Battle Log

Thursday, 16 August, 2018

Posted 16 August 2018, 7:20 PM by Matthew Andersen. Permalink

This afternoon there were a team of ten out at Sunnybank. At this location, it is easy to split up to either side of the road and so the team were able to cover more ground and have many Gospel conversations over the course of the afternoon.

One exciting conversation was with a young man named Richard. He had some memory of the Gospel from a prior conversation and wasn't opposed to it but his family didn't go to Church and he didn't have a Bible. A short conversation was had with him and he was given a Bible. In the few minutes before his bus arrived he began reading in the Gospel of John.

Another conversation was had with a man named Mitchell. He had been spoken to on a previous week and shared that he had been going back to Church again. This is great news.

Sadly Mitchell can't read very well, so he was encouraged again to download an audio Bible on his phone. He said he will when he gets his internet connected at home.

A final conversation was with a young woman named Cecily. She had gone to Church in the past but had stopped going because it wasn't that interesting. When asked if she was going to Heaven after she died, she said she wasn't sure. This lead into a conversation about what God expects from us.

Cecily found out that God expects humanity to be sinless and that the penalty for our rebellion against Him is Hell. She said this worried her. Then she said, "Isn't God forgiving? Can't He just forgive my sin, if I ask?"

This is a very common line that people use. Many people think that God can simply ignore sin if asked. This is not to say that God isn't forgiving, but rather that God's forgiveness comes on the basis of His wrath being satisfied. The question was posed to Cecily, "How has God satisfied His justice for your sin?"

Cecily said she didn't know. It was explained that God will either satisfy His justice by eternally punishing her in Hell or that it has already been satisfied by Jesus Christ on the cross. It was also explained that all who trust in Jesus are forgiven on the basis of Jesus Christ and His work.

Finally the question was posed to Cecily, "Are you trusting in Jesus Christ? Or are you trusting in yourself?". Cecily responded, "I don't know if I was before, but I think I am now."

Cecily was encouraged to go along to a local Church and to become part of a local body in which she can grow in Christ-likeness.

Please be praying for Richard that he will fall in love with God as he reads His Word. Please be praying for Mitchell that he will start to find life in God's Word rather than just living from Sunday to Sunday. Please be praying for Cecily that she will have a transformed life in which she wants nothing more than to see God glorified through her actions!