Battle Log

Wednesday, 11 December, 2019

Posted 11 December 2019, 5:50 PM by Glen Richards. Permalink

I found the need to pace myself on Tuesday (Riccarton) and Wednesday (Cashel Mall & Cathedral Square) - only having the energy to let people come to me, rather than being as active in getting gospel conversations started.  So I was relying heavily on my flip chart and tracts.  But God was faithful in bringing people along who were keen to talk.  It was great having Roger with me on Tuesday, as per usual.

Two great conversations on the Tuesday.

The first was with a young man on his gap year away from home: the south of the USA.  He had a disdain for Christianity, which he grew up with a form of.  Yet he was “open”.  He didn’t appreciate the basic apologetics I used explaining why there must be an afterlife - it was too simple - and life is full of grey (or so the excuse goes).  But I took him through the law and the gospel as usual.  I was also able to mix in some of my testimony which had similarities to his life.

The second was with three kids from Christchurch Boys High School.  They all heard the law and the gospel too, and then we circled back to discuss the reality of God's existence - two of which were very resistant to.

I’m trusting that the gospel is the power of God for salvation in spite of the resistance encountered in these conversations.

The first outreach on Wednesday was in Cashel Mall.  There were lots of people out and about, and there was even a brass band playing Christmas carols further down the mall - very pleasant.

I had a wonderful gospel conversation with a young kiwi guy sandwiched between two conversations with guys from India.  The first Indian guy just couldn’t grasp that salvation was a gift, and kept reverting back to thinking he had to be a good person to go to heaven.  In contrast the second Indian guy understood grace clearly from the get go.

But the conversation with the kiwi guy was special.  He had a catholic background and was confident he would be going to heaven until he tried the good person test.  I could tell he was quite impacted by the law, and it was a joy to share the good news with him.  For some reason I told him I had been to Pakistan to watch cricket, and this accelerated his interest, as he is a budding cricket player and had recently been in Sri Lanka for cricket.  It turns out that, not only had he been in Christchurch when the Mosque shootings occurred, but he was in Colombo when the church was bombed!  He explained how he had to move south and go into lock down for three weeks!  He has been close to the stench (figuratively) of death, and now he has heard the hope of eternal life, only found in Jesus.  I hope to see him in the Black Caps one day - more importantly, I hope to see him in heaven one day too.

The Cashel Mall outreach ended with a difficult conversation with a very drunk homeless guy.  In the end, I was keen for him to move on - but he took tracts.  I hope he reads them when he is sober.  And I hope to see him again soon to follow up with him.

After lunch, I was in Cathedral Square.  I set up my flip chart, but I noticed a (homeless) guy I’ve talked to multiple times before sitting in the distance - so I went over to follow up.  I’m glad I did, because not only did I have an opportunity to get to know him better, but he had multiple sets of friends come past and I had opportunities to share the gospel with all of them (some of them pictured walking away after the last conversation).  And the original guy took keen interest every time I did.  I pretty much spent the whole two hours with these various groups of people - except at one time where two girls were working their way through the flip chart on their own, before I headed over to explain it to them (they seemed quite impacted).  One of the groups were also friends with a whole other group of people I regularly have gospel opportunities with.  I’m really starting to get to know certain people out on the streets of Christchurch.  Plenty of fuel for my prayer time.  I wish I could convert all these people - but that is out of my hands.  All I can do is share the gospel, pray, and continue to be friendly and meet them where they are at.  Salvation is of the Lord.