Battle Log
Sunday, 4 August, 2019
Posted 4 August 2019, 7:31 PM by Glen Richards. Permalink
Saturday morning dawned with clear skies after overnight rain. It was pleasant witnessing for Christ in Cathedral Square in the winter sun.
A number of good flip chart conversations were had. The highlight was with an older man, who had been in Christian circles, but with whom it wasn’t clear if he really understood the Gospel. I became quite passionate as I reasoned with him about the reality of God, the serious nature of sin, and the amazing grace of Christ.
I also had a conversation with a mayoral candidate who was out campaigning. I made it clear that my number one policy for the local council (other than wise fiscal management) was the protection of our rights to share the Gospel in public places. Sadly, an opportunity to share the Gospel wasn’t given. But he accepted a tract.
There was a team of seven for outreach on the corner of Cashel and Colombo after church on Sunday afternoon under overcast skies. The outreach was a bit slow initially, so two of the team decided to head off looking for walk up opportunities.
But the outreach ended really well, and was extended as some wonderful Gospel conversations went long.
While Chris was finishing a conversation (pictured), I had a walk up opportunity with three Indian guys. One of them had already accepted a tract earlier in the outreach, and so I tried the direct approach to get a conversation going by saying: “Excuse me, may I ask you a question? Do you think you’ll go to heaven when you die?”. It worked well enough for them to grant me 30 seconds to explain how we know God exists and why it matters. Well, this really got their attention, and I ended up getting about two and a half minutes of their attention - in which I also summarised the law and the Gospel. One of them really seemed to appreciate the conversation (the one that took the tract initially), but the other two seemed confronted.
They moved on, and I joined Chris whose conversation on the flip chart had completed. We then had three teens come past, who were willing to give the good person test a go (pictured). It was a long conversation, where they asked many good questions and it took some time to completely explain the bad and good news. We then tracked back to tackle the questions. Eventually, one of them asked about wearing clothing made of more than one fabric. I knew where this was going! So I decided to take the up front approach (as usual), I explained that I loved homosexuals, but that homosexuality was a sin. Instantly the conversation changed. One of the girls had a look of revulsion come over her face, and she said, “Why is it wrong?”. My answer was to point back to the beginning of the conversation where I had explained how we know anything to be right or wrong: because God has said so. The guy then said, I think it’s best this conversation ends now. And, sadly, that was that.
But while this conversation was happening, the three Indian guys had walked right up to Andy and Tim on another flip chart and had ended up getting into a long Gospel discussion with them (also pictured). That 30 seconds had turned into 20 minutes! That conversation ended with smiles, and hand shakes all round (a bit like at the end of a game of cricket!).
Who knows if any of those that heard the Gospel today will come to repentance and faith? Those feeling revulsion may come under conviction? Those with smiles may never think about it again till they die. We leave it in God’s hands knowing the Gospel is the power of God to salvation (Romans 1:16).
