“I’m Going to Heaven as I am a Priest!” – Southampton Evangelism

During the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, His greatest opponents came from the religious men of the day. They opposed the gospel of grace and instead relied upon their good works. Nothing much has changed! Today, I had a Roman Catholic priest heckle, declaring that his religion would be the grounds of his salvation. But before we get to him, let me share what else happened.

From the very start of the outreach, numerous conversations took place. A homeless lady stopped to ask for a Bible. Previously, she had spoken to Mike but now wanted to learn more. She isn’t converted yet, but is much improved from the last time we saw her – though merely cleaning up one’s life will not bring about salvation. She heard the gospel again and received some material. 

For Mike’s first open-air, he preached on “Symptoms.” As he explained the gospel, it appeared that not much was happening. But just out of Mike’s view, behind the open-air board, sat a man whom we have spoken with numerous times. He is hostile to the gospel, yet for some reason he keeps being drawn back. He sat quietly listening as the message of Jesus was proclaimed. 

Ben preached next, speaking on the subject of “Our Greatest Problem.” I didn’t get to hear much of his message, as I found myself speaking with a Buddhist man from Thailand. He is in the UK on holiday, and he shared that his son is very interested in learning about Christianity. As the son spoke with Colin, I spoke with the father. Gospel seeds were sown. 

Everything was going along nicely, but then things became lively. I preached on “Death: Is It the End?” As I challenged those listening with the question of whether they will go to Heaven, an older man answered by saying, “I’m going to Heaven because I am a priest!” Instantly, red flags were raised – the hope of eternal life is found in Jesus, not religion. The man went on to explain that he was a retired Roman Catholic priest, and he made sure to tell me he had a doctorate in theology. However, merely having an academic understanding of theology doesn’t mean you know the Bible.

I challenged the Roman Catholic priest by referring to the story Jesus told in Luke 18:9–14. In this story, the Lord spoke about a Pharisee, a religious man, going to the Temple and trusting in his religious works. Then Jesus mentioned a tax collector, who cried out to God for mercy. The point Christ makes is that the religious man was not saved by his deeds; rather, the mercy of God rescued the tax collector. I applied this passage to the Roman Catholic priest and his boast about religion.

The priest was not happy; he waved his walking stick at me, saying I wasn’t very nice, and that I needed to join the Roman Catholic Church to be saved. He went on to declare that I am very far from Heaven and may go to Purgatory.

By this stage, a crowd had formed, so I challenged the priest to address the crowd and tell them how they could have hope of sins forgiven and the certainty of Heaven. The priest refused. I am not surprised, as the man had no hope or assurance himself.

As he made various religious claims, I challenged him to support his views from the Bible, but he couldn’t. It was clear the man was religious, but far from God. It was truly sad to see, as this man had devoted his life to religion, yet here he is at the end of his life, just as lost and hopeless as when he first began. 

Around this time, another heckler started on me, so Mike took over speaking with the priest. Mike later told me the man had no concept of the gospel, nor of Scripture. This encounter was a good reminder that Roman Catholicism is not biblical; in fact, it preaches a false gospel. For more on the errors of Rome, I would recommend listening to the series, “Explaining the Heresy of Catholicism” by John MacArthur.

My next heckler was an atheist, who made the standard atheistic arguments. He was joined by another atheist who simply ranted. I tried to answer their objections and keep bringing everything back to the gospel. At the end of the back-and-forth, I offered copies of John’s Gospel to anyone who would like to find out more about Jesus. Numerous people from the crowd responded.

One of those who had listened was a homeless man. He told me he takes a ‘buffet’ approach to religion, choosing bits and pieces he likes. He liked Islam, but also likes bacon, so he ignores its dietary laws. I challenged him that Jesus doesn’t give us that option. He was intrigued, took a copy of John’s Gospel, and promised to come back next week to talk further after he had read it. 

Jeremy was next up to preach; he spoke on “The Message of the Cross.” He had good interaction with two young ladies. Then Mike preached again; this time he spoke on “Life: What’s the Point?” Several people listened, with a couple taking copies of John’s Gospel.

In many ways, today was both encouraging and sad. Encouraging that many heard the gospel, but sad that people are still enslaved to the antichrist religion of Rome. Please pray that the Lord would set the captives free.

SDG!

_____

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.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAGAZINE AND PRAYER NOTES