“I’ve destroyed my life and family!” – Winchester Evangelism

Today, four of us went out to witness in Winchester. The weather was perfect, but the city seemed tougher than usual. It was challenging to get people to engage in gospel conversations and to listen to the preaching. But even in the hardness, God was still working.

I was the only preacher today, so I started the open air by speaking on 'Bridging the Gap.' In this talk, I explained how we have separated ourselves from God due to our sins, but God in love has come to rescue sinful humanity. As I spoke, a few people would pause to listen to a few minutes of the preaching, then wander off. Our preaching location provided challenges, such as the wind being against us and buskers on either side of us (one who seemed to sing louder during the preaching).

After the open air, several Christians stopped to say how encouraged they were by the preaching. All expressed an interest in being better equipped for evangelism, so we pointed them to some helpful resources. One of the roles of the Evangelist is to equip Christians for the work of outreach; hopefully, the Lord used us today to raise up more labourers.

For the next hour, we focused on tract distribution and one-to-one conversations. It was during this time that a Roman Catholic stopped to chat. He told us that he was so encouraged to hear the Bible in public, and despite our differences, he wanted to commend our work. During our conversation, he took a tract designed for Roman Catholics and a Gospel of John.

One of the unique aspects of the work in Winchester is that we can reach the nations without leaving the UK, as the city is full of international students. Today, two Chinese students stopped at the Free Bible table to chat. Both came from Communist backgrounds and had no concept of Christianity. They were intrigued by what we were doing, so we had an opening to share the good news. At the end of our time together, both took tracts in Chinese.

Towards the end of the outreach, I preached once again, this time on 'How Can I Find Peace?' As before, it was challenging to get people to listen for any length of time, and the buskers once again got louder. It was discouraging, but we know the Lord is sovereign and He will do as He pleases.

At the end of the outreach, just as we were about to pack down, a man named D----- stopped to talk. He asked if we had a few minutes to chat as he needed to talk with someone. He told us that he had spent his life drinking and that alcohol had destroyed his life and family. I’ve dealt with many addicts, and something that is common is that they try to blame an outside influence, but D----- didn’t do that; instead, he took responsibility, and he wept as he said, “I’ve destroyed my life and my family.”

Due to his drunkenness D----- had done things that caused him to face criminal charges, but he has been working on cleaning himself up. For six months he has been sober and is trying to win back his family. He told us that he has felt drawn to attend different churches and that he is on a spiritual journey. He wasn’t sure where that journey was taking him, but he wanted to be out of the darkness and in the light. This provided an opening to talk about Jesus being the light of the world.

D----- listened to the good news and then took a copy of John’s Gospel. He also took 'Why Christianity?' and a book by John MacArthur. Before he left, we were able to pray with him. As he walked away, he said, “I was meant to be here today!” Please pray for D-----.

The Lord did all that He pleased in Winchester today. Let’s pray He will save the lost.

SDG!