Battle Log

Sunday, 23 June, 2019

Posted 3 July 2019, 10:49 AM by Matthew Andersen. Permalink

On Sunday night there was a team of thirteen who came out to proclaim the glories of our God and King! What an exciting evening it was out in the city. With some newer team members coming on out to be helped and equipped in how they can better share the gospel, it was an evening filled with conversations.

There was an early conversation with a couple who stopped to chat. They at first said they didn't think there is a God but then saw how we know He exists and acknowledged that it made sense. Then the implications of God's existence came with the law and God's need to punish evil. They saw that like other they too had disobeyed God and were deserving of Hell. But at this moment the guy grabbed his girlfriends arm and left, stopping them from hearing the good news about how sinners can be forgiven.

Later there was a conversation with Simon a man who had some religious background but over the course of the conversation came to see the predicament he was in currently. He saw that if he died as he currently stood he would end up in Hell eternally. Upon realising this Simon wanted to know the solution so the simple message of hope was shared. It was a privilege to see that he had understood it and actually said that he wanted to trust in Christ today!

On the street when people understand the good news and profess a desire to trust in Christ today the next step is to almost try and convince them not to. It is often hard find the balance between excitement and taking every little thing as a sign that someone is now a Christian and knowing the serious call of the Bible to repent, to stop living ones own way, to take up ones cross and deny themselves daily and many other things.

So Simon was strongly challenged, shown the serious cost of trusting in Christ and at the end of it all he was checked one final time that he still knew the simple message of justification by faith and he took a tract and went on his way.

The final conversation of the evening was weird. Dom and Emily were people who were trusting alone in the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, they knew they're not good and don't deserve forgiveness. They understood that there is no works required to receive salvation and understood that good works will result from all those who have trusted in Christ's death on the cross to pay for their sin. The surprise, not that they understood Christianity but that in all of this they attended a Catholic church.

This young couple attend a local church, whose official confessions say the very opposite of everything that they believe. Simply through their study of God's word they had theologically arrived in the right place, despite attending church that teaches the opposite. What a testament to God's commitment to those who are His! After this was all established Dom and Emily were challenged in their attendance to such a church.

They were encouraged to read more of God's word regarding baptism, communion, church leadership, confession and many other things and compare it to what they were being taught and on the basis of seeing the difference in scripture with their church then seek out a church whose aim is to preach God's word, not the traditions of men.

Please keep those who heard the good news in your prayers. Specifically for Simon that his profession of faith would be possession of faith and for Dom and Emily that they would end up at a Church where the Pastor seeks to preach the truth.