Happy New Year

It has been a blessed time home this holiday season; resting, reading, relaxing. God has been showing me many things about myself, life, direction... and I've also gained a new appreciation for being on the road! After 3 months of intensive ministry, preaching every day and being totally occupied in the work of the Lord, a long break like this (though welcomed) is rather slow. I am anxious to get back at it this coming semester.

The New Year is always an opportunity for us to focus our thoughts, motives and plans upon God once again and commit our way to Him. "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5) A life outside the will of God is no life at all. Jesus came that we might have life and that more abundantly! We ought to ask ourselves: are we living that life? What exactly IS that life? How do I obtain such life? These are the questions that I am asking myself at this time of year.

The answer is Jesus Christ. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3) My prayer is that we would all know Christ intimately, and that we would die to our life and allow His life to live in us. Yes Lord!

January 13 is when I will be flying back to California to begin the journey home. Please pray for:

-the presence of the Holy Spirit with us as we go
-souls to be saved for the glory of God
-protection from evil and the wiles of the devil
-divine strength
-provision for all our needs
-no van trouble

My earnest prayer is that this second half of the trip will be far more glorious than the first. I personally feel that last semester was very much a learning experience and time of experimenting with preaching on campus. Though I know this will continue into the next semester, I want to preach what is right, the right way, in the right place, and see the right results happen. Please pray for me, dear saints.

May God bless you all richly with all wisdom, strength, and power this next year, my friends. You are precious in God's sight. Love your brother in Christ,

-Eli

Campus Ministry '06

1. SUNY Oswego
2. George Mason University
3. Virginia Commonwealth University
4. Eastern Carolina University
5. UNC Chapel Hill
6. NC State University
7. College of Charleston
8. University of Tennessee, Knoxville
9. Middle Tennessee State University
10. University of Memphis
11. University of Central Arkansas
12. University of Arkansas, Little Rock
13. University of North Texas
14. Tyler Junior College
15. Texas Tech University
16. University of Texas, El Paso
17. El Paso Community College
18. New Mexico State University
19. University of Arizona
20. Pima Community College
21. Arizona State University
22. Glendale Community College
23. Mesa Community College
24. College of the Desert
25. University of California, Riverside
26. University of California, Santa Barbara
27. Santa Barbara City College
28. University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles

UCLA was the last campus we preached at before flying home for Christmas. I originally did not publish a report on this outreach because of time, but thought I'd now put up some pictures and say a few comments about it. We drew some of the biggest crowds here at one of the most well-known schools in the country. Crowds got to be as large as 200, and yet remained very calm and civil. I preached only the last day because of the stitches in my lip from a few days earlier (See Ministry Update: Four Stitches in Upper Lip). Miles and Evan did a great job regardless.

This is Jaeson Mah, a Christian brother from campus who came out and gave his life's testimony to the crowd. The response was phenomenal!

Brother Jimmy Lee open air preaches for the first time.

Evan drew in great crowds almost everyday. On the third day of ministry while Miles was preaching, a wild student who was out of his right mind disturbed the meeting with threatenings and course behavior. I was not even preaching, but wound up getting hit in the face again... that's twice in one week, can you believe it? The police arrested him yet he was still trying to fight them too. It was awful. All this happened in front of hundreds of students, but I think it really sobered everyone up to the Gospel.



Brother Ceril from Jews for Jesus. It was awesome to fellowship with him during our time at UCLA.

I preached the last day with a cut lip and a swollen jaw, but praise God for His super-abundant grace and the sufficiency of His Spirit! UCLA was quite an experience which I'm sure none of us will forget. The Lord bless you saints,
-Eli

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara City College is a beautiful campus right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. We arrived the first day to preach but were stopped by the campus security who told us we could not speak without permission from the administration, and after going to the main office we were allowed only one hour the next day to preach. Therefore, our normal meeting needed to be condensed into a space of one hour, but the Lord was with us and gave us an excellent time of preaching, with many attentive and inquisitive listeners. When we were finished, our hearers even gave us a round of applause.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:14-16)

Blessings, my friends. If the Lord wills I shall be home shortly, and I eagerly desire to see you all. It has been a tremendous blessing to travel across the country these last few months lifting up the Name of the Son of God, and the Lord has taught me many things about Himself and about my own self. I am humbled to be called a preacher of Christ. Saints, I wish you all a very happy Christmas holiday, and may the Lord bless you and keep you, may you experience the sweet fellowship in the Holy Spirit and with one another in love. Grace and peace to you from,

Your brother and fellow labourer in the Gospel,
-Eli

Ministry Update: Four Stitches in Upper Lip

Dear friends, last night I got punched in the face by an angry college student and had to be taken to the hospital. I received four stitches in my upper lip, my gums are cut up and my teeth are sore, but thank the Lord nothing is broken and I am recovering well.

We were doing outreach down on the main party street in Isla Vista Friday night, and at the time I wasn't even preaching. I had talked with my attacker earlier and he became extremely angry because I was showing him what the Bible said about his sin, and he was under conviction. He grabbed me by the collar but his friends held him back. After he had left I thought he was gone, and I started to talk with another student. About three minutes later he came out of no where and punched me right in the mouth. He hit me so hard I was thrown backwards to the ground and blacked out for a second. I didn't even see him coming, but Miles told me later that he saw him run straight out of the crowd and delivered a full blown punch to me. I was bleeding pretty bad, down my jacket and on the ground.

I am honored to shed my blood for my Lord Jesus. "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5:12) Praise God. What's great is that the Christian community here in Santa Barbara were stirred and encouraged by this incident, and I am so thankful for their loving kindness in praying for me and getting me to the hospital. We also prayed for the young man that hit me, that he might be saved! I forgive him; may the Lord also forgive him and rescue his soul. Please pray for the expenses I must now pay. American hospitals charge for their services and I am not insured, being a Canadian citizen, and it is very expensive. "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

Praise the Lord for His protection. We must never cease to be the light in the dark places despite whatever trials come up against us. No matter how hard, no matter how dangerous, let the Name of Jesus Christ be glorified in us to all the world! God bless, dear saints.

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." (2 Corinthians 4:6-11)

University of California, Santa Barbara

We preached at UofC Santa Barbara for three days, the second most famous party school in the country. Apparently, over 20,000 students pack into an area of 0.5 square miles in a place called Isla Vista to go wild all night long. These are the same students that are studying to become lawyers and doctors and politicians, etc. How far this country has fallen from it's original integrity and Christian hertiage! Today, campuses are thriving with anti-Biblical liberal thought, ravaging the minds of impressionable young students.

The first day on campus we were having an excellent civil meeting with a group of iniquisitive athiests. They were asking all sorts of questions about the Bible and God and His Son, but then something terrible happened. A handful of students Christians showed up and totally devasted the meeting. They began trying to argue with us about doctrine and would not leave or accept the fact that we did not want to talk to them but to the non-believers. The meeting eventually closed, with the athiests just seeing these Christians arguing with us. It was very grieving. We couldn't believe it.

Here is Miles being cut off by a campus Christian.

Day two was much better. We prayed that God would prevent that same thing from happening and that day we did not see even one of those contenders who came out previously. Large crowds attended the meeting as we preached hard about sin, righteousness and judgment to come, emphasizing that "we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." This seemed to make sense with the students; their conscience condemns their wicked lifestyles.

Day three was the best day of our time spent at Santa Barbara. The students very totally civil and the meeting accomplished much. Many people had questions that received answers and others were deeply challenged to get their lives right with God. One man printed off a list of so-called Bible contradictions, but we went through each one plainly until his mouth was completely stopped. A pot smoker had nothing to say when we demolished all his arguments and he saw himself guilty before God. One girl was almost in tears as the Holy Spirit began making an assault on her hardened heart. Evan and I had a great conversation with a Bahai student, who had many questions about Jesus Christ and His second return. Miles reasoned with two evolutionist philosophers and the crowd acknowledged that they were reductio ad absurdum, reduced to absurdity. Two Christian girls and a guy were so convicted about their lifestyles that they started to cry right there in the meeting. Other Christians were encouraged in the Lord; one young man asked us to pray for him that he would have more of a hunger for the Word of God! We also met two Jews for Jesus believers who were a wonderful witness and encouragment to us. God be praised!

Thank you, dear saints, for your encouragment to me and for reading these reports; you bless my heart. Lord willing I will be home next Saturday, the 9th of December, for Christmas break and I hope we can get together during that time for fellowship; I know I miss you all dearly and long to see you. May the Lord bless all of us, and strengthen us in our faith and in the Word of God. To Jesus Christ be the glory both NOW and FOREVERMORE.

University of California, Riverside

We had two great days of preaching at UC Riverside. Students came out in large numbers to hear what we were preaching. A dear local brother, Jack Jackson, also joined us and open air preached for the first time; he did a superb job. Many heard the Word proclaimed and there were many fruitful one on ones.

The next day, Miles and I held our the gospel banner all through this rap concert. Immediately after they finished, we began preaching to the crowd that had formed to hear them. Another blessed meeting commenced and lasted for a few hours.

Brother Jack ministers to several students.

We praise God that the Gospel went out loud and clear! May God raise up more laborers to bring in the harvest. "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life." (Acts 5:20)

The Truth About Islam

The religion of Islam originated in c. 610 AD by Muhammad the Qurayshis, a merchant living in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, who claimed to receive revelations from God which would continue for the next 23 years until his death in 632. These revelations were recorded in a book which is known as the Qur'an, and today more than 1.4 billion people follow the teachings of the Qur'an and are known as Muslims.

In this article I will argue that Muhammad is a false prophet, and those who adhere to his teachings are actually giving heed to "seducing spirits and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1).

THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD 

When Muhammad first received these revelations he would be gripped by epileptic seizures and fits of convulsions. Muhammad himself doubted whether his revelations were from God, fearing that he was demon possessed: 

"Naturally he was scared, and intimated to his wife, Khadija, the fear that he might even be possessed by an evil spirit . . . Stricken with panic, Muhammad arose and asked himself, "What did I see? Did possession of the devil which I feared all along come to pass?" . . . When he calmed down, he cast toward his wife the glance of a man in need of rescue and said, "O Khadijah, what has happened to me?" He told her of his experience and intimated to her his fear that his mind had finally betrayed him, and that he was becoming a seer or a man possessed." [Haykal, The Life of Muhammad, p.73-75]

Muhammad eventually became convinced that it was the archangel Gabriel who appeared to him and delivered these Qur'anic revelations. What we must do is evaluate carefully the content of those alleged revelations, for it is ultimately by examining the content of a prophet's message that we can discern whether a prophet is from God or not (Deut. 13:1-3; Matt. 7:15-20, 12:33-37). As the Bible says, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8).

In 622, Muhammad and his followers were expelled from Mecca and moved to Medina. Muhammad became the governor of Medina and there the first Muslim political community was created. Muhammad proceeded to wage war against the Meccans. After eight years of bloodshed, the Muslims conquered the city with a force of ten thousand men and established Mecca as the Islamic capital of the world. After the capture of Mecca, many of the Arabian tribes joined Muhammad and converted to Islam. Muhammad sent out his commanders to spread Islam with this command: 

"When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to [accept] Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them. ... If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the jizya. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah’s help and fight them." [Sahih Muslim, Book 19, Number 4294]

Muslims insist that Islam is a religion of peace, but history demonstrates that what is meant by peace is that all nations and peoples would submit politically to Islam, like the Pax Romana of the Roman Empire. Their founder and leader was man of war who shed blood and conquered by the sword in order to bring about this peace. This is very different than the kingdom of Jesus. Our Lord said to Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight" (John 18:36). Accordingly, we may conclude that Muhammad's kingdom is of this world.

Muhammad was Biblically disqualified from being a spiritual leader according to the list of leadership qualifications in Titus 1:6-9. "If any be blameless, the husband of one wife..."; "...no striker..."; and especially, "...holding fast the faithful word..." Muhammad did not hold fast the faithful word of God, but claimed the Bible had been corrupted, when in fact Muhammad himself changed the teachings of the Bible to fit with his religion of Islam. He is an example of what Paul warned about in 1 Timothy 4:1: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons."

THE TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD 

"He has revealed to you the Book of truth, verifying that which is before it, and He revealed the Torah and the Gospel aforetime, a guidance for the people, and He sent the Qur'an." (Surah 3:3)

Muhammad affirmed that the Bible--Old and New Testaments--were given by God and therefore were to be obeyed as the Word of God. The Qur'an refers to Christians and Jews as "People of the Book", those to whom the Bible was given. Both Moses and Jesus are considered prophets in Islam, and Jesus is even held to be the Messiah. However, Muhammad runs into a major problem here because the Qur'an seriously and fundamentally contradicts the Bible on many important issues. For example:

-the Qur'an says God established His covenant with Abraham's son, Ishmael. But the Bible says God established His covenant with Abraham's son, Isaac.
-the Qur'an says that blood does not atone for sins. But the Bible says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
-the Qur'an says God has no Son. But the Bible says that God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son.
-the Qur'an says that Jesus was just a man. The Bible says that Jesus is God.
-the Qur'an says that Jesus did not die on the cross. The Bible says that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.

These are important differences. In light of such major discrepancies, how could Muhammad have said that the Bible and the Qur'an were both the Word of God? The answer: Muhammad declared that the Old and New Testaments had been corrupted and altered by the Jews and the Christians who had received them, and that the Qur'an was God's response, verifying the truth that had been lost by the People of the Book. But an honest evaluation of the historical facts proves this claim to be false. And if the Old and New Testaments haven't bee corrupted, then Islam is certainly false.

The Jewish people love their Scriptures. They value and esteem them above all else that is in the world, so much so that they even failed to recognize Jesus their Messiah because of their misplaced focus upon the study of them (John 5:39-40)! Hebrew scholars were the "computers" of their day. If a new scroll erred at all, even in punctuation, it was discarded and burned. Hebrew letters are also numbers, and if the sum of a new text was not equal to the sum of the original text the scroll was destroyed. With other such precautions scribes diligently supervised the Scripture's preservation. Perfection was demanded. And the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940's confirmed this, as scholars were able to compare scrolls from before the time of Christ with the Old Testament we use today, and saw that they were virtually identical. Certainly Jesus did not think the Scriptures would ever be lost: "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18).

Muhammad's claim that the New Testament was corrupted by the Church is likewise without historical grounds. Muhammad was suggesting that in less than 600 years the New Testament was perverted, and its Gospel unable to decipher, but the facts say the opposite. There are thousands of early New Testament manuscripts, discovered from a diversity of locations, which convince even the most skeptical scholars like Bart Ehrman that the New Testament we use today is virtually identical to the original Scriptures, and that the message and doctrines of Jesus and His apostles have not been lost. Moreover, the Ante-Nicene fathers (Christian writers after the Apostles and before the Council of Nicaea, c. 100-325 AD) wrote voluminous letters, treatises, and commentaries on the New Testament Scriptures, many of which we possess today, and in which they quote almost every verse which we have in our present day Bibles. These writings prove that the New Testament they used is the same one we use, i.e., that it was not corrupted. Muhammad's claim is therefore false, and he argues against God Who said, "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:24-25). God will not allow His Word to be lost.

It is on this point that Islam ultimately falls through. If the Bible was corrupted, then the Qur'an might be true, but because the Word of God stands sure forever, and the Qur'an contradicts that Word, it is shown to be false and to have no authority. Each of us must decide whether we will follow the Word of God or the word of a man and devils. Let the facts decide for you.

THE TRUTH

I write this for those dear Muslims who are deceived by the lies of the devil through this man Muhammad. Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37). You may find yourself dying of thirst in the desert like Hagar and Ishmael because of confusion and sins, and you know that if you don't find drink you will die. The Bible says that the Father loved you so much He gave Jesus Christ His own Son to died on the cross for your sins and bear your iniquities so that you can be saved. Isa is your Well of ZamZam. If you repent today and call upon Jesus to save you, you shall be saved, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).

College of the Desert

A brief update from the team... we arrived in Indio, California last Friday and have been staying with a wonderful brother named Jack Jackson and his family, and will be moving on into the L.A. area this coming Monday. Our hosts have shown us tremendous hospitality and we are entirely grateful. Today the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving, so this will be my very first American Thanksgiving, which I am excited to participate in. Praise God for the abundance of blessing He has given us.

I'm not too fond of California. The moment we rolled across the border we stopped at a red light and the vehicle next to us was trying to sell us drugs! Too me, everything seems recreational and expensive... golf courses everywhere, people flying in hot air balloons, clubs, pools... folks with a lot of money but nothing to live for. "Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry." (Ecclesiastes 8:15) Though I must add that the land is indeed beautiful, with large mountain ranges and perfect weather.

We went to preach at College of the Desert, a small campus in Indio, but there wasn't too many people around because of the holiday, so we witnessed to students one-on-one. Two Hispanic guys found themselves under conviction when presented with the Law of God. Jack ministered to a young woman who was in tears the whole time. The day was a work of God. We handed out literature and Gospel tracts.

Well... the Lord bless you, dear saints, and for those in America: Happy Thanksgiving.

Mesa Community College

Our time at Mesa Community College was very short because the police and administration did everything they could to make our time there uncomfortable. Miles engaged a group of students for a while until we were shut down. May the Lord open the doors at Mesa Community College for the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ to go in!

Glendale Community College

We drew a large almost immediately after we arrived on Glendale Community College and were able to preach for about half an hour before being shut down and removed from campus. Although our stay was short, I'm confident that many students heard the Word of God boldly and plainly declared.

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me." (John 15:19-21)

Obtaining a Good Report

This sermon was preached at Heart of Christ Community Church in Tucson, Arizona, on November 12, 2006, and is actually the second of two services conducted at the church; the first sermon will be made available shortly.

This message deals with the vital necessity of faith, examining the heroic standard set by those ancient men and women listed in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:39-40) Our generation is starving for men and women of this caliber of faith, but who will heed the call? Download below:

Eli Brayley - Obtaining a Good Report

Arizona State University

An unbelievable amount of students flocked to hear the preaching of the Word of God at Arizona State University for a total of four days straight, and every day was filled with lots of excitment. We preached hard against sin and exalted the Lordship of Christ Jesus. During the first day of meetings I had water poured all over me as I was speaking. Likewise on the second day, someone threw water all over me again. The police demanded that we take down our banner for fear that someone might us the metal poles as weapons.

Here is a video taken from the first day of meetings: Eli Brayley - Judaism, Christianity, Islam

The picture above is super funny. I had just passed the floor over to brother Evan when this mild-mannered Christian in a yellow shirt stepped up and started addressing the students. At that very moment the police stormed in and began interrogating the yellow shirted guy thinking he was the cause of the all the commotion while Miles, myself and Evan stood quietly to the side trying not to laugh... You can see the students screaming at the officer and pointing in our direction. It was a genuine classic moment.

The police told us we had to move because the crowd was too large and was blocking traffic so we set up by a fountain near the student union building.

While Miles was preaching, an irate muslim nearly attacked him. This crazed man was cursing and swearing, saying: "Christians, Jews and athiests are all cursed!" and "I hope Bin Laden kills you, because I'm for him!"

Some sort of new age buddhist guy began meditating against us during the meeting, and then he tried to stare me down... but I simply quoted Scripture to him and he began to get very angry. So much for inner peace... he was exposed for the sinner that he was.

Many Christians showed up to hear the preaching as well. On the fourth day, two brothers were inspired and began preaching themselves at another location on campus. For the most part, the believers on campus received us well. "Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me." (Mark 9:37) We also took several athiests out to dinner on the final day.

The girl above refused to believe that the Bible condemns homosexuality, and stomped up to read it for herself. After seeing with her own eyes the word of Scripture, she slapped the Bible down and said, "That's why I don't believe the Bible." People like her pick and choose what they want to believe to suit their sin and make them feel good. She's a perfect example of a rebel against God.

On the other hand, this man below realized his sin and instead of justifying it or cursing God, he chose to repent and get his life right with God. A perfect example of a humble and contrite heart.

God bless dear readers. May the Lord continue to bless you through these updates, and may God pour out His Spirit upon us all. Please pray for us that we would remain focused and strengthened as we carry out the final weeks of the first half of our journey. I know that I am beginning now to feel tired and am looking forward to Christmas break. God has been so good thus far in giving me strength and health; the joy of the Lord is my strength! I am confident that the Lord will supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, and through your faithful prayers. Thank you all.

Pima Community College

We held two small meetings at Pima Community College in Arizona that went well, considering the small number of students who were present on campus. Students stayed for a few hours asking questions and listening to us share from the Bible the words of everlasting life.

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)

University of Arizona

The picture above was featured in the University of Arizona newspaper, depicting brother Evan debating with an astrophysics professor from England named "Sharp, Christopher Sharp" (in his own accented words). I talked with him for over an hour, and even though he said many things I had absolutely no understanding of, I stood my ground on the Word of God and actually defeated his faithless arguments about evolution. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." (Romans 1:22-23)

UofA was a rather difficult campus to preach on due to it's sheer size and frequent visits from other campus preachers; not to mention the blazing hot sun and the want of relief from it. As well, a group of Hare Krishnas were demonstrating nearby to us and causing quite a scene. As they chanted and sang their gibberish, I was able to let out a rendition of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" to their distain. You can see them packing up below!

The meeting went well as we answered many questions about Christianity and preached the Gospel to the students. Two muslim guys had their mouths completely stopped so they resorted to just leaving the meeting in a huff. An athiest had nothing to say when put to the challenge about his moral relativism. One girl came under conviction as Evan witnessed to her. A homosexual man inquired sincerely about being free from sin.

God bless you, saints. Please continue to pray for us that our Lord would give us utterance to proclaim the very oracles of God.

New Mexico State University

There's not much to say about New Mexico in the sense of scenery. This southwestern state is a barren wasteland of rocks and tumbleweeds as far as the eye can see, as well as the home of the infamous Area 51... however, the campus in Las Cruces was a welcomed oasis for the Open Air Outreach team. We had a great meeting at NMS that even included a stormtrooper showing up on the scene!

At one time during the preaching a young woman who claimed to be a Christian cursed me out saying, "F' you, you F'ing F'er!" I pointed my finger at her and said, "You're not a Christian." She immediately burst into tears under the conviction of the Holy Ghost as she came to the knowledge of her lost condition. To our dismay a flock of campus "Christians" rushed over to her and began to pat her on the back and coax her away from us, telling her that she was really saved and we were the ones who were really not Christians. We meet these kind of people everywhere we go... all they ever do is justify sin and proclaim "peace, peace when there is no peace." (Jeremiah 6:14) Dear friends, if a person is ever under the conviction of the Spirit do not quench the work by comforting the sinner with a false peace! Conviction is the womb by which the soul is reborn. Allow the Lord to do His probing work in the heart of the individual.

Another woman who was at first opposing us later spoke up infront of the group saying, "These guys are telling us the truth. It may not be what we want to hear, but it's what we need to hear." She had a total heart change and testified that before she was not living right, but now had decided to walk in righteousness before God!

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:18-20)

God bless dear saints.

El Paso Community College

Our stay at El Paso Community College was certainly unique and refreshing. The first day we arrived the police shut us down and demanded that we have a permit in order to preach on campus. We headed to the office to request one, but the lady who we need to see was out for lunch. After waiting over an hour for her return, it was discovered that she was not at all coming back so we decided to leave. However, on our way out we were nearly mobbed by a pack of students, and the police showed up again...


The police were angry because they had already told us we could not preach, however it was not our fault. They actually searched us and did a check to see if any one of us had a warrant of arrest! Then all of a sudden the permit lady showed up, halted the confusion, and initiated the idea that we come back tomorrow as an official school event... with chairs, microphones and amplifiers! We agreed.

So we had a fantastic meeting the next day. We preached loud and clear about sin, righteousness and judgment, exalting the holiness of God and redemption in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. People sat down for hours and got involved in the dialogue.

A large body of Christian students came out to the meeting and cheered us on, applauding as we proclaimed the Scriptures publically on their campus. It was wonderful to be received so well.

Here is a video clip of the preaching at EPCC: Eli Brayley - Freedom in Christ

This brother above testified to his classmates of being set free from homosexuality.

Praise God! Thank you dear saints for your prayers and support. You are continually an encouragement to me and I thank the Lord for you. May God make His Word to increase in our land, and may He be merciful to us, granting us time for repentance and restoration. Your brother in Christ,

-Eli

Open Air Outreach: Team 2

University of Texas, El Paso

Evan preached to a large group of students who were lingering around on the steps of a research building, but it was only before the police came and kicked us off campus about half an hour later. May what little seed that was sown take root in the hearts of those who heard.

"And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet." (Matthew 10:14)

Texas Tech University

Both teams of Open Air Outreach met up in Lubbock, Texas, to thoroughly shake Texas Tech University: Miles, myself, Evan, Jesse and Jeff all preached together for a series of five days, witnessing an abundance of fruit: many people turn their lives around in repentance towards God, renouncing sin and embracing Jesus Christ as Lord! Crowds grew consistently every day to hear the Word of God, as seen above. Can you see me in the picture? Click on it to enlarge.

One professing Christian opposed us the first day, ripping up his own Bible in front of me, but later that night fell under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and fell on his face before God, weeping, and came a totally changed person the next day. He spent the rest of the week aiding us, preaching about repentance, and encouraging the work.

This man above was a self-proclaimed Pharisee who came to the meetings everyday and spread poison to the students about how they must keep the Mosaic Law, which we know is fulfilled in Christ Jesus. He was incredibly unreasonable to talk to, not listening, and full of anger. He was exactly like the Pharisees in Jesus' day.

Some quotes from Texas Tech:

"I'm just excited that you guys are out here. Yes people are fighting and disagreeing, but it's over Jesus! You guys are awesome. Don't get discouraged." - Josh

"Do you guys recruit? I think I'd like to do this type of ministry." - Christian Student

"This is so awesome because I'm able to witness to so many students." - Christian Student

"The grace of God is a lisence to sin." - a local antichrist

"This guy really knows his stuff. I've been studying history and theology for three years and I don't know nearly as much as he does!" - a college student speaking about Evan

"You can be a Christian and rape women and still go to Heaven." - someone who has no idea what a Christian is

"I really appreciate what ya'll are doing. It's getting a lot of people to think about life after death." - Casey

"You are doing a good job. Keep it up." - Christian Student

"Thank you so much for obeying God's calling. There are many of us here that have been very encouraged." - Christian Student

"The local Pastor of Baptist Temple was out here and he is seriously thinking about getting himself a banner and coming out here to do this next Tuesday!" - Dorothy

"This is awesome. I could watch this all day long!" - an unsaved student

"I always thought I was a Christian. But I heard you guys preaching and became convicted. I realized I wasn't a Christian and so I got my life right with God." - a repented person

"Thank you so much for coming to Tech, you have no idea how much you have made an impact on my life." - Jonathan

During our stay at Tech, we made the frontpage in the newspaper twice, as well as on television for the local ABC News.

The Daily Toreader 1
The Daily Toreador 2

We saw amazing fruit at this campus. It is truly blessed to reap in a harvest, the reason we left to preach the gospel. May many more souls be saved! Glory to God for all these things. Blessings readers.