Battle Log

Sunday, 5 July, 2020

Posted 5 July 2020, 4:36 PM by Glen Richards. Permalink

On Saturday morning we had more rain and cold wind, and so I opted for online outreach rather than heading into Christchurch city.

It was one of those days where you just get a string of difficult conversations.  Most of them were with deeply resistant intellectual types - very tiring mentally.  But the last conversation was quite good - although I have to admit to getting frustrated, the young man just wasn’t getting key concepts, and I had to continue to go back to re explain.  Yet, he heard the gospel, and was quite appreciative of the chat.

On Sunday the weather was quite mild - even warm.  The first day of spring? :)  Andy, Thomas and I headed to Cashel Mall.

Andy seemed to be pretty much constantly talking to people about the gospel or related concepts.  Not using a flip chart - just politely approaching people.  He mentioned that one of the guys he talked to lost his wife in the mosque attack a year ago :(  Our city has some deep wounds.

Thomas also had a number of gospel chats via the flip chart.

My conversations were mainly difficult ones right up till the last conversation, which was really good!

An example of a difficult conversation: two young ladies express interest in trying the good person test, and then just as I was starting, two other young ladies want to be involved.  But there was much resistance.  One of the girls kept insisting she would be innocent if judged by perfection.  Eventually I said, “well, if you are perfect, I can’t help you - I’m here to give good news to people that aren't.”.  She and her friend left.  I asked the last two if they wanted to hear the good news, but they weren’t really interested.  And then one of them said, “oh, actually I take all that back, I think I’d be innocent too”.  Sadly, they left without the good news too. :(

Yet my last conversation of the outreach was with a young man with an Iranian background.  He wasn’t a muslim any more, and he was investigating a local church some of his friends went to.  Yet he didn’t know the gospel and was mildly resistant.  Yet he slowly warmed to the conversation and, after working through checking questions a number of times, came to grasp what the gospel really meant.  I pleaded with this young man to respond to it.  He seemed to appreciate the conversation in the end.  I leave him in the hands of God.