Battle Log

Another week of fishing has passed!

 

On Tuesday Roger and I were at our usual spot.  Roger’s lure was his flipchart and tracts.  Mine was ‘walk up’ and tracts.

 

It started so well, 2 young lads went passed just after Roger’s flip chart was set up - because I was there, I was able to engage them and use the flip chart to share the gospel with them.  One of them knew what it was about, he said he’d done the flip chart 4 times before!  Twice at A&P Shows, and twice on Cashel Mall.  But his friend was uninitiated and wasn’t sure about God.  The building builder analogy really clicked for him, and he opened up to the rest of the conversation.  Great chat.

 

I headed down to the bus stops and managed to get into a chat with 2 young ladies.  They were subtly resistant, and yet, were engaged enough to stay and be challenged.  They ended up having to go, but one of them made it clear why they were currently in rejection: live for today, because tomorrow we die.  Let’s party.  Before they left I was able to point out why I have the opposite position but for the same reason.  They took tracts.

 

I made it back to where Roger was, and he was in a chat with a Muslim guy Andy & I have talked to a lot in the past.  It was good to see him again.  I left Roger to continue his conversation while I engaged a couple of kids on his flip chart.

 

Later I joined Rogers chat (maybe I shouldn’t have - sorry if I butted in Roger!)  Our Muslim friend, sadly, is as resistant as ever.  I decided to take him on, and it got quite intense.  Yet, we finished up with hugs and handshakes.  When I talk to Muslims, I focus on how ‘being good’, and ‘asking for forgiveness’ can’t logically remove punishment, and so Jesus makes sense.

 

Speaking of Muslims.  I’m going to jump forward in time to Saturday and the training stream online.  I was paired up with Nick.  When it was my turn, I was paired up with a couple of rich Muslims from Saudi Arabia.  It was an amazing 12 minute chat.  I followed the ‘script’ fairly closely, and it was great to see the effect of the law sober them up.  They became engaged, one of them gently resisting, but I was able to make progress.  They were able to see how ‘being good’ and ‘asking for forgiveness’ can’t remove sin, and so I was able to explain about God’s mercy: Jesus.  When I said Jesus’ name, I was expecting the usual indoctrination to come up.  I expected them to ‘manafest’.  But they didn’t, they just nodded their heads - “it makes sense”.  And so I just kept rolling, and moved into the check questions.  I was able to explain about ‘faith alone’, before one of them suddenly ended the chat.  But I rejoiced that I had been able to deliver the gospel seed into the heart of such a closed country / culture to the truth of Jesus!  God can show his strength by using that seed for his glory!  In his hands, It can be the spark that changes that country and culture for Jesus!  Don’t give up, don’t get distracted.  God is good!

 

Friday’s outreach was busy.  Andy and Roger were with me.

 

My first chat was with a young farmer from Southland who seemed to be building his own little empire, but I was able to share the gospel with him, and the futility of gathering stuff in this life.

 

I then had a great chat with 2 young people before Going for a wander.  I was about to engage a young post-grad Phd student who kept mentioning that we are ‘stardust’.  He didn’t stay long, but I left a stone in his shoe.  I then engaged a young barber, he was on a break from work, and was staring as though pondering something very deep.  I knew I would only have a short time with him, but I was able to touch on the law and the gospel with him.  He gladly received a tract.

 

I had a half engagement on High Street, but the lady had to go back to work.  Next up I was able to have a great gospel chat with 3 young guys just before Cathedral Square.  It was wonderful watching one of them, you could almost see the gears turning in his mind.  Who knows!  They could repent today, God knows.  We need to faithfully plough and sow, and leave the results to God, he will bring an increase to his glory.

 

Arriving into Cathedral Square, there was a young tourist there, I approached him, and we got into a good chat.  He was from Italy.  I think I spent about 20 minutes with him.  He had a Catholic background, but had rejected it.  His god was himself, and his justification was ‘subjectivity’.  I had to patiently labour, and I was able to share the law and the gospel, but I was able to challenge him on his idolatry.

 

Back at the bridge of remembrance, Andy was just finishing up a very friendly looking chat.  But then he joined Roger on his, and that turned into a very intense chat.  Roger and I left Andy to it, while we went to get a coffee / hot choc.  Andy joined us later, and we had a good debrief time.

 

I didn’t make it out on Saturday!  I could have gone, the weather was great.  But I decided to focus on catching up on TikTok DMs instead.  I’ve had some encouragement in this department.  1 kid just wasn’t getting it, but then he started to understand!  I know this because I had a note from 20 days ago saying “not getting it”.  A reminder to be patient in our labour.  Some are resistant, and you have to let them go, but some are open, but you just have to work with them gently.  Another young lady was struggling with some stuff, and wasn’t able to tease out the tension between faith and works.  Yet she stayed with me.  The penny really dropped as I went through the fireman analogy with her. It was so good to see her joy as she said, “I get it!” - that chat’s not quite finished yet, I’ll hopefully finish up explaining about Christian living next week.

 

On Sunday, after listening to a wonderful sermon, I headed out to Cashel Mall again.  I had an amazing chat with two young men, who went to local churches but were not clear on the essentials of the gospel.  I was able to labour with them on this.  A powerful check is to ask, “before this chat, did you think you had to be good to get to heaven”.  They both thought for a bit, and admitted that they did.  So I followed up with, “so, where would you have gone if you died?”.  Hell.  They got it.  I pleaded with them to trust Christ alone, urgently.  And then pointed them to their Bibles.  As I was alone, and tired, I decided to head home early to do more TikTok DMs and write this report.

 

Thanks so much for your prayer.  Please be encouraged to take and make opportunities to share about Jesus in your own life.  Jesus is amazing!!!

 

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