Battle Log

Glory to God, it was a great week on the streets!  3 of the 4 usual outreaches ran (I’m working back up to 4 out of 4).

 

On Tuesday afternoon, Roger was with me in Riccarton.  I had a slow week last week, and so I decided to ditch my flip chart and do ‘walk up’ this week instead.  I’m so glad I did.  Roger set up his flip chart, and after praying with him, I went for a wander down Riccarton Road, collecting rejections.

 

But once you collect enough rejections, you’ll strike someone willing and interested to talk.  I had a brief conversation with a young lady from Brazil. Before approaching a young man who I thought ‘he won’t be interested’, but to my surprise he was very interested.  It turned into one of those chats where they are fully engaged.  He was so engaged that he willingly let his bus pass (I was at a bus stop), knowing he could catch a later one, so we could continue to chat.

 

He was from East Timor, studying environmental science (I think it was) at the university.  His religious background was Catholic, and stemming from that, he considered his good deeds the reason he would get to heaven.  He resisted the law; considering himself good, he didn’t want to admit that he had done anything wrong.  And so I spend some time labouring with him on this.  Once he seemed to come to a point of understanding, I was able to switch to the gospel and labour through the check questions on that side.

 

Some of the details of the chat are fading in my memory now, but I remember him eagerly accepting a copy of the gospel of John.  And I remember rejoicing after he hopped on his bus.  God knows what the result will be, I leave him, prayerfully, in God’s hands.

 

It was a long chat, and I remember feeling drained, so Roger wrapped that outreach a little early.  We headed to a coffee shop for some debrief.

 

On Friday afternoon, Andy & Greg were with me in the city.  There were lots of people about.  It took me a while to work out that it was because of the school holidays.  I was paired up with Andy for a good portion of this outreach.

 

My first chat was quite awkward.  The girl was subtly resistant (didn’t really want to talk, but didn’t leave either).  And the guy with her said nothing, even when she tried to include him.  I wanted to bail from the chat due to the awkwardness - but I’m glad I didn’t.  In spite of the resistance, she heard the law, and then finally the gospel.  And then she opened up a little about her religious background, a mix of Catholic and Mormon influence.  I could tell she was comparing what I was saying to that.  And so I did my best to draw the distinctions (we are not saved by our works).

 

Later I talked to 2 young men who were out promoting a new local barber shop.  It was an interesting chat, but they were both in different places and it became difficult to keep them both engaged at the same time.  One of them was particularly resistant (yet still friendly).  Eventually I decided to end this chat.  They were supposed to be promoting the barber shop, and they both continued in their resistance.  Yet they accepted tracts.

 

Next up I had a great chat with two young teens who went to a Christian high school.  Sadly, they too were resistant in their own way.  Yet, they responded well to the logic of what I was explaining, even if they weren’t showing interest.

 

Sadly, I forgot to take a picture for Friday’s outreach.  But, to make up for it, I’ll include 2 for Sunday’s outreach in the city.  This was an AMAZING outreach.  A team of 5: Joe and Elijah from my church, plus Mike, Susan and myself.

 

The outreach started with just Joe, Elijah and I.  We prayed, and then set up a flip chart (it’s a great tool for training with).  We were quickly into our first chat with 2 young men.  Glory to God, it was a textbook chat, where I was able to work through the whole chat with no resistance – even a profession from one of them.  They both received tracts, a gospel of John, and contact cards for our church.

 

Then a young Muslim lady and her friend went past.  They were intrigued by the flip chart, but didn’t want to stop, so took tracts instead.  But then they stopped, talked together briefly, and then came back!  They wanted to do the ‘good person’ test.  It was an amazing chat.  I didn’t get any of the usual resistance I get from people with an Islamic background.  What a joy!  I was sad I didn’t have any more gospels of John, but I told her how she could get a Bible on her phone.  She also took a church contact card.

 

The chats just didn’t stop, one would roll into another!  Next up we had about 7 young people stop and engage - great chat.

 

And then a man from Australia stopped.  He had a Christian background, but had drifted away.  He didn’t think there was any hope for him now.  I was able to take him through the law, and because I could tell he had to leave, I touched on the gospel, plus a critical check question to show how he was currently trusting in works for salvation, but that it was never too late: because of the gift of Christ!  Short chat, but that one was so special to me.  He left with a tract.

 

By this stage, Mike was with us, and he had set up his flip chart further down (Joe joined him).  He ended up having a chat with a work mate!  The gospel conversation has been started, and there will now be further opportunity to continue it.  God is good.

 

Well, that’s a snapshot of the street work for the week.  Plenty of gospel work online too.

 

I’ll leave it at that.  Sharing the gospel is such a joy.  I’ll never get sick of it.  When I’m ministering to others, I’m also ministering to myself.  The gospel is so simple, and yet it’s so deep.  Be encouraged to take the opportunities to talk to people about Jesus, as you can!  All glory to God alone.

 

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