The Charlie Kirk Effect – Portsmouth Evangelism
It was great to be back in Portsmouth, sharing the good news. This needy city is searching for solutions to all its problems in a variety of places – but we know the only answer is Jesus.
From our arrival, we saw a good number of people receiving tracts and making their way to the literature table. Indeed, there was a steady flow of people throughout the outreach, browsing materials and taking booklets that addressed their questions.
Since Saturday evening, I have had a sore throat, so I decided to preach only once today. With three more outreaches planned for this week, I thought it best to take things a bit more carefully.
I began the preaching by speaking on “Warning: Six Deadly Lies.” It is always encouraging to see people stop to listen. With this talk, people generally pause when they hear a “lie” they are interested in; once it is answered with truth, they either take some material or walk away. We saw that today. As I preached, people listened, were intrigued, and then went to the literature table for materials.
One family who listened to the preaching made their way over to the table, where they spoke with Winston. They shared with him that they had only recently started thinking about Christianity and God as a result of the assassination of Charlie Kirk in the USA.
The cold-blooded murder of Kirk has shocked many people, and as a result, some are now looking into Charlie’s beliefs – which are those of biblical Christianity. Winston was able to share with them and gave them a copy of the Bible. I wonder how many people around the world have now been exposed to the biblical gospel because of Kirk?
Another person who listened to the preaching was a university student. She said she didn’t believe, but her mother did. She spoke with Jyothi, saying that she was amazed at our confidence. Jyothi was able to share the gospel with her and challenge her thoughts. The student gladly took a copy of John’s Gospel.
Next up to preach was Jim, who, as usual, did an excellent job exhorting people to come and know the Lord. Something I appreciate about Jim’s preaching is his joy and passion – he preaches as a man who knows the Saviour. May we all have such joy!
One highlight for me was speaking with a mother, a non-Christian, who shared that she really wants her children to know the Bible. She had been planning to buy her three children copies of the Scriptures so they could learn – and then she met us. We gladly gave her three Bibles and some children’s tracts. The children were excited, so I encouraged the mother to read the tracts to them and look up the Bible verses together. May the Lord save the children – and their mother!
It was a great day in Portsmouth. The gospel continues to spread. Please pray for all those who heard.
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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