“I Trust in Myself!” – Reading Evangelism
A good number of us gathered in the town centre of Reading to share the gospel. It is always a joy to have so many Christians working with us who are keen to make Jesus known. After praying and setting up, everyone got busy handing out tracts and chatting to people.
Once everything was set up, and as Bill prepared to preach, two electric violinists began busking nearby. They were loud and would make things challenging, but the gospel could still be heard. Bill preached on “Death: Is It the End?” He did a good job of challenging people to consider their own mortality and what comes next.
After Bill, Jonathan stood up to preach. This was his second time speaking in the open air, and he did well, using several biblical statements to highlight the need for repentance.
We didn’t have much of a gap between preachers, as so many men were ready and able to speak. In fact, we didn’t get through all of our preachers today as we ran out of time!
I preached next, this time speaking on “The Way to Heaven.” A lady listened to the whole message and then accepted a Gospel of John when offered. Another man also listened, but he wasn’t open—he later approached Jonathan to express his strong disagreement with my preaching. I was then called into the conversation.
As soon as the man began to share his thoughts, I could sense his arrogance and self-righteousness. He declared that the Church had it wrong and that he wanted to upend it and change everything. His main issue centred around biblical authority—he didn’t believe the Bible is the Word of God but rather that it is merely man’s words and thoughts about God. Here, in the centre of Reading, we had a Genesis 3:1 moment: “Did God really say?”
Another issue the man had was with my statement that no one is good. He believed he was a good person, as is all of humanity, because, in his view, all people are both God and human (referencing Genesis 3:4-5). However, he then said, “I don’t like the Church or preachers, but I do like Jesus and Paul.” At this, I asked, “Are you sure you really like Jesus and Paul?” As the question hung in the air, I turned my Bible to Mark 10:17-18 and read what Jesus said about the ‘goodness’ of humanity.
The man argued that Jesus was affirming humanity’s goodness, as He was addressing the ‘God-half’ of a person. I continued through the passage, showing that Jesus actually used the Law to reveal the sinfulness of humanity, not its goodness. The man then said, “I like to apply my creativity to the Bible.” I replied that his interpretation was certainly creative!
Once again, the man affirmed his appreciation for Paul, so this time I turned to Romans 3:10-18 and read Paul’s perspective on human ‘goodness.’ The man tried to argue that Paul was only speaking about his past wrong views before he came to understand the truth. It was clear he was making things up, but he was so self-deceived and proud that he couldn’t see it. He then told me he was part of the Berkshire Practical Philosophy Society, so he believed he knew what he was talking about.
It became clear we weren’t making progress, so I decided the best approach was to directly engage with biblical truth. I pointed out to him that he was proud and that God resists the proud (James 4:6) and that he needed to humble himself under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6). The man seemed slightly taken aback by my directness, so I continued, stressing that God is against him because of his arrogance and that he needed to repent. The man smiled and said, “I trust in myself!” My reply was to quote Proverbs 28:26: “The one who trusts in himself is a fool…” He shook my hand and walked away.
I don’t know what the Lord will do with this encounter—it will either be the means to bring the man to salvation or serve as a message of judgment. Either way, he heard the truth and was called to come to Jesus.
Meanwhile, Jaime was preaching on “What Are You Following?” In his message, he highlighted various influences but ultimately called on people to consider Jesus.
Over at the literature table, I was told that a sceptic had stopped to talk to Trevor. He had many questions and took several books to find answers.
The rest of the outreach continued fairly quietly—Richard preached, and so did Trevor. Then, at 2pm, we packed up.
The Lord was certainly at work 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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