Reaching Students Reaching Students Through Love/Hate

The local BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry) at Francis Marion University sponsored an event called Love Hate that was an evangelistic tool for sharing the gospel via an open discussion forum where students could talk about the important issues they face during their college years.

The event lasted for a week starting on Wednesday, March 21st and ended with a big group meeting on Tuesday, March 27th. BCMers spent the first part of the Love/Hate week posting flyers around campus, putting up white boards on which people could write about what they loved/hated on various topics (including school, friends, family, Christianity, and religion), and wearing t-shirts with the Love/Hate slogan printed on them.

Heather-Grace Brown and Joedy Cook, two BCMers, said that they were able to talk with a student who is an atheist. Heather-Grace said, “He started asking us some hard questions, and even asking us why Christianity was better than Buddhism and other religions. We were able to share our faith, and tell him that Christianity was better because of Jesus. Another thing that he told us was that he did not want to serve God because he thought that God was selfish. He said that God only wanted His followers to worship Him, and never wanted them to do something for their fellow man. At that point we were able to tell him that, yes, we are called to worship God, but we worship God through a lot of the things we do. He had told us previously that he thought the Love/Hate thing was really cool, and it really helped a lot of people at the school. We were able to tell him that through things like Love/Hate, we not only help others, but those kinds of things are, in a huge way, how we worship God.”

Before the big event on Tuesday, BCM students reviewed the comments and invited other Christian students to write apologies about the things that people “hated” about Christianity. On the night of the big event, the students who had written the apologies stood up in the crowd and read their apologies in public. Jessie Rasnake, FMU senior nursing student, apologized for not being a good witness of Christ’s life. She said, “I’m sorry that most times in life I don’t follow Christ’s example for how we should live life because I choose to do it my way and continue to profess His name to the fullest and tell others to use Him as an example when I don’t always follow His example myself. I’m so sorry.” Jessie says that she wrote her apology in response to one of the statements on the Love/Hate boards that said, “I hate that you Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Jessie says, “It was the harshest one I saw, and the bad part is that I knew that I had caused statements like that in some part. I just felt so humbled to know that I sin and who am I to ask someone to follow a Christ that I don’t follow myself. Who am I to tell someone they are missing out on something so great when I don’t live like it’s that great?”

There have been many open doors to sharing the gospel with students, and even a professor, because of this event. One girl accepted Christ the night of the service and another rededicated her life to Christ. One professor who said he had grown up as a Christian but had fallen away from church, had lots of questions about various religions that he discussed with one of the BCM students.

Sharing Jesus Begins with Prayer

“Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

Prayer is the first ingredient of an authentic life with God. Not only is prayer important for our own relationship with God. It is the first step, the foundation, of our sharing with others. Through prayer, God causes the seeds that people plant in others’ lives to grow (1 Cor. 3:6-7).

There are many reasons to pray. First of all, we pray because Jesus prayed. Jesus serves as our main example when we are learning to share God with others. As we look at Jesus’ life we see that he prayed frequently (Matt. 14:23; 26:36; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; John 17) Another reason to pray is that God allows us to influence Him with our prayers. God listens and responds when we pray. you can actually influence God with your prayers. 2 Kings 20:1-7 tells the story of King Hezekiah. He asked God to spare His life and God responded by allowing him to live for 15 more years.

Just like Hezekiah's prayer, our prayers make a difference. We have influence with God and He moves when we pray. We can help lead people to eternal life.

What should you pray for?
Pray for more people to witness. Jesus specifically asked you to pray to the Father and ask Him to send workers into the field (Matt. 9:37-38). What is the field? It is the world of sinners. Who are the workers? They are people like you. Jesus wants people to find salvation and enjoy eternal fellowship with Him. He wants you to preach the Gospel. He has given the command "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..." (Matt. 28:19). Your witness for God may or may not be verbal. But either way, you need to pray and ask God to give you strength, love, and insight.

Pray for compassion for the lost. Compassion is a necessary element in witnessing. It motivates you to speak, to teach, and to pray for others to come into the kingdom of God. Compassion helps you to cry over the lost and to come to God in humble request for their salvation. Paul said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and by prayer to God for them is for their salvation" (Rom. 10:1).

Pray for the desire to witness. Pray this regularly and watch the Lord change you and give you a desire to reach out and tell people about Jesus. God will grant your prayers and joy will fill your heart as you fulfill the command of God by witnessing.

Pray for boldness. Pray for the courage to step out in faith and speak up when needed. Many Christians are timid because speaking a word for the sake of the Lord can be risky and frightening. Boldness gives you the courage to risk ridicule and to endure the scorn. Ask God for it. "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" (2 Tim. 1:7-8).

Pray to the Lord to bind Satan and his angels. There is a hierarchy of demons seeking to hinder your witness and steal the seeds of the Gospel that you plant. You cannot fight spirits with reason or flesh and blood, but you can ask the Lord to fight. With prayer you can assault the camp of the enemy and weaken his false kingdom. Prayer is a mighty tool, a powerful tool. You need it if you are going to witness.

Pray for your needs. Do you have a close walk with God? Do you need a deeper fellowship with Him? Do you have sins you need to confess and forsake? If so, then pray. Enjoy your privilege of coming to the Creator of the universe who meets your every need. He loves you. He wants to hear from you and He wants you to make your needs known to Him. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6).

Hindrances to prayer
Prayer is important for many reasons, especially for witnessing. But prayer can be hindered. So that your prayers and witnessing might be as affective as possible, a discussion of the hindrances of prayer is necessary. Do any of the following apply to you?


Sin hinders prayer. "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Psalm 66:18). We all sin, but do you have unconfessed and unrepented sin in your life? If so, confess your sin, repent from it as you are commanded in Acts 17:30, and continue in witnessing and prayer.

Selfishness hinders prayer. "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3). Examine yourself. Make sure your prayers are not motivated by selfish desires. If you find that selfishness is a factor then confess it and repent.

Doubt hinders prayer. "But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6). We all doubt. We all fail. But when you doubt be reminded of the man who said to Jesus, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24). He believed and yet doubted and Jesus granted his request. Remember that God has given a measure of faith to every man (Rom. 12:3). Trust God, even when you have doubts. It does not matter necessarily how much faith you have as much as who your faith is in. Put what faith you have in Jesus. Trust Him. Watch Him be faithful to you.

Pride hinders prayer. Jesus spoke of the Pharisee and the tax-gatherer who both were praying. The Pharisee boasted about himself while the tax-gatherer asked for mercy from God. Jesus said in Luke 18:14 regarding the tax-gatherer, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other." Jesus shows us that pride is sin and that it hinders prayer (James 4:6). Have the same attitude that Jesus had in heaven in His full glory as He had on Earth as a man. He was humble. If you are prideful, confess it as sin, repent, and continue in humility.

Poor relationship hinders prayer. This may seem a little out of place here, but it isn't. A proper relationship with your spouse is very important. If there are problems because of selfishness, pride, argument, anger, unforgiveness, or any of the other multitudinous obstacles that can develop in marriage, then your prayers will be hindered. How are you doing with your mate? Are you witnessing while there is anger between you two? In Matt. 5:23-24 Jesus said, "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering." Are you reconciled to your wife or husband (for that matter, anyone you know with whom there is strife) before you offer sacrifices of witnessing and prayer to the Lord? If not, then be reconciled, so your prayers won't be hindered. 1 Pet. 3:7 says, "You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that you prayers may not be hindered."

Prayer is a privilege
Prayer is a privilege. It is a powerful tool. Without it you will be a foolish worker in the fields of the dead. Pray and ask the Lord of the harvest to raise the dead to life. Bend your knees in fellowship with your Lord. Let Him wash you in His presence and fill you with the Holy Spirit. Prayer is where you meet Him. Prayer is where you are shaped. Pray.