“Would God Want Me?” – Portsmouth Evangelism

It was a cold and windy day in Portsmouth; the city centre was quiet and open-air evangelism a challenge, - but as the day wore on, we could see God’s sovereign hand directing our steps. Upon arrival, we couldn’t set up in our usual location as a charity had set up there, so we headed down the street to find the only open space suited for preaching. Unfortunately, it was in the shade – so it was cold!!

From a human perspective, our location was not ideal – but we were right where the Lord wanted us. As soon as we set up the Free Bible table, a group of Middle Eastern men came over to look at the literature. They were friendly and interested in the message of the Bible; all took copies of Scripture. We had to pause the outreach briefly at this point, as an elderly lady tripped nearby and hit her head. We performed basic first aid and sought medical attention for her. When that had finished, we went back to sharing the good news. 

Around this time, I spoke with Susan, who formerly attended a good church but has since wandered away from Christianity; she now attends a spiritualist church. We had a good chat about the gospel and the need for Jesus. She told me she wanted to consider Christ more, so she took a copy of the New Testament and “Why Christianity?”

Even though it was quiet, I thought it’d be good to open-air preach. When I started, I wondered if anyone would listen – it was then that we saw God’s sovereign hand. Soon a man in a wheelchair named Sparky stopped to listen and engage. As we spoke about sin, he said he didn’t believe that we were separated from God, and then detailed his good works as to why he would go to Heaven. When we went through the good news, Sparky changed his tune. He began to admit that he had sinned and that Jesus was the only way for people to know God. At the end of the message, Sparky and another person took a copy of John's Gospel. He thanked us for being there, then rolled away - but soon he returned.

Sparky wanted to talk further, so we chatted to him again. This time he wanted information about church – it turns out he lives near the church where one of our team members, Roger, attends!

Despite the wind and cold, the Lord was working; people were taking tracts, and the Free Bible table was busy. Team members reported that many were interested in taking gospel leaflets.

Over at the Bible Table, I chatted with a young lady named Olivia, a former Mormon. She had many questions and baggage from her upbringing; as we spoke, it was clear that she viewed the Bible as only being about rules and regulations, so I spent time talking about grace and God’s love. Olivia said the message we shared was very different to the Mormons. She took a New Testament, “Why Christianity?” and a tract designed for Mormons.

While I was talking to Olivia, Roger was preaching the gospel. As usual, he did a great job in lifting high the Saviour and calling people to come to know Him.

It was at this point we saw God’s sovereignty on display again. A lady came by who couldn’t walk far due to her health, so if we had been in our usual location, she would never have come near us. This lady told us that she was dying of a terminal illness and that the doctors had told her she was on borrowed time. We sat down together and began to talk. She told me that she knew God and was a good person. It is awkward in that moment to tell a lady who is old enough to be your mother that she is mistaken – but love demands that we speak the truth. Angela was very receptive to my comments – she told me she didn’t have time to waste with niceties, so she liked it when people said it as it was. Together, we opened the Bible and began to walk through numerous Scriptures. As we did this Angela’s opinion began to change – she started to recall many sins she had committed, and then said, “I guess it is Hell for me. Would God want me?”

Using the Bible, I showed her God’s love and desire for sinners to be saved. We walked through Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8 and 10:9 – she wrote down all the verses, saying she would look them up again when she got home. For 40 minutes we sat together talking about the gospel. I was aware that this lady was close to eternity, and she realised it too!  At the end of our conversation, I connected her with Roger and Val, as they live not too far from her. They exchanged numbers and said they would make time to meet up to talk further. Angela let us pray for her and took a gospel booklet.

On the streets, we meet people from different backgrounds and facing numerous challenges – yet all of them need Jesus. Please pray for 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.

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