A Profession of Faith on the Streets – Portsmouth Evangelism
The summer break is over, and the routine of life is recommencing. As such, the city centre of Portsmouth reverted to what it was like a few months ago: steadily busy, but not overly crowded.
We set up for our open-air and were encouraged to have three friends come down from Guildford to help us with the outreach. It is always an encouragement to have more Christians out sharing the good news.
From the outset, many people were taking tracts and speaking with team members. Neal was kept busy with Roman Catholics who wanted to talk. One lady was very open to hearing the gospel of grace. She received a booklet and a copy of John’s Gospel. Other Roman Catholics weren’t as friendly or open.
I commenced the preaching by speaking on “Wages or Gift?” In this message, I walk through Romans 6:23, explaining the need for Christ and the good news. There was good listening, but one man stood out. He was locked on as he listened to the preaching. When I spoke about sin, his head would drop. When I explained the love of God, his eyes were firmly fixed on me.
At the end of the message, Marian and I spoke with him. The man shared that he had come from a rough background and was currently off work due to an injury. He then shared that he was terrified of Hell. He knew he had sinned, and that Jesus died on the cross and then rose again. He believed all of that, but he wasn’t sure how to be forgiven.
We explained the good news and urged him to trust in Christ. He asked, “But how can I be forgiven?” Using a tract with pictures, we illustrated the gospel. As he listened, he grasped what was being said. There on the street, we bowed our heads, and he prayed to ask Christ to forgive him.
I don’t know if his profession of faith is genuine or not. That is God’s department, not mine. However, I did share a few key Bible verses with him and then gave him a Bible and a booklet for new Christians. He also gave me his contact details so I can have a local church follow him up. Please pray that the conversion would be genuine and that the man would start attending a local church.
The team found the whole encounter very encouraging, as did I. May many come to trust in Christ!
Jim was the next preacher. He did a great job proclaiming Jesus as the Saviour of the world. He always preaches well and exalts Christ throughout the message. I didn’t get to hear too much of his message today, as over at the literature table, something unique was about to happen.
As Jim proclaimed Christ, two Mormon missionaries came over to the literature table. Then more came, and still more. Before we realised it, eleven Mormon missionaries, both male and female, were standing at the literature table.
I engaged them in conversation, first by asking about their background and where they were from. They were polite and friendly. Then I asked what they thought about the spiritual state of the United Kingdom. They mentioned that many people seem to be agnostic and aren’t sure who God is. This was the opening I wanted, so I asked them to explain to me who God is and how I can know Him.
They gave some confused answer, so I challenged them as to why they didn’t answer as Paul did in Acts 16:30–31. They couldn’t really answer, as their whole system is a works-based religion. It is all about their deeds and the work they must do.
The Mormons told me they need to keep the Ten Commandments to be saved, but then admitted they didn’t keep them perfectly. As we spoke, I kept bringing everything back to the gospel of grace. I stressed to them that we cannot save ourselves, nor can we merit salvation. It is freely given by God’s kindness through what Jesus has done.
We also touched on the differences between the Book of Mormon and the Bible, but I didn’t want to get into the weeds of a long argument, so I kept bringing it back to the big difference: how can a person be made right with God?
At the end of the conversation, one of the female missionaries made an excuse to leave, saying they all needed to be somewhere else. None of the ladies took tracts, but all the men gladly received gospel literature. Please pray that the Lord would open their hearts to the truth.
As this was happening, another man, seeing the crowd, stopped to listen. He is a nominal Roman Catholic and ended up speaking with Nigel. He is a veteran who has seen and done terrible things in war. This ate away at him, and he carries a great burden. As Nigel shared about how we must all give an account to Christ, the man began to cry. He then heard the gospel and gave Nigel several hugs!
The Lord truly is at work in this city. Please spend a few moments praying for all those who heard the good news.
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