Both Hostility and Openness in Southampton
I’m so glad the Lord is sovereign. As I made my way to the outreach, I found myself stuck in traffic on the motorway due to an accident. Eventually, I made it to Southampton, but was a few minutes late by my standards, though right on time for when God wanted me there.
After setting up the board and table, Ben began preaching by speaking on “Whether Warning.” As he explained the gospel (whether people believe it or not), a young lady listened and then engaged with a question. Ben later told me that she was very friendly and open; amazingly, she isn’t from Southampton, rather she lives right near where we preach in Portsmouth. We told her about our outreaches and encouraged her to visit whenever she had questions about the Bible.
In between preaching, team members were busy handing out tracts. I found more people seemed receptive to taking leaflets today. We pray that these printed gospel seeds will find good soil.
Next to preach was Richard, who spoke on “Life: What’s the Point?” I felt sorry for this brother, as while he was preaching, numerous people stopped at the literature table, which meant nearly all the team found themselves chatting with people, leaving Richard all alone.
One of those who stopped at the table identified as a ‘spiritual atheist.’ He started the conversation by arguing that the Bible could not be trusted due to all the different versions. I questioned him about what he meant by versions, and he answered by pointing to several English translations. We then had a friendly discussion about textual criticism, history, and archaeology. Once we had established the trustworthiness of the Bible, the man began to explain to me why he was an atheist. He said, “I wish I had your faith. I’ve prayed and asked God to show Himself, but He won’t. I even prayed God would strike me dead if He was real, yet I’m still alive.” I countered by asking, “If King Charles came through Southampton, and I said to him that I wouldn’t accept him as king unless he did something for me, what do you think Charles would do?” The atheist answered, “The king would ignore you and maybe laugh.” I agreed and pointed out that the King would do that since he is the King, he doesn’t answer to me – I don’t have the authority to tell him what to do. Likewise, God doesn’t answer to our demands to prove Himself – we don’t have the authority to demand it. The ‘spiritual atheist’ paused and said, “That’s a good point. Can I have a Bible?” I gladly gave him a Bible and a booklet which addressed a few more of his questions.
Up until this point, there had been openness, but soon we’d see the enemy counterattack and hostility would arise. A man stormed up to our team and began ranting; I engaged him in discussion and tried to lead him away from the team. The man was shouting about the Islamic invasion of Britain, and how he was sick of all Muslims. He declared we needed to fight back, and before the day was out, he vowed to behead a Muslim in Southampton. I challenged him by asking how that would solve the issues the nation faces. The man then said he would also behead me before the day finished. Local security got involved, but the man left before they could arrive.
Next to preach was Jeremy who spoke on “Warning: Six Deadly Lies.” A few people paused to listen to the preaching, then it was my turn to preach.
I spoke on “God and Humanity.” While preaching, the hostile man returned. Security by this stage had left, so it was just him and us. He ranted against Christianity while claiming to be a Christian (who doesn’t believe in God). I pointed out he wasn’t a Christian, as a Christian knows God and follows Christ. The man made a few more threats of violence, then began to mock Islam by bowing down on the street imitating their form of prayer. As he did this, a few people stopped, including some Muslims. I challenged his position and pointed out that his view is not Christianity. The man eventually stormed off, so I continued to preach. At the end of the message, two people took copies of John’s Gospel.
One of the Muslims who listened spoke with Richard, then with me. He was friendly and open, although he said I had made a mistake with my preaching. I asked him where I went wrong, and he said, “You preached that Jesus paid for all our sins, so if I would turn and trust in Him, I would be completely forgiven. You forgot to mention that we must do something to earn forgiveness.” I took his concern as a compliment, as it meant I had preached the gospel of grace. I assured him no mistake was made, and then explained the good news to him. He took a John’s Gospel and several booklets designed for Muslims.
It was a lively day with hostility and openness. We must expect that the enemy will counterattack whenever the truth is proclaimed. But we continue to preach the victorious Jesus who rules and reigns!
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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