“Trying to work out who God is!” – Portsmouth Evangelism
It was another blessed and busy day of evangelism in Portsmouth. We were able to set up in our usual location, though a nearby busker would occasionally play very loudly during the preaching. Apart from that, we had free course to share the good news.
As soon as we set up the free Bible and literature table, a young man stopped. He asked for a Bible because he has been thinking about God and trying to work out what he believes. We were more than happy to give him a copy of the Scriptures, along with a tract that clearly explains the good news.
Another encounter I had at the table was with two ladies. At first, they wanted to make sure we were not part of the Jehovah’s Witness cult, but once we explained that we were from different evangelical churches, they were very happy to talk. Both shared how they had recently begun to read the Bible. They were not religious, nor were they professing to be Christians. They had simply picked up the Bible and started reading. As they shared their story, they told me they were “trying to work out who God is”. I assured them they had come to the right place to find out more.
We had a good chat about the gospel and how we can know God. Both took booklets and tracts. They then spoke to another team member who once again pointed them to Jesus.
Another wonderful thing we saw at the table today was the number of parents who requested a free gospel colouring book for their children. We had so many requests for colouring books that we ran out of all the ones we had brought for the table. We then had to borrow some from team members who had ordered copies for their own personal use and church outreach. It is encouraging to know that many children and parents will be exposed to the Scriptures and the good news through these colouring books.
During this time, Jim spoke with a young lady who would best be described as being on the “fringe”. She was looking into Christianity, especially since some of her Christian friends had recently invited her to a Bible study. She heard the good news from Jim and wanted to learn more, so she gladly received a copy of God’s Word.
It then came time for me to preach. Today, I tested out a new talk I had prepared: “Are You Truly Living?” If I am honest, I am not sure it worked. That is, I do not think it flowed as well as I had hoped. Still, a couple of people responded to the offer of a copy of John’s Gospel at the end.
Today, we were blessed to have several ladies on the team. Often, we have quite a few men, but ladies are uniquely gifted to reach people whom men sometimes struggle to reach. For instance, I watched one of the ladies connect with young mothers as they walked by. These mothers would engage in conversation and be pointed to the truth of God’s Word. They ended up taking lots of material and usually ended the conversation by giving our team member a hug.
Next up to preach was Jim, who spoke from Romans 1. He explained that the evidence for God is clearly seen and then challenged people to consider Jesus. One man who listened came from a rough and non-religious background. He kept saying, “It’s true! It’s all true!” I spoke to him briefly, and he told me he agreed with Jim, so he wanted to read the Bible. He ended up taking a New Testament and a tract.
People today seemed to be very chatty. Lots of tracts were handed out, and people paused to talk. One of our team members spoke of how he had handed out hundreds of tracts and had several good conversations with Roman Catholics.
Back at the literature table, I chatted with a lady I have shared the gospel with previously. She has now started to attend church and is very open, though not yet converted. We went over the gospel again, and she took more material.
But we are not only engaged in evangelism on the streets; we also seek to strengthen local churches by referring people to them. Today, one of the team members spoke to a lady who is moving to a new area. She is soundly saved but worried she would not be able to find a church that loves God and His Word in this new community. As providence would have it, we know of a sound evangelical church near where she lives. She gave me her number, which I then passed on to the leader of that church. He will follow up with her and try to connect her into the fellowship.
Evangelists and evangelistic ministries are not the be-all and end-all. We exist not to replace the church but rather to serve local churches. It is always a joy when we can connect people with local fellowships. May the Lord strengthen His Church.
Please take a few moments now to pray for all those who heard the good news. May Portsmouth be changed by the power of 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.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAGAZINE AND PRAYER NOTES