A Painful Return to Portsmouth

Since having surgery four weeks ago, I have been in nearly constant pain. Thankfully, over the past few days, my pain has become milder, which has allowed me to push myself to return to the open air. As I drove to Portsmouth, I questioned whether I was making the right decision, as I was feeling quite sore, but I pressed on and joined three others to share the good news.

Our usual preaching location couldn’t be used today due to a busker being nearby, so we moved a little further down the street. Finding an ideal spot, we set up and began to share the good news.

The preaching commenced when I spoke on “How Can I Find Peace?” (audio posted below). With all the unrest in our nation, I thought this message would speak to the matter and point to Jesus. As I spoke, a few people listened to segments of the message, and then at the end, one man took a copy of John’s Gospel. During the preaching, two people went to the literature table to receive a free Bible, and another requested a copy of the New Testament.

A local Christian spoke to me after the message, saying how encouraged she was that we were in the city. She went on to share how her church is planning to do a similar outreach in the weeks to come. We were able to give her some resources and encourage her in evangelism.

Next to preach was Roger. He did a good job explaining the gospel. One young man stopped to listen, but he only paused to mock. As he walked away, he scoffed at the gospel. Even though he wanted to ridicule the preaching, I rejoice in knowing that the young man heard all that the Lord wanted him to hear. Perhaps the seed has been sown, which will come to harvest in the years to come.

By now, my pain was getting a bit harder to manage, so I considered packing up and going home early, but I pressed on longer as team members were busy talking with people. Roger and Val were having a good discussion with an Italian man, and Sarah was busy talking to people at the literature table.

I decided to hand out a few tracts, but soon I found myself in conversation with a young Muslim man who told me Jesus never died. We discussed the claims of Islam surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus, and then I asked how the man intended to get to Paradise. The Muslim told me he hoped Allah would forgive him if he did enough good deeds. I shared with the man how God is holy and won’t be bribed by our good deeds; rather, we need a Saviour. I explained the gospel and stressed the certainty that I would go to Heaven. I then asked him, “Why would I trade my 100% confidence of Heaven for your maybe of Paradise?” The man admitted he had never read the Quran, so he couldn’t give all the answers. He was very friendly and open, so I shared the good news with him again, then offered him a copy of John’s Gospel, which he took and promised to read.

It was now time for the outreach to finish, so I began to pack down the board and literature table. While putting things away, a young man stopped to talk. He told me he was brought up Christian but then became an atheist; however, he is now a Christian again. I asked him to explain what he meant, and he did a good job listing key Christian truths. So, I followed up with another question, “If you were to die tonight, why would God let you into His Heaven?” The man replied, “I am not sure. I don’t deserve Heaven, as I’m a sinner.” This opened the door for me to share the good news and stress that salvation is only through Jesus. As I spoke about Christ, the man was able to put together all the pieces of doctrine he professed to believe. He could see that his only hope is found in Christ.

I returned home from the outreach exhausted. I’m still not 100%, but I rejoice that I was able to do a little bit of evangelism 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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