“Thank-you for preaching!” – Southampton Evangelism
It isn't usual for me to have an outreach on Saturday, but it was good to spend the afternoon supporting The Open-Air Mission Associate Worker, Will Goddard, as he shared the good news in Southampton. The weather wasn’t the best, but the Lord in His wisdom allowed us to experience wetness throughout the outreach. Despite the weather, many still engaged with the gospel.
Will commenced the preaching by speaking on - “Are You a Good Person?” A few people paused to listen, including a young man named Ethan. Ethan comes from a Church of England background, and he was convinced that he was a lifelong Christian. I asked him, “Imagine I am not a Christian, what would you say to me so that I could be forgiven and go to Heaven?” Ethan replied, “I would say nothing, as everyone is going to Heaven.” He went as far as saying Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, and other evil men were all in Heaven. Ethan held to the heresy of universalism and denied the existence of Hell. I asked him, “What is a Christian?” He answered, “A Christian is a follower of Christ.” I agreed that was a good definition, so I asked, “Do you believe Jesus was correct when He mentioned about people going to Hell?” Ethan replied, “Jesus was true to a point.” We had reached the heart of the matter – this young man denied the truthfulness and authority of God’s Word. We spent time discussing what the Bible says, but Ethan would keep dismissing it. Interestingly, though, he did say that God is the author of the Bible.
I wanted to make a point, so I asked, “Could you tell me your name again?” He replied, “Ethan.” I cut him off, “Don’t lie to me. What is your name?” He seemed stunned but said his name again. “Stop lying! What is your name?” Ethan was getting annoyed at this point, but he repeated his name. Again, I pushed back, “I don’t believe you. What is your name?” Before Ethan could answer, I said, “It is annoying when I don’t believe you. You are rightly offended as I am calling you a liar. When you say, ‘I only believe the Bible to a point,’ you are calling God, the author, a liar. That is blasphemy!” The point was made, but Ethan still rejected the truth.
Before Ethan could leave, I took him to Matthew 7:21-23 to warn him that he would be among the number that cried out, “Lord, Lord!” if he did not repent and trust in Christ. Ethan shrugged his shoulders, “That is your belief.” He then walked away.
Ben preached next; he spoke on “All is Discovered.” As he preached the gospel, two young homosexuals began to kiss each other. Ben didn’t comment on their actions, he kept on preaching. Eventually, they stopped and listened to what was being said.
Next, it was my turn to preach. I wanted to create some engagement, so I used the “Good Person Test.” As I asked the question, “Are you good enough to go to Heaven?” Sam and Finn stopped and began to engage. We were able to go through the Ten Commandments and the Gospel. They admitted that they were headed for Hell and could do nothing to remove their sin. The interaction brought a few more people in to listen. In the end, I offered John’s Gospels to those listening – four people, including Sam and Finn, took copies. Later, Sam and Finn would shake my hand and say, “Thank you for preaching.” These young lads were genuinely thankful that we took the time to talk to them about Jesus.
The rain had been falling on and off throughout the outreach. As Will began to preach for the second time, the rain got heavier. Normally, people won’t listen in the rain, but two men stopped. At the end of the message, both took copies of John’s Gospel. One of the men said he prays at home but would like to attend church. We referred him to a local evangelical fellowship.
I then preached my second message of the day. This time, I preach about God being the loving Creator. A few people listened, including a lady from Hong Kong who took a Gospel of John after being spoken to by a team member. Another man who listened was Daniel from Portugal. He listened to the preacher, took a copy of John’s Gospel, and Ultimate Questions in Portuguese.
The outreach finished with Ben preaching on “Who Can You Trust?” At the end of the message, one person took a copy of John’s Gospel.
It was a busy but wonderful day in Southampton. Despite the wet weather, there was an openness to hearing the gospel. Please pray for all 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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