“I Need to Believe!” – Portsmouth Evangelism

As Thomas and I walked into Portsmouth city centre, we could hear the telltale sounds of a busker. In our usual preaching location, a man had set up a large amplifier and was singing. We quickly looked around and found a different area to set up for the outreach. These kinds of changes in plans used to annoy me, but over the years, I’ve come to see that such interruptions are ordained by God to direct us to the very location where He wants us to preach. Today, we saw providence on display!

There were seven of us out sharing the good news today, including a brother we met last week during the outreach. We also had two friends from Good News for Everyone join us for the first time.

After setting up, we gathered as a team to pray. Just as we started, a man who believes he is a woman asked if he could join us for prayer. I welcomed him and continued to pray. As I prayed, I made sure to explain the gospel—our friend in the dress kept his head bowed as our prayers ascended. When we had finished, I spoke with him—he was clearly confused but was searching for answers. We had a brief conversation, and he gladly took a Bible and a tract.

I began the preaching with a new message I had prepared—'The Origins of Evil’. In this open-air sermon, I explained that the source of evil is the human heart and that the only solution is Christ, who promises to make us brand new. As I preached, a few people paused to listen, but one man stood and listened to most of the message. As I spoke, he would agree and call out, “Jesus died for our sins!” Then, at the end, when I offered copies of John’s Gospel to anyone wanting to learn more, he gladly received one.

I spoke with him afterward; he was a churchgoer but not converted. He told me that the way to be saved was to be “very good” (which, of course, he claimed to be!). Using the Ten Commandments, I tried to show him his sin, yet he insisted he had kept all of God’s Law. Eventually, however, the First Commandment convicted him—God had not been number one in his life. This allowed me to explain sin and how none of us are good. After making clear his depravity, I transitioned to sharing the good news. He listened as I told him he needed to trust in Jesus alone.

After handing out tracts and speaking with people for a little while, Jim decided to preach. This was his first time preaching with us, and I think he did a splendid job in explaining the gospel. He began by telling people he had good news for Portsmouth, then read John 1:1-5 and explained the person and work of Christ.

One young man on a bicycle was particularly intrigued by Jim’s message. He approached the literature table, where I was able to speak with him. He told me he was soon joining the British Army and had realised he needed to believe in something. He said, “I’ve done wrong, and I don’t know how to remove my past. I need to believe!” It isn’t every day you meet someone who knows they don’t deserve Heaven, but this young man recognised his sin and wasn’t sure where to turn for answers. We had a good gospel conversation, and after hearing the good news, he took a copy of John’s Gospel and a tract. He shook my hand and thanked me for explaining how he could be forgiven. I encouraged him to connect with SASRA when he joins the Army, as they will be able to help him further.

For the final open-air sermon, I spoke on ‘The Way to Heaven’. A couple of people listened, and two took copies of John’s Gospel at the end. One man who had been listening went to the literature table, where he spoke with Margaret; she then brought him over to me to talk further.

The man was from London and had been doing a lot of research. He had observed the state of the United Kingdom and realised that our only hope is in Jesus. He told us he was so happy to hear the preaching, as he believed the gospel would save Britain. But what was truly interesting was that this man was not yet saved! He could see the problems and the solution, but he had not yet repented and believed. He told me his eyes were wide open to the ‘woke’ agenda in our society, so I cautioned him that he was walking with eyes wide open into Hell. The man agreed. I shared the good news and urged him to trust in Christ.

He indicated that he was looking for a church to attend in London but wanted something traditional, biblical, and non-woke. After telling me where he lived, I realised he was close to the Metropolitan Tabernacle, so I encouraged him to attend there. He wrote down the church details and told me he would go along for a service.

God, in His providence, directed us to a different part of the city centre so that we could meet all these different people and tell them about Jesus. Would you please take a few moments to pray for the conversion of 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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