“I’m at the end of myself; I need Jesus!” – Southampton Evangelism

So much happens at an outreach that it is hard to convey in writing the events and details of the Lord’s working. It seemed that today was going to be hard, and in many ways, it was, but still, the Spirit of God was at work.

Due to a band of buskers, we couldn’t set up in our normal spot, so we moved further up the street. The pedestrian traffic was constant, but due to our preaching spot being near a road, it made it harder to get people to stop and listen. People were in a rush to get to wherever they were going, all while ignoring the good news of salvation. Yet, despite the rush, a few people did hear the gospel.

We were supposed to have three preachers today, but one brother had trouble with his breathing, so he just focused on one-to-one and tract work, while Will and I focused on the preaching.

For my first message, I preached on “The Way to Heaven.” The ground was hard, but a couple of people stopped to listen. At the end of the message, I offered those listening a copy of John’s Gospel, one lady stepped forward to take one, and then she asked me to speak to her friend, a man named Richie. After I had finished preaching, I went over to speak to Richie. It was clear that he was in turmoil of soul, and something was greatly troubling him. As we chatted, he said, “I’m at the end of myself; I need Jesus!” Even though he had already listened to the preaching, I thought it wise to explain the gospel to him again. As I shared the good news, he commented that he could see God’s love for him, and then he asked if he could trust in Jesus at that moment. In the middle of a street in Southampton, Richie bowed his head and asked Christ to rescue him.

We were able to give Richie a New Testament, a new Christian discipleship booklet, and connect him to a local church. Will got Richie’s number and invited him to attend a Christianity Explored course. It is always encouraging to see that the Lord is working upon the hearts of people.

Throughout the day, we had many people take gospel tracts, and some good conversations took place. I was able to chat with one Asian man who is well-known to the team. He is an atheist, who just likes to argue. I shared the gospel with him and engaged in apologetics. But it was very clear that he wasn’t interested in answers, as all he wanted to do is justify his unbelief. In the end, I had to walk away from him. May the Lord save him.

While all this was occurring, Will had been preaching. When he finished, it was my turn to speak again, so I preached on “Hope for a Broken World.” During this message, a few people listened, but it was around this time that it appeared that a switch was flicked. People began to argue and shout, but none of them would truly engage in discussion. When Will preached again, more hecklers came in, including one irrational lady that wanted to argue about homosexuality. Will did an excellent job in calmly presenting the gospel and answering her questions. But no matter what he said, the lady wouldn’t listen. In the end, the hecklers turned on each other.

Even though things were hard, we rejoice that the Lord was at work. Please pray for Richie, the hecklers, and all those who received tracts or were spoken with today. May the Lord save all of them.

SDG!