was sincere and God had been at work in his life. We shook hands and I got up with him and we parted.

 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 are having a good weekend filled with joy in the Lord of Hosts. I’m a bit behind on my results as I have been digging out of the snow and had Valentine’s Day stuff. But I had a blessed day of Evangelism on Thursday and Kevin and Jayda each prayed to receive Jesus. Their stories are below if you have some time. Please pray they grow in their faith.

 Kevin was sitting in a lounge on the first floor, north side of the BIC building. He sat on the first cushioned bench as you enter the lounge, which emptied of all other students off to class as we talked. He had the hood up on a grey sweatshirt, a mop of sandy curls poured above his forehead, a slight build.  He wore black sweats and had a good-looking boyish face, his skin showing the stress of school. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and were asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” He thought for a minute with an Um and said, “I don’t think there’s an answer to that really. There’s no specific thing you can do to earn your way into Heaven.” I agreed you could not earn it, you’d never know when you had done enough. I asked what he thought the likelihood was he would go to Heaven when he died. “I don’t have an answer to that either,” he replied. He figured he had a chance though said 50%. He said he went to Church but, “Not as much as I should.” I started to go through the Gospel with him, asking what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world. He remembered He had died. I explained then how he was reconciled to God. The blood of Christ cleansed him and so God then could enter him by the Holy Spirit and Christ’s blood was a payment to God. He had a good sense of humor and like the illustrations. I explained the righteousness of God earned by Christ to his credit, that you don’t go to Heaven because you are good but because Jesus is good and you’re connected to Him. God adopted him. He was saved by receiving Christ, believing in His name, not by works. So I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done or did he think something else giving him a cliff notes version of Islam and the Buddha. “Definitely that one,” he replied pointing to the circle with Christ inside his life. 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 said it did. I said he could pray it silently and asked if he’d like to he said, “Yeah,” and took the booklet and prayed to receive Christ. I explained the likelihood he would go to Heaven now was 100% trusting in the blood and righteousness of Jesus. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing 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 explained this was the symbolism I the Mass, the wafer was symbolic of His body and the wine His blood, it memorialized Jesus had died for him and he was forgiven so when he took it he should just say, “Thank you.” He was grateful and smiling and as I got up to go he reached out and shook my hand and said “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” I replied and I said I’d see him around the college and headed off.

 Jayda was sitting in the lounge by the payment windows. She had her phone propped up against her purse and though I did not realize it immediately was on face time as we talked. She wore a peach-colored track suit that had a zip up hoodie. She had what I guess you’d call a handsome face, a little less feminine, wore no visible makeup, her features were not full in the classic Africa American profile. She had an athletic frame. She had very long thin braids that parted on the right and swept over her head and were tied into a knot behind her head making a ponytail. I asked her what she would say to God if she were hit by a bus and died and was asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I deserve to be in Heaven,” she opined. “I have faith. I follow; I have what’s enough.” I asked her then what she had faith in saying, “You had faith in that chair before you sat down you just plopped down on it. So did I. I just assumed mine would hold me.” We sat in the same chairs across the table from each other. “I have faith in my path, in Him delivering me.” I asked the likelihood she would go to Heaven and she replied. “100%, I’m there.” I began to go through the Gospel with her and I asked what Jesus had done to take away her sin so God could live inside her. She said, “He forgives you?” I said he did and this was how it worked. Beginning to give her verse for the atonement. I said we owed God a perfect life as Jesus had said “You are to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” We had not lived a perfect life. So I explained how Jesus had died and shed His blood and “the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” I said this was how God got paid and why He could forgive her. Jesus earned the righteousness of God and it was too her credit. She would not go to Heaven because she was good but because Jesus was good and she was connected to Him. Then God adopted her and made her His child. I explained that she needed to receive Christ to believe, “Jesus is God, He died for your sins and rose from the Dead.” Not that she just knew the story but that that’s what she put her trust in to be forgiven. “So if someone would say to you, “Why should God let you into Heaven you’d say, “Because Jesus died for me. That would mean you had faith in Jesus and the Bible says that it’s by grace you are saved by faith,” I explained to her. I turned the page and showed the 2 circles and said, “Which person would you want to be? Would you want to be forgiven for your sins trusting in Jesus so he could live inside you…” She cut me off with an emphatic, “I’m here!” pointing to the circle with Christ on the throne of her life. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray and I talked her through it and said, “It says here does this prayer express the desire of you heart?” She said it did. So I said she could pray it silently. “I read it,” she said. “OK, Amen?” I said. “Amen,” she replied and I reached out and fist bumped her. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. She thanked me. I offered her a Bible study but she said she was good. “I needed this today. Thank you,” she said. I said she was welcome. I told her I would keep her in my prayers each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless her. “Thank you, this is my going to church today.” She said and I got up to head off and in reply to whoever was on the phone she said, “Yeah he is.”

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

 In Him,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope your day has left you warmed and filled by the Spirit. Pretty cold and snowy here, so they called off school in the afternoon and told everyone to skedaddle by 3. It was a ghost town by 2 PM but Brendan prayed to receive Jesus today. His story is below if you have some time. Please pray he grows in his faith. Znyia (pretty small black girl with long curly/wavy hair to her elbows) heard a quick expression of pretty much just the atonement. She was talking an on-line class on her laptop but wanted me to tell her the Bible Verses quick of how she could go to heaven. So I will hope to run into her again.

 Brendan was sitting in a set of sofa chairs in front of a round knee-high table with a hole in the middle. There’s a kind of a corner lounge at the foyer beside the door to the cafeteria. He had on a hoodie with a puffy black coat over it and light grey sweats. His straight hair was pulled back into a ponytail that went at least a foot down his back. He had a clean-shaven face and full cheeks, his features were sharp though, the bridge of his nose flattened slightly at the end, like it had been clay someone had pushed down and made a platform at the end you could place nickel on. I asked him what he would say to God if he died and He asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “Probably not that I deserve to get into Heaven…  immediately,” he replied. He thought he had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. He went to a Catholic Church each week. He was a nice guy with an easy laugh. Each of the illustrations I say that you could take with slight amusement made him laugh a bit. For example I often say that when Jesus says, “this is eternal life, they know you” means that the Holy Spirit lives inside you. “Like you’re the Energizer Bunny and God’s the batteries, you keep going and going when you die it’s like you don’t die because God’s inside”. Then I will say, “but God can’t live inside you because of sin. You know the stuff that used to tick off your mom when you were a kid.” So he enjoyed listening. When I asked what Jesus had done to take away his sin so God could live inside him he knew, saying, “He died on the cross.” I agreed and began to explain that Jesus wanted to die and shed His blood. And I quoted 1John 1:7 “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin”. So now you match God and He can live inside you. I explained it was how God was paid, that we owed Him a perfect life. So Jesus blood and righteousness was worth an infinite amount so it paid God back for all the imperfect things we had done to His world that we owed God something perfect to repay. I explained the righteousness of God to His credit quoting Isaiah 61:10 and Galatians 2:37. I said that all Jesus had done needed to be received by faith. “That you believe Jesus is God, He died for your sins and rose from the dead. Not that you just knew the story but that that’s what you place your trust in to be forgiven. So if someone would say to you, “Why should God let you into Heaven?” you’d say, “Because Jesus died for me.” That would mean you had faith in Jesus. Your works can’t save you because your good stuff can’t fix your bad stuff. I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in what Jesus had done, then He would live inside him and give him strength taking him to Heaven when he died. “Or do you think something else?” “The first one,” he replied. So I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I talked him through it asking, “Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?” He nodded aggressively without a word. So I said he could pray it silently, I wouldn’t hear but God would and he took the booklet and seriously said, “Thank you,” looking me in the eyes. He prayed then to receive Jesus. I told him he could keep the booklet and read through the Christian life list in the back saying, “Everything in the Christian life is “By the Spirit’s Power.” I explained living “Inside out”. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” in the front. I also 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 until Spring and one year after. I said the likelihood he would go to Heaven now trusting in Jesus’ blood and righteousness was 100%. He was grateful and we said goodbye 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 Emily who had talked to on January 30^th, but asked if she would pray at home, today said she read the entire booklet and prayed to receive Jesus. Sam prayed to receive Jesus today too. Their stories are below along with my run in with the anti-evangelism wheelchair lady, if you have some time. Please pray they grow in their faith.

 Emily was sitting next to Sam two seats over. She has brown long hair and long bangs, an oval cute face, her oval eyes had eyeliner end commas for the illusion of an almond shape. She had her coat on. As I mentioned she said she’d red the entire booklet and prayed. She was friendly. She had said she was from a religious family when we first spoke. I had given her Bible Promises for You. When I had asked her what she would say to God to get into Heaven she’d said, “I always like being there for people, supporting them.” She was sure she would go to Heaven because she came from a “really religious family they got me into God and everything.” She somehow had not understood the Gospel at all but wanted to be forgiven and asked, “Can I pray this at home?” I said sure and she headed off and she said she’d prayed today. After speaking with her I walked over to Sam.

 Sam is a huge 6’4” D-back for the football team He was wearing a black watch cap with a Carhartt square label on the fore head. He also had on a black puffy coat and wore jeans. He had a round face with a smooth bump nose and a warm smile, great guy. He was sitting at the base of the staircase near the entrance to the bookstore in an oversized chair he filled up. I asked Sam, 2 seats over if he wanted to do a survey. (It might have helped that he’d heard the pretty Latina girl to his left had talked with me.) He said he’d do a survey so I sat on his right and went through the survey. I asked him what he would say to God to get into Heaven. “Well God’s supposed to be forgiving. So I would say… I don’t really know,” he admitted. He thought he had a 75-80% chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with him. He knew when I asked him what God had done to take away his sins, that Jesus had died. He listened to the truth that Jesus blood had cleansed him so God could live inside him and was a payment to God for what he had done. Because Jesus had earned all righteousness he would not go to Heaven because he was good but because Jesus was good and he was connected to him. I explained he received Christ by faith and grace by faith saved him. About then an overweight dye job red headed lady in an electric wheel chair rolled up and interrupted our conversation. She’s done this before at school every once in a while. She lined up her chair as if she was going to talk to Emily parking just off his seat. Then she interrupted us off her left shoulder speaking only to Sam. She asked if he wanted to talk to me, and was this conversation something he was interested in. He said it was and smiled at her pleasantly. “Because if you don’t’ want to talk to him we can do something about that right now,” She put in. He ignored her statement. She has never told me her name but seems simply to hate evangelism. I very quietly then suggested to Sam it was strange she’d think I could pressure him into anything, he grinned. She interrupted again and saying I had very “subtle pressures”. (I actually never pressure anyone as it’s a drag to talk to people who are disinterested. God just makes some people want to talk to me. So I just kept taking to Sam. She never stuck around before to hear what I say so today I spoke softly after. She began playing something on her phone really loud and finally gave up and tried talking to Emily getting her name. (Another guy, D, told me today her name is Elizabeth, might be. She’s an older white lady. He said she once complained to the cops he was playing his music too loud. D’s a tough fair skinned black guy. He just told the cops she was harassing him so they left. When he talked to the cops later complaining about her they told him she was handicapped so he had to let it go. Anyway she’s 0 for 5 or so going after people I talk to or trying to interrupt. I talked with Kiyla on January 27 in the cafeteria at the counter she seemed to deliberately run into the leg of her chair with her wheel transport. Kiyla ignored her agreeing she was mean and kept talking to me. So far the students just politely tell her that yes they want to talk to me and then later pray to receive the Lord. In fall she rolled up to me and told me I was dumping on students. I just walked away after repeating what she said back to her adding, “That’s great.”.) Sam said “The first one,” when I asked if he would want to be forgiven trusting in Jesus or thought something else. I said if he wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer he could pray and I read it through. Something from the discussion I was tuning out distracted him during it and he said, “What?”. I asked again if he thought he’d like to pray the prayer silently and know he was forgiven. “OK,” he replied and prayed to receive Jesus. I told him the likelihood he would go to Heaven now trusting in the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus was 100%. He said, “Thank you.” I explained the Christian life living By the Spirit’s Power” I said God could give him strength and help him even in a game helping him to see the offense, which put an interested expression on his face. I explained the Christian life was “Inside Out”. I gave him Bible Promises for You writing his name and the date and forgiven!” in the front. I also gave him The Case for Christ Answer Booklet with a piece of Strobel’s story. Finally I gave him a Bible study. I said I would pray a Bible verse for him each day asking God to bless him from now until Spring and one year after since I did not know if I would see him again. He said, “Thank you,” again and I said, “Sure,” and I headed off.

 I don’t know what the woman in the electric wheelchair said about me after I left, but I really don’t care. I only care that Sam held on to what Jesus had said about him.

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

 Peace,

Bob

Hey Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I hope you had a good day today walking with the Lord so far. I had a good day on campus and Thomas and Mercy, each prayed to receive Christ today after I told them the Gospel. Their stories are below if you have the time today. Please pray they each grow in their faith.

 Thomas was sitting in the long wide hallway that runs along the bookstore. He was sitting in come stuffed chairs in front of a circular ottoman. He had real short reddish-brown hair and black rectangle rim glasses. He had a ready smile of small teeth. He’s a smaller guy and was wearing a blue hoodie and light blue jeans—kind of baggie bell-bottoms (like Sunday’s half time rapper so I guess they are trending). He had the book-smart look. He said he hoped he’d get a stable career. I asked, “Say you are walking down the road and 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?” “Heavy question,” he replied and thought a bit and said, “I’ve been following God my whole life. I’m a Christian, though I haven’t been to church a lot lately. I’m a follower of Christ.” He thought he had an 80-90% chance of going to Heaven. I began to go through the Gospel with him and told him God wanted know him, this meant to live inside him but the problem was sin. I asked him what Jesus had done to take away the sins of the world and he knew Jesus had died. So I went on to explained the sacrifice of Christ and His cleansing blood that also paid for his sins. I explained Christ’s righteousness to his credit. I explained what Christ had done for him was his by receiving Christ by faith. Grace by faith saved him not works. I showed him the two circles then one where he’d ask for forgiveness for his sins and Christ would live inside him by the Holy Spirit and then the other where God is on the outside of your life, as in Islam where their god does not live inside them, is not a father, did not have a son, there’s no sacrifice for sin so they have a different God and a CliffsNotes version of the Buddha. “So when you’re asking for forgiveness for your sins have you been thinking, ‘I know I’ll be forgiven ‘cause Jesus died for me’ or were you hoping you’re good enough for God to forgive you? I know you knew the story but do you think you have placed your trust in that?” “I haven’t really thought about it a ton, I’m not gonna lie,” he replied. “Well, if you’d want to be forgiven for your sins trusting in what Jesus did there’s a prayer you can pray,” I replied and I talked him through the prayer and asked reading the line, “It says here, ‘Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?’ So would you say it does?” “Yeah I think it does,” he replied affirmingly. So I said he could pray it silently, “I wouldn’t hear you but God would hear and you’d know you were forgiven. Wanna do that?” I asked. “OK,” he replied and he prayed to receive Jesus. I explained the Christian life to him living by the Spirit’s power and “Inside Out,” asking God to transform him into a good man to do good things. I gave him Bible Promises for You and wrote his name and the date and “forgiven!” on the inside. I also gave him a Bible Study and The Case for Christ Answer Booklet. I said that I would pray a Bible Verse for him each day from now until Spring and one year after asking God to bless him. I told him the likelihood he would not go to Heaven was 100% trusting in the Blood and Righteousness of Jesus to be forgiven. “Thanks for your time, I’ll see you in Heaven. Have a good one,” I said getting up to go. “Thank you, you too,” he replied and I headed off.

Mercy was sitting in a stuffed chair in the foyer outside the cafeteria. She was kind of squeezed in just kitty corner from some Muslims who appeared to be having a bake sale with Qurans on the table. I slid a folding chair from a different table on the other side of her so we could talk. She was from Cameroon in Africa. “Oh that’s supposed to be nice, by the ocean right.” I said and she agreed it was nice there; she had a slight accent. She had a round face and cheeks and had traditional full lips and a cute smooth nose and a stout build. She wore Jeans and had a sweatshirt, not very tall. No hair was visible (so I assume it was short) and she wore a light blue denim hat, frayed around the rim like cutoffs. It looked the style like a sailor’s hat with the rim pulled down (think Gilligan on Gilligan’s Island).  I asked her what she would say to God if she died and were asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?” “I believe my lifestyle is going to tell Him. He’s not to be questioned. If he sees you [have been moral] then he’s going to give it to you. If you live right then you’ll get into Heaven. If you live wrong He’s not going to give it to you,” she replied. She thought she had a 50/50 chance of going to Heaven. I went through the Gospel with her as well and she knew Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world. So I explained the atonement to her and payment for her sins in the sacrifice of Jesus blood, saying this was how God was paid. But He had to pay himself. Jesus’ righteousness could be to her credit and this was prophesied in Isaiah 61:10 and explained in Galatians 3:27 where Paul explains we are “clothed with Jesus”. Finally I explained receiving Jesus and grace by faith. I asked if she would want to be forgiven for her sins trusting in Jesus, then He would live inside her and give her strength and take her to Heaven or did she think something else showing her the two circles. She pointed at the circle with Christ seated on the throne of her life. I said if she wanted to be forgiven there was a prayer she could pray. I talked her through it and asked if it expressed the desire of her heart. She said it did. I said to her as well that she could pray it right now, I wouldn’t hear her but God would hear and she’d know she was forgiven. “Wanna do that?” I asked. Then kind of musically with a pitch she said “Hmm… OK,” deciding. She took the booklet then and prayed to receive Jesus. So that was great. I talked her through the booklet adding some things. She had a Bible to read. I told her everything in the Christian life was living by the Spirit’s power. “You might go to Church and they’d say, ‘You should do this, you should do that.’ And you think this is great but I’m going to forget this by Wednesday.” She agreed. “But if you want to in that moment you can say to God, ‘please make me this kind of person,’ then if you forget by Wednesday it does not matter because God is already at work. The difference between Christianity and other religions is that in other religious you do good things on the outside and the deity is pleased with you and takes you to Heaven or the universe is pleased with you and you don’t come back as a cow or something, that’s not true anyway. But in Christianity you ask God to transform you on the inside, then you become a good person and you do good things.”  That sounded good to her. I gave her Bible Promises for You and wrote her name and the date and “forgiven!” inside. I gave her The Case for Christ Answer Booklet and a Bible study on ways Jesus claims to be the God of the Old Testament. I got up to go and she said, “Thank you,” then she reached in her purse quickly and handed me a $5 bill. “Thanks that’s OK I said,” refusing the money. “People give me money so I can buy books to give to people so I don’t need it from you.” This seemed to please her as she smiled. I told her I would pray a Bible verse for her each day asking God to bless her from now until Spring and one year after. She was grateful and I headed off.

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

In Him,

Bob