Battle Log
Sunday, 21 August, 2022
Posted 21 August 2022, 3:33 PM by Glen Richards. Permalink
I posted last week's report on my personal Facebook wall, and I was really encouraged to see some friends commenting about their own gospel sharing endeavours! Good stuff! Keep it up. If these reports are encouraging you to get out and share Jesus, then the effort is worth it! :)
You see, I’m no one special when it comes to evangelism - really. I think the difference is that I’ve just persisted in it, and out of much practice at sharing the same message over and over I could possibly give an illusion that I’m somehow gifted - I’m not. All it is is: study of the Bible, practice and discipline. Yes, it’s scary when you first do it. It’s counter cultural, etc, etc, I can list all the excuses, I know them all, because I’ve said them all. But, what does the Bible say? Go. Go and tell others about Jesus. Let’s change culture, one person at a time. Join me. If you look past all your fears and excuses, you know you really want to. Jesus is amazing! He took ALL our sin, there is no better message to share! :) Step out, be bold, be polite, be faithful, share the gospel.
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Anyway, this week I was on the streets Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. I didn’t go out today (Sunday) because instead my daughters were baptised! It was wonderful listening to their testimonies (and the testimonies of others being baptised). Glory to God alone.
Tuesday I was in Riccarton with Roger. I turned up a little early and was straight into a chat with a couple of Indian fellas (who refused to hear the gospel and walked off). Roger and I were so busy that we didn’t even have a chance to greet each other till the outreach was over! My very next chat was a long one. A Russian guy, where I laboured over the law and the gospel multiple times. He seemed to be impacted a little, but he was really completely blind to what I was trying to share. Eventually the chat came to a natural end (there is only so many times you can go over something before needing a break!) and he moved on. But, then he came back and offered to buy me a coffee. The outreach was practically over, and so I agreed. When Roger finished his last chat, he came and joined us too.
The gospel conversation naturally continued. At this point, I even had my Bible out correcting what he thought it said. But it was getting late, and I needed to get home. I sent him a text with some verses to check out (I helped him download a Bible on his phone). He walked with me till I got to my car, and we finally parted ways. He was lovely and I really enjoyed spending time with him.
Well, the next morning, I was surprised to see him texting me asking questions about what he was reading in the book of John in the Bible! And then Saturday (yesterday) he was texting me again, where I was able to bring him back to the gospel (still completely blind to the truth, sadly). But I’m glad he is staying in touch. Please pray that I will continue to have the opportunity to witness to him and that he will encounter other Christians that will continue to witness to him. That the blindness would be removed so he can see the seriousness of his sin (and smell its stench), and then the amazing mercy of Jesus and trust in him. But, ultimately that God would be glorified through his life.
Friday was also busy, in the city, there was a team of 4: Roger, Andy, John and myself. It was great to see Simon the Atheist out! I’ve been praying for him, and I haven’t seen him for a long time. He was out earning gold stars from the cosmos by telling the Jehovah Witnesses how wrong they are. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to catch up with him myself - this time.
I spoke with a man with a Mormon background. The Hara Kristina’s went through, but they had forgotten to bring the book they said they would bring for me. God willing next Friday! And maybe I’ll be able to start deepening the conversation with them? Please pray. God’s mercy is not beyond anyone. I spoke with another couple (he was resistant, she was open). I spoke with a young man who used to play cricket.
To end the outreach, I stopped two young ladies who were walking around playing loud music. Sadly, one of the first things one of them said was that she was suicidal :( As our conversation progressed, the volume on the music dropped and was eventually switched off. They heard the law and the gospel, and then I circled back to plead with your not to commit suicide - there is hope!
It was great to have John join me on Saturday (a different John from Friday’s outreach). We were in Riccarton on what was a warm sunny day. Spring is nearly here! :D It was also a fairly busy outreach too. John and I took turns at running the flip chart.
We shared the gospel with three girls, then John was sharing with a guy when a lady broke into the conversation! I distracted the lady off to the side and left John with the guy. I only had about 5 minutes with her, but those 5 minutes seemed significant. She was a 7th day adventist. She seemed stunned when I asked why she could go to heaven. She thought for a bit, and then said, “keep the 10 commandments”. So, we started looking at the 10 commandments. Had she lied? She looked like she had just been caught! Had she stolen? “Well, when I was 13”, she responded. So I asked her what you call someone who steals things when they are 13. But then she said that God is forgiving. If you ask for forgiveness, you’ll be okay. And I was able to explain why that wouldn’t help. But then I switched to the good news, and explained about Jesus. She processed this for a bit, but then she just wanted to talk about the Sabbath. I pleaded with her that that was the least of her concerns at the moment. But, I think that was all she could cope with for now. She had to go. But she did accept a tract before she went.
The final chat of the day was with a young man who had been involved with churches in the past, but was now suppressing the truth of the reality of God.
I love my job. It’s so easy. The message is the same, and you just repeat it. And there is a small set of questions that are always asked that the Bible has the answer for. Practice and discipline is all you need to add (as well as a huge dollop of love for the people you are talking to). It is so rewarding. And then, you rest: physically, and in the sovereignty of the one and only triune God of the universe. All glory to him alone.