Sowing the Seed on Hard Ground – Salisbury Evangelism
It was lovely weather for today’s outreach in Salisbury. With the summer holidays underway, the city was busy, but despite the crowds, the ground is hard for the gospel. People rushed past without engaging. Some would take tracts, and perhaps a couple would stop to listen to the preaching, but most seemed hardened and indifferent.
Salisbury is a famous cathedral city, so people are keen to get their fill of religion there, but when it comes to the words of eternal life, they seem content to continue in their own course. As the outreach took place, numerous priests walked past in their gowns and clerical collars. They all seemed quick to turn their heads away from the preaching and hurry on to their destination.
Out of all my outreach locations, this city is one of the hardest. Yet there are still people in the city whom the Lord is drawing to Himself.
The preaching commenced as Paul spoke on “Changes We Can Make”. As he shared, he explained that the greatest change everyone needs is a change of heart. But he made it very clear that this change comes from God, not through anything we do. It was a good gospel message.
While Paul preached, two Mormon missionaries stopped at the literature table, where they spoke with Nigel. They were keen to promote their false doctrine, but Nigel held them to the Scriptures and countered with the truth. In the end, they each received a Bible and an apologetic booklet about the Trinity.
It was then my turn to preach, so I spoke on “Are You Truly Living?” A man listened to most of the message but disappeared into a shop before anyone could speak with him further. Still, he heard enough of the gospel to be saved.
Next to preach was Tony, who spoke on “What Is Truth?” Using John 14:6, he explained that Jesus alone is the truth.
The final preacher for the day was Paul, who preached on “Are You Good Enough to Go to Heaven?” Shortly after he began, a man started heckling by raising the question of suffering. Paul did a good job answering from Scripture, but the man was not interested. Instead of engaging with the answer, he quickly changed the subject.
Back at the literature table, Nigel was speaking with a young man who does not seem far from the Kingdom. This man had come by earlier in the day and received a tract from me. He did not seem keen to talk at that moment, but when he returned, he was very happy to chat.
The man shared that he had recently started reading the Bible. As Nigel spoke with him, he was like a sponge, absorbing the truths of the gospel. He took several booklets and was encouraged to find a good Bible-teaching church.
Even though it was a hard day in Salisbury, we rejoice that God’s truth continues to spread. Please pray that the Lord would open the hearts of many.
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