I’ve been praying and longing for an opportunity to give the gospel here at MSU. Other than a brief conversation with a classmate on the first day of class, the Lord did not give me an opportunity for the first month. But just last week I had a great opportunity to speak to a classmate about the gospel. In fact, I talked to her for a little over an hour, while another Christian student listened in. This classmate was interested in our translation work in the Old Testament. She is a Jew, so she wondered why we would want to translate the Old Testament into Haitian Creole (I told her earlier about my upcoming trips to Haiti). The Lord gave me real liberty to share with her the fulfillment found in a relationship with Christ, because only He can deal with our sin problem sufficiently. Yesterday I was surprised–and pleased–when my Syntax professor used the following examples to demonstrate a concept he was teaching:
(For the linguistically oriented readers, the professor was teaching the concept of argument structure and valency changing morphology.) I had heard the professor speak about how people have come to pray for his wife, who is going through cancer treatments, so I began to think that he was a born-again believer. I asked him about those examples after class. He commented that many avoid using those examples so as not to offend people, but he freely uses them in class and in writing because the examples are well-known and classic. But he also told me that he is Catholic. At least the Lord is using him as a tool to give the gospel!
I was able to speak to another student today at lunch, though not one that I am in class with. He asked if he could share the table where I was eating by myself. The conversation quickly moved to religious issues. He is a Janist. After asking him about how Janism deals with the sin problem, I was able to explain to him the perfect harmony that exists in Christianity between justice and mercy. After we finished lunch, he thanked me for the conversation, because he said it was “the best one he’s ever had at lunch.” I invited him to join me again in the future if he sees me sitting by myself. (I eat on campus every Tuesday.)
Praise the Lord for answering prayers to be a witness to Christ at MSU!
The Gospel and MSU
February 19, 2008 by proftroy
