Salvation Freely Offered in Stoke
It was a joy to join with The Open-Air Mission associate worker, Rob, and the team in Hanley today for an outreach. There were about seven of us on the team, and despite the Christmas markets taking up loads of space, we were able to proclaim the good news.
The literature table proved to be busy, with people stopping to browse the material and take copies of Scripture. It is always encouraging to see people show an interest in the things of God.
Dave was the first to preach; he spoke on “What is a Real Christian?” A young man listened for a couple of minutes, then began to walk away. I went after him to offer a tract and engage in conversation. The young man told me he was a Roman Catholic from birth, but he believed he wouldn’t go to Heaven or Hell. In his mind, he was too good for Hell, but not good enough to merit salvation. He hoped that he would float somewhere in between. I shared the good news with him and stressed that salvation is all of Jesus. The young man replied by asking, “But how do you know it is true?” We had a brief apologetic discussion where I was able to answer his questions. At the end of our conversation, he took a tract.
While this was taking place, Gervase was preaching on “The Ultimate Christmas Present.” It was good to hear the true message of the season being proclaimed amidst all the commercialism.
When it was my turn to preach, I spoke on “Name That Carol.” Using the lyrics of three well-known carols, I presented the good news. A few people listened, and three took copies of John’s Gospel at the end.
Next, a brother preached on the words, “Do Not Be Afraid!” Then Rob spoke on “How to Have a White Christmas” from Isaiah 1:18. As Rob preached, a homeless man engaged with him a little. After a while, the man came over to the literature table where I was able to speak with him. He understood the gospel and had all the pieces of the good news in mind; the problem for him was that it hadn’t made its way to his heart. He was informed but unsaved. I encouraged him to repent and believe. He took a copy of John’s Gospel and shook my hand.
To finish the outreach, both Dave and Gervase preached again. Then, as we were about to pack up, it began to rain. This brought everything to a stop. It was an enjoyable time in Stoke. Christ was freely offered to all who would believe. Please pray that many would come to know the Saviour.
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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