The Lord Directs Our Steps – Portsmouth Outreach
Open-air outreach is excitingly unpredictable. We can have the best plans, but ultimately, we are subject to the Lord’s overriding providence. God directs and guides us; He leads us to locations where He wants people to hear the good news. Today, as we arrived in Portsmouth, we saw that a busker with loud amplification had set up near where we usually preach. This forced us to move, so we headed down the street to our secondary preaching location. But then, we saw that a flower stall was set up in that spot, so we had to look for another place to preach.
In the middle of Commercial Road, we found a good location, although a food van was set up nearby. The food van owner expressed concern about us being there, as she was worried we’d drive her customers away. So, as a team, we prayed the Lord would bless her business. Throughout the outreach, people lined up to buy food! She was certainly busy!
The Lord clearly wanted us in this new location, although at first, it seemed slow. But soon, people were taking tracts, listening to the preaching, and engaging in conversations. I kicked off the preaching by speaking on “God & Man.” As the Word was proclaimed, a few people paused to listen, including a Roman Catholic man who said he was very touched by the message. In the end, two people came forward to receive copies of John’s Gospel.
Roger preached next; this week, he spoke on “The Bible Has the Answer!” In this talk, he uses four key questions to present the good news. People paused to listen.
Around this time, I chatted with an elderly Roman Catholic lady. At first, she wanted to ensure we weren’t part of a cult. Once she realised we were evangelicals, she was much more open to talking. This lady lamented the rise of atheism and the folly that many embrace. Surprisingly, this Roman Catholic knew her Bible, so it was easier to share the gospel with her.
It was nearing the end of our outreach time, so I preached one more time. For the final message, I preached on “Are You Sure You’ll Go to Heaven?” People stopped to listen, including a lady in a wheelchair who had listened to me preach several times before. Previously, she has taken tracts after listening, but today she gladly received a copy of John’s Gospel. Three other people also took copies of the Scripture when it was offered.
The Lord clearly directed our steps today. It was a very productive time! 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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