Last night, Thursday the 4th of November, Michael and I were blessed to be able to walk the campus grounds of BSU and share the precious gospel. This beautiful fall season is a great time to do so, because there is lots of activity and the brisk air keeps conversations lively. We were only two strong, but that is enough and is also the least we have decided to go with. We spoke of going it completely alone and how we would rather not. There is something about proclaiming the gospel along with fellow believers that stir eternal passions within. There is a point where you realize that this is what you were designed to do. As we walked we commented on the Biblical mandate to the seventy to go by twos. Being able to hit the streets with the gospel is a priviledge, and we also spoke of the recent video we had watched where brothers in Christ in India are getting beat literally to death. We prayed while we walked, resolving to take nothing for granted, and to let the joy within us overflow.
We passed out a number of tracts on our way to the center of campus without conversation. Michael held out a tract as a very tall skateboarder sped past us in the opposite direction and deftly took the hand-off. As we walked we stopped and talked with a young girl sitting on a bench. She was in a happy mood and appeared to be waiting for someone. She told us that she was a Christian. As Michael asked her a few questions she actually stated that we can't know the Bible is true because there is no proof. Wow. The influence of high-minded professors who's great desire is to undermine scripture is very pervading. I then began to press her for answers about the field she was studying, Exercise Science. As she provided answers I asked her how she knew they were correct. She stammered and thought about it but could not answer. I asked if it might be because things like 'protein makes muscle' might be absolute and unchanging. She said yes. As I began to relate these things to gospel truth she got a phone-call and excused herself, but not before thanking us for the talk and encouraging us to keep it up.
From there as we walked it became apparent that there was an air of hostility toward the gospel. Most people I encountered were very offended and wanted nothing to do with me. There was an event on campus and many were just in a hurry, however as I walked briskly alongside them and pressed the gospel I found atheists, agnostics, Mormons, and New Agers alike. Walking and talking I found myself engaging in bullet point fashion with people who scoffed at absolute truth. Indeed, the atheist man I prodded who was around 67 years old excalimed that he did not believe in absolute truth. I then asked him if he realized that to make the very statement that 'there is no absolute truth' is in itself an absolute. He was a little taken aback and said that was very interesting. He then went on a rant about the Bible being a fairy tale and men just declaring truth based on their experiences. I followed him all the way to the door and exhorted him to "Crack open a Bible and look again!" Many other quick encounters happened including a young man who was angry and spoke of philosophy trumping scripture; another man who walked with me for some time answering questions about Christianity quite Biblically. Only when he talked about 'returning to God' did I determinehe he was a Mormon. I pointed to the contradictions between the Doctrines and Covenants and not only the Bible but his own Book of Mormon. He did not argue and actually thanked me for the information and we parted.
During this time Michael had stopped to speak witha a muslim woman for the duration of the hour. She actually asked him to give her the gospel. She then stated emphatically that Christ was not the Son of God. Michael told her that quite simply if a person does not believe that Jesus is God in flesh then that person is damned to hell. She countered without wavering and asked him who the last prophet was. He said Jesus, and she said no, Mohammed was. Michael told her that in fact Mohammed was not a prophet, but only an unsaved sinner. Michael engaged her with absolute truth as well whenever she began playing the culture card and how we belive what we are raised to believe. Before they parted company she had a copy of the New Testament n her hand. Praise God.
As the evening finished up I had a wonderful converstaion with a young Christian woman from California named Monesha. She professed Christianity and indeed came up to me to ask for a tract. She is studying to be a social worker with emphasis on sign language. She is planning on starting a non-profit for the deaf. I was able to expound on Isaiah where God says our righteousness is as filthy rags. She was very intent and asked alot of great questions. We spoke of Christian hip-hop like Tedashi and LeCrae, and spoken word Christian poetry like P4C and Blair Wingo. She stated that she attends a small disciple group on campus on Monday nights called Focus but no church body except having attended Agape a few times. I exhorted her to get in a gospel-centered church and gave her information on my church, The Well. As Michael joined me we talked further and then we bowed our heads and I had the priviledge of praying for this young woman and her protection in a secular culture.
As a side note, Dan Barker, the president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation is speaking tonight at 6:00pm. Advertisements for the event had been chaulked into the side-walk, and as Michael and I stood over one we had quite a conversation with twin brothers on their way to a campus Bible study. How badly do you think I would like to be preaching outside this event tonight? I hope in the Lord's prepatory work in my brothers and myself and look forward to the time when we are ready. For now, we take confidence that despite ex-preachers turned atheist like Dan Barker, who are perverting the minds of so many, the Word's of our Lord will remain eternal as He has told us they will.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."
Matthew 24:35
Please remember to lift this ministry up in prayer and ask God what He would have you do to participate. Please pray that hearts would be cultivated by the gospel, and that the tracts we hand out would be effective in the lives of those who read. Pray for these people who God brings into our path that the shining glory of God would be seen in their lives.
Post Tenebras Lux
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