Wolves Seek to Devour Listeners – Portsmouth Evangelism
Things seemed quieter as we arrived in the city centre of Portsmouth; this may have been due to schools being back, or because the police had set up a van with cameras to conduct facial recognition of all those in the area. There would be no escape for the guilty today as Big Brother was watching; the van provided a preaching illustration – we cannot escape, as even our hidden sins are seen by God!
I commenced the preaching by speaking on “Steps to Peace with God.” A few people sitting nearby listened, and one man took a Gospel of John at the end of the message. I spoke with a man who had listened; he was friendly, but his doctrine was dangerous. Just like the serpent in Eden (Genesis 3:1), he began to encourage me to change the Bible. The man said, “The world has changed, we can’t talk about sin or people being sinners. You need to drop that language and say something else.” I answered him by pointing out we don’t change the Bible to fit the world; rather, the world should change to fit the Bible.
The man went on to argue, “By saying people are sinful, you are saying they are criminals and guilty.” I asked, “But is that true?” The man insisted that all of humanity is good at heart and not sinful, then he said, “The police will call someone a criminal until they’ve served their time; then they are no longer guilty.” I replied by saying, “That is the issue; they haven’t served their time. They are still in their sin and are guilty. That is why they need Jesus, the only One who paid the penalty for sin.” The man just shook his head and walked away. He was a smiling wolf that tried to sow doubt upon God’s Word. He would be just the first active deceiver we would meet today.
Roger used the “Good Person Test” to preach next. While he was preaching, a few stood behind the board to listen. It was then I noticed two young wolves coming in to devour those listening to the gospel. These young men were clean-cut, friendly, wearing ties, and badges identifying them as Mormon missionaries. The young men tried to feed off those listening to the preaching, so I had to intervene. I went over to speak with those who had received literature from the Mormons and asked, “Did they tell you what they believe?” It turned out the Mormons simply told them about God being love and encouraged them to join a study, so I took the time to explain LDS doctrine. Those who received Mormon cards then put them in the bin and took our tracts.
While this was happening, Sarah was in a long conversation with a man she had spoken with last week. It was encouraging to see her open the Bible and read verses to the man. He took material and seemed to be considering what he had been told.
Over at the literature table, I had a chat with a young man who came up to ask questions. He told me he was brought up Irish Roman Catholic, but he had begun to question Rome as he had been reading the Bible. The man wanted to know the differences between Rome and Christianity. I decided to focus on two issues: Authority and Salvation.
As we discussed authority, I made the case for sola Scriptura; the man told us he questioned Rome’s view and said the Pope must submit to Scripture. We then moved on to salvation. The man told me it didn’t make sense that he needed to confess to a priest when he had sinned against God. The man understood the gospel of grace and that salvation isn’t by works. He took material on the gospel and the errors of Rome. As he left, he said, “I think I’m more Christian than Catholic!”
Around this time, the Mormon missionaries returned, and once again tried to devour those who were near us. They engaged a couple of young people, so I decided to inject myself into the conversation. The LDS missionaries were friendly, then claimed that we all believed the same thing. I disagreed, stating they had a different Jesus and gospel.
One of the missionaries was keen to discuss, so he asked, “Why are you stopping us talking to people?” I replied, “Because I love the people of this city, and I don’t want to see them deceived by your false doctrine. I also love you, and don’t want you to continue in deception.” The missionary was smug at this point and asked, “Where do we disagree?” So, I began to speak about the differences between the Mormon Jesus and the biblical Jesus. As I explained, the missionary interrupted, claiming I was making up things and misrepresenting them, so I pulled up their website to show that I was merely quoting their official positions.
Seeking to get the gospel to the Mormons, I turned the conversation to the question of how they could be forgiven. Both set forth a case of works-righteousness, which involved faith, repentance, baptism, works, and keeping the commandments. On the issue of baptism, I asked about the thief on the cross, since Jesus promised him paradise (Luke 23:43), but the man wasn’t baptised. The missionary then said something I had never heard before – they claimed the thief may have gotten off the cross, got baptised, then returned to the cross. This is one of the most ludicrous things I’ve ever heard, but that is what happens when you don’t submit to what the Bible actually says!
I challenged the Mormons by asking, “In Acts 16:30-31, how does Paul say someone is saved?” The LDS missionaries didn’t know how to answer, so I showed them the Scripture. When they heard the Word of God, one became angry and stormed off. The Lord used His Word to put wolves to flight; they never came back. While I am happy they were prevented from deceiving people, I am sad that these young men are deceived themselves. May the Lord deliver them from error.
It was now time for me to preach again, so I spoke on “The Way to Heaven.” Due to the errors that had been promoted in the area, I took time to explain that works cannot earn salvation. One man engaged the preaching, stating he was good enough to go to Heaven. After looking at the Ten Commandments, he quickly realised he was a sinner in need of the Saviour. He listened to the good news, then took a copy of John’s Gospel.
Another man who listened to the preaching also took the gospel, but in an act of defiance, he threw it on the ground, then his friend stood on it. After I finished preaching, I went over to speak with them. The man was angry and hostile, claiming to be both an atheist and realist. Since he was sitting down, I knelt next to him and began to listen to him as he explained what he was facing. The man had a hard life; he was captive to drugs and grief, plus he was homeless. I listened, then began to engage his arguments. This man and his female friends are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), so they have value and worth. Even though they were hostile, I wanted them to know of God’s grace. After going back and forth, the man reached out his hand to shake mine; as he did so, he said, “Many Christians look down on us, and don’t treat us as equals. You do, and I respect that.” He then picked up the Gospel of John and promised to read it. I encouraged him to come back next week if he had any more questions.
It is sad to think that Christians looked down on these two because of their sinful condition; we need to remember that apart from the grace of Christ, we Christians deserve Hell just as much as anyone else. May the Lord keep us close to the cross and remind us of where we were when He saved us.
Please pray for all those who heard the good news in Portsmouth.
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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