This post the the second half of our September 2012 Gospel Tales.

The work on campus is NOT finished.

Our students and we are in the trenches of a spiritual war on our campuses. Just last week at a club fair, the Lord blessed us with the opportunities to engage with students of faiths and non-faiths, particularly Muslims (I (Jenn) think Joey’s beard is causing all the attraction. Plenty ask if he’s Arabic! But Paul says to be all things to all people!)

When I (Joey) went to shake the hand of a female Muslim student, she reminded me that Islam does not allow this. And the Holy Spirit hit the refresh button in my mind for Luke 11:46, in which Jesus says, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.’”

Let me boldly declare that Jesus is THE TRUTH. And because of HIS life, cross and resurrection, we no longer have to be burdened under the immeasurable weights of unnecessary laws (like the no-handshake law), but we are freed and forgiven of sin by GRACE.

On the same day we engaged that sweet Muslim girl, two male Muslim students approached us, one from Bangladesh and one from West Africa. They immediately began arguing and wanted a debate. (We’ve concluded that sometimes we should lovingly debate or converse and sometimes we should just listen; in this case, we did both.) For about one half hour we listened to them talk about the Father (Allah) and how we DO NOT need Jesus as mediator. They expressed some irritation at the Christian truth that Jesus is God.

Again, we listened and nodded and loved until they asked, “Well, how could you believe Jesus is God?” (It’s a good rule to follow: when an unbeliever asks you about Jesus, answer! So we did.)

I (Joey) explained that both Islam and Christianity believe Jesus was put on trial. Muslims don’t, however, believe that Jesus died. So I asked, “Why was Jesus’ sentence death? What was his crime in eyes of his prosecution?”

They were unsure. And I shared with them that the charge against Jesus was blasphemy: claiming to be God and doing things as if he was God: forgiving sins, performing miracles, fulfilling prophecy, etc. Their arguments fell silent.

Our objective was NOT to “shut them up.” Please don’t think that. We so desire the “blinded eyes of unbelievers” to see the truth!

Please PRAY that God would save these three Muslim students, and that they’d go to their families, West Africa and Bangladesh with the new hope of Christ that would be in them! PRAY that we get the opportunity to love, serve and engage them on campus again.  Pray that they meet the true heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. Our heart has always been to reach the world from campus, and here is that opportunity.