We Ran Out of Bibles & New Testaments – Southampton Outreach
Due to illness, we were down on numbers today. As the four of us made our way to the city centre, we noticed it was quieter than usual. The weather wasn’t bad, but it was cold – perhaps that was keeping the crowds away? Looking around, I suspected it would be a quiet day, but it ended up quite busy.
As usual, we set up the open-air board and the literature table. Immediately, a lady stopped to take a copy of the Scripture, then another and another. Within an hour, we had nearly run out of Bibles and New Testaments. We were down to only giving away copies of John’s Gospel. It was so encouraging to get to the end of the day to discover that much of the Scripture stock was gone. All our Bibles and New Testaments were taken, and several of John’s Gospels also went to those hungry to read God’s Word.
Throughout the outreach, all four of us would preach. I started by speaking on “Death: Is it the End?” In recent days, Southampton has been brought to a standstill after the motorway was closed due to a fatal accident. Since this was being widely discussed in the community, I used it as my way into the message. A few people listened, and one man engaged by asking about the thief on the cross next to Jesus. In the end, one man took a copy of John’s Gospel in English, and then two Polish people who had been listening took copies of John’s Gospel in their language after a team member had spoken with them. As I gave a tract and Gospel to the Polish man, he said, “I want to know God!” He was culturally Roman Catholic but was very interested in discovering God for himself.
Mike Mellor preached next; he spoke on “How Will the World End?” Using news items that speak of doom and gloom, Mike brought it around to the return of Jesus Christ. He warned those who listened, asking them, “Are you saved?” A Dutch man listened to the preaching, then spoke with me. He said that as a Christian, he was greatly encouraged by Mike’s message as he preached salvation by grace alone. Throughout the day, we would meet numerous Christians who expressed how encouraged they were by hearing the gospel proclaimed in public.
Ben preached next on “Death: The Elephant in the Room.” He did a good job, even though the street was becoming quieter. Then, Richard preached on “Life: What’s the Point?”
I preached the final message of the day by asking, “Are You Certain You’ll Go to Heaven?” A couple of people did ‘drive-by’ heckling but didn’t engage too much. One woman said she didn’t want to believe in Jesus unless He would appear to her. I pointed out that the last time Jesus appeared people crucified Him, but the next time He appears it will be to judge.
As we packed down the board and table, we were amazed to see how much literature had been taken. While this was happening, Richard had the final conversation of the day. This time with two young men who are studying religion at university. Both are not believers, but they listened as Richard shared. They then took copies of Ultimate Questions.
We left the outreach rejoicing in all that the Lord had done! Please pray for all those who heard the good news.
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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