When God Changed Our Plans in Newbury
Newbury today was a perfect example of how we make our plans, but the Lord’s plans ultimately prevail (Proverbs 16:9). Our usual method of outreach is to go to a city or town centre, set up, and begin to preach. That didn’t happen today.
When we arrived in Newbury, we were greeted by the sounds of a street performer playing a saxophone. We moved up the street a bit further, only to hear the sounds of another performer playing a guitar and singing. The street was filled with musical sounds, which left us with a question.
Should we preach, which would add to the noise and possibly upset the locals, as well as the street performers trying to make a living, or should we seek to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18)? We decided that the best course of action for today would be to set everything up, the open-air board and literature table, but instead of preaching, we would hand out tracts and speak to people one-to-one. Trusting that this is what the Lord had sovereignly ordained, we set about engaging people with the gospel.
The literature table proved to be a very effective tool in creating conversations. Trevor, Rich, and Bill were all engaged in quite lengthy chats with people at the table. Also, a good number of people stopped to take gospel material, and more importantly, copies of the Scriptures.
We also had need of foreign-language gospel material as we shared the good news with Spanish and Romanian speakers. All were very touched to receive a tract and Gospel of John in their own language.
I had a surprising and enjoyable conversation with a young lady who is a Mormon missionary. She is from the USA and has only been in the UK for a month. We spoke about missing home, the challenges of living abroad, and also about the gospel.
When it comes to counter-cult apologetics, Mormons are my main area of study (click here to listen to a lecture I gave on Mormonism). For over 20 years, I have spoken with Latter-day Saints about biblical truth. Today, however, this young lady surprised me.
While I chatted with her, her missionary partner spoke with Bill, who was also surprised at the conversation. Neither of them mentioned Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon. They were more interested in talking about Jesus and the Bible. One of them even spoke against the ‘prophets’ of their church.
They affirmed the biblical doctrine of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the reality of Hell, the sufficiency of Scripture, and the gospel of grace. The lady I spoke with pointed out that salvation isn’t based on efforts or deeds, but rather on trusting only in Jesus and His finished work on the cross. She affirmed salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone.
A few times in the conversation, I quoted the Book of Mormon and their Articles of Faith (without telling her), and she didn’t agree with those teachings. I made sure she understood who Jesus is from Scripture, and the gospel. But I must admit, this was the most ‘evangelical’-sounding Mormon I’ve ever met. Neither of them were ‘good’ Mormons according to Latter-day Saint doctrine. Please pray that they will leave the cult and come to embrace full biblical teaching.
Afterward, I spoke with Bill about his conversation. He, too, had a similar encounter. Both of us were amazed. Later on in the day, we saw both of them again. They were very friendly and waved as they went on their way.
The Lord’s plan for Newbury was fulfilled today. Please pray 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