From Hostility to Friendliness - Winchester Evangelism
With a high heat warning in place, we made our way into the city centre of Winchester. Thankfully, the Lord very kindly provided a shaded area for us to set up the open-air board and the literature table. Winchester is normally quiet in relation to interaction, but today things were a bit different!
As the team handed out tracts, I prepared to preach. While that was occurring, Natalie was able to engage two female Mormon missionaries with the gospel. The trouble with Mormons is that they say the same words but often have different meanings. Like most false teachers, they are slippery, but Natalie did well in presenting the truth to them.
It was now time for the preaching to start, so I started off by speaking on “The Way to Heaven”. At first, everything seemed normal, but then a couple of homeless drunks decided to open up on me. They began to shout and holler about different things. One yelled that he believed in reincarnation, so I asked him who judges what he’ll come back as. His reply was that he did. He also assured me he was a Roman Catholic. Another drunk then began to yell that I shouldn’t be forcing my views upon people.
Then, along came a white, middle-aged woman, who said she wanted to speak with me. I told her I couldn’t speak at that moment, so she began to say, “You need to speak with me, as I believe you are creating a safeguarding issue.” Since I’m trained in safeguarding, I asked what safeguarding policy I was violating. She couldn’t answer. In the end, she walked off yelling, “You’re a bully!”
In the midst of all this pandemonium, something was happening. A lady who was connected with the homeless drunks began to speak up for me. She told the others to be quiet and let me preach, as she wanted to hear it. This lady was soft towards the gospel and very open to hearing the truth.
She shared that she used to think she had to be good to earn Heaven, but now she doesn’t think that. She also mentioned two dreams she had, which had caused her to think about Jesus. One dream was about the return of Christ.
I was able to share the good news with her, and she received a Gospel of John and a tract. She kept asking, “But how can I trust in Jesus?” I referred her to Natalie, who sat down with her to have a long conversation. We were also able to connect her with a lady from a local church, who invited her along to the service.
While this was happening, one of the drunk men came back. He was much more polite this time and apologised for his behaviour. He then started to share about some of his struggles and things he faced as a paratrooper in the Army. We had a nice chat about the gospel. He shook my hand and apologised again.
Later in the day, the other homeless man came back to speak further. He shared about the suffering he is going through and how he can’t help being a drunk and stealing things. He said, “I can’t change!” I answered by saying, “You won’t change, as you don’t fear God!” (Proverbs 16:6). This opened up a gospel conversation where he was pointed to Jesus. He shook my hand and apologised for his earlier behaviour.
Between the preaching, the team was kept busy handing out tracts and speaking with people. The literature table was busier than usual, with numerous gospel conversations taking place. It was particularly encouraging to see many people taking biblical material to read.
Towards the end of the outreach, I preached once more. This time, I spoke on “Steps to Peace with God”. A few people stopped to listen, and one lady took a Gospel of John. One of those who listened was a Buddhist lady. She spoke with Natalie afterwards and heard the good news once again.
As we packed up and left, those drunk homeless men who tried to disrupt the preaching all called out their farewells. They waved and were friendly. I waved back, and they said they’ll see me next time. It was certainly a change, from hostility to friendliness.
Please pray for all who heard the good news, especially the homeless. May the Lord open their hearts and grant them salvation.
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