All Who Heard the Gospel Made a Decision – Southampton Evangelism

It was a loud day in Southampton. On one side, we had cleaners pressure washing the pavement; on the other, we had a couple of buskers playing loud music, and then behind me, I had two drunks who insisted on calling out random things. The noise was constant today, and it made things difficult. Team members commented at the end of the outreach that there was a hardness about the city. Yet, despite the obstacles, we still saw the message of God’s grace spread.

I added to the noise by preaching about “Hope for a Broken World.” As I spoke, a man who claimed to be Jesus heckled me. He boldly asserted that he was sinless and perfect, so I began to go through the Ten Commandments with him. “Have you ever told a lie?” “No!” “Have you ever stolen?” “No!” “Have you ever hated someone?” “No!” By this stage, he was feeling quite confident. “Have you ever looked at a woman with lust? Jesus says that is adultery.” “What! Of course, I’ve lusted!” It turns out that this man wasn’t perfect after all! Sadly, the man left before he could hear the good news.

Next to preach was Ben, who spoke on “Are You Sure?” Towards the end of his message, two men from Senegal stopped to chat. They had a mixture of Islamic and Christian views. Ben spoke with one man while I talked to the other. The man I chatted with was polite and friendly. He had a basic Christian understanding but didn’t know the gospel. I challenged his views and shared the good news with him. He left with a copy of John’s Gospel and a booklet exploring the trustworthiness of the Bible.

A highlight of the day was Jeremy preaching open-air for the first time with us. It is always encouraging to see new labourers raised up for the work of proclamation. Jeremy spoke on “Six Deadly Lies.” He did a good job explaining the gospel and engaging with the common lies that people believe. One man who stopped to listen turned to me and said, “If God is real, then why did my daughter die?” He told me he didn’t want answers as he walked away.

Next to speak into the noise of Southampton was Richard, who preached on “Life: What’s the Point?” The background sounds made it challenging, but people paused to listen, including a young man I spoke with afterwards. This young man is British and in his early 20s. He had grown up in England but had zero knowledge of Christianity. He had never read the Bible, hadn’t heard of Jesus, and didn’t know about the Ten Commandments, but what he did know, was that God must exist. This young man had a brain that worked; he could see that creation proved there is a Creator (Romans 1:20). His problem was he didn’t know who God was! I took him from creation to the cross. As we chatted, he asked questions and listened to the biblical answer. At the end of our conversation, he took John’s Gospel and an in-depth booklet. This young man is a good reminder that the UK needs missionaries!

As you read this report, you may be wondering about the title I've chosen. The reason relates to a conversation I had with a well-meaning Christian who stopped to encourage us. The first thing he asked was, "Are you seeing many people making decisions?" Rightly, this brother wanted to see people saved, so he wondered what our 'success rate' was. I answered, "All who heard the gospel made a decision." He seemed stunned at this reply, so I explained, "Everyone makes a decision – they either decide to repent and trust in Jesus, or they decide to reject Him. All make a decision." The gospel demands a response – we cannot be indifferent to Jesus. Some will hear the good news of Christ dying and rising again, and they will respond by turning from their sins and trusting in Him. Others hear that same message, but they respond in rejection. All respond one way or the other. Ultimately, salvation rests in the hands of God, so we trust He will enable many to respond positively to the good news.

Please pray for all those we encountered today in Southampton.

SDG!

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Josh Williamson is a full-time evangelist with The Open-Air Mission. Since 1853, OAM has been sharing the good news on the streets of the United Kingdom. To stay updated about the work of the Mission, please sign up for the free quarterly magazine and monthly prayer notes.

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