Newquay Evangelism: 'Christian' Students Who Didn't Understand the Gospel

The wind was blowing fiercely from the west as we gathered at the chapel to pray. Even though the icy wind came in from the ocean, the plan was for us to spend an hour or two in gospel outreach in Newquay. Without prayer our evangelism would be futile, so nine of us came together on this Saturday morning to seek the Lord’s blessing for the gospel ministry which was about to commence.

After praying for a little while, we loaded up with tracts and other gospel booklets then made our way down to the town centre. The expectation was that today we would be able to hand out a number of Christmas tracts and church invites, but we didn’t really think many conversations would take place, as when the wind blows people are more inclined to rush along seeking shelter.

The team split up and began to cover different areas of the town. I found myself in the high street with three others handing out literature to all who would take it. For the first 40 - 45 mins, we had people take tracts and a few polite words were exchanged. It was particularly joyful to reconnect with a man who had been attending our chapel before the latest COVID lockdown; he was excited to hear that we had recommenced services, and he assured me that he’d be joining us tomorrow.

Compared to last year the town centre was quieter, but that was to be expected considering we are the only Tier 1 region on the mainland, and that many people have been encouraged to stay inside to avoid the coronavirus; however, a number of tracts were still readily received by the people.

While handing out tracts, three young men stopped to chat. All of them were students, with two of them attending a Christian School. I began our conversation by asking, “What do you think Christmas is all about?” Two of them answered by saying, “The birth of Jesus,” the other said, “Presents” (I could tell that this third man was going to be a bit of a larrikin). I then followed up the question by asking, “On the first Christmas, the Angel appeared to shepherds and told them that born in Bethlehem was the Saviour. Why do you think we need Jesus as our Saviour?” All three of them paused at this question, then they all admitted that they didn’t know. Now, it must be stressed that two of these men identified as Christians and attending a Christian School, yet they had no idea why Jesus is the Saviour. I said to them, “If someone goes swimming at the beach, but then gets in trouble, a lifeguard will rush out to rescue / save that person. A rescuer / saviour is someone who saves us from danger. Do you know why we need a saviour?” Again, they answered by saying they didn’t know why they personally needed a saviour.

For the next few minutes we spoke about who God is, and the Law He has given; we then saw how all people are guilty of breaking God’s Law, and thus, we all deserve God’s judgement. The young men seemed stunned at this message, so I took them back to the fact that Jesus is the Saviour. This time they understood why Jesus had to come, and also that forgiveness of sins is not based on any work or effort we do. The gospel was explained to them, and they were called on to repent and trust in Christ. At the end of the conversation all three men took a booklet of Scripture portions which uses Christmas to explain the gospel. Please pray that the Lord would be kind to save these young men.

By this stage it was nearing 1pm, and the weather was getting worse. Looking at the team and seeing them shiver from cold, and also due to the fact I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore, we thought it best to head back to the chapel.

Today, was the first of, Lord-willing, many outreaches in the lead up to Christmas. Please pray for us as we seek to make Christ known.

SDG!