A Hard and Barren Land – Andover Evangelism
Perhaps I am just being overly critical, but I found Andover to be a hard location, full of barrenness and people who think they are indifferent to the gospel (no one is indifferent – we are for Jesus or against Him). Yet, my feelings don’t determine the truth, nor do my feelings direct me to what the Lord is doing. I know from Scripture that the Lord promises to bless the preaching of His Word, so only He knows what is happening in the hearts of those who heard the good news today.
It was my first time in Andover, so I followed the lead of Paul and other team members who've ministered here previously. Unfortunately, their normal preaching location was no longer available, so we had to scout around for a new place to preach. Eventually, we found a nice open location in the heart of the town, where we set up the open-air board and the Free Bible table. As we set-up the table, a man stopped to ask for a copy of God’s Word. He left with a full Bible and “Why Christianity?”
Soon, a lady made her way to the table to pick up a copy of the New Testament. She spoke to one of the team members, telling them that she had conducted studies with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but she wasn’t sure what to believe. The team member shared the gospel with this lady and pointed her toward good literature.
Paul commenced the preaching, by speaking on “Are you Good Enough for Heaven?” As he spoke, a few people paused to listen, including two young men who made their way over to the Free Bible table. As I engaged them in conversation, they informed me that they were Roman Catholics by birth, but not by practice. However, they were starting to question the religion they were brought up in. Both were very open to hearing the gospel, with one then taking a full Bible and the other a New Testament. They each also took a copy of “Why Christianity?”
It was now my turn to preach, so I spoke on “The Way to Heaven.” As I preached, one man walked past with his fingers in his ears. He would be a repeat person we’d encounter throughout the outreach. I found it encouraging, that even though things were slow in Andover, a few people paused to listen to the message. Some heard more than others, but we rest in the fact that they heard all that the Lord wanted them to hear.
After I finished preaching, we focused on tract distribution, and then Paul preached again. This time he spoke on “Life… What’s the Point?” One young lad sat down on the ground, listening to the whole message. It was at this stage that ‘Mr. Fingers in Ears’ returned. He cursed at Paul but wouldn’t engage. Eventually, a member of the public told him to be quiet as there were children present, and they shouldn’t have to hear his foul language.
After the open air, a Roman Catholic man from Poland chatted to Paul. He gladly took a copy of John’s Gospel in Polish and other material from the table. The gospel was advancing in this hard and spiritually barren town.
I finished the outreach by preaching on God’s Love from John 3:16. It was at this time that ‘Mr. Fingers in Ears’ came past for the third time; this time, the man was much more polite towards Paul.
When it came time to pack down the Free Bible table, I noticed that two full Bibles, eight New Testaments, and five John’s Gospels had been taken throughout the outreach. As I look back over all that occurred today, perhaps I shouldn’t say it was a hard and spiritually barren land, rather, Andover is a location where Jesus has full authority, and He is at work building His Kingdom.
SDG!