Southern Methodist UniversityBefore we preached:http://openairoutreach.com/albums/colleges/Southern_Methodist_University_Before.sized.jpgWhen we preached:http://openairoutreach.com/albums/colleges/S_M_U_Jon_Speed.sized.jpgSouthern Methodist UniversityNovember 4, 2005What a wild day we had at the S.M.U. campus today. I started the preaching on controversial issues like homosexuality and abortion, and was able to work up a crowd of maybe 120 people after a very short period of time. Many students skipped class to hear us preach. But, the crowd terribly hated my preaching. This “Methodist” University was full of fornicators, homosexuals, drunkards, etc. They railed me when I preached against their sin. I was aiming at getting them to the point that they felt they must either defend their sin, or surrender their sin; to give up their sinful life or try and take my life. I would not accept a lukewarm crowd if the gospel was being preached!Well, quite a few people in the crowd went wild to defend their sin. Many of them loved getting drunk, having pre-martial sex, being homosexuals. John Wesley would have wept if he saw the state of this “Methodist” University.Just as I thought the crowd was going to shred me to bits and were on the verge of violence, Jon Speed took over and was able to calm them down a bit. Then Miles preached and then Josh did. When Miles explained that, if you don’t believe in trucks and yet run into the highway, you’ll still get hit. One mocker said, “Oh so you’re trying to say God is like a big truck on interstate 75 coming to crash into me?” I jumped in and said, “That’s a perfect analogy. That’s even better then ours!” That silenced him quickly. But then we encouraged him that he can get off the highway and find safety in Christ.The one2ones were pretty hardcore as well. Some students asked, “Where you guys at Texas Tech last week?” “Yes we were there.” “Yea we heard about that.” And the Texas Tech campus is tremendously far away from this campus! “Those who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” Though many of the professing Christians judged and condemned us harshly, usually because they too were getting drunk and sleeping around, there were some REAL Christians who were overwhelmed with joy at what we had done. One girl, Krista, was just about in tears afterwards saying, “We’ve been praying that God would do something on this campus”. She said, “What you guys were preaching was exactly what Jesus preached, and the way the crowd responded was exactly the way it responded then too!” She said she wants to start open-air preaching in between her classes now!The campus paper came out and took photos, a few interviews, etc to write up a story. I hope to see it on the front page when it comes out next week.This campus hadn’t seen someone publicly speak in their “speakers corner” for 2 and a half years, yet this campus has many different “Christian” groups! That short period of time reached a multitude with the gospel, and now the campus will continue to be in a stir over it. I pray the true Christians on campus will step up like Krista and start proclaiming the truth!
