God Works in the Quiet – Salisbury Evangelism

Winter is approaching; the weather has changed here to the point where there is a cold edge in the wind, and everything looks grey. With the changing weather, it seems the city centre of Salisbury was quieter as well.

I didn’t have high hopes for today’s outreach, but we preach for the glory of God, with the desire to reach at least one soul for Jesus. Today, the Lord showed He was at work even in the quiet.

The preaching commenced when I spoke on “Why Christianity?” A few people paused to listen, but there wasn’t much interaction. At the end of the message, I offered a copy of John’s Gospel to anyone who wanted to find out more about Jesus – three people responded. Even though it was quiet, God was working.

A Christian man stopped to listen; he was on his lunch break and said he found the outreach to be very encouraging. He took some material and said he would be telling his pastor about what we do.

Paul spoke with a young man who had recently attended a Christian concert; the love and warmth of the people had impacted him, so he had started to read the Bible. Paul was able to share the good news with him and point him towards Christ. Truly, the Lord was at work in the quiet.

Next to preach was Paul, who spoke on “What’s the Greatest Danger?” A good number of young men from a local school stopped to listen. After the message, one of them, who claimed to be an atheist, engaged Paul in discussion. Nick spoke with four more students, and I had another group to chat with.

The young men I spoke with all thought the way to get to Heaven was by trying really hard and being good. Using the Ten Commandments, I took them through the Law to reveal sin; as they listened, they realised they weren’t good and that they were on the way to Hell. The group listened closely as the good news was explained, and each of them took tracts and copies of John’s Gospel.

Nick preached next, speaking from John 3:16. He explained our love for the people of Salisbury and God’s love in giving the Saviour for sinful people. He did a good job expounding the good news and calling people to repent and believe.

By now, the outreach was nearing its end, so I preached once more. This time, I used the “Good Person Test.” A few people paid attention, with three taking copies of the Gospel of John at the end.

From a human perspective, it was a quiet day in Salisbury – it appeared that nothing much would happen. But the Lord was at work. It was a good reminder to me that I should view situations with eyes of faith and not just look at what I can see. 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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