A Quiet but Feisty Day – Salisbury Evangelism
The title of this report sounds a little contradictory. How can something be both quiet and feisty? Let me explain. Salisbury was quiet today regarding people being in the city centre, but those there were feisty. The hecklers we had today were plentiful, but they didn’t engage. Instead, they would zing out their objections, then quickly disappear. It was a feisty day in a quiet city.
After setting up the free literature table and the open-air board, I began to preach by speaking on “The Big Picture of Easter.” As I explained that Easter is all about Jesus, an older lady made a beeline for me. She approached wagging her finger while yelling, “What about all those babies killed in Gaza! What is your God doing to stop that?” I decided the best answer was to pose a question, so I said, “He is doing plenty; what are you doing?” The lady didn’t expect that response, so I asked the question again. This revealed the heart of the matter, as she boldly declared, “I will only believe in your God if He would stop Israel killing people in Gaza!” I replied that the message I was preaching was the only solution to the war in Gaza as Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and that He has come to make wars cease (Psalm 46:9). This lady was full of self-righteousness and was only interested in attacking the solution to the world’s problems. Why would she be so opposed to the message of Jesus? Because, like all people, she loves her sin and hates God (John 3:19-20). The war in Gaza was merely an excuse she used to justify her rebellion against her Creator.
This older lady was the first of the feisty hecklers we had today; others would follow. Normally, I find Salisbury to be reserved when it comes to engaging the preaching, but today was different. Unfortunately, these feisty hecklers weren’t very helpful. A good heckler will engage and stay in conversation. Today’s hecklers all said their bit, then disappeared. But even the ‘bad’ hecklers caused people to listen. At the end of my message, one man took a copy of John’s Gospel.
Next to preach was Paul. He did a great job using John 14:6 to explain the good news. After listening to him preach and watching how he put together his talk on the board, I told him I’d be stealing his ideas!
Tony preached next, as he spoke on “Why Doesn’t God Deal with our Problems?” A man took a New Testament from the literature table and spoke to Paul. He stated that the world is messed up and that he could see the evil. Thankfully, this man was looking for answers. Paul shared the truth with him and encouraged him to read the Bible.
Shortly after this, two Fijian soldiers who served in the British Army stopped to talk. Both told me they were Christians as they are from Fiji. I asked them, “Why do you think God should let you into Heaven?” They couldn’t answer clearly. One said something about repentance, and the other spoke about living a good life. It was clear that these two men were ‘cultural Christians’ but not truly converted. I shared the good news with them and urged them to trust in Jesus. Both took copies of the New Testament and tracts.
Not long before the outreach finished, I preached again; this time, I spoke on “The Way to Heaven.” As before, I had a couple of feisty hecklers who shouted out comments but then moved on. Their objections were easily answered by Scripture, but they didn’t want answers – they merely wanted to justify their unbelief.
As we packed down, Paul chatted with a young man who had only just bought a Bible. He was not a Christian and believed that good works were needed to go to Heaven. But it was clear he was seeking. Paul shared the gospel with him, and the young man took a copy of Ultimate Questions.
Even though today was quiet and at times feisty, we rejoice that the gospel still advanced. 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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