Reformation Truths Are Still Needed – Portsmouth Evangelism
Today, we remember and celebrate the Protestant Reformation Day. As the world rejoices in the demonic darkness of Halloween, we rejoice in the light of the gospel that is still shining brightly. As I spent time in Portsmouth, I was reminded how much the truths of the Reformation are still needed today. We spoke to many people who were enslaved to religion or following some leader who set himself/herself up as the authority. There were all those who were trying to be righteous by their own efforts. The Gospel rediscovered at the Reformation is needed again – Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The Scripture alone is authoritative, and all the glory belongs to God!
There is much spiritual darkness in Portsmouth, so we go out with the Word of God to lift high Jesus – the Light of the World!
As the outreach commenced, I found myself chatting with two spiritualists whom I had spoken with previously. Since our last conversation, they had been thinking about the Bible, so they returned to ask for a copy of God’s Word. We happily gave them the Scriptures and other gospel literature. They also asked if I knew of any online Bible teaching they could listen to, so I referred them to Grace to You.
While I was talking to them, Roger was locked in a conversation with Steve. Eventually, Roger called me over to join the discussion. I’ve spoken to Steve before – the man is deceived and a deceiver. He believes that he is Jesus and that Yahweh speaks to him in his head. I challenged Steve’s view from Scripture, but he wouldn’t listen or engage. Eventually, he stormed off. He then set up a loudspeaker and began to play YouTube videos about COVID-19 conspiracies and the One World government. After a short time, he lost interest and left.
While Steve was playing his videos, I decided it was time to preach. Since people are celebrating death, I spoke on “Death: Is it the End?” A few people paused to listen. At the end of the message, one lady took a copy of John’s Gospel.
Over at the Bible Table, things were busy. We had run out of New Testaments, and much literature was being taken. There was an openness for literature today. Team members reported that many were happy to take tracts.
Roger preached next; he spoke about “The Message of the Cross.” As he preached, a group of young Muslim men sat down. They listened, and at the end, they received copies of the Scripture in Arabic. One man also downloaded the Arabic Bible on his phone.
Towards the end of the outreach, I preached again. Using Reformation Day as my theme, I spoke about how religion enslaved people, but the Reformation gave freedom as the Scripture was given to the common man. I then preached about the love of God from John 3:16. As I preached, a Muslim lady stood to listen. She would smile and nod her head – she seemed touched by the message of love. An UberEATS rider also parked his bike to listen to the entire message.
After my message, I noticed that some of those who had listened were encouraging their young son to go to the Bible Table to take literature. They would then point him to the bin and tell him to throw it away. We stepped in and prevented the boy from doing this further, but it was sad to see the parents encouraging their children to hate God. How much must they hate their little boy to cause him to openly defy God? I would hate to be in their shoes on judgment day.
The spiritual darkness of Portsmouth is great, but the light is still shining. Gospel truths are advancing, and Christ is building His Church. Pray for all those we encountered today.
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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