The Gospel Seed Continues to Grow! – Reading Evangelism
The nature of open-air evangelism is that you meet many people whom you may never see again. You have one chance to make the good news known, then you must trust that the Holy Spirit will take that gospel seed and use it. We don’t always see what God is doing, but today we caught a glimpse of His work. Before we saw that small aspect of God’s work, however, we had plenty to keep us busy.
The town centre of Reading was bustling, making it ideal for evangelism. I commenced the preaching by speaking on “Who is Jesus Christ?” In this message, I used Colossians 1 to present three key truths about Jesus. As I preached, a Hindu man listened briefly, then engaged in conversation with a local pastor. A lady from London also listened and, at the end, took a copy of John’s Gospel.
Next to preach was Richard, who spoke about the love of Jesus. While he preached, the literature table was busy. An Indian man, encouraged by the work, expressed a desire to see this kind of ministry start in his own country. Non-Christians were also approaching the table, where they spoke with Trevor about the Lord Jesus.
Jamie preached next; he did a good job challenging people to consider Jesus. As he preached, one man began asking questions about Jesus being the Son of God. After answering him, Jamie referred the man to me; I was about to witness a little of what God had been doing!
The man looked familiar, though I didn’t remember him; he, however, remembered me. The man said, “One year ago, you and I spoke about Jesus,” and proceeded to recall our discussion. Since that time, he declared he had thought often about what I told him and had even shared my message with others. The gospel seed from a year ago was still growing, though this man is not yet converted.
It was now time to water the seed, as the man said, “I think I’ve come to accept Jesus just as a good teacher and prophet.” I pointed out that this wasn’t an option Jesus left open, and then I used C.S. Lewis’s argument, “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord.” The man listened to what I said, then conceded that he needed to consider Jesus further. He shook my hand and went on his way.
This conversation reminded me that we never know what the Lord will do with the good news we share. God takes our feeble efforts and uses them in ways beyond our comprehension. I wonder how many others are still thinking about what they heard.
Jamie continued preaching during this time, and soon he had another person calling out to him. An older lady declared she was a Christian saved in 1979. Something seemed off about what this lady said, so Jamie sent her over to me. She was friendly, but soon it became clear that I might be dealing with a false convert.
The lady said, “I find the Bible boring, and Jesus uninteresting. My faith isn’t as strong as it used to be.” Although she attended church regularly, this lady was far from God. It is concerning when people who claim to follow Jesus find Him uninteresting. I explored a little to see if I could get to the root of her issue; it didn’t take long before this older woman began to speak openly about her love for certain sins, saying, “It’s probably due to the weed I smoke!” She explained that she smoked weed for escapism and pleasure – which is a form of idolatry. She was elevating her own pleasure above love for Jesus. I challenged her with the gospel, but she wasn’t receptive. She was content to live in sin, declaring, “God just wants me happy. Weed makes me happy.” I read from Matthew 7:21-23, issuing a warning that those who live in sin will be lost. She walked away with a CD but still very much clinging to her sin.
By now, the outreach was nearing its close, so Trevor preached the final message. He spoke about the desperate need of humanity and the answer found in Jesus alone. A young man listened to the message, then had a long chat with Trevor afterward.
I found today encouraging. The gospel seed was sown, and the Holy Spirit will do with it as He pleases. 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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