“Would God Really Forgive Me?” – Newbury Evangelism

What a difference a few days make! The sun and warmth of summer felt like a distant memory as we stood out in the cold and windy streets of Newbury. It was so cold that I was actually very grateful I had forgotten to take a jacket out of my backpack!

It was good to have John and Sue Hawley join us for the first time today. John is a retired worker with The Open-Air Mission, who many years ago had tried to start an outreach in Newbury. Sadly, after a few months it didn’t catch on, so he moved to a different location. John and Sue were both encouraged to see the work now up and running!

The preaching commenced when I spoke on “Steps to Peace with God.” One lady who listened spoke to Sue afterwards. She had been impacted by the message and wanted to find out more. She took a Gospel of John and was pointed towards a local church.

John was next to preach; he spoke on “What’s the Greatest Danger?” After listing several threats, he explained that the greatest danger is leaving this life without God. He did a good job challenging people to consider their own peril, and to trust in Jesus.

Over at the literature table, I spoke with a Roman Catholic lady who had come to understand the errors of Rome. The challenge she faced was that her parents are very strict traditionalists, who see leaving Rome as tantamount to denying both family and national identity. She asked if she could have a Bible, as she wanted to read it and teach her children the biblical message. We gladly gave her the Scriptures along with some resources.

When I had finished speaking with her, two young men stopped at the table. They told me they enjoyed doing religious studies at school, and both were convinced they would go to Heaven because they had kept the Ten Commandments. Together, we began to look at the commandments. As we did so, they began to backslide. No longer did they believe they were good enough for Heaven; now they thought perhaps they would make it to Purgatory (which doesn’t exist!). We kept going through the Law, and they backslid further – eventually they hung their heads and said, “We’d go to Hell.” It was at this point I shared the good news with them. Both were amazed at what Jesus had done, shook my hand, and each took a copy of John’s Gospel.

All this was taking place while John continued to preach. A man who had heard part of John’s message had been touched, so he spoke to Sue. With tears in his eyes, he gratefully accepted a copy of the Gospel of John.

When I next preached, I spoke on “God is Love.” One lady sat opposite me, listening intently to everything I said. When I offered copies of John’s Gospel to those who wanted to know more about Christ, she gladly took one. She then spoke with Kim. As she shared with Kim, she explained that she had grown up in a Christian home, but forsook it all when she went off to university. Since then she has been living in rebellion against God, but now knows she needs to get right with Him. As she opened her heart, she asked, “Would God really forgive me?” The good news was presented to her once again, and she was referred to Thatcham Evangelical Church.

The final open-air of the day took place when John preached on “Warning: Six Deadly Lies.” As he addressed common arguments people make, he invited Sue to share her testimony of how the Lord Jesus rescues sinners.

A Muslim man from Morocco listened for a little while, then walked away. As he left, I offered him a tract and began a conversation with him. It turned out he has been in the UK for years, and admitted he isn’t a very good Muslim. He expressed an interest in understanding the Christian message, and the differences between Islam and Christianity. A friend of mine has written a booklet on this very topic, “Why Muslims Reject Christianity,” so I gave the Moroccan man a copy. He shook my hand and said he looked forward to reading it.

Today was probably the best day we’ve had in Newbury so far! Please pray that the Lord would bring many people to salvation.

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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