“You’re a Coward for Following Jesus!” – Winchester Evangelism
The city centre of Winchester was busy today, though we only had a small team of five of us out sharing the good news. Of all my outreach locations, this city is one of the hardest places I visit; but even in the midst of the challenges, the Lord is at work.
Right at the start of the outreach, an older lady stopped at the literature table, where she spoke with Keith and Andy. She was an atheist who had been through a few traumas in life. This caused her to question the existence of God. The team had a good conversation with her. She took a booklet for atheists and a Gospel of John. She told one of the team members that she would make time to read it.
While this was happening, I focused on handing out literature. It was a challenge to give away tracts today, with more people rejecting the offer than accepting. But a few took leaflets, and off they went with the words of life in their hands.
One of the positives I did notice was that people would stop to read the Bible verse we had on the board. When we’re not preaching, I try to keep a text of Scripture up so people can read God’s Word. Today, we had John 3:16 on the board, and it was wonderful to see people stop and read it.
I was the only preacher on the team, so I had planned to preach at least twice. God had other plans, and I ended up only preaching once. For my open-air, I spoke on “The Origin of Evil” from Mark 7:21–23. A few people paused to listen to the message and heard the call to trust in Jesus.
One young man who listened went over to the literature table afterwards and spoke with team members. I was told he was very interested and received a copy of the New Testament, along with other material.
Another man who listened wasn’t as friendly, though we did part on good terms. He is an atheist who objected to the whole concept of Jesus dying on the cross to pay for our sins. He told me afterwards that I was a coward for allowing someone else to purchase something for me. He declared that it was wrong for people to benefit from what others have done, so it was cowardly for me to follow Jesus.
I asked him, “Do you enjoy the freedom you have in this land?” He assured me he did, so I said, “It isn’t your body that is lying in Flanders Fields; rather, it is the body of a soldier who died so you can have freedom. You benefit from what the troops did, and you can benefit from what Christ has done!”
The point was made – we can and do benefit from what others have done, and there is nothing cowardly about it.
The man quickly changed tactics and began to deny God’s existence and argue that there is no such thing as absolute truth, which was itself an absolute statement. He then argued that morality is subjective and that there is no universal right and wrong. He was consistent and said that, in some cultures, it may be OK to harm a child sexually, but stressed that he wouldn’t do it, nor did he agree with it. His subjective morality demanded that he couldn’t say anything was wrong. But this is where his worldview crumbled – he argued for subjective truth and morality, but then said he would seek to enforce his views upon others. Thus, he made himself the absolute standard.
He strongly opposed the biblical position that God establishes truth and morality. He went on to assert that he knew with absolute certainty that God isn’t real. I asked if he had 100% of the knowledge in the universe; he said he didn’t. I then asked, “Do you have 1% of all knowledge in the universe?” Again, he answered in the negative. I then asked, “Is it possible that, in the 99% of knowledge you are yet to discover, there could be ample evidence for God and answers to your objections?” A rational and logical person should concede that it is possible, but this man was adamant in his atheism.
Around this time, we got to the core reason he is an atheist – it isn’t about intellect; it is about morality and pride. The man boldly declared that he is the standard of truth and morality. He is the one who determines what is right and wrong. This man didn’t like the truth that God rules over him, so he tried to shove God off the throne and usurp Him.
The man heard the gospel and was told biblical truth. He did calm down, shook my hand, and apologised for his aggression. Before leaving, he took a booklet that is aimed at atheists.
On the other end of the spectrum, I then spoke with an older lady who at first doubted God’s existence, but now believes He is there. But she isn’t sure about an afterlife. I asked her if she believed Jesus is a good teacher – a position she eagerly affirmed. I showed her that Jesus spoke about Heaven and Hell. I also explained how Christ says we can know God. She took a tract from me and said she’d need to think through what I had said. She later came back to request more material.
My final conversation was with a younger man who was very intellectual. He is a war historian and is on a journey towards understanding religion. He was friendly towards the Bible, but not a believer. We had a good chat about cultural development, the impact of Christianity, morality, and the danger of forsaking biblical truth. He heard the gospel and took a tract. He was very friendly and supported our freedom to be on the streets.
By Winchester standards, today was quite positive. 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