Hope for the Hopeless – Southampton Evangelism

I don’t know where to begin in telling of all that happened today. So many encounters could be shared. I can only give you a snapshot of what the Lord did on this Autumn afternoon in Southampton.

From the start, people were open to hearing about Jesus. Shortly after arriving, a team member offered three young ladies a tract; soon, they were talking about spiritual matters. All took New Testaments, and then they listened to Mike as he preached. After the preaching, they mentioned wanting to go to church, so we were able to point them towards a local fellowship. These young ladies were very open to hearing the gospel, and they asked excellent questions.

Mike was the first to preach, but I didn’t hear much of his message, as I was chatting with a Muslim man. However, I did notice that people responded to his preaching by taking copies of John’s Gospel. The Muslim man with whom I was speaking was friendly and open. He is from Sudan, so his mother tongue is Arabic. He told me his name was Mohdin, and he was going to the Mosque for prayers. I asked him what the differences were between Islam and Christianity, and he responded by stating that he believed both religions taught the same thing. We discussed this point, and I was able to share the gospel with him. After we chatted, he told me he would like to learn more; he happily took a copy of John’s Gospel in Arabic.

While all this was happening, Nigel spoke with a lady who had stopped. She told him that she was greatly concerned about what would happen to her after death; this concern showed itself in that she began to cry. The lady realised she was hell-bound and that her good works wouldn’t make a difference. Nigel lovingly pointed her to Jesus. The more they talked, the more she cried. Nigel was able to pray for the lady and invited her to a local church. She then took in-depth gospel literature. Please pray the Lord would save her. 

All around, team members were handing out tracts or engaged in conversation. I felt as if there was an openness in the city. When it came time for me to preach, I spoke on “Wages or Gift?” from Romans 6:23. As I preached, an 86-year-old man heckled. He started by saying that the Jehovah’s Witnesses had told him there was no hell, but that didn’t bother him as he didn’t believe in God. I pointed out that he was nearing the end of his life, so he should seek the Saviour - but he remained defiant, using suffering as an excuse for his unbelief. As he walked off, Ben engaged him further in conversation.

A few people had now paused to listen, so I explained the gospel and called on all to receive the free gift offered to them by God. At the end of the message, four people took copies of John’s Gospel.

After this, another team member began to preach. He did an excellent job speaking on the subject of “Life.” As he preached, a lady riding past stopped to listen. She got off her bike and paid attention. Then she would go to leave but pause and come back. This happened several times. Eventually, I spoke to her; her first words were, “I need hope!” I shared the gospel with her, and she took a copy of John’s Gospel (which happened to have the word “Hope” written on the cover).

Ben was the next to preach. He did a good job showing that all life needs a designer; one lady who stopped to listen ended up having a long gospel conversation with a team member.

I finished the outreach by preaching on “Who is Jesus Christ?” As I preached, a couple of people listened, including Michael. He listened, then walked away; Mike quickly intercepted him to talk further. At the end of my message, two people responded to the offer of John’s Gospel. One of those who responded was Andre, a Roman Catholic from Brazil. Like most Roman Catholics, he trusted his efforts to save him, but the message of grace challenged him.

As we began to pack up, Michael came back to talk. He thanked me for preaching clearly and plainly; he then shared his heart-breaking story of loss. We were able to pray with him and offer him hope. He took literature and a church invite. Throughout the day, we saw this theme of hopelessness arise repeatedly; we are so thankful that the Lord has us in Southampton to proclaim hope to those who need it.

 Please pray for all those we encountered.

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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