3 Preachers, 7 Messages, 1 Gospel – Southampton Evangelism
Earlier this week, I had a prayer request asking that people pray that the Lord would raise up more labourers to help at today’s Southampton outreach. Due to team members being away, it looked like I would be on my own, but the Lord answered prayer! We ended up having four of us sharing the good news, which included three open-air preachers.
After being away for several months due to injury, it was good to have Mike Mellor back with us. It was also wonderful to have Ben and Claire come along too. Between all of us, we were able to reach many with the good news of Jesus.
Mike was the first to preach as he proclaimed the gospel, two ladies engaged him. Both appeared very interested and took copies of John’s Gospel. They also live in the same community where I attend church, so I invited them to the services.
When it came time for me to preach, I spoke on “What is Your Life?” As I explained the gospel, a couple of people listened. Later, one man went to the Free Bible table and told me, “If you can bellow for Jesus, I should at least read your literature.”
Ben then preached on an apologetic topic of “Which Came First?” In this message, he showed the folly of atheistic evolution. One older man engaged Ben in discussion but walked off before things could progress too far. Three young ladies took the time to discuss with Ben, and at the end of his message, all three took copies of John’s Gospel.
While Mike preached for the second time, I found myself at the Free Bible table talking with a Spanish lady. Her English was very broken, but she wanted to read the Scripture. She was shocked when we gave her a copy of the Gospel of John in her language. She held onto that booklet as if it was the most precious thing in the world.
It was around this time that two young lads stopped at the table. They were very interested, so I engaged them in conversation. I asked, “Do you guys have any religious background?” One told me he was raised as a Roman Catholic; the other said his parents weren’t religious, but he has been thinking deeply about religious matters. I followed up with the question, “What do you think someone has to do to get to Heaven?” I admit I was expecting an answer that emphasised human merit, but I was pleasantly surprised at what I heard. The young man, who had been thinking about religious issues, said, “We can’t do anything to go to Heaven. It is all by the work of Jesus. We must trust only in Him.” It was refreshing to hear a young person clearly articulate the gospel. I gave these lads material to help them walk with Christ, as it is clear that a work of grace had taken place in their lives.
For my second open-air message, I spoke on ‘Hope for a Broken World.’ This message seems to touch on situations that many people find themselves in. We all know what it is like to be broken and see the damage of sin, but often people cannot see the hope of Jesus during the pain. At the end of the message, I offered copies of John’s Gospel to anyone who wanted to discover more about Jesus. It was wonderful to see three people respond to the offer. Two who took Gospels then had good conversations with other team members.
By this stage, the outreach was nearing its end, but we still had time for Ben and Mike to preach again. I found it encouraging to hear others preach, especially since we all have different styles. Despite style differences, we all preached the same gospel.
Claire was also quite busy during the outreach. She distributed tracts and had good conversations - including with a lady invited to attend her church.
It was great to see so many people engaging with the preaching today. As I restocked the open-air board, I noticed nine people took copies of John’s Gospel as a direct response to the preaching of God’s Word. May the Lord bring all those who heard the good news unto salvation!
SDG!