Lincoln Outreach – Day 1

It was a cold and windy day in Lincoln. Despite the windchill being around –1°C (30°F), people were still open to stop, listen, and chat. As this was a team event with The Open-Air Mission, much preaching and evangelism took place. I’m not able to share all the stories of others, but suffice it to say that many people heard the gospel. The purpose of this report is simply to focus on the work I was directly involved in.

At lunchtime, while most of the team returned to the church for a meal, I stayed with a few other team members to keep the outreach running (and to avoid losing our preaching location!).

As Paul preached the gospel, a lady stood to listen. After hearing the message, she began to move away, so I offered her a tract and engaged her in conversation. She told me that there were things in the Bible she agreed with, and other things she didn’t. So I asked, “What do you agree with?” She replied that she believed Jesus died and rose again, but she wasn’t sure how Jesus could come back to life. This opened a discussion about the deity of Christ, and how He, as God, can lay down His life and take it up again (John 10:18). The lady said that made sense to her, so she took a copy of John’s Gospel and a couple of tracts.

When it came time for me to preach, I spoke on “Christmas Signs.” Using different prophecies, I showed how they pointed to the identity and work of Jesus. A few Christians stopped to listen and were encouraged. A few non-Christians also listened, with two taking copies of John’s Gospel.

By this time, most of the team had returned from lunch, so the outreach was back in full swing. Due to the cold, I decided to sneak away for a hot chocolate, but when I returned I noticed team members picking up the open-air board. It turned out that a ‘tolerant’ man had decided to throw the board over, as he believed violence was the only way to stop the preaching. A member of the public was engaging him and calming him down, so the outreach continued.

It then came time for me to preach again. This time I spoke on “Name That Carol.” Using the lyrics of different Christmas carols, I presented the gospel. A lady from a Muslim background listened and took a copy of John’s Gospel. She also spoke at length with a team member. I was told that two others were listening; they took Gospels and spoke with team members as well.

The last good conversation I had was with a young couple who work on a farm. They were your typical hard workers, and they complained that they had been betrayed by the current government. As they spoke, both claimed to be Christian and hoped they were good enough to get to Heaven. I was able to share the bad news of sin and the good news of grace with them. As they listened, they said, “That makes sense!” Both took copies of John’s Gospel and a tract.

It was a very productive, though cold, day in Lincoln. The weather isn’t looking the best for tomorrow, so we’d value your prayers. Also, please pray for all those who heard the gospel.

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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