Dear friends:
As founder and for 50 years president of Campus Crusade for Christ International, it has been my privilege to speak to many thousands of students each year since 1951.
At the conclusion of a message that I gave some years ago at Princeton University, a devout young man approached me to express his great concern over his lack of "fruit" in witnessing. "I read my Bible for an hour. I pray for an hour, and I witness for an hour each day," he said. "I attend every Christian meeting on campus. Yet, I have never been able to introduce another to Christ. What's wrong with me?"
This is a problem with many. Again and again I am reminded of the great contrast between the Church of Jesus Christ today and His Church of the first century. What is the difference?
Some theologians would say that it is the degree of commitment. But many people all over the world are crying out to God, dedicating their lives to Christ day after day, yet they continue to live spiritually impotent and defeated lives.
In counseling with the young man, I gently probed for the answer to his problem. I knew he meant business. He wanted to please God. He sincerely wanted his friends to know his wonderful Savior, and, according to his conduct and Christian activities, he was a model Christian.
Jesus promises in John 14:26 and 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and will guide us into all truth. As I counseled him, the Holy Spirit directed us to several very important passages of Scripture that explain the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. I shared how he could be filled with the Holy Spirit by faith based on God's command to be filled (Ephesians 5:18) and God's promise that if we ask for anything according to His will, He would hear and answer (1 John 5:14,15). When he claimed the fullness of the Holy Spirit by faith, God unlocked the door to victory and to unspeakable joy.
The young man left the counseling room rejoicing and with an expectant heart. He told me later that he began to experience a fruitful life in Christ, beginning that very day, such as he had never before known. He had found his answer -- the Holy Spirit.
Yours for fulfilling the Great Commission
each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
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Dr. Bill Bright is founder and chairman of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization which began as a campus ministry in 1951 and now has more than 25,000 full-time staff and 553,000 trained volunteer staff in 196 countries in areas representing 99.6 percent of the world's population. In the past 50 years, Campus Crusade for Christ has seen approximately 6 billion exposures to the gospel worldwide. The film, "JESUS," which Bright conceived and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most widely viewed film ever produced. Since its use began in 1980, the film has been translated into more than 689 languages and viewed by more than 4.5 billion people in 234 countries. Dr. Bright is also the author of more than fifty books.
Copyright (c) 2002, Bill Bright. All rights reserved. However, readers may copy and distribute this message as desired, without restrictions in number, as long as the content is not altered. Forwarding this e-mail to friends is encouraged. For many free evangelistic and spiritual growth materials, visit the Campus Crusade for Christ Web site at http://www.ccci.org. See http://www.newlifepubs.com for Bill Bright's own materials.