A False Convert Opposes the Gospel – Southampton Evangelism

It was wet, cold, and miserable in Southampton. Thankfully, we were able to set up the outreach in an area that was mostly under cover. The city centre wasn’t too busy, but there were still plenty of people around. Near us, a group of Hare Krishnas had set up, and they were busy peddling their demonic lies. Despite their error, I must give them credit in the sense that they are passionate about their false religion; in many ways, it is a bit of a rebuke to Christians – where were all the believers who are valiant for the truth?

There were eight of us on the team today, which was a massive improvement on the low numbers we expected. Even though it was wet and cold, lots of tracts were handed out and conversations took place.

Jeremy commenced the preaching by speaking on “Bridging the Gap.” A few people listened, and he was able to have several conversations with people afterwards, including an atheist who wasn’t a fan of Jeremy’s message.

When it was my turn to preach, I spoke on “The Message of the Cross.” One man walked by yelling, “Christ is King!” It is a true statement, so I asked the man, “What does that mean?” He couldn’t explain – it seems like it was just a slogan for him.

I continued to preach, explaining our need for Christ, when a man shouted out in an angry tone, “Jesus died for everyone’s sin. He died for all!” I wasn’t sure of the point the man was trying to make, as I was talking about the gospel. The man appeared to be a Christian who just wanted to make a point. While he may have been zealous, his outburst was distracting from the central message that was being proclaimed. I tried to engage him, but he didn’t hang around for long.

After a time of tract work, we decided to start preaching again. This time, Jeremy spoke on “Warning: Six Deadly Lies.” A few listened, then along came an atheist who pointed at the board yelling, “It’s all lies!” He wasn’t wrong – there were six lies on the board, including one about atheism! Jeremy engaged him, but the man appeared to be unreasonable. I didn’t get to hear all that happened, as a false convert began to engage me.

At first, I didn’t know the man was a false convert. This older gentleman with a little dog said, “Do you heal people?” I replied by stating that God heals, not me. He then said, “If you don’t heal, then you don’t believe the Bible. All Christians are empowered to heal, as it says in 1 Corinthians 12.” I answered by saying that isn’t what is taught in Scripture, as Paul’s argument is that not all people have the same giftings (1 Corinthians 12:29–30). The man disagreed, so I asked, “Do you believe you can heal everyone?” He affirmed that he could, so I offered to drive him to Southampton Hospital. The man quickly changed his tune!

At this point, I thought I may have been dealing with a well-meaning brother from a charismatic/Pentecostal background, but soon it became clear that wasn’t the case. The man began to say, “Jesus is our example, and humanity can do all that He did.” I cheekily asked if the man could go down to the nearby port and walk on the water. He refused. Then I asked if he could turn water into wine – again, this was refused.

As the man spoke, something didn’t sit right, so I asked, “Are you a Christian?” The man paused, then said, “I’m ‘sort of’ a Christian.” To this I answered, “There is no such thing as ‘sort of’ – you are either for Jesus or against Jesus. There is no middle ground (Matthew 12:30).” The man replied, “I don’t believe the Bible says that; the Bible was corrupted and changed at the Council of Nicaea – they removed seventeen books!”

This is a common myth, but it has no basis in history. I asked the man if he knew which books had been removed; he said he did, so I asked if he could name them – he couldn’t. I pointed out that Nicaea was all about the debate over homoousios and homoiousios.

The man just shook his head and said, “Listen, that isn’t right. I trained to be a pastor and started theological college. I know what I’m talking about! I stopped it all when I saw that it was rubbish!” I replied, “I finished theological college, and I am an ordained minister, but that doesn’t prove anything.” Before I could say much more, the man revealed more of his heresy; he declared, “Jesus isn’t God! He never said He was!” I quoted the Scripture to him, showing that Jesus is truly God and truly man, but the man just shook his head, saying, “You’re wrong, I feel sorry for you!”

It was clear this man wasn’t going to engage in truthful discussion, so I thought the best thing I could do was strike him with gospel truth. I warned him that he was like the man who put his hand to the plough but then looked back – he wasn’t fit for the kingdom (Luke 9:62). I then issued a call to repent, as he was like those described in Matthew 7:21–23 who cry out “Lord, Lord!” but don’t know God. The man shook his head and left, saying, “I don’t believe the Bible. I feel sorry for you!”

This man was a mixture of a charismatic, Arian, liberal, false convert and heretic. Yet, sadly, he truly believed he was right with God. Encounters like this should remind us that biblical truth is vital. We must teach God’s Word truthfully and in context in our homes, on the streets, and from the pulpit. Compromise of the Word of God is what gives rise to deception like this man was involved in; ultimately, bad doctrine will lead to damnation. We cannot compromise!

Not long after that conversation, I found myself dealing with someone who was much more open. A young lady took a tract and began to share that she used to attend church, but due to work she now had shifts on Sundays. She told me she considers herself a Christian and hopes her niceness will get her into heaven.

It is true that she was nice, but she wasn’t as nice as God. We went through the Ten Commandments to see that all have sinned, then I explained the gospel. As she heard about Jesus dying and rising again, she was amazed. I explained that it was only through faith in Christ that anyone can be made right with God. The lady took a copy of John’s Gospel and an in-depth gospel booklet. As she left, she told me, “There is nothing stopping me from trusting in Jesus.” I urged her to do so today.

It was such a mixed day on the streets, yet many people heard the biblical gospel. Please pray that all those we met would come to know the Lord Jesus.

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