“Am I Going to Heaven?” – Southampton Evangelism
As we walked to our outreach location, we were struck by two things: first, it was really cold; second, the Christmas markets had finally gone. We were once again able to set up in our usual preaching location and share the good news.
Once the board was erected and the literature table stocked with gospel materials, we began to preach. First up was Ben, who spoke on “Who Can You Trust?” Using the new tract from The Open-Air Mission, he explained that Jesus Christ is the truth and the One who can be trusted completely. A few people listened, and team members had good conversations afterwards.
One of those who listened to the preaching has heard us many times before. He sits behind the open-air board and listens. A team member spoke to him and discovered that the man attends a local evangelical church but is angry with God. We pray that as he regularly hears the good news, he will come to see the love of God.
I preached next, speaking on the subject of “Your Life!” A man heckled a little. He claimed he was going to Heaven because God loves him. I agreed that God is love, then asked, “Does God love everyone?” The man agreed, so I followed up: “Does that mean everyone is going to Heaven?” The man admitted not everyone would go to Heaven, so I pointed out that salvation is based on more than just ‘love’; it is based on what Christ has done. The man didn’t seem to like the answer, so he left. At the end of the message, one of those who had listened to the preaching took a copy of John’s Gospel.
Mike preached next on the topic of “Where Are They Now?” I didn’t hear his message, as I was at the literature table talking with a young lady. Initially, she had listened to the preaching, then approached the table to get a Bible. She revealed she was in Southampton on her way to a bookshop to buy a Bible, as her life had fallen apart a few months ago. For the past month, she has been attending church. At first, she was angry that her friends had invited her to church, but now she sees they loved her enough to invite her along. I asked the lady, “If you stood before God tonight, why would He let you into Heaven?” She admitted she didn’t know the answer, so I began to share the gospel.
As I explained sin, judgement, and the death and resurrection of Jesus, the lady smiled, saying, “I get it! It makes sense. Jesus died to pay for my sin. I have turned and trusted in Him!” It seems she had all the information previously but hadn’t been able to put it all together. She assured me she was trusting in Christ alone and was confident of Heaven. I gladly gave her a Bible and a booklet for new Christians.
By now, Richard was preaching on “Life: What’s the Point?” As with Mike, I didn’t get to hear what he said, but I noticed he had a few people listening. The reason I didn’t hear was that one of those who had been listening came over to the table. He asked me directly, “Am I going to Heaven?”
It isn’t every day that someone asks such a direct question. I admitted I couldn’t answer as I didn’t know his heart, so I asked, “Why do you think you’ll go to Heaven?” The man replied, “I’ll go to Heaven because I’m a good person, and I believe in God and the goddess fairy.” I thanked him for sharing, then asked if we could explore what he said further to discover where he’ll spend eternity. He agreed, so I started by addressing his claim of goodness. Using the Ten Commandments, we established that this man had sinned, even though he didn’t want to admit it (I also addressed the issue of the goddess fairy). The man listened to the good news, then took several gospel booklets. He seemed very genuine but much confused by new age teachings.
A Christian lady standing nearby observed all this, and she was excited to see the gospel being proclaimed on the streets. As she spoke with me, she was amazed at the number of people coming up to the table to receive copies of God’s Word. She gave a financial donation so we could buy more Bibles. (I tried to refuse the donation, but she insisted she was giving it to help the work.) She then left rejoicing and praising the Lord.
At this point, Jeremy was preaching on “The Message of the Cross.” He did a good job explaining that God loves sinners and that life is on offer for all who would believe.
It was now nearing the end of the outreach, so I preached once more. This time, I used John 3:16 to explain the good news. A few people listened, with three of them taking copies of the Gospel when offered. One of those who listened said, “I really would like one of those!” as he took a John’s Gospel. Team members were able to have a couple of chats with listeners afterwards.
It was a cold but productive day of gospel ministry in Southampton. But the work isn’t over yet – we now need you to pray for all those who heard the good news. Please spend a few moments asking the Lord to save all those who heard.
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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