“We Create Our Own Reality” – Portsmouth Evangelism

Summer has arrived! The sun was shining, and it was hot. One of the challenges with good weather is that it is harder to get people to stop. I’ve found that many will take tracts, but to stand still in the heat to talk further is a challenge. Yet, still, some would stop and speak about Jesus.

Due to my injury, I wasn’t able to carry my literature table into the city centre, so we just used the open-air board. For the first thirty minutes of the outreach, our team of four focused on handing out tracts and trying to speak with people.

As I offered a tract to a man about my age, he asked, “What is this all about?” I told him a summary of the tract, then asked, “Have you ever thought about your future – where you’ll go after you die?” The man admitted that, due to being an ex-squaddie, he had faced death numerous times. His army service had caused him to realise the shortness of life, but he said he never really thought about what was next.

He was very open to talking, so I asked if he believed anything was after death. He told me his fiancée is a Roman Catholic, so she believed in Heaven and Hell, but for him, he said, “We create our own reality.” I’ve encountered this kind of reasoning before; the idea is that we can create our own destinies by simply believing something is true. I countered the argument by asking, “If you and I really believe that we are millionaires, will there be millions of pounds in our bank account?” The man smiled and said, “No.” I followed up, “If we go down to the motorway, and we truly believe there is no such thing as trucks, would we create the reality where they don’t exist, or would we get hit by one?” The man laughed, then said, “Our beliefs can’t change reality.”

Now the conversation was underway. The man shared how he had a Viking heritage, so he was intrigued by Norse paganism, but at the same time he wasn’t sure what he believed. He did, however, believe that God cares about right and wrong. Using this opening, I showed how all of us have done wrong, and because God cares about justice, we are in trouble. Then I explained that God is loving and kind, in that He has provided the only Saviour – Jesus – to rescue us from our sins. The man was intrigued, mentioning he’d never considered Christianity before. He took a copy of John’s Gospel and promised to read it.

By now it was after midday, so I thought it best to preach. With the news running constant stories about chaos and war, I decided to speak on “Hope for a Broken World.” A few people sat in the shade listening, then at the end of the message, one took a copy of John’s Gospel. A Christian man also listened; he said he enjoyed the preaching, but thought I was a bit soft (not something I’m usually accused of!).

Throughout the outreach, team members were busy speaking with people and handing out tracts. Sarah had a good conversation with a Muslim charity worker, who took a copy of John’s Gospel, saying he’d be interested in reading it.

Due to my injury, I had to finish the outreach a little bit early, but still much had been accomplished. 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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