“You Interrupted my Quiet!” – Salisbury Evangelism
We had a large team in Salisbury today; with the weather being warm and clear, it was ideal for evangelism. Throughout the outreach, the team handed out many gospel tracts. Our prayer is that these little leaflets will be used by the Lord to save many.
I commenced the preaching by speaking on “The Message of the Cross.” A few people seemed to pause and listen, with one young man listening to the entire message. At the end, he gladly received a copy of John’s Gospel, and then spoke further with me.
The young man told me he was recently confirmed in the Church of England, but he wasn’t sure if he truly had eternal life. I pointed him to Acts 16:31, which was on the board, and explained that through faith in Christ we can have absolute certainty. He listened, and then received a couple of in-depth gospel booklets.
Paul preached next; he spoke on “What’s the Greatest Danger?” With war breaking out in the Middle East, he pointed out that, as dangerous as that may be, it isn’t the greatest danger we face. The greatest danger we face is sin and the grave. One man who listened engaged with the preaching by stating that he did good deeds, which he hoped would make him right with God. Paul answered him, and the man received a John’s Gospel and the booklet ‘Ultimate Questions.’ A team member then spoke further with the man.
Next up was Tony, who preached from John 17:1–2. He explained that Christ has come to give eternal life. One young man listened for a good length of time. At the end of the message, he received a Gospel of John and a tract. As he took the Gospel, he said, “I really do need to read this!”
It was great to have Nick back with us today; he was the next preacher up, and he explained to the people of Salisbury that we’re out on the streets because we have good news to tell them. He then went on to explain that the death of Jesus is good news indeed.
The outreach was drawing to a close, so it was back to me to preach again. This time I spoke on “The Big Picture of Easter.” One man responded to the message by asking for a John’s Gospel, while another lady responded in a furious manner.
An older lady spoke to a team member, expressing her anger by saying my preaching had “interrupted her quiet”. It is never my goal to make people angry, nor is it my desire to disturb people. However, her anger was at the message – this older lady loved darkness and hated Jesus (John 3:19–20). It is far better to have her temporary peace interrupted in order to hear of the Prince of Peace than to go to Hell, where there will be no peace forever. All we can do is pray that the seed of the Gospel will take root in her heart, and that, even as she fumes in anger, she will continue to think about the message.
Many were exposed to the good news today. Please pray that the Lord would save the lost in Salisbury.
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.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAGAZINE AND PRAYER NOTES