“I go to church weekly and pray nightly!” – Winchester Evangelism
Today’s outreach got off to a different start. While we were setting up the board, we heard a commotion coming from Greggs Bakery. It turned out that two customers had assaulted each other, and now the police and local security were on the scene. Due to law enforcement working to sort out what had happened, we decided to hold off preaching, as we didn’t want to add further noise to the area. As they tried to get to the bottom of the assault, five of us handed out tracts and attempted to engage in conversations.
I found it quite difficult to hand out tracts today, though other team members said they had distributed more than expected. I also thought conversations were hard to come by. At first, a few drunks came past, telling me that the Bible is all fiction, and then one of them claimed to be a Muslim terrorist. They weren’t able to engage in discussion, so we let them continue on their way.
After the police had dealt with the assault, I decided it was time to preach. The police remained in the area, so I incorporated them into my message as an illustration. My open-air sermon was on “The Origins of Evil.” I explained that evil comes from within, which is why we need Jesus to change us. There was little interaction, and after a while, even the police left!
Once I had finished preaching, I went back to handing out tracts. I offered an “Are You Good Enough to Go to Heaven?” leaflet to an older lady walking past. She paused, read the front, and then said, “Of course I am! I go to church weekly and pray nightly!” I asked her, “What would you say if Jesus said that being religious won’t get you to Heaven?” The lady scoffed, “He’d be wrong!” I quickly shared with her the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from Luke 18:9-14. I explained that the religious man boasted in his deeds, but he wasn’t right with God. The lady displayed the same spirit as the Pharisee, for she replied, “My good deeds are more than enough to get me to Heaven!” I quoted Isaiah 64:6 to show her that religious deeds weren’t good enough to save but would condemn her. Then, I quoted Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5 to demonstrate that salvation isn’t by works or efforts. She looked at me and said, “You shush! I am very religious!” With that, she walked away.
Here was an older lady who isn’t far from death, yet she trusts in herself and her deeds. It is truly sad to know that unless she turns to Jesus, she will be in Hell. So many people are deceived by the concept of religion – they think their efforts and works will save them. At its heart, it is pride and idolatry – the person who believes their own goodness will save them wants to worship themselves and boast that they did it all. Yet, the good news is that Jesus can save religious people if they repent and trust in Him alone.
Throughout the outreach, it had been lightly raining on and off, but the weather forecast warned that a large rain front was heading our way. I decided to preach once more before packing down. This time, I spoke from John 3:16. As I shared about God’s love, a young man stood behind the board, listening. Then, as the message progressed, he moved around to the front. At the end of the message, he received a copy of John’s Gospel.
The contrast between the young man and the older lady couldn’t have been starker. One was full of pride and boasted in self; the other listened humbly to the Word of God.
Please pray for all those who heard the Gospel, including the religious lady. May the Lord save many in Winchester.
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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