“Why listen to man’s words, when we can read God’s Word?” – Southampton Evangelism

Sun. Cloud. Warm. Cool. This was the pattern for the last day of spring in Southampton. Despite the bipolar weather, the city centre was busy with people enjoying the school holidays. We couldn’t set up in our normal preaching location due to two buskers being nearby, so we moved down the street a little further. After setting up the free literature table (which was busy all day), we prayed and began to hand out tracts.

Soon, team members were engaged in gospel conversations. Mike was chatting to a young lady who seemed very interested and took a copy of Ultimate Questions. When he finished, I had Mike commence the preaching. Mike’s message was simply titled, “Heaven?” As he spoke, he challenged people to consider if they really would go to Heaven. Two young ladies engaged him, and they had a great interaction.

Next to preach was Richard, who asked the question, “Life: What’s the Point?” A few people paused to listen, while others stopped at the literature table to pick up booklets on different topics. One who stopped to listen was a young man from China who was studying at the university. His English was broken, but he told me he wanted to learn about Christianity. I was able to give him a copy of Ultimate Questions in Chinese.

Others who stopped to talk were a family of churchgoers, who seemed to be more cultural Christians than genuine believers. They didn’t stay long, but I shared the good news with them. All took booklets and said they needed to think seriously about Christianity.

With the cruise ships coming into Southampton, we can reach the nations without leaving home. Already, we had spoken to English, Chinese, and Nigerians, and now I found myself talking to a Polish man who came from a Roman Catholic background. This man told me that he was on a journey out of Rome. What struck him was that Catholics don’t read their Bible. He said, “Why listen to man’s words when we can read God’s Word?” He still wasn’t sure of the gospel and had only read portions of the Bible, but it appears the Lord was at work in his life. I told him the good news and gave him a copy of John’s Gospel in Polish and a tract.

Before the outreach finished, we would also speak with people from Portugal and Saint Helena. It was a very international day!

Ben, Jeremy, and I all preached in the open air. The Lord was pleased to bring a few people along to listen, with some taking copies of John’s Gospel at the end of the message.

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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