A Dream Leads to the Gospel – Southampton Evangelism
It was a tremendous day in Southampton. Almost from the very beginning, we were engaged in gospel conversations. As the outreach progressed, more and more people stopped to engage with the preaching, take material, or chat one-on-one. We were so busy that the outreach went longer than planned!
Over at the free literature table, Jeremy chatted with a young lady who spoke positively about her grandmother’s faith. This caused her to want to explore further, so she took a Bible and other literature. Never underestimate the witness of a godly grandmother.
Tony Dancer was the first preacher for the day; he spoke on “Bridging the Gap.” As he shared, a few people paused to listen, and a couple went to the literature table to find more information.
Next, I preached on “The Big Picture of Easter.” A young man listened as I explained the gospel, and at the end, he walked forward to receive a copy of John’s Gospel. He told me he was on his lunch break, but the preaching had impacted him as he had been thinking about Christianity. He couldn’t chat long as he had to get back to work; he also took a gospel booklet. Another man who listened had a work relationship with a lady from a local church; he listened to the preaching and took a copy of John’s Gospel and a tract. Nigel was able to share further with him.
Mike Mellor preached next, speaking on - “Where Are They Now?” A small crowd gathered around as he explained the gospel, with one of those listening asking good questions. Mike and Nigel had a very long chat with that young man afterward. He took a few leaflets and a gospel booklet.
After this, the team spent time engaged in personal gospel conversations. All around, people were talking about the Lord Jesus. It was truly wonderful to see. Tony spoke with a Roman Catholic lady who didn’t understand the gospel of grace. After hearing the good news, she took a copy of ‘Ultimate Questions.’
Next to preach was Jeremy, who spoke on “Warning: Six Deadly Lies!” He did a good job, though I didn’t get to hear all his message, as I found myself at the literature table talking to a couple who had stopped. Their story was interesting. They told me that last night, one of them had a dream that they were to read a little book about King David. They weren’t sure what this dream meant, so they were discussing it when they came upon our outreach. As they told me this, I handed them a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, saying that the Psalms are mostly the songs of David. They were delighted and started to talk about ‘fate’ (I prefer saying it was the sovereignty of God!). I then began to tell them about One known as the ‘Son of David’, who is greater than King David. This intrigued them. From this starting point, I shared the gospel and gave them a copy of ‘The Unique Jesus.’
The final open air of the day brought in the biggest crowd. Richard preached on “Life: What’s the Point?” As he spoke, people began to gather to listen. It was encouraging to see many people pause to hear the good news. Christians who passed by expressed how uplifting it was to hear the gospel in public. During this time, Zoe and Sarah shared the gospel with a young university student who declared he wanted to find Jesus. They pointed him to the Scripture, which the young man took.
When Richard finished preaching, people gathered around the literature table to talk further. It was tremendous!
We are thankful for all that the Lord did today! 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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