Reaching Jews and Catholics and Muslims and Agnostics (and MORE) on Campus!!!

This is one of the signs we often use on campus and students really do come up to see it and talk to us. More and more we see students taking photos of the QR code on the sign that takes them to our evangelistic website, https://great-news.org.

The hardest part about talking about Jesus with strangers is getting started. Then it's smooth sailing. Want a tip to easily break the ice with strangers? Bring an ADORABLE LOVING DOG with you! Everyone loves my Evange-doodle. Then they talk with me and take Gospel Booklets and Bibles. Woo hoo!

Lots of students stop and talk with us. Our banner is pretty effective at getting peoples' attention. I'm thankful that our team remains respectful and not antagonistic. I'm thankful that God sends lots of students our way!

This is Ethan, a student who rode over and wanted to try our riddles. That lead to a Gospel conversation. Ethan's parents are both Atheists. He calls himself an Agnostic. But Ethan seemed very open. He was intrigued by my claim that God spoke to us, and that's how we can know who God is..He took a Gospel of John and had a lot to think about.

This young lady is Murphy and she very-well might be a new sister in Christ! Ted walked her through the Law of God and the Gospel of God and asked her simply, "What's stopping you from calling on the name of the Lord Jesus?" And this sweet and intelligent student said, "nothing." How exciting is that??? Murphy gave Ted her contact info and he passed it along to a female Staff gal with Cru, a Christian Organization on campus. Please pray for Murphy, that she will prove to be the seed that fell into fertile soil, and grew and grew.

This is Socket, an intelligent young man who took a Gospel Booklet from Chris. Chris asked him, "Do you ever think about where you'll spend Eternity?" Socket said, "I honestly don't want to think about it." Chris thanked him for his honesty, but pointed out that "not thinking about it" doesn't solve the issue. We all need to grapple with who Jesus is. They had a productive conversation and this kind young man left with a lot to think about (and a copy of "The Gospel of John.")

This is Jim, a Roman Catholic man who claimed that we can't know for sure that we're going to Heaven. I find that asking good questions is a good way to go in these situations, so I asked Jim why he thought we couldn't know we're going to Heaven. Jim explained that we can't know that we're good enough. And we might mess up more in the future. So I explained that we're saved as a free gift of grace apart from works, but he said that doesn't make sense. He then threw a bunch of questions at me, and I realized these were straightforward questions that the Scriptures answer. So I encouraged Jim to study the Scriptures because all his answers are there. And that's when he insisted that he's studied the Scriptures all his life and "many times." I tactfully and gently pointed out to Jim, "you say you've studied God's Word, but you seem to believe in a number of things that aren't in God's Word. Like Purgatory, Limbo, and that you need to be good to earn Heaven." Jim admitted that those don't come from the Bible, but from Church teachings. I encouraged Jim to stick to the Bible and not man-made traditions. Jim was a really nice guy who appeared to mean well. He seems to be standing on man-made traditions rather than the solid Word of God. But Jesus is able to reach Jim because the Word says that the Gospel is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).

Remember James from last week? He came back - and this time he was armed with a printout from a website to prove to me that Purgatory is in the Bible. His printout quoted 1 Corinthians 3:15, "The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames." "See?" James said. "Purgatory ." Here's where The Holy Spirit brings facts to remembrance, because, honestly, I haven't studied 1 Corinthians 3 in some time. But through God's Spirit, I knew what to say. I said, "James, I'm so glad you're looking into the Scriptures. Let's read the few verses before." I opened a Bible and I had him read verses 12-14, "Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward." "James," I said, "what is it that is being burned up? Is it people? Or is it the useless things we do in this life?" He stumbled and said he's not a Bible scholar and doesn't know the original languages. I assured him you don't need to be. Just read the text. It's obviously about our works being burned, and not us. There's no Purgatory here, or anywhere. James got flustered and kept going back to his printout. I leveled with James. I told him that as a Jew, I had to admit that my people had taken God's Word and added traditions to it, and twisted and changed it. When I got saved, I remained Jewish, and still loved my people, but I rejected the man-made teachings. I told Jim that the Catholic Church has done the same thing. They've taken God's Word and twisted and changed it with man-made traditions. He can still love and honor his heritage, but he must reject the heresies. He told me, "I guess I have to go back to the Bible." And you can't go wing with that! Hallelujah! Please pray for Jim to believe only the Bible and be saved.

James the Roman Catholic came by again. James is a great guy and I like him a lot, but he doesn't know much about the Roman Catholicism he claims to follow. This is what I mean. I'll tell him that I'm concerned because the Roman Catholic Church teaches that you merit your salvation by good works, and not by faith. But James will say, "they don't teach that." When I ask for proof, James will admit he hasn't really looked into it. So I printed a document for him hoping that he'd come by. It contains what the Catholic Church officially teaches and what the Bible says about it. James said he'd look at it! If you're interested in the document, you can find it for free at: http://luke-15.org/RCC_Overview.pdf Please pray that James searches the Scriptures and trusts in Jesus by faith.

This is Ophelia, an intelligent and kind Jewish student who Chris has spoken to before. She said that since last time she looked at Pippin's website (my Evange-doodle) and read the Gospel Booklet Chris has given her. She jokingly said she liked the Dog's website better (maybe she wasn't joking?) More importantly, when Chris brought up Jesus in the Hebrew Bible, Ophelia remembered "Isaiah 53" from last time. Chris told her it's considered by many Rabbis to be "The Forbidden Chapter" in the Hebrew Bible. Ophelia said she wanted to read it for herself. She also took a Gospel of John to look into that too. Please pray for this sweet Jewish young lady!

Ernie is proof that you don't have to be a "young'n" to talk to youngsters. This Senior Saint has the gift of getting into meaningful conversations with college students. And they can totally tell that he loves them. It's such a joy having him on the team!

This is Bob, and he got emotional and cried right in front of me (and that got me emotional and tearing up.) Bob isn't a Christian, but he said his youngest sister is an "Evangelical Christian." He told us that she has shared Jesus with his family many times. Bob talked about another sister who died, and that's when he cried. Interestingly he wanted me to know that his youngest sister had lead her to believe in Jesus before she died. It was an honor for Patrice and Terry and me to listen to Bob and build on the foundation that his youngest sister has been building. Please pray for this kind man, that Jesus would heal his grieving soul and adopt Bob into the Kingdom of God through faith and repentance. Bob took a booklet entitled, "Why Christianity?" We give this to people who have lots of questions, as it does a great job answering a variety of issues. What a joy to serve Jesus by reasoning with people like Bob. Thanks for your prayers!

This is "F" (her full name redacted for her safety.) She's from Iran, but she said from a "non-religious family." She and Chris had a fruitful conversation about sin and salvation and she gladly received a Gospel of John. Hallelujah! Please keep this sweet young lady in prayer.

This is Joanna (left) and she's a college student all-in for Jesus! She joined us in reaching her fellow students and did a super job sharing Jesus!

Want to get into a conversation with a gaggle of college students? Bring a puppy! Pippin had a SUPER time on Campus and the students loved him so much. And I got into some great conversations. Everybody wins!

This is Seth, a very intellectual young man with LOTS of questions. How do we know Genesis is reliable? What about different religions? What about LGBTQ people? What about Evolution? Chris answered those questions easily. Then get this, Seth said that he's been wanting to read the Bible! So just like that Chris gave him a Gospel of John. Very cool!

See the blond student taking a photo? That's Hannah. She fell soooo in love with Pippin. She came over to say hi (and get puppy love) so many times this semester. Both Hannah and her friend took Gospel Booklets, and I was able to follow up with Hannah whenever she'd come visit. Please pray that God will use our many conversations with Hannah to draw her to saving faith.

It's super that Pastor Chris has been joining us on Campus because he Pastors a Church literally in the next town over. So not only does he faithfully share the Great News, but he gives personal invitations to students to come to Church. A big win!

This is Luca. He came right up to Chris and said, "Do you remember me?" Chris did remember him. They had spoken about the Gospel before. And now Luca got to hear the Great News again. There is an advantage to ministering at the same place over and over. You get to meet people like Luca multiple times. Praise God!

What a joy to talk with students about Jesus and sin and the cross and the resurrection and repentance and faith. So many of these students have never considered these vital topics. So many have never heard the Gospel. Universities are an important mission field.

Sometimes we talk with people who are hostile, like this gentleman here. He argued, but not in an "I'm trying to understand you" kind of way. He was adamant that Jesus is not the way, and wouldn't consider anything else. But I'll tell you this, he wasn't more against Jesus than I was at his age. (I was the worst Christian-basher!) And yet Jesus arrested my arrogant heart, showed me I was wrong and he was right, and that I needed Him. He can do the same for this man. We don't know how name because when Terry asked him, "what's your name?" he responded with a belittling, "No thanks." So please pray for Mr. No Thanks. Prayer works because Jesus works. And Jesus is still seeking and saving The Lost. "For 'Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved'' (Romans 10:13).

This is Claire, a Jewish student who told Ted that Jesus can't be the Messiah. I overheard that and couldn't help myself. I had to ask her why. Claire told me that Jesus didn't do the work of the Messiah. He didn't usher in world peace. (This is a common misunderstanding within modern Judaism.) I explained to Claire that she is right to say that the Messiah will usher in world peace. But I cautioned that she missed the other aspect of the Messiah, that he will suffer and die for the sins of his people. I told Claire that some Rabbis were so confused by the Hebrew Bible promising BOTH a suffering and a conquering Messiah that they expected two different messiahs. One they named Moshiach ben David (Messiah Son of David) and Moshiach ben Yoseph (Messiah Son of Joseph). The Rabbis were right to see the two aspects of the Messiah, but wrong to attribute it to two different men. It is one Messiah, to come once to suffer and die for sin, and then to come back to rule and reign in peace. Claire was very kind and admitted she didn't know a lot about this but would look into it. I was able to share my testimony of being a Jesus-hating Jewish student who read the Bible so I could use it to attack Christians, but found myself become a Messiah-loving Jewish student who joined with Christians. After all, what could be more Jewish than believing in the Jewish Messiah? Claire took a booklet from me, entitled, "A Jew and His God." It's my testimony in written form. She also took a copy of a booklet Ted wrote called, "The Lamb," which shows Jesus as "The Lamb of God" throughout the Scriptures. Please keep this intelligent kind young woman in your prayers! And please check out "A Jew and His God" at https://mystory.great-news.org

I love being able to walk up to groups of students and sharing Jesus one-to-many. What a privilege!!!

This is Paul, an intelligent student with a Roman Catholic background. Chris asked him how to go to Heaven, and Paul said, "Be good I guess." To illustrate to Paul that none of us are good enough, Chris brought him through some of the Ten Commandments. Paul could see that he was guilty of breaking God's Law many times. So Chris asked him, "What did Jesus do for you to forgive your sin and offer you Heaven?" Sadly Paul didn't know, and offered 3 wrong answers. Chris got to share the Great News of salvation by grace because of Jesus and not because of us. Chris asked Paul why he's never studied the Bible and Paul's answer is sadly insightful into how a lot of people his age think. He said the Bible doesn't have educational value. Chris pointed out, "The best education is to read the source documents." Chris offered Paul a Gospel of John and Paul gladly received it. A terrific "Divine Appointment" on a rainy day.

This is Jeremiah, a very polite and intelligent young man with a Roman Catholic upbringing. Sadly, Jeremiah didn't know the Gospel of Jesus. Ted explained to him, "I could attend all kinds of Churches, and do religious things, but that doesn't mean I have a relationship with Jesus." Jeremiah was very attentive and he gladly received a copy of The Gospel of John. Please pray for this nice young man.

This is Nelle and this is so so so so awesome (I'll explain why...) I met Nelle over a year ago on campus and she told me she was Jewish, LGBTQ+, and a follower of pagan gods. We had a productive talk about Jesus and the Gospel. Since then she's stopped to talk with me DOZENS of times. She's a "regular." The first few times we talked about Jesus, but after the first few times she hasn't been interested in talking about him. Instead she wants to talk about Theater, or my puppy. I'm happy to have her stop and chat (because I legitimately do care about her and like her) but I wish we could get back to what she needs most: salvation. All that is to setup what happened today. Today was Emily's first time joining our Evangelism Team on campus and Nelle talked with her about Jesus. For a loooooong time! (A really long time.) Nelle told Emily that she likes to search religions for truth, and she likes pagan gods. Emily did a super job listening and giving her a lot to think about. Emily exhorted Nelle to look for truth, and that Jesus alone is the truth. I was sooooo happy seeing Nelle being engaged in an evangelistic conversation! Please keep this sweet, but confused, young woman in your prayers. God is on the move! Hallelujah!

Students LOVE the Evange-doodle!!!

This is John, a kind and intelligent student with a complicated religious background. He's attended several types of Churches, and a few years of Catholic School, and hopes he'll "stay good enough" to go to Heaven. I got to share with him the Gospel of grace, which he didn't know. He took a Gospel of John from me and said he'd read it. John is one of those people who has a lot of puzzle pieces already, but doesn't know how to put them together. Please pray that The Holy Spirit opens his eyes. Thank you!

This is Ria, a kind young woman from Delhi, India. Chris has been to India, so they chatted about that. He asked her about her religious upbringing and Ria said she attended a Catholic school until she was 14. But she doesn't think about the afterlife anymore. Chris shared the Great News that Jesus will forgive us through repentance and faith. Ria gladly took a Gospel booklet and a copy of The Gospel of John. Ria was so sweet. When Chris handed her the Gospel of John, she said, "Thank you, I'll read the whole thing."

This is cool. Typically there are terrible posters up glamorizing strange "Gender Theory," homosexuality, promiscuity, abortion, and just about anything you can imagine. This day we saw a poster for a PRO-LIFE organization! (And someone even removed one of the phone number tags at the bottom. Maybe a life saved?) Can you find the pro-life poster in there?

This is Nolan, a kind student who was wearing a cross earring. I asked him what the cross meant, and he said, "I don't know, it was a gift from my Mom." I asked him if I could ask him a few questions and he happily agreed. So I took him through some commandments so he could see WHY he needs the cross. I got to share the Great News of our amazing Christ who purchased salvation on the cross and offered it to us if we repent and believe. I exhorted him to do that and he left with a Gospel Booklet and a lot to consider. Nice young man. I hope he does come to Jesus. Your prayers for Nolan are much appreciated!

It still blows my mind that strangers really do stop and talk to us. Yay Jesus!

We nearly didn't go out this day because rain was in the forecast, but it was nice and sunny while we were on campus - yay God! Productive (and civil) conversations about sin, eternity, the cross, Jesus were had. Hallelujah!

This is Dean and Nevaeh. Dean went to Christian School, and Nevaeh grew up Catholic. Both of them said they're very concerned about Hell. Chris asked them, "Do you know what God did for you so you don't have to be condemned. They didn't know. Chris had the pleasure to share Jesus with them, and the cross, and the resurrection! Woo hoo! They were thankful and each took a Gospel of John!

This is Deeja and Jesus and Mary. Deeja (left) did most of the talking. Deeja is an intelligent and articulate young woman. She has a Muslim background and refused to admit that she was guilty of any sin whatsoever. This is very rare. Nearly everyone will admit that they've lied, or stolen, or hated, or lusted. But not Deeja. She was adamant that she hasn't broken any of those laws. I reasoned with her that none of us have loved our neighbor as we're supposed to and we need to humble ourselves and admit our sins. She literally said, "I want to be judged by God for what I have done." I pleaded with her, "Oh, you don't want that. You should want mercy, not judgment." But she wanted judgment and was confident that she'll be fine. This is called being self-righteous, and it's mortally dangerous. Please please pray for this sweet young lady, that she'll become self-aware and humble and seek The Savior. Jesus can rescue anybody. Anybody who is humble.

This is Leah, a very sweet young woman who was so open to talking about spiritual things. Chris asked her, "Are you born again?" Leah said, "Maybe. I did this thing that begins with a 'C.'" Chris asked, "Confirmation?" and Leah said, "Yeah, that's it!" Chris explained that becoming a Child of God is not about observing religious rituals. It's about being born again through faith and repentance. Please pray for this kind and thoughtful young woman. Thankfully she took a copy of The Gospel of John, and she left with a lot to think about.

This is Giovan, a student who grew up in a Christian home, but now is sadly angry with Christianity. Giovan said outright that he doesn't believe in "Christian Mythology." Jim did a great job listening to him and challenging him to believe because Christianity is true, even if we don't like it. Jim gave him the testimony of Lee Strobel, a hardened Atheist and Investigative Journalist, who researched the truthfulness of Christianity to try to get his wife to stop being a believer. His research lead him to believe the claims of Jesus. Jim also gave him a Gospel booklet, "Where Will You Spend Eternity?" Giovan said he'd read it. Please pray for this thoughtful young man. I'm sure his Christian parents are praying for him all the time.

This is Colby, a sweet Roman Catholic woman I met last Spring on Campus. She is really really really into Catholicism, to the point where she was trying to convince me that the eucharist can perform miracles. Let's make sure we're talking about the same thing here. The wafer. The flour mixed with water. She believes it mystically becomes the literal flesh of Jesus and that miracles happen because of this. I've tried to talk to her about the simple Gospel: we've sinned, and Jesus paid our fine once on the cross, and rose from the dead. He saves us through repentance and faith. Sadly, Colby keeps wanting to go back to the mystical eucharistic miracles. I asked her if I could share with her a document I wrote, and she said yes. So I emailed her this: http://luke-15.org/RCC_Overview.pdf I've also invited her to talk over coffee in a public place. So far she hasn't emailed back, but she does stop by frequently when she sees we're on campus. Please keep praying for this sweet young woman.

Don't you just wish that we could love one another the way Pippin loves people???