I met Bobby yesterday. My friend Brittany and I walked up to him while he was sitting on the streets. I asked if I could sit by him, and he said sure. Brittany stood in front of us. It was a great conversation, and I walked away in tears. This was all part of a weekly event called Street Level, where we go into the streets of Minneapolis and share the gospel.
I can’t give exhaustive detail of the conversation, but I can hit some key parts that should allow you to pray with knowledge and a heart for this man. The following are not inferences, they are by his own words!
- Bobby recognizes that the world needs Jesus. He stated the wrongs in this world, and showed he knows we need hope.
- Bobby understands that the only hope we can give the world is Jesus, and that Jesus alone is powerful enough to conquer depravity on Earth.
- Bobby longs for the joy that he says he sees in Christians. He is caught in the monotony of his daily life, and is open to the transformation of Jesus that he has witnessed in his friends.
- “I have tried to ask for Jesus, but I never experienced anything.”
- He acknowledges our shared sinful nature and need for a savior.
Through all of this you might assume that he is ripe for harvest, and I sure hope that’s true! But, not last night. I asked what is keeping him from accepting Jesus, and he said “Something, but I don’t really know what.”
We went through the gospel, good news that the savior he knows we need has come! He was willing to talk about this. I gave him the 21 day challenge, and he said he will try to do it. The challenge was written on a card by my friend Billy, and I wrote my name and number on the card.
He didn’t want to surrender to Jesus, but he allowed us to pray for him.
In prayer, we asked that God pursue Bobby. I was audacious enough to ask God to have Bobby make use of my number. Brittany said he looked up at me when I said that!
Please pray for him! If he thinks that he isn’t there yet, he is believing a lie. “Jesus will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.” — Tony Evans
Pray that he calls or texts me, that Jesus meets him in his life, that the gospel would be stuck in his mind. Pray that the Lord speaks to him, and that He would remove all belief in Bobby that he can’t have Jesus.
For the next 21 days, while Bobby is taking the challenge, I will be praying for him. If you would like to join in that prayer, check out my weekly email prayer list. You can click here to see that page. Thank you for your dedication!