A Lively Outreach in Southampton
Much can change in a week. Since our last outreach in Southampton, Richard, one of our regular preachers, was called home by the Lord. As we set up for today’s ministry, there was a sense of someone missing — a hole in our ministry team. Yet, even though we are sad that our brother is no longer with us, we rejoice that he is safe with Jesus forever.
Despite the sadness, the gospel must continue to be proclaimed, so we started what would turn out to be a very lively day in Southampton.
Jeremy was the first preacher of the day. He spoke on “Bridging the Gap.” As he did so, a few people paused to listen, including one Muslim man who stood behind the board smoking a cigarette and pretending not to listen.
I was the next preacher up, and soon things would turn lively! I preached on “Death: Is It the End?” At first, a few people listened, but then the heckling started. One man, who claimed to be a “Christian” nationalist, shouted out, “Jesus is King!” So I replied, “That is true. But what does that mean?” The man responded, using a few colourful words, “I don’t know!”
The man wasn’t interested in genuine engagement, so I pointed out that it is blasphemy to misuse God’s name. I also highlighted Matthew 15:8, which warns about serving God with our lips while having hearts far from Him. The man then let fly with a whole string of foul language, revealing what his heart was truly like.
Not long after this, as I challenged people to trust in Jesus, a man walked past saying, “I trust in Allah!” I engaged him in conversation, as it was clear he was a Muslim who was happy to speak. He boasted that he believed in Jesus more than Christians do. So I asked him, using John 8:24, whether he believed that Jesus is God — because Christ says that belief is essential. The Muslim man strongly disagreed.
By now, a crowd was growing. I told the Muslim man that I loved him and wanted what was best for him. He affirmed his love for me, and we continued our discussion. The conversation then turned to the issue of Jesus’ death. I knew Muslims reject this, and I was preparing a gospel apologetic when a demonic distraction arose.
As my Muslim heckler was engaging with me, a man stepped out of the crowd and began yelling at him. At one point, he even told him to get out of our country. It didn’t help that he also claimed to be a Christian.
This act of aggression closed the ears of the Muslim man to the gospel, and it seemed as though a fight was about to erupt between the two of them. Thankfully, they were separated. I continued to preach to the crowd, which was now growing larger.
Another Muslim then began to heckle me, shouting that I was forbidden from speaking about Allah or mentioning his name. I rejected this assertion, continued to proclaim the gospel, and called on people to trust in Jesus. Three people from the crowd received copies of John’s Gospel at the end of the message.
After preaching, I found myself speaking with an older lady who is a Roman Catholic universalist. She informed me that everyone is God’s child and that everyone will go to Heaven. I showed her the Scriptures that countered her view, but she replied, “God says don’t argue!” Thankfully, she did listen to the gospel and took a tract. She later returned to listen to Ben preach and to speak further with Mike.
Mike preached next on “How Will the World End?” This gathered some interest. I didn’t get to hear much of the message, as two Chinese students stopped at the literature table. They were stunned by the preaching — coming from a Communist nation, they had never seen anything like this before. Their English wasn’t great, but I was able to give them material in Chinese and refer them to an evangelical church that has a Chinese service.
We also spoke with a lady who is church planting with her husband. She was greatly encouraged by us, and she encouraged the team in return. It is always a joy to meet fellow Christians.
By this point, Colin was preaching on “What Is the Purpose of Life?” Things became lively again, with a heckler making all manner of vile comments. Yet, alongside the hostility, there was openness, as a group of young people stopped to listen.
The final preacher of the day was Ben, who spoke on “What People Often Say to Us.” The universalist Roman Catholic lady returned and engaged once more. She heard the gospel again.
One man who had listened to the preaching spoke with Ben afterwards. He was very open and appeared to be a genuine seeker. He had questions about suffering, so Ben shared the gospel with him and gave him a copy of the booklet “Why All the Suffering?”
Over at the literature table, Colin spoke with a couple from Iceland. They had been discussing their desire to read the Bible, so they gladly received a copy from us. It appeared that the Lord had been preparing their hearts.
My final conversation of the day was with a young man who is a former Muslim but now professes faith in Christ. He stopped at the table with his Muslim friend. We had a great conversation about the gospel, and I answered several of their questions. They both took plenty of material.
It was a lively day in Southampton. Even though the city seemed quieter than usual, we were kept busy. Please pray that all those who heard the good news would be saved.
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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