SUNDAY SCHOOL ON THE MALL

September 24, 2013, University of Illinois,

     The girl, who apologized for showing me disrespect yesterday, was disrespectful toward Mikhail as he opened the meeting.  She did straighten up when I preached.

     Tennessean author, Bryan Davis, and his wife, stopped for about 90 minutes to listen to me preach on his way to lecture at a writer's conference in Michigan. I invited him to testify. He told how he had heard me say in 1979 at the University of Florida that I don't sin.  The Christians in his college group went berserk.  Later, I was able to speak to him personally about our ability to live holy.  Bryan changed his mind and challenged his Christian friends, "If the will is free, why can't we always obey God, especially considering the power of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome temptation?"  Bryan testimony calmed the students.

     

     When I took my last preaching session, I sat in my chair and invited the students to sit on the grass.  Most of them sat down; I sang the B-I-B-L-E song.  Someone requested that I sing it again.  I urged the students to join me and most did as we sang, "Oh the B-I-B-L-E that's the book for me."  That song will still be on the mind of some of them as I write this report tonight.  I reminded the students that they sang that song at Vacation Bible School or in Sunday School when they were children.  They also used to sing, "Jesus Loves Me." 

Bryan Davis was influenced to a life of holiness when he heard Bro. Jed at the University of Florida in 1979.  Bryan and his wife are raising four daughters in the way of righteousness.

      It is helpful to draw on pleasant childhood memories.  I reminded the students, "You once believed the Bible and you once believed in Jesus.  What happened?"  I explained, "You reached the age of accountability and you choose to live selfishly instead of lovingly and unselfishly.  Your selfish choices soon became habitual and you developed a sinful nature which resulted in a bad character.  Sin blinded you to the Truth of the Bible and the love of Jesus.  You need to make a new choice to live unselfishly."   The students were mostly pensively listening.  I am a strong advocate of VBS, which plants seeds of truth in youth that may not germinate until years or even decades later.

     At 3:45 Sam, a leader of the secularists on campus, invited me to dinner with some of his friends.  Four boys and one girl met us at an Italian restaurant and we had a good hour of discussion.  I talked about the justice of eternal damnation.  We also discussed politics and the the proper role of government, especially the federal government.  They supported gun control legislation, which I opposed. 

     Sam expressed his interest in an arranging a debate for the spring semester.  It was a pleasant time.  They were all well-mannered.  The most ill-manner student I encountered today was a professing Christian, who called me an idiot and anti-intellectual.   I had had no previous confrontation with him and do not even recall seeing him in the crowd.  I suspect that he was judging my ministry by hearsay.   I have discovered over the years that some of my most vehement opposition comes from people who have never heard me speak on campus.     

Sunday School with Bro. Jed at Indiana University.  Students joined in as Bro. Jed led them in the children's song, B-I-B-L-E!

     Bryan Davis later wrote, "It was a great blessing hearing Brother Jed Smock preaching to the students on the campus of the University of Illinois yesterday. He was honest, straightforward, and clear. Some students mocked and made snide or rude comments, but for the most part, they were polite and attentive.

The most disruptive students were two who claimed to be Christians and were offended by Brother Jed's straightforward approach. It seemed so backwards and absurd that the "Christians" would be the ones offended by a preacher of the gospel. He was never harsh or nasty; he was simply straightforward, which was right and appropriate.

One "Christian" in particular was venomous and nasty, literally spitting mad. He harshly rebuked Brother Jed loudly, which, of course, is in violation of the Bible (1 Timothy 5:1), and his complaints that Jed was misrepresenting the faith were ridiculous. Brother Jed spoke nothing in return, properly turning the other cheek. It is shameful and sad that the self-avowed non-Christians were far more polite and attentive than were some of the professing Christians.

In any case, I came away feeling blessed by hearing a man of God preach an unsullied gospel with power, accuracy, and boldness. I pray that God will bring growth to the seeds that were planted yesterday."

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