Battle Log

Christchurch (NZ) Team

Sunday, 16 June, 2024

Posted by Posted 16 June 2024, 2:41 PM by Glen Richards. Permalink

A more difficult week of outreach this week.  Yet, no chat is in vain!  For all I know, those difficult opportunities will lead to an increase: salvation of souls.  God uses us in our weakness for his glory.

 

So, we skipped 2 street outreaches due to rain (Friday and Saturday).  So I was only at each location once this week.  Riccarton on Tuesday afternoon with Roger and in the city on Sunday afternoon.

 

But, this meant I did more online (and even that was difficult this week!)  Yet, the work online (via needGod.net) is so encouraging.  Not only are we reaching thousands of people with the gospel, I’m seeing individual Christians growing in their apologetics and evangelism.

 

I’m seeing massive growth in the ability of some people who I have been involved with during their initial training.  To listen to their conversations, then and now - the contrast is amazing, glory to God!  So, don’t give up, keep practising, that’s the key.  And online, it is so easy to do!  We offer free training, so if you are interested, get in touch!

 

So, reporting on the 2 street outreaches.  Last week in Riccarton, I was really busy in conversations, this week it was very slow.  So slow in fact that I decided to abandon my flip chart and go look for conversations to have.  This did the trick.  I wandered down Riccarton Road and I was quickly engaged in a conversation with 2 high school students.

 

I then had a special chat with a young lady right outside the bus terminal.  She was going to a church, but her motive for attending wasn’t right, and she wasn’t understanding the gospel.  I had a short opportunity to engage her.  She eventually asked an interesting question: “why isn’t God doing more to reach people”.  My answer was that I was talking to her right now!  God is raising up an army of people to go to the world with the gospel.  That’s you and me.  Regular Christians with an amazing, yet deep, yet simple message of Jesus.  Let’s be polite, and yet, let’s be bold in proclaiming it to the world around us.

 

Roger and I ended up wrapping up the outreach a little bit earlier than usual.  It finished with Roger having a conversation with a young Muslim man (pictured).  I could tell he wasn’t really interested in engaging, because he would keep avoiding the subject by asking questions about other topics.  I think Roger even said that he had rung his Iman for help!

 

On Sunday afternoon, the sun was back, and plenty of people were out and about.  Yet, I struggled to get conversations started.  I moved over to the sunny side of the street, and then I decided to go for a wander.

 

I approached someone down by the Avon river, but he wasn’t willing to engage, as I moved back to Oxford Terrace, I finally got some engagement with 2 guys.  But, sadly they had hot pizza and coke, and they wanted to move on and eat.  They took tracts.

 

Finally, back at the corner of Cashel and Colombo, I got into a short chat with 4 teen guys.  They didn’t really want to engage, so I had to work to keep them, but I was able to share the law and the gospel, before letting them move on.  Seed dropped.  May others be able to come and water it.  Are you ready?  I decided to head home early and work online.  Thanks for your prayer and support of our feeble efforts for his glory!