University Students Understand the Gospel – Reading Evangelism

We had a good-sized team, including two new workers, out in Reading today as we shared the gospel. After the heavy rain of yesterday, it was nice to see a bit of sunshine and blue sky – it was almost ideal conditions for evangelism.

I started off the preaching by speaking about “The Three S’s” (Sin, Substitution, Salvation). There wasn’t too much engagement, but a pastor liked what we said and took material to help their church evangelise.

Next up to preach was Rich, who used the theme of Valentine’s Day to speak of the ultimate display of love shown at the cross. A Christian man who listened, loudly quoted John 3:16 for everyone to hear; Rich took that verse and used it to further explain the gospel.

Around this time, I found myself in conversation with three university students at the literature table. One of them identified as a Roman Catholic, and the other two were nominal Christians. Since they were all churchgoers, I asked them to explain how someone could go to Heaven. They struggled and revealed that they believed their good works were the key to salvation. This then opened the conversation for me to explain our sin, the consequence of sin, and what Christ came to do. As the gospel was explained, they all grasped what was being said, saying, “I can go to Heaven only by trusting in Jesus alone!” All three took copies of the New Testament and gospel booklets which further explain the biblical message.

While I was speaking with the students, Trevor was busy preaching on the different warnings that Jesus gave, and he was followed by Bill, who spoke on what Jesus said about Himself. Both messages worked nicely together and gave a good overview of Jesus and His teaching.

It was now my turn to preach again; this time I spoke on “Steps to Peace with God.” As I explained the gospel, a few people paused to listen, with two taking copies of John’s Gospel at the end. A Christian who listened shared that he wanted to be equipped to evangelise, so I gave him a card that links to Ray Comfort’s sermon, “Hell’s Best Kept Secret.” (If you’ve not listened to this message, make sure to do so!)

Jamie was the final preacher for the day; he preached on “How Does God Speak?” I didn’t get to hear much, as I found myself locked in conversation with a young Muslim man who wanted to argue against the Bible. It was clear he had read a few arguments online, but he wasn’t prepared to be answered, nor to have his position challenged. As we spoke, I was able to make a case for Scripture and the claims of Jesus. At the end of the conversation, he took the booklet, “Why Muslims Reject Christianity.”

While today had less engagement with the preaching, I did notice that most of the team had good gospel conversations with the lost. From Muslims to neo-pagans, all heard the wonderful news of God’s amazing grace. Please pray for all who heard the gospel.

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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