A Doubting Cult Member – Southampton Evangelism
It has been just over a month since I was last out on the streets. Due to a ruptured Baker’s cyst in my left leg, I was confined to bed; then, by overcompensating with my right leg, I tore my calf muscle. The Lord clearly wanted me to have a break! But after a month of resting, studying, and growing in Christ, it was wonderful to get back on the streets to share the good news. I was told I had to take it easy, though I suspect I may have pushed myself a little too far!
After everything was set up, I commenced preaching by speaking on “Death: Is It the End?” In my mind, I would pose the question, then build my case by hopefully making people consider the shortness of life. I was planning to use yesterday’s tragic Air India crash to illustrate how fleeting life is, but I never got to do any of that. As soon as I started, a man stood to listen. I asked him the question about death, and his response opened a wonderful time of back-and-forth.
The man told me that after death we become aliens. He then went on to say he wasn’t a big fan of Jesus, as he thought Jesus was overrated. I challenged him and asked, “What is the solution to death?” He wasn’t sure, so I pointed to Jesus. At this point, the man claimed to be called Jesus – I wasn’t going to call him that, so we settled on a different name.
He then claimed to be ten out of ten in goodness – that he was as perfect as God. I like it when people make bold and outlandish claims like this, as it gives me an easy opening to challenge them by asking for proof of their goodness. The way I test them is by using the Ten Commandments to see if they are good by God’s standard. This man quickly revealed his sin, admitted he wasn’t good, and acknowledged he was on the road to Hell. I shared the gospel with him and urged him to repent and believe. He wasn’t interested, but others who were listening were being dealt with by the Holy Spirit.
One young man who had been listening ended up having a long gospel conversation with Mike. He took material and was open to learning more about Jesus. A young lady who had been listening spoke with Richard afterwards; she told him she has a church background but is far from God. She feels it is now time to turn and come back. She took material and heard the good news once again. Another person took a Gospel of John, and then there was a Christian tourist from Texas who expressed how encouraged he was by the open-air outreach.
We never know what God is doing in an open-air; while I was focused on a heckler, the Holy Spirit was working on the hearts of others I wasn’t focused on. Our job is to faithfully proclaim the good news – as for the results, that is God’s department!
Ben was next to preach; he spoke on “Whether Warning” – that is, God is true whether you believe Him or not. I wasn’t able to listen to much of the message as I found myself at the literature table chatting with several people.
First, there was an elderly man who was excited to discover we are Trinitarian in our theology. Then, two young blokes stopped to chat; they told me they’d been thinking a lot about God and trying to piece it all together. We had a good conversation, with both taking literature – one of them taking a Gospel of John.
Next, we had three messages in fairly quick succession. Mike preached on “Where Are They Now?” Then Richard spoke on “Life: What’s the Point?” Mike preached again, this time on the symptoms that plague society when it rejects God.
Once again, I was at the literature table speaking with people. One young lady was all excited – she told me she is a Christian and loves listening to John MacArthur. She shared that she owns a MacArthur Study Bible, and after reading it, she feels inspired to share the gospel with her friends. It isn’t common to see a young person so excited about listening to an older preacher – it was refreshing to see someone with a passion for God’s Word. We gladly gave her tracts to help her witness more effectively. She was encouraged, and so were we!
My final conversation of the day was with an 83-year-old lifelong Jehovah’s Witness. She had stopped at the literature table and was browsing our material, so I introduced myself and began to chat. It quickly became clear this lady was beginning to doubt and question. As her life edged closer to its end, she began to realise she had no assurance.
I explained to her that I have complete confidence and assurance that my sins are forgiven and that I’m rescued by a loving God. She was intrigued as to how I could be so certain, so I shared the gospel with her. I stressed that salvation isn’t by anything we do; rather, it is freely given by the biblical Jesus. As we spoke, I made it clear that it is essential we truly understand who Christ is.
At this point, I quoted John 8:24: “Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” I then asked, “Who is the ‘I Am’ that Jesus references?” The lady mentioned Exodus 3:14 (which is correct), so I asked, “Who is the ‘I Am’ in Exodus?” It was at this point she said something I wasn’t expecting. She said, “The ‘I Am’ is Jehovah, and Jesus says that is Him. He is claiming to be Divine.” Jehovah’s Witnesses spend their lives denying the truth about Christ, but this lady was questioning and beginning to see what the Bible really teaches.
She wouldn’t take any material, but she listened to the gospel again. Before she left, I once again quoted John 8:24 and urged her to trust in the ‘I Am’ – Jesus.
It was a wonderful day on the streets. Much literature was taken, including 22 Bibles. Numerous open-air messages were preached, and many conversations took place. The Lord is at work in Southampton. 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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