Former and Current Cult Members Hear the Gospel! – Salisbury Evangelism
Several of us returned to Salisbury today to share the good news; each month, we try to visit this city twice. Salisbury is one of the hardest areas in which I operate, yet despite the difficulty there are still people the Lord is calling to Himself.
Paul began the preaching today by speaking on the topic, “What’s on Your Bucket List?” In this message, he looked at different things people want to do, but then asked whether getting right with God was on the list. He issued a challenge to those listening to consider their standing before their Creator.
As Paul preached, I spoke with a German man at the literature table. He told me he believes it is very important for his English grandson to read the Bible. The grandson asked if he could have a copy of the New Testament, so we gladly gave him one. Our prayer is that the young lad would read God’s Word and be saved from an early age.
When it was my turn to preach, I spoke on John 3:16. I wanted to explain that in a world full of bad news, there is good news on offer. There was little interaction, though a few scoffers. It is terribly sad to hear them spurning the Son of God – life is being offered to them, yet they choose death instead.
After handing out tracts for a time, Paul preached again. This time he spoke about how it is impossible for us to forecast the future accurately, but then showed how the Bible prophesied the coming of Jesus. I couldn’t hear much of the message, as I was engaged in long discussions – first with a former cult member, then with a current cult member.
A lady came to the table to ask about the booklets we had on offer. She then began to share her story of how she had converted to Mormonism but has since left. The reason for her leaving wasn’t theological; rather, it was because of the way they treated her. This, however, caused her to doubt their teaching, so she was looking for truth and seeking answers. I shared the good news with her and gave her some resources. She mentioned not being able to get out much due to health issues, so she wondered if she could listen to preaching online. I referred her to a local church that streams its services, and also to Grace to You.
This conversation was closely followed by one with a current cult member, which went round in circles and lasted a long time. It began when the man stopped to look at our table. As he browsed the books he asked, “Why don’t you have any of the writings by Ellen G. White?” Straight away, I knew he was a Seventh-Day Adventist, so I explained why we don’t distribute her books.
The man began to extol the glories of White, saying how her material was equal with Scripture and that everything she wrote aligned with God’s Word because she was a prophetess. I asked him, “If you could only give away one book, either the Bible or a book by Ellen G. White, which would you choose?” He replied, “The Bible with White’s notes!” Again, he declared that everything she said was equal with Scripture.
I engaged him on this point, so he quickly changed tack, now questioning me about the Sabbath. He told me I had the Mark of the Beast because I went to church on Sunday rather than Saturday. Throughout the conversation, he ignored the Bible verses I showed him and instead kept reciting White’s works.
Whenever he read a Bible verse that disproved his position, he would fall back into quoting SDA doctrine. Sadly, this man was truly entrenched in the cult of Seventh-Day Adventism.
For him, the way of salvation was through law-keeping, so I asked if he had kept God’s Law. He said he had. Around this time, a young lady from the USA stopped to listen. It turned out she was a Christian, and she was very helpful. I took the SDA man through the Commandments, asking if he had broken them. When we came to the Seventh Commandment, he looked at the young lady and said he was lusting right then.
With that, I turned to Galatians 3:10, showing him that because he claimed the Law was necessary for salvation, he was now under a curse, since he had failed to keep it. This stunned him for a moment, but he quickly went back to boasting about the Sabbath. I explained that his only hope of salvation was to trust in Jesus, who became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13).
The young lady from the USA challenged him, pointing out that he spent all his time talking about works and law, but never about Jesus, love, or grace. She urged him to consider what God’s Word says about how someone is made right with God.
He refused to engage, instead quoting random verses about the Sabbath. Several times we tried to disengage, but he wouldn’t leave. I didn’t feel right walking away and leaving the young lady to deal with him by herself, so I stayed until finally he said the conversation had to end.
Multiple times he heard the truth of Scripture and the gospel, and multiple times he rejected it for the man-made legalism of Seventh-Day Adventism. Sadly, many Christians look at the SDA movement and think our differences are minor. They don’t realise the depth of the heresy in the Adventist system, nor the legalism at its core. Below are a couple of helpful messages that show the history and theology of Seventh-day Adventism. I would encourage all Christians to listen.
The outreach went longer than expected today, but one good thing that came out of the long cult discussion was that a group of young men stopped to talk to Paul. They took booklets and New Testaments.
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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