Battle Log

Thank you for praying, and please keep praying that God would bring glory to himself by demonstrating his justice and mercy to those we encounter on the streets of Christchurch.  This gospel ministry will be ineffective otherwise.

This week the four usual street outreaches occurred: Tuesday afternoon in Riccarton (Roger and I), Friday afternoon in the city (Roger, Steve, Andy and I), Saturday lunch time in Riccarton (just myself), and Sunday afternoon in the city (Susan and I).

I was first there on Tuesday, and set up my flip chart.  Roger arrived a few minutes later, and I decided to go over with him to his side of the street to help him set up his flip chart.  But as we were crossing the road, 4 teens in school uniform were there and looking at us, as they were walking past.  I had to take the opportunity even before I finished crossing the road, and asked them a question.  I think they were glad, because they actually wanted to talk (well a few of them anyway).  So, without the use of a flip chart, a gospel conversation was underway.

I took them through the law, and started on the gospel, and then Roger took over, so I decided to set up his flip chart.  Just as I finished, a young couple went past, and the guy was instantly interested in the faces on the front page of the flip chart.  It was easy to engage him in a conversation, and they both came to hear the gospel.

But as that conversation was ongoing, Roger had finished his chat with the school kids and came to join me when a guy who was out on the street trying to gain votes for the upcoming city elections went past.  Roger was instantly into a deep conversation with him.  So two separate conversations were going on side by side!  It made it a little bit harder, but it was fine :)

But it didn’t end there!  A guy came past and stopped to stare at the conversations going on - he obviously wanted to say something.  I hate distractions like this, because it can cause existing conversations to end prematurely.  I decided to offer him a tract, which he took, but he was satisfied, he wanted to talk.  So I asked him to give me a minute.  The conversation with the couple had found a good stopping point, they had heard the gospel, it would have been good if I had been able to go through some more check questions, but I ended it there so I could give my attention to the new guy.

It turns out he had seen my flipchart on the other side of the road, and wanted to talk about the pictures on it!  We ended up crossing over to do that (leaving Roger with his flip chart and still talking to the guy trying to get votes!)

Sadly, this guy was extremely self righteous.  He was a “Christian” but had never done anything wrong.  He wasn’t willing to stay and chat, he even handed the tract back.  I think he really wanted to moan about politics.

Well, after that, the politician that had been talking to Roger, came over to talk to me for a few minutes before heading off to pound a few more streets.

I can’t really remember the rest of the outreach.  I know Roger was busy, as per the pictures.  I only remember one other conversation, it was with a guy who turns out to be the nephew of a fellow street evangelist who is praying for his salvation!  Sadly, the guy is still resistant, but I was able to share the law and gospel with him.

Friday’s outreach was fascinating.  It started with a chat with a guy with a girl's name.  He took one of the first tracts I handed out (actually, he bee-lined over to get it).  It was a long chat, where he asked the hardest questions.  But he was given straight answers, and heard the law and the gospel.  When he gave me his name, he was testing me.  I ignored the bait and just proceeded with the conversation.  I knew he was challenged by the law already, and I knew he knew I knew his position on sexuality is sinful - we actually both knew (have I said that right? ;) ).

Part way into the conversation, one of the guys (who claimed to be a satanist) I had talked to in Riccarton a couple of weeks ago came past, and as soon as he saw me, he joined the conversation.  So the 3 of us continued to discuss the gospel and all the important questions surrounding it.

Eventually the first guy left.  We were on good terms, but he was very resistant to the gospel.  The other guy went to have a chat with Roger, while I was off sharing the gospel with others.

Eventually, that guy came back to me.  So, I went straight for a check question, he got it very wrong.  He was keen to chat, so we went and sat down so I could labour with him to understand.  He wasn’t getting it, so I had a thought, I decided to use the flip chart app I had on my phone (Apple & Android).  Maybe the pictures would help!  It’s the first time I’ve used it in action, and it worked well - although I need to make the images fullscreen.  By the end of the chat, he at least was able to articulate that it’s not his works that save him, but instead only Jesus' sacrifice that saves him.  Although, I don’t think the reality of that has sunk in yet - In God’s timing, I pray that it does!

Saturday’s outreach was busy, but I’m only going to highlight 2 of those chats.  

The first was with a guy with a Christian background who seemed to already have come to the understanding that it wasn’t his bible reading and prayer that saved him, but Jesus alone.  He was just hungry to learn more, and so he was super happy to have found me on the street corner.  His friend was Catholic, and she heard the gospel.  She moved on, and I was able to encourage the guy in finding a church that would be able to feed him.  I invited him along to my church, as he lived close.

The second was with a guy who had just lost his friend in a car accident the previous Wednesday! :(  Times like these are pivotal in people's lives, and God gave me the opportunity to minister the gospel into his life!  He questioned everything I said, but in a good way.  He needed to challenge it - and I was happy for that, because maybe that will help him understand it.

Oh, one other cool chat.  A kid I had talked to a couple of Saturdays ago came back, this time with a friend.  He wanted his friend to hear the gospel!  It was a pivotal conversation, because although the friend was a church goer, he admitted he was trusting in his works for salvation before the chat, and was professing faith alone by the end of it.  Glory to God.

I’m out of time, Sunday’s outreach involved long conversations with streeties (homeless).  One girl in particular was very keen to chat.  She claimed to be Christian, but it was clear that her understanding of what that meant wasn’t right (close, but oh so far).  So, we sat down and I laboured the gospel with her.  There was a lot of distraction with all the other streeties around.  I was able to semi-engage a few of the other ones, but the girl kept coming back from more gospel.  I was slowly able to work through check questions with her.

To end the outreach, Susan and I headed down to the other end of the mall (bridge of remembrance), where I was able to have a great chat with 4 girls who go to a local church where I was able to clarify exactly what justifies us: Jesus' sacrifice alone!  All glory to him!
 

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