“Why do my people, the Jews, suffer?” – Salisbury Evangelism
We had a small team in Salisbury—just three of us—but even so, that was more than enough to spread the good news. The outreach commenced slowly; I found that no one was taking tracts, though others were having some success. I figured the best way to deal with this situation was to pray, so I put a post out on social media calling for prayer—then things began to change! Thank you to all those who called upon the Lord on our behalf.
Paul began the preaching by speaking on “What’s Your Excuse?” As he explained the gospel, I was at the Bible table, talking to those who stopped to browse the literature. The first person I spoke with was an elderly Jewish lady, whom the team has spoken to on many occasions. Over the months, she has become more friendly and has been asking really good questions. Today, she wanted to know more about Jesus, but then she asked a question that personally affected her: “Why do my people, the Jews, suffer?”
This lady had grown up in Europe after the Second World War. She knew people who had suffered at the hands of the Nazis, and she even has friends and family members who were murdered in the Holocaust. The question of suffering wasn’t an abstract query—it was real, deep, and personal. I answered from Scripture and referred her to the booklet “Why All the Suffering?” She gladly took the booklet, along with another explaining who Jesus is.
As that conversation concluded, another lady stopped to talk. She had been brought up Roman Catholic but had since renounced it. However, she is now searching for the truth and wants to understand the Bible for herself. She gladly received a Bible and a booklet explaining the gospel. Before she left, I made sure she understood the good news and urged her to trust in Jesus alone.
After Paul finished preaching, we resumed handing out tracts. During this time, I found myself in conversation with a young man who professes to be a follower of Jesus but is biblically and theologically confused about who God is. He believes the Father and the Son are the same person and that the Holy Spirit is not divine. I tried to reason with him from Scripture, but he kept returning to his own thoughts, reasoning, and feelings. Clearly, this man has no desire to submit to biblical authority. However, as he left, he did promise to look at the passages I referenced.
It was now my turn to preach, so I decided to speak on “Steps to Peace with God.” As I set up, an older lady looked at the board and said, “I went to two churches yesterday and had two ash crosses put on my head. I have peace with God.” I replied that religion won’t help her and that Christ alone is the source of peace and forgiveness. Unfortunately, she walked away without engaging further.
After the older lady left, I began to preach about how the people of Salisbury can have peace with God. First, I explained why we do not have a right relationship with Him—sin. Then, I stressed that nothing we do can bring about our forgiveness. Once that had been established, I pointed to the kindness of God in providing the only rescue—Jesus Christ.
As I preached, the Jewish lady from earlier returned and listened to the entire message. At the end, when I offered copies of the Gospel of John to those who wanted to learn more about Jesus, she responded. A man who had been sitting and listening also took a copy of the Gospel. Paul then had a good conversation with the Jewish lady, and once again, she heard about Jesus as the Messiah and her need to repent and trust in Him.
Thank you to all those who prayed for today’s outreach. I would ask that you pause now to pray for all those who heard the good news, especially the Jewish lady. May all come to know Jesus.
SDG!
____
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.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAGAZINE AND PRAYER NOTES