Battle Log

What an amazing week!  I hope this report will accurately capture how I’m feeling.  I took the week before off, I simply rested, so I feel like a million bucks as a result.  Physically, mentally, and emotionally refreshed.

Roger was with me on Tuesday in Riccarton.  Andy, Dominic, Roger and myself on Friday in the city.  I was in Riccarton on Saturday.  Susan and Mike joined me in the city on Sunday.

On Tuesday, I set up my flip chart on the corner of Riccarton and Rotherham and prayed.  I handed out a few tracts, when a young man with green hair approached.  It turns out he had seen my flip chart while on a bus going past.  He decided to get off the bus to come down and see what it was about!  We fell into a good conversation when another young man went past, and stopped, curious as to what was going on.

Now, these situations can be difficult, you don’t want to lose a chat that is going well, but at the same time, you don’t want to lose the other person either!  Amazingly, I was able to integrate the new person into the conversation and share the gospel with both.  God is good!

There was an openness about the first guy.  It turns out he had already been impacted by Nic Blackie’s gospel ministry at Cashmere High School.  So encouraging!  (Keep up the good work Nic!)  He ended up having to leave, and I was left with the 2nd guy.

The 2nd guy had a Christian background but had rejected it.  Yet, he was very willing to engage in the conversation and seemed impacted by the information he was learning.  (He articulated works for salvation as his understanding of Christianity.)  After a long time, he felt comfortable about opening up about his depression, and his struggle with sexual sin.  We spared for a bit over the issue of homosexuality (I was making it clear it’s sinful).  He ended up saying that he supports the LGBTQ community against hatred.  I told him I 100% agree!  I love those in the LGBTQ community.  And I love them enough to tell them the truth.  I get to talk to many people in that community.  By the end of the chat, we parted on very good terms.  Even though we disagreed, I could tell he respected me.  And he was now understanding the gospel.  I pleaded with him to repent.

I don’t know if my words have expressed it, but that was a very significant chat for me.  I was so encouraged.

On Friday, I also had a very long conversation, over an hour.  We started out at the bridge of remembrance.  Andy was into a chat, and Roger had his flip chart up.  So I decided to wander.  I was feeling nervous, because approaching people to talk about religion is hard!

I ended up bumping into some kids, 2 of them stopped to talk.  It turns out I had talked to one of them before, but he couldn’t remember the gospel.  And so, I was able to go through it again with them.  This time I gave church contact cards, as well as tracts.

I continued down Cashel Mall (I had crossed Colombo and I was nearly at High Street) when I approached a young man with headphones in.  And this was the long chat I mentioned.  He was very engaged right from the start.  His response to my initial question of “what do you think happens after you die?” was, “I think about that all the time, and I’m so depressed because I know I’m going to die”.  From there, I was able to show him how we can be sure of going to heaven.  (How we know God is real, the bad news, the good news, and then into check questions).  He asked lots of questions as he processed what I was saying and got it all straight in his thinking.

I kid you not, he was thinking through the implications so well that he came to the dilemma of ‘choice’ in salvation.  He was upset because, “what if you didn’t approach me to talk to me!”, and “what if I share this with my friend, and she decides not to believe it?”  I was able to clarify the tension between the reality that we must choose to accept God’s salvation, and yet, God chooses us for salvation.  Ultimately, God chooses us first, and so our salvation does not depend on us!  It truly is grace, and we can rest in it.  And yet, right now, BELIEVE, accept this amazing grace of Jesus.  Trust that he died for you.  There is simply no room in the Bible for, ‘what if I’m not chosen’.  Again, I did not prompt this out of him, he went to this naturally.  In God’s wisdom he addresses this issue for us in the Bible.

The guy ended up making a profession of faith.  But as the conversation continued, I could see he was wrestling with the cost.  He opened up about sexual abuse in his life, he had forgiven the person, but his way of stopping it was to “allow sex workers”.  This is not God’s way, God’s way is a lifelong commitment in marriage, between a man and a woman.  He realised that in choosing Christ, he would also be submitting to Christ.  The gift is eternal life, the cost is this life.

He accepted a copy of the gospel of John, and then we walked down the mall together talking about other things.  He is from Spain, he had arrived 4 days earlier, and was visiting a friend.  God brought him all the way across the world, to NZ, to hear the gospel.  We have free will, and yet God’s sovereign will is never compromised.  We parted ways at the bridge of remembrance (he got to meet Roger first).  It was then that I checked the time.  3:29pm.  The outreach was over!  Andy and Dominic were still in a chat, which soon finished up.

Saturday’s outreach was great too.  Shorter chats, but still no less powerful, because the gospel was shared.  One guy followed along with the logic in quick order, it almost felt too quick, but as he was leaving I could tell that he was impacted by what he said, “you’ve given me insight I didn’t have” (or something like that).

Sunday was amazing.  In church in the morning, Romans 10:1-3 was taught, and applied to prayer and evangelism.  I came to tears in the final song as I considered the glory of the gospel.  That Jesus would die on the cross for me!  This knowledge gives me the zeal to get out and preach!

And sadly the cults were rampant in the city in the afternoon.  The JWs were out as usual.  But I had conversations with 3 sets of World Mission Society Church of God (a horrible cult) people.  In fact, I was in a conversation with a drunk guy when a pair of them broke into my chat (I was annoyed).  I know they use the Bible heavily, but I was surprised at how easily I could use scripture to counter their false teaching.

Mike was busy on his flip chart.  As per the picture, Mike sent me a message “Hey bro, that convo with those 4 guys went great, 1 took a bible”.  Susan and I paired up and did ‘walk up’.  Susan had had a bad experience 2 weeks ago, and so this time I did the leading, and showed her tips on how to avoid unnecessary conflict.  Yet, conflict is unavoidable.  If you are going to be faithful in preaching the gospel, people WILL get upset.  Keep up the good work Susan!

I could write more, the chats today were so good!  But I’m out of time.  Thank you so much for keeping the feeble ministry in your prayers.  May the strength of God be shown through our weakness.  All glory to God alone!
 

(PS I had no time to talk about the online outreach.  So many good chats, people professing faith.  So good!)

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