Battle Log

Page 117

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Saturday morning dawned with clear skies after overnight rain.  It was pleasant witnessing for Christ in Cathedral Square in the winter sun.

A number of good flip chart conversations were had.  The highlight was with an older man, who had been in Christian circles, but with whom it wasn’t clear if he really understood the Gospel.  I became quite passionate as I reasoned with him about the reality of God, the serious nature of sin, and the amazing grace of Christ.

I also had a conversation with a mayoral candidate who was out campaigning.  I made it clear that my number one policy for the local council (other than wise fiscal management) was the protection of our rights to share the Gospel in public places.  Sadly, an opportunity to share the Gospel wasn’t given.  But he accepted a tract.

There was a team of seven for outreach on the corner of Cashel and Colombo after church on Sunday afternoon under overcast skies.  The outreach was a bit slow initially, so two of the team decided to head off looking for walk up opportunities.

But the outreach ended really well, and was extended as some wonderful Gospel conversations went long.

While Chris was finishing a conversation (pictured), I had a walk up opportunity with three Indian guys.  One of them had already accepted a tract earlier in the outreach, and so I tried the direct approach to get a conversation going by saying: “Excuse me, may I ask you a question?  Do you think you’ll go to heaven when you die?”.  It worked well enough for them to grant me 30 seconds to explain how we know God exists and why it matters.  Well, this really got their attention, and I ended up getting about two and a half minutes of their attention - in which I also summarised the law and the Gospel.  One of them really seemed to appreciate the conversation (the one that took the tract initially), but the other two seemed confronted.

They moved on, and I joined Chris whose conversation on the flip chart had completed.  We then had three teens come past, who were willing to give the good person test a go (pictured).  It was a long conversation, where they asked many good questions and it took some time to completely explain the bad and good news.  We then tracked back to tackle the questions.  Eventually, one of them asked about wearing clothing made of more than one fabric.  I knew where this was going!  So I decided to take the up front approach (as usual), I explained that I loved homosexuals, but that homosexuality was a sin.  Instantly the conversation changed.  One of the girls had a look of revulsion come over her face, and she said, “Why is it wrong?”.  My answer was to point back to the beginning of the conversation where I had explained how we know anything to be right or wrong: because God has said so.  The guy then said, I think it’s best this conversation ends now.  And, sadly, that was that.

But while this conversation was happening, the three Indian guys had walked right up to Andy and Tim on another flip chart and had ended up getting into a long Gospel discussion with them (also pictured).  That 30 seconds had turned into 20 minutes!  That conversation ended with smiles, and hand shakes all round (a bit like at the end of a game of cricket!).

Who knows if any of those that heard the Gospel today will come to repentance and faith?  Those feeling revulsion may come under conviction?  Those with smiles may never think about it again till they die.  We leave it in God’s hands knowing the Gospel is the power of God to salvation (Romans 1:16).
 

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Everything looked brilliant when we arrived at our Redcliffe outreach; the sun was shining, we had four members on the team and there were quite a number of people out and about. We set up the Free Literature table near Bee Gee way, then began to hand out tractsSome days I come home from witnessing with a spring in my step as it had been a good day of gospel ministry… today was not one of those days.

At first things seemed to be running smoothly; people were polite and some even took literature from the table, but as the day progressed things became harder and even hostile. What was surprising was that the rudeness and aggression came not from the younger segments of society, but rather it came from the more mature and grey haired folk.

One older lady walked pass and yelled, “GOD IS DEAD!” Another demanded to know what material we were handing out; when I told her they were Christian leaflets, she launched into a tirade by shouting, “What has God done for me?” I replied to her by saying that God had given her life, breathe and her very existence; her response was to give me the finger and walk off.

Another lady came up to me, who had all the hallmarks of a sweet grandmother like you see in the movies; but appearances can be deceiving. She asked, “Is this Jesus material?” When I told her what the tract was she screeched, “EWWWW…. YUCK!” then stormed off.

The most hostile encounter of the day came when a man took a tract, read it, then returned it. He was an older man, probably in his mid-60’s. He started to scream and yell abuse at us for being Christians, then he looked to the sky and began to curse God. After doing this he followed up by calling us extremists and hate preachers. I tried to engage him in a calm manner, but he wasn’t prepared to talk. I honestly thought he was going to punch me in his anger.

All this left me rattled. I hate confrontation, and if possible I will avoid it. Even though I have been out on the streets sharing the gospel for many years, I still find such open displays of hostility concerning.

I share this because even though things were rough, God was still at work. As the darkness rushed in like a flood, God used their evil actions for good. After all the hostility, a lady with her family came up to me, she said, “I am not religious, nor a Christian, but I want to say that the way that angry man treated you was wicked and rude. You did well in being calm and loving.” Her whole family then took tracts and gospel material. She could see the difference between light and darkness.

Christians also started to appear on the scene to say that they were encouraged to see a stand for Jesus taking place in public. Another lady then asked for directions to a local church so she could attend.

We live in a day where there is a growing hostility to the things of God, but at the same time we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that God is sovereign, and He is still at work. If we have to endure the hardness and hostility so that others may hear of Jesus, then so be it. Christ Jesus is worthy, let us face whatever comes our way with a confidence that all the nations, including this one, have been given to King Jesus. Let us go and make Him known!

SDG!

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On Saturday morning in Capalaba a team of four made it out over the course of the outreach and had the opportunity to speak with many people about how a sinner can be made right before God.

An early conversation took place with Judd a man who had a Catholic mother and had some ideas about God but generally just wanted to live his own way and so instead of wanting God he tried to find some excuses.

He came to hear of his guilt, where that meant he was heading and then the good news that God offers a solution. Due to his background he struggled to understand that it was a gift to be received by faith, rather than something one earns or works for. He ended up taking a tract and was encouraged to count the cost but it didn't seem as if he was very interested.

The was a conversation a little later on with a man who said he didn't think there was much coming and he wanted to keep believing that. He was shown how we know God exists and therefore the importance of God's law and as the law revealed his sin he quietened down.

Funnily, nearby a man who must have been listening got very angry at the law. He wasn't even being spoken to but loudly and rudely declared that the conversation should be taken somewhere else so that he doesn't have to listen. He was generally ignored and ended up walking away himself.

The man though, came to hear of the solution that Jesus offers but had very little desire to acknowledge God's existence because that would cement his guilt. He preferred to pretend that he hadn't had the conversation and continue to live his own way.

Over the course of the morning a range of other conversations took place, please be praying for these three that God would work in their hearts, causing them to hate sin and trust Christ and that they would be eternally changed as a result of what they heard today!

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Some flowers will only grow in the most unlikely of places, the orchid is found growing in the smallest of niches with tiny amounts of soil on cliffs and tree limbs. Likewise, God gives us times when there is precious little happening (it seems) to produce some blessed opportunities that would not blossom in the busy “successful” times.

Winter is the slow period here in Hobart, many people finding shelter from the rain and cold indoors. They are not interested in conversations in the mall in the cold. Yet in the midst of the cold and the rain that comes and goes there has been a wonderful collection of conversations that we have been blessed with in the Mall! God is truly generous with His unworthy Tasmanian servants.

Over the last month there has been a wonderful collection of discussions

Young couple:

They approached me after preaching in the afternoon and wanted to talk. It quickly came out that while she was a devout Roman Catholic, he was an agnostic and leaned towards atheism. He was very keen to discuss things and wanted to discuss evidence for God or the lack there of. Our discussion was far ranging but I could see that he had a good understanding of Christian apologetics and many of the arguments I raised he had encountered before. We discussed science and history mostly but there was again and again a point that I reach with atheists and agnostics; skepticism is so strong that evidence doesn’t seem to move them. At this point I asked him “If these things are not convincing for you, what would it take to convince you?

His response was that he would need to see it himself or as it was ~2000 years ago, an eyewitness account that was trustworthily preserved giving extra-ordinary evidence that could only be explained by God acting in history. In all honesty I told him that that is roughly what most people need to be convinced too. From there I related the experiences of Lee Strobel, once also an atheist/agnostic and compelled to find out if there is truth to the claims of Christ. As I shared Lee’s story, I also recommended this extraordinary young man to get the book “The Case For Christ” and read it for himself. We parted ways but I hope to see him and his girlfriend again in the future to continue the discussion

Mr A:

While I was handing out tracts on a street corner Mr A stopped and encouraged me. He said that he had seen me preaching a Speaker’s corner many times and the hecklers who come. Mr A said to ignore the nay-sayers and hecklers, that they had no idea what they were talking about. I thanked him and asked about his story. He was a Christian of many years and a Physicist (which added weight to his comment about the lack of scientific knowledge of hecklers). He had come to Christ at university, having been confronted with an occultist who did things that where physically impossible before his eyes. This encounter with malignant spirituality had sent him on a search for God and ended with faith in Christ.

We spoke together of the craziness of the western world and the instability of the times and the wars and rumours of wars. We praised God that we have security in Him regardless of Australia’s sin and regardless of the warmongers of the world. We also talked about the many evidences for God that I have seen in biology and he has seen in physics. He encouraged me again to keep on with the work.

There have been many others over these last weeks and I often find myself unable to preach with all the enquirers, praise God for the winter months.

Praise God for all His grace!

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On Friday night the team headed to the Surfers Paradise, as usual, right in the heart of the mall to share the gospel of grace. There was as a team of eight out and as a result many people came to hear.

An early conversation was with Sebastian and Adelia. They are a couple from a Spanish speaking country and Adelia was a professing Christian whilst Sebastian was a "spiritualist". Sebastian did most of the talking to begin with and loved his own ideas but suddenly got very defensive as the law revealed his guilt. He was adamant that piracy wasn't really stealing because he thought those movies should be shared for free and was hesitant to acknowledge that he was guilty.

Later in the conversation he kept arguing that God isn't a being, rather a force and that the Bible is simply made up stories not history. It was pointed out to him continually through the conversation that he was showing his hatred of God and his guilt as he kept trying to find anyway that he could to avoid the reality that he deserves Hell for his sin. The pair then came to understand the gospel and were able to explain it back but Sebastian didn't want it. He was adamant that he was going to find a way to avoid Hell without Jesus. Try he may but it will all be in vain. Ironically Adelia was in the opposite boat, whilst professing to be a Christian she was being sexually immoral with her boyfriend and although proclaiming the name of Christ was showing that she really knew nothing of His forgiveness otherwise she would hate the sin in which she was living.

The pair were challenged this day to consider what Christ has to say because they have a very bleak eternity ahead of them if they reject what Christ offers.

This conversation was quickly followed by a conversation with two Muslims. These men didn't know much of Christianity nor did they have many good arguments. They were shown their guilt, that they are in desperate trouble and headed for Hell eternally and that their only hope for forgiveness is if someone else pays. They acknowledged that God cannot contradict Himself and therefore because God is just, mercy cannot be given at the expense of justice.

The pair then were told a simple anecdote explaining how God satisfied His justice to give mercy and were pointed to the cross. At this point these men were gobsmacked. They had no arguments, they had nothing to say except to say, "We don't believe that". To which they were challenged and warned, "Yes, which is why we are telling you because if you don't trust in Jesus to pay for your sin on that cross, you will pay for it eternally in Hell". At this moment they headed off.

The final conversation of the evening was with Tamati, a young man who had done some damage to his brain with some chemicals and really struggled to remember the gospel. He had most of the pieces in his memory already before the conversation began and came out with surprisingly accurate pieces of information about Jesus and yet despite trying almost ten times to see if he could comprehend the gospel with different examples, he was unable to give an accurate articulation at any point without series assistance.

It isn't all bad news because Tamati still has breath in his lungs and took with him a gospel tract and a gospel of John to have a read of.

Please keep these five people and the many others who heard the good news this Friday in your prayers, that as they head away from tonight that they will consider seriously what Jesus has to say and not just keep it as information but trust in Christ alone for their forgiveness and as a result live totally different lives, whole-heartedly sold out for God and His glory!

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At Sunnybank on Thursday there was some surprise rain, a broken bus and a cool breeze. This actually meant that more people were waiting nearby to the bus stop and enabled lengthy conversations that usually wouldn't have occurred! Praise God that He uses any means required to bring about His plan.

Two conversations back to back were had with Abby and Zen. Both had a Christian background, thought they were good enough to get to Heaven and then were shown God's law, revealing their guilt.

Abby had just sort of made up her own ideas about God, she'd barely even opened the Bible and didn't know much about God at all. Over the course of a ten minute conversation she came to hear and understand the simple good news of the gospel and was challenged this day to choose to trust in Christ. She said she would at least consider it and was encouraged to download a Bible app on her phone and to start reading.

As that conversation finished, sitting on the other side was Zen. She too thought she deserved Heaven and very quickly came to realise that was not the case. Sadly Zen left with her guilt and that she deserved Hell and a brief mention of the cross but her bus arrived before it could go any further, she took a tract and was encouraged tonight to read Romans 3-5.

Toward the end of the afternoon there was a man named Reuben who was approached with the same simple question as everyone else. "What do you think will happen after you die?" To which Reuben got very angry, "I don't want you or that mate of yours to ask me questions about this topic!" Reuben is about 6'2" and surprisingly menacing for a skinny guy. There was a tense moment, when the response was given, with every ounce of care, (mingled with a lot of fear), "But aren't you going to die some day?"

This question was met with a long pause and intense stare and a few moments where it was wondered if there would be a punch taken for the sake of the gospel. But God in His grace had decided there was to be a very different outcome. Reuben almost out of nowhere soften, apologised for his hostility and said, "I often fear death. I know I am going to Hell when I die and so I don't want to die. I want to live here on this earth for as long as possible".

Over the next fifteen minutes, a now docile Reuben came to hear that he was far more wicked than he had first thought, that his eternity was bleaker than he had imagined but God who is rich in mercy, giving infinitely more than His people deserve, came and took the place of sinners, suffering the full fury and wrath that we deserve and therefore offering a free gift of forgiveness to all, that those who believe will inherit eternal life!

In a very short dialogue off the back of that he came to understand how he can be forgiven, how a sinner gets to Heaven and why someone who has trusted in Jesus wants to obey Him! He had the beginnings of tears in his eyes and was given a gospel of John and a tract and said he would start reading! He then apologised for his actions at the beginning of the conversation and asked if an apology could be passed onto the other team member he has previously yelled at and he was given forgiveness.

He was confused as to how we could be so quick to forgive, especially when the offense was so recent and so aggressive and it was pointed out, that as Christians we have been forgiven infinitely more than we will ever be asked to forgive and because of that it is our joy to forgive those who have wronged us.

There were many other conversations that took place and overall it was an afternoon of great rejoicing. Please be praying for Abby, Zen and Reuben that God would work in their hearts, cause them to hate sin and to trust in Christ this very day!

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On Wednesday in Brisbane City the team was a bit lighter on at first as a few regulars were sick but God provided another team member who had the day off work to come on down and she even bought a friend with her! Over the course of the afternoon the six on the team were able to have many conversations bringing the knowledge of the truth to the ears of those who had never heard it before!

An early conversation was with a Korean lady Suben. She is from Korea, living in Austria but was visiting Australia for a month! God had bought her around the globe to give her and opportunity to hear and understand the offer of forgiveness for sinners. Suben thought she would be okay on judgement day at first but with the revelation of God's law she came to understand the serious predicament she faced. This caused her at first to start saying that she wasn't sure that God existed anymore (in an attempt to avoid her guilt by removing the law giver). She was shown that this didn't make sense as we know God exists and then was shown the proper solution to guilt, payment.

She heard of what Jesus has done to save sinners and the simple means of accepting that gift of forgiveness by trusting that Jesus has died for her sin on the cross. She came to understand this simple message and that those who trust in Jesus will be thankful and therefore desire to turn from sin and to live for Christ! She was given a gospel of John and was encouraged to read it in the next week and was encouraged to fish her Bible out of storage when she gets home!

Please keep Suben in your prayers that God would continue to challenge her and cause her not to rest until she has trusted in Christ.

Another exciting conversation was with a Zane a young guy who turned up with a friend interested to go through the flip chart and came away understanding the gospel message, seeing that he knows that God exists and having this day to deal with the information he now has and making the choice to respond in faith or rejection.

A conversation late in the afternoon was had with Naim, a Muslim. He said, "I want you to show me where Jesus says, 'I am God, worship me'". He said he would instantly trust in Jesus if this was shown to him! This question was acknowledged as important but it was pointed out to Naim that it would be foolish just to show him Jesus' claims to be divine without explaining what Jesus actually had to say. So Naim was taken through the gospel, shown his guilt, that he deserves Hell and if he received justice for how he lived God would send him to Hell.

Then he was shown that if there is someone perfect to take his place, to pay for his sin he can walk free. It was acknowledged that only God is perfect and therefore whoever pays for sin must be God. He was shown what Jesus did to pay for sin, dying on a cross, taking the wrath of God and therefore that Jesus must be God. He came to understand the simple message that this is a gift to be accepted by trusting in Christ and that those who trust will respond on obedience out of gratitude.

Naim was then given a gospel of John and was asked to read John 1:1-3 and 14 and he went silent. He was then pointed to John 8:48-59 and again he had not much to say. He was shown that Jesus' claim to be "I AM" were claims to be God and Naim was given the gospel of John and encouraged to read it this week to see what else Jesus says about Himself in this regard.

Please be praying for Naim that he would take the gospel he has heard, the word of God in his pocket and that God would work on his heart causing him to trust in Christ alone for his salvation, rather than in himself and the words of a man.

If you ever have a day off, why not see if there is an outreach on you can make it to and spend a few hours declaring the glories of your God and King to the people of this world who are heading to Hell?

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As per schedule, on Thursday, I was at the bus stops outside Northlands & Eastgate malls.

Two conversations outside Northlands stand out for mention - they were both follow ups.

After an initial burst of conversations, I had approached everyone that I could see, so I was waiting for buses to arrive bringing new people to talk to.  As I was waiting and praying, a girl walked past - so I offered her a tract.  She looked up, and to my surprise, she recognised me and knew my name!  It turns out that I had had a long Gospel conversation with her in the central city earlier in the year.  And she had obviously been thinking about it, as she was keen to talk about it more now - and she remembered key concepts that I had obviously shared the first time.  She had grown up in a Christian home, but as a first year bio-chem student at Uni, she was questioning everything she had been taught.  So we talked about evolution and creation for a while.  Her bus arrived, cutting our conversation short - but she left with an After Life tract.

The second conversation was with an exchange high school student (from Germany).  The last time we talked, he had expressed a postmodern worldview and wasn’t interested in God.  This time he walked past and remembered me, but stopped keen to continue the conversation.  He pretended to walk away when I moved the conversation to the subject of God claiming that he wanted to talk about anything else.  But he stayed around long enough to miss two buses (as he revealed later) to talk about this very subject!  Again, the conversation focused on evolution and creation and, to my surprise, he accepted a leaflet on this subject produced by Creation Ministries International.  At the end of the conversation, he asked me if I would be here every Thursday, he is keen to keep talking.  He knows how to get in touch with me!

Friday started with the Gospel + abortion outreach.  It was very encouraging to have seven Christians turn up to stand for life, and share the Gospel - including a newbie for this outreach.  The team had some opposition, yet much support (as usual).  And as per the pictures, some good dialogue was had with various members of the public.  No major “incidents” this time!  We are thankful to God for that.  We pray that God would continue to use this effort for His glory.

Later, two gathered for preaching in Cathedral Square.  Marty preached in spite of some distracting live music in the background, and a new tactic from our main heckler.  He had brought out a chalk board and had written some out of context Bible verses on it.  The preaching led to a follow up conversation with a Christian couple who stopped to listen and support.  And the chalk board led to a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel with another couple that was confused by it!  We are very grateful to God for the hecklers that he sends our way.  :)

The afternoon saw a team of three on the corner of Cashel and Colombo, handing out tracts and having Gospel conversations via the flip chart.  Roger has a wonderful ability to get people to stop for a chat, that wouldn’t give me the time of day!  He had many fish on his line today, including one guy who seemed deeply impacted by the message - very encouraging.

Sadly, the evening outreach was cut short by a forecasted change in the weather - rain and wind.  But before it came, one solid Gospel conversation was had, and tracts were handed out.

I thank God for the many opportunities we have to share of his love in the Gospel!
 

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On Tuesday afternoon in Woodridge there was a team of five that made it out to spread the seed of the good news that sinners can be made right before God. Over the course of the afternoon many conversations were had and as a result there were many people who went home for the first time in their life understanding what Jesus has done to save sinners and how simply by trusting in Him they can be forgiven!

The afternoon started off with an exciting chat. A young lady who spoke with the team over the course of almost an hour came to understand the simple message of salvation. She had a Mormon background and struggled to understand primarily how someone is made right before God. She had the right words but was defining them and using them in a way that was saying that there are things sinners are required to do as prerequisites to receiving God's forgiveness. She mentioned baptism, stopping sinning, asking for forgiveness and a few other things.

Over the course of the conversation she came to understand that these actions of obedience are done out of gratefulness for salvation, rather than selfishness to try and earn it. When she got it she exclaimed, "That makes so much sense!". She then had others issues that will have to be addressed in the future, regarding the triune nature of God, the deity of Christ and the person-hood of the Holy Spirit. Please be praying with Miraculous, that God would do just that and cause her to trust in Christ alone for her salvation!

There is a specific man who was spoken to back in early January, named Zem. He is an almost 62 yr old Albanian man who has tried to commit suicide four times and yet God has kept him alive. He says he has no reason to live and is planning on trying again and yet despite having nothing to live for and knowing that he is headed for Hell, he does not even want to hear what Jesus has done to save him! This is an awfully sad situation to be faced with as he says it won't be long before he tries again.

Please desperately be praying for this man that God will use whatever it takes to get his attention and to enable him an opportunity to hear the message of how a sinner can be forgiven!

One late conversation in the afternoon took place with Jane. She had spoken to the team at Sunnybank around a month back and at that stage was struggling with assurance of salvation because she believed that there are things that she must do in order to get to Heaven. In that conversation she came to understand that trusting that Jesus paid for her sin on the cross was the one condition to receive salvation.

In this conversation she stated that she thought God was trying to get her attention. She hadn't read her Bible in a few weeks and that was where the conversation was directed. She was reminded of what the Bible is, why it is important to spend time in it and some simple tips to help her get into the habit of reading it each day. Jane was very thankful for the follow up conversation and said she looks forward to the next time she gets to speak with the team!

Praise God for such a wonderful afternoon of outreach, please keep the team and those they spoke to in your prayers!

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Tuesday I normally spend four hours on the streets, and Wednesday seven hours.  But forecast rain for Wednesday led me to switch the outreaches for those two days.  And I’m glad I did, as the forecast was accurate!

Tuesday ended up being a warm day for outreach in the city, including time in Cathedral Square and outside Ara.

But before setting up my flip chart, I felt to do a bit of a wander first.  I was going to go and talk to Sunny - the hat stall vendor on Cashel Mall, but he wasn’t there for some reason.  So I decided to head for the Bridge of Remembrance, and I considered setting up my flip chart there - but decided against it.  So I started heading back to Cathedral Square via Oxford Terrace - attempting to hand out tracts as I went.  But then I noticed a guy sitting alone across the other side of the river (pictured).  I wrestled with the idea of going across to chat with him, eventually deciding to give it a try - and I’m so glad I did.

The young man was from Italy and had a Catholic background.  He was on a working holiday, currently relaxing in holiday mode and so was very happy to chat.  The conversation soon moved to spiritual things, which he was open to, and we ended up having a long discussion, where I had the opportunity to clearly explain the Gospel.  I was able to ask a checking question afterwards to confirm if he had understood, and it’s clear he hadn’t - as he instantly said that his good would outweigh his bad on judgement day.  I guess some things are deeply ingrained and take time to unlearn.  So I explained the Gospel again, and checked again to see if he now understood.  It was dawning on him: we are not saved by our good works, but by our repentant faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross.  It’s exhilarating watching people process new information and start to understand it.  But it’s one thing to understand, it’s another to actually follow through.  I had no choice but to leave that in God’s hands.

After lunch, I headed down High Street to Ara.  On the way, there was a group of girls sitting on the seats outside the Vodafone building.  I was able to start a conversation with them and they were very open to the Gospel, and seemed to be impacted.  They all took tracts and thanked me.

Outside Ara, the highlight conversation was a follow up with some students I’d talked to a week or so before.  But this time they had more friends with them who I had not shared the Gospel with before, but were very open to hear it and discuss it.  Again I used checking questions to confirm if they had understood, and again the default response was that good works would save them on judgement day (one of them was a Catholic, so I see a recurring theme here!).  So after going through the Gospel a second time, I could see some light dawning on their minds.  It was so wonderful to see them understanding the good news of Jesus and justification by faith alone!

I was also able to follow up with the guys I’d talked to previously.  One who had seemed very open, and had even accepted a Bible, had quickly become “closed” and given the Bible away to one of his friends.  But as I talked to him again today, he quickly opened back up (a bit), and started asking good questions.  At one point, he revealed his frustration at God for not letting him live his life his own way!  This is at the heart of all men - rebellion against God.  I’m really encouraged by this conversation with this young man.  I hope to see him again.

Wednesday saw the forecast rain come with a vengeance, and it included wind (see picture) and bitter cold.  But in spite of this, I was still able to have Gospel conversations in Riccarton.  Two of them were stellar:

The first was with two young ladies - one of whom was not interested, as she had already done the flip chart at the Canterbury A&P Show.  But the other was a deep thinker, and really wanted to try the good person test.  I used the building analogy to show how we know God exists.  But they politely fought against it.  I stuck to my guns - as it’s logical, and I knew they knew it was too.  I chimed in with some gentle presuppositional apologetics too.  Showing them that without God, we can’t prove anything (He gives us a basis for logic, reason, knowledge and truth - which in turn gives us a basis for science).  The rain and cold didn’t slow the conversation down at all.  Eventually, an important question was asked.  They wanted to know what I thought about homosexuality.  It turns out they are in a relationship.  So I proceeded to lovingly, yet faithfully address the question.  We parted on very good terms.  The deep thinker gladly took a copy of “God and Sexuality” by Ray Comfort.

The other one was with a young man near the end of the outreach.  It seems he had some Bible understanding from his growing up years.  He initially said he was a good person and would go to heaven.  He very quickly reversed that position after seeing himself in the mirror of the law.  The Gospel then seemed to make sense to him.  He lives close to where my local church is, and so he accepted a contact card for my church, as well as a tract.  I hope to see him again, and I told him that.
 

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