Battle Log

Page 120

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On Wednesday afternoon in Brisbane there was a team of seven out, due to some people being on holidays and being able to spare the time where they'd usually be at other commitments. This allowed for many conversations to take place over the course of the afternoon.

An early conversation took place with Kaychill, a young man who near the team was busking and during a break he was approached and asked what he thought would happen to him after he dies. He said his mother is Catholic and that he therefore thinks there is a Heaven and Hell and he said he'd probably be headed to Heaven. Over the course of the afternoon over three conversations he came to understand the beauty of the simple gospel, where God remains just and yet sinners are forgiven.

He at first was trying to defend himself from being a sinner, hoping that God would still let him into Heaven but he was challenged to be honest about his life as God won't be over looking our sin, as it must be punished. Then he was quickly shown the good news but went back to busking.

In the next conversation he came to understand the good news, that trust in Christ's death on the cross is enough to make a sinner right before God. He said it was the first time he'd ever heard that and said that he would trust in Christ today! He was encouraged to start reading his Bible and to start attending a local Christian Church.

Later in the afternoon there was a sad conversation with a middle aged man. He seemed open at first and was asked what he thinks will happen to us after we die. He said, "I'm not convinced there is anything". When asked what had lead him to that conclusion he said, "Because there is no evidence to the contrary". He was then asked if there was a God and he said, "Absolutely not!" When asked how the universe got here then he said, "It all came from nothing". When challenged on that, he was asked, "What evidence do you have that it all came from nothing?" He again simply said, "There is no evidence that it was created." At this point he was asked, "What about the seat you're sitting on, how did it get here?"

He seemed to understand instantly. Of course things with a beginning have a Creator. Upon this realisation he said, "Go away stop talking to me!" He was left with a final challenge, "If your entire worldview can be dismantled to the point that you have no answers in just a few questions, maybe you should reconsider it". He said he didn't want to and just wanted to live his own way, so he was left to consider it all.

The afternoon then finished with a wonderful chat with Larko and Tamati, two Kiwi young men. They thought it was likely that God exists and said therefore that they would be in trouble before God. In the end they came to understand the good news and said that they would strongly consider it and were thankful for the chat.

Please keep these people in your prayer as they head away from this afternoon considering what God has said the way to Heaven.

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Showers of blessings marked our approach to the Point. With umbrellas on standby, we prayed and headed for the pier/jetty. The precipitation ceased as we began our outreach. Mainly, it seemed to be a day for heralding the truth and praying that an imperishable word, James 1:21, had been planted by the Holy Spirit. Continue to pray with us if you can:

     - for Luke, a man seeking to study the Scriptures who has present concerns about the 'here & now' such as 'what about those so many who have never heard God's good news?' - that he may be given the grace to believe and to learn to submit to the authority of Scriptures.

     - for Wayne who admits that the gospel makes sense but says he is not convinced - that the Lord would stir him to check it out.

     - for Jason, a Chinese man who was pleased to see our web address as he wants more information after hearing the good news - that God would grant him this and the gift of faith.  

     - for Andrea - that she will be restless until she finds her rest in Christ now that she knows she is not good and understands the gospel.

     - for Tom and Mikala that the Father would draw them to the Son.

     - give thanks to God for His Great Commission, Mt. 28:18-20, and that He would lead any converts to a Bible-believing Church for ongoing training in discipleship.

Glory to God in the highest! 

 

    

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The weekend of outreach for the Christchurch (NZ) saw wet weather on Saturday, but a return to clear skies and winter sun on Sunday.

The outreach was difficult on Saturday, although it started with a wonderful initial Gospel conversation, I only ended up having one more conversation in two and a half hours I was in the city.  So I ended up ending the outreach slightly early and heading to the letterboxes instead.  I don’t think the weather helped, as rain showers passed through often.  And yet, maybe that one conversation will be pivotal in bringing glory to God through salvation?

It started only after the guy had passed a first time and accepted a tract.  When he came back past, I asked if he had read it, and a conversation got started.  It turns out we had both lived in a small city called Timaru and the mutual connection was fuel to a warm conversation.  He was a bhudist.  Eventually I had an opportunity to share the law and the Gospel with him.  He genuinely seemed impacted, and more than once said he had something to think about - which was very encouraging.  But I made it clear there was an urgency to respond.  The Gospel message is clear, and we may not have another opportunity.

The reason he was in the city was for a rugby match on later in the evening.  Many supporters were walking through, but none, except this guy, seemed interested in discussing the important questions of life.

The one other conversation I had was a bit discouraging.  The person seemed completely blind to the serious nature of sin, and the amazing grace of Jesus - the worries of this life seemed more important.

I delivered tracts to letterboxes in the rain with prayer.

As discouraging as Saturday’s outreach seemed - I’m not discouraged.  We worship God who is in control of everything, I have confidence in Him no matter what comes.

Sunday’s outreach had a team of four - Andy’s son, Josiah, managed five Gospel tracts today - not beating his record, but still a wonderful effort.  Well done! :)

Tracts were received, conversations were had.  And I open air preached - although I had to battle a loud speaker playing music nearby.

God is good all glory to Him!
 

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When you head off to an outreach, you never know what to expect. This is what makes street evangelism both nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time.  The last three months have given our Toowoomba team plenty of practice in expecting the unexpected, as well as seeing God use ordinary people to make a simple difference in our city.

For example, two of our team members (Adro and Tim) had an encounter with J-, a young man who walked up to Adro and Tim and asked them to pray for him. J- began to explain his story and shared how he had faced a number of significant relational and financial challenges in the last couple of months. A tradie by profession, J- had been struggling with work and also in his relationship with his partner.

He had a Church background and was quite upset and so, at his request, Tim and Adro prayed together with him on that bustling street. After some significant pastoral conversation, the three of them parted on good terms and J- is still very much our prayers as he navigates the road ahead. We genuinely hope to see him again sometime and journey with him further.

Another encounter we had was with a different J- and his partner C-. These two (and their cat) were sleeping on Margaret street and had taken up shelter in the doorway of a building. To the best of my knowledge, all of their possessions were in that doorway, including mattresses, blankets and pillows.

C- was heavily pregnant and only had 8 weeks before their child was due. J- and C- were worried that if their baby came before they had permanent accommodation then they would have their child taken from them by the Department of Child Services. Tim and I (Doug) spoke to them and spoke to them about a number of services available in Toowoomba for people who were living on the streets. Both C- and J- seemed quite familiar with these services but, as their circumstances are unique, these services were only of limited value to them.

After purchasing a food voucher for them from the local Woolies, we left J- and C- with the promise that we would keep our eyes open for accommodation that would suit their growing family.

If you, dear reader, know of anyone who would be willing to help house this couple, please contact me through Facebook or through the contact details listed on this website.

Along with our “usual” ministry of handing out Gospel tracts and striking up conversations with people, we have begun building relationships with the Jehovah’s Witnesses who man an information booth each Saturday in the CBD. This well-known cult often put Christians to shame with their zeal and dedication, yet the fact remains that their destructive message must be engaged by Christians committed to loving these people in the long-term and sharing the Gospel with them.

Over the last few months we have met a number of their group who have been rostered on to a particular Saturday. Many of them are older and we have focussed on sharing the foundational Christian truth that justification (being declared righteous by God) is through faith alone and through a process of trial and error I’ve chosen my “go-to” text as Romans 4:1-11 and the example of Abraham. I’m looking forward to walking some of our JW acquaintances through the text and ask them what they think it means in the next outreach.

None of the discussion above is designed to be done as a “once-off”. People are people and tend to discuss issues best in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect over an extended period of time. Thus we are seeking to build our friendship and discuss these crucial issues with people in general and our JW friends in particular. Regardless of the outcome (because people aren’t projects) we want to continue loving and caring for every person we meet, regardless of whether or not they agree with us.

So that’s the wraps for the last three months of outreach in Toowoomba. Many more encounters have occurred and a number of other interesting dialogues have taken place through the team’s ministry, but, as usual, we only have so much time to write reports and share with you all.

 Please keep us in prayer as we enter into the second half of 2019!



 

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Thursday saw the team back at the bus stops: first at Northlands, and then at Eastgate.

At Northlands, I re-encountered some of Jehovah’s Witnesses.  I was talking to them about how effective the question: “Do you ever think about what happens after life?” is.  At that moment, a young man was walking past, and so I asked him that exact question to demonstrate.  The response was, “Yeah, I think about that a lot.''!  He then engaged me in a Gospel conversation - right in front of the Jehovah’s Witnesses - so they all heard the Gospel.  I praise God for that.

In the morning, I had been praying for the salvation of one particular young man I often encounter at the Eastgate bus stops.  Well, as I arrived this afternoon, the very first person I encounter is this young man!  I had two minutes to chat with him about the Gospel before his bus arrived.  He took a type of tract he hasn’t received before.

Pretty much all the interactions with people at the beginning of the Eastgate outreach was with people I have already shared the Gospel with at some point in the past.  I feel a bit like a bus stop chaplain!  But with the stops constantly refreshing with people waiting for buses - there are always many opportunities for sharing with new people.

Friday saw a turn in the weather.  It was wet.  We proceeded with our Gospel + abortion outreach outside the hospital in the morning.  But the rain was heavy, and mixed with the cold it made sense to end the outreach early.  But in the time we were there, we showed how serious we are about this very important issue.  We had one person stop to talk with us.  We also had a few people show their opposition by firing some choice words at us as they hurried past.  We continue to pray that God would use our feeble efforts for His glory.

In the afternoon, I reverted to letterbox dropping, until the rain finally stopped.  This gave us an opportunity for outreach in the evening in the city.  A team of four gathered.

In spite of the cold, and a lack of people about, we still managed to have many opportunities to share the love of Christ.  Hereford street was a very fruitful place of ministry.

I engaged with a young homeless guy, who upon learning I was a Christian, disengaged expressing an alligance to Islam.  But to my surprise, he came back five minutes later and apologised, and wanted to know what I had to say.  It was wonderful being able to share of the grace of Christ - that our salvation is not dependent on our works.

We also had some fruitful ministry time at the bus exchange.  By this stage, the heavens had opened up again.  So we ended up venturing inside (as well as outside) to spark up Gospel conversations.

One of my conversations ended up being with a guy who Andy had shared the Gospel with at Eastgate the previous day.  Christchurch is small enough that this kind of thing happens all the time.

I thank God for the support He is providing through you to enable the Christchurch team to have so many wonderful opportunities to share His love.  I thank you also.  Join us!  Till the nets are full.
 

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On Tuesday, in Riccarton, I had some competition.  Unicef were out in force working to get “sign ups” (pictured).  Apparently they need to get two a day to keep their job.  If I needed to get two converts a day, I would have been fired a long time ago.  Either that, or I would have started compromising the truth of the Gospel and start manipulating people to get “decisions”.  I’m glad I don’t have that pressure.  It’s God who saves, it’s our job to faithfully share His Gospel.

In spite of the competition, I still had a fruitful time of ministry, handing out many Gospel tracts, and having some very timely conversations…

My first was with a political science major from the university.  It was a respectful clash of worldviews.  I succeeded in sharing the law and the Gospel.  And it was wonderful having one of the Unicef team listening in as well.

My last was a heated exchange with a young man and his friends who had gone past me (back and forth) four times during the outreach - not showing any interest.  But eventually his girlfriend decided she wanted to talk, and listened to the Gospel.  This drew him in for the heated exchange - there seemed to be a bitterness towards what I would call hypocrites.  Similar to last week, the outreach went overtime by fifteen minutes as we sparred.  I would love to talk to him again, without the heat.

During the outreach, I had many responses similar to: “all the time”, to my question of: “do you think about the afterlife?”.  I’m finding this a wonderful lead in to conversations.  I even had one lady say: “well, it’s about time I started thinking about it” - and gladly took my tract - thanking me.  She didn’t stay for a chat, so I hope she means it and reads it!

Wednesday (today) was unseasonably warm.  In the morning I was in Cathedral Square.  I didn’t bother setting up my flip chart and used tracts to start conversations.  I had some wonderful conversations with people with Christian backgrounds who weren’t Christians.

The highlight was with a young man who was thinking very seriously about the things of God.  He expressed remorse for his sin (his words), but didn’t think he had repented and trusted Christ for forgiveness yet.  Although he asked good questions around this area.  He is connected to a good local church, although not going regularly.  I encouraged him to read Mark and Romans in the New Testament.  And, with Biblical authority, commanded him to repent and believe the Gospel today - he might not have another!

Before lunch I open air preached.  I was interrupted half way through as I recognised someone walking past whom I ended up talking to one to one.  It turns out he had recently been in a bad car accident and so the discussion about the Gospel was timely!

Once I got back to preaching, I ended up having three people come, sit down, and listen.  I was able to follow up with all three afterwards!

After lunch, I headed to Ara, but it was strangely quiet there - I wonder if the students are on holiday?  But I ended up having a good conversation on my way there.

I moved back to the city, and ended the days outreach in Cathedral Square with a Gospel conversation there.

I’m very encouraged by encountering all the people who are thinking about the afterlife.  Oh that God would raise up preachers (you) to bring the law and the Gospel - and to turn that thinking into conviction and salvation.  All for His glory alone!  Join me.
 

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On Tuesday in Woodridge the afternoon as always was exciting. There are two young men that over the past few weeks and months the team have had the privilege of working with. The first named Mckay has been on a journey from a cultish Church to the truth, the other named Joe who has recently been humbled by his own actions.

Mckay when he first spoke to the team believed that one must be baptised in order to get into Heaven. He was shown the scriptures on this issue and a few weeks later came back acknowledging that baptism is something a Christian will want to do but it isn't a requirement for forgiveness. Over the following weeks he will stop by and chat with the team and spend quite a while there. This past week upon encouragement to no longer attend a Church that was preaching a false gospel he took the risk, chatted to his parents and has started attending a Christian Church near his house!

Then at outreach this week for the first time, he joined the team in sharing the gospel! It has been a joy over the past months to see this slow transformation take place as he comes to read and study God's word more and come to grow in his love for Christ.

On the other hand, Joe spoke with the team first a month ago and had a decent chat. The following week he spoke to another team member and came to understand the gospel and was challenged. As you could read in the report a few weeks back his response was, "Wow, that's fantastic". Just last week he was checked on his understanding of the gospel and he still knew it and was given a gospel of John to start reading and was encouraged to attend a local Church. Due to his current circumstances he is unable to drive at the moment and lives in an awkward area so he struggles to get to a Church.

Thankfully this week a local Church contact was made and hopefully on Sunday morning Joe will be able to make it along to Church. Please be praying that this goes ahead and that Joe will get plugged into a local body! He has professed a faith in Christ and it will be exciting to see where this leads!

It isn't often that the team gets to see the fruit of their labour but it is a great privilege when we do!

The afternoon was filled with many other conversations including five people who heard and understood the gospel! One stand out was with Zac.

Zac said he wasn't religious and that he has rarely thought about death. He was shown why we know God exists and how this impacts our lives. He came to understand that because God is good and we are not we each deserve Hell. Zac understood and said it made sense. When asked the way to Heaven he didn't have any idea and thought we all just were going to end up in Hell. This was the perfect opportunity, with the realisation of how desperately we fail to show Zac the beauty of God's goodness and kindness.

At the beginning of the conversation Zac said he wasn't religious, at the end he was able to share back the simple message of the gospel and how it will change a persons life and said he would have to consider it. He took a tract and said he would take a read.

What an exciting afternoon. Praise God for His incredible kindness, love and patience that He would give those who were once His enemies the immense privilege of calling others into His family by the simple message of the gospel!

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On Monday at Capalaba the team was a bit smaller than normal at only three over the afternoon but even when there were less labourers in the harvest, there were still many people who heard the good news!

There was an early conversation with two guys who at first said that there was no God. They were shown the buildings need a builder analogy and they got it, said it made sense but moments later they realised the implication, that means there is a God to whom they are accountable and they said they didn't want to talk about it anymore.

After a few more quick conversations later there was a time whilst the bus stop was empty and so the JW's who were set up were approached and asked how someone can be made right before God. In summary, as you would expect they said that you "exercise faith" in Jesus and you will receive the "free gift". Somehow they were desperately blind to the fact that they were attempting to earn a gift. Some time was spent in Romans 4:1-5 and Ephesians 2:8-10 but the issue was that they seemed unable to comprehend the message of grace.

They believe that faith + works = salvation and they have been taught that anyone who disagrees with them believes that faith = salvation + lawlessness. They are legalists and believe that anyone who disagrees with them is an antinomian. But they can't understand the simple message the Bible teaches which is faith = salvation + works. Sadly over the course of a fifteen minute conversation they couldn't grasp the simple gospel message. It was awful and sad to see, that people who a so assured of themselves are so blind to what God actually has said. Mary and Linda were encouraged to read Romans 3-5 this week and to take time to understand what Paul is saying.

This was followed with a quick conversation with Aidan that seemed to flow so well! Aidan at first said he was an agnostic but was shown how we know God exists and he said that made sense. Then he was shown God's law and saw his guilt but was hesitant to admit that he was really Hell-deserving. Once he acknowledged that he was asked how he could be forgiven and said, "I don't know, you tell me". So that is what happened.

Aidan came to understand it and was able to answer some questions correctly about the way to Heaven and where good works fit into the equation and as a result he said he would consider it and took a tract.

The most exciting conversation of the afternoon was with Anna. She and her friend Steve were waiting for a bus but when the bus arrived only Steve got on and Anna stayed to chat. The conversation spanned almost an hour as Anna, who had a Christian background came to understand how all the things she'd been taught fell into place. It was a beautiful opportunity as for the first time in her life Anna, who had attended Church most of her life finally came to understand all of the pieces of information that she knew about God and what He had done formed into the story of God's plan to save the sinful human race through Jesus Christ.

At first upon understanding the gospel Anna said she would consider but when she was older. Through the conversation and hearing more and more about Christ she said, "This has been very convincing, I think I want to trust in Jesus today". With many other topics touched on and her coming to understand the Christian life and a few other parts Anna took a gospel of John to read, said she wanted to go to Church on Sunday and was going to count the cost of following Christ!

The afternoon also had a range of other conversations but a late one took place with Austin. He was there with a few school friends who were being pretty distracting and rude but Austin remained resolved to listen and to understand. Unlike the others he had some level of Christian understanding but didn't know the gospel. Over the course of fifteen minutes, despite the attempted distractions from his friends Austin came to understand the message of grace. That through faith in Christ a sinner can be made right before God and will go to Heaven. He understood the response to this incredible gift, that all those who receive forgiveness will be totally changed, wanting to live for and serve Christ with their lives. He said he would read his Bible this very night to learn more about Jesus and was challenged to trust in Christ today!

What an wonderful afternoon of outreach! How good is God, using unworthy servants to advance His kingdom!

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On Sunday night there was a team of thirteen who came out to proclaim the glories of our God and King! What an exciting evening it was out in the city. With some newer team members coming on out to be helped and equipped in how they can better share the gospel, it was an evening filled with conversations.

There was an early conversation with a couple who stopped to chat. They at first said they didn't think there is a God but then saw how we know He exists and acknowledged that it made sense. Then the implications of God's existence came with the law and God's need to punish evil. They saw that like other they too had disobeyed God and were deserving of Hell. But at this moment the guy grabbed his girlfriends arm and left, stopping them from hearing the good news about how sinners can be forgiven.

Later there was a conversation with Simon a man who had some religious background but over the course of the conversation came to see the predicament he was in currently. He saw that if he died as he currently stood he would end up in Hell eternally. Upon realising this Simon wanted to know the solution so the simple message of hope was shared. It was a privilege to see that he had understood it and actually said that he wanted to trust in Christ today!

On the street when people understand the good news and profess a desire to trust in Christ today the next step is to almost try and convince them not to. It is often hard find the balance between excitement and taking every little thing as a sign that someone is now a Christian and knowing the serious call of the Bible to repent, to stop living ones own way, to take up ones cross and deny themselves daily and many other things.

So Simon was strongly challenged, shown the serious cost of trusting in Christ and at the end of it all he was checked one final time that he still knew the simple message of justification by faith and he took a tract and went on his way.

The final conversation of the evening was weird. Dom and Emily were people who were trusting alone in the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, they knew they're not good and don't deserve forgiveness. They understood that there is no works required to receive salvation and understood that good works will result from all those who have trusted in Christ's death on the cross to pay for their sin. The surprise, not that they understood Christianity but that in all of this they attended a Catholic church.

This young couple attend a local church, whose official confessions say the very opposite of everything that they believe. Simply through their study of God's word they had theologically arrived in the right place, despite attending church that teaches the opposite. What a testament to God's commitment to those who are His! After this was all established Dom and Emily were challenged in their attendance to such a church.

They were encouraged to read more of God's word regarding baptism, communion, church leadership, confession and many other things and compare it to what they were being taught and on the basis of seeing the difference in scripture with their church then seek out a church whose aim is to preach God's word, not the traditions of men.

Please keep those who heard the good news in your prayers. Specifically for Simon that his profession of faith would be possession of faith and for Dom and Emily that they would end up at a Church where the Pastor seeks to preach the truth.

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On Saturday the first conversation was with Banjo. At first he started talking about reincarnation but this was just brushed over and he was shown God's existence, his guilt, his current destiny in Hell and the only hope for sinners. Banjo said, "This is the first time I've ever heard this message". He also noted that it had opened his mind and he was challenged to consider it. He was able to tell the way to Heaven to the team and said he was interested in reading his Bible and was going to start attending a local Church! What an exciting beginning to the evening!

Soon there was a conversation with a Muslim man, Matham. He was doing the usual spiel of trying to tell us everything about Islam and in doing so was stopping himself from hearing the good news. A new direction was taken as he was asked, "Do you know what Jesus says is the way to Heaven?" He didn't. So the opportunity was taken to show him through the flip chart, letting it do the talking and also to keep the conversation on track.

Matham got to the end of the conversation and was able to articulate back, according to Jesus, how someone gets to Heaven. He was challenged to consider it strongly and he headed off.

Soon three young adults, Chad, Karlie and David, approached and they were asked where they'd go after they die but they didn't have much idea. Over the course of the conversation Chad remained defiant against God's offer of forgiveness and Karlie didn't say much but David seemed moved. He said he wanted to consider it, he was going to have to think about this more and gladly took some resources.

There was then an interesting conversation with Declan and Reece. Declan declared that he was sure he'd be good enough for Heaven and was strongly defending himself. Then the law was revealed and he was absolutely silenced. Reece on the other hand who was less self-assured to begin with, was also condemned by the law but then came to hear the good news of the gospel. He came to comprehend it simply and understand it very quickly.

In the end the pair were challenged to count the cost, to not just take this in as information but to trust in Christ alone for their salvation and to start living in obedience to God.

There were a scattering of other conversations. A very arrogant man approached the table and had no intention to listen just to berate and disrespect. There was an American lady who'd had quite a lot to drink therefore struggled to pay attention and follow the conversation but was given a gospel tract. There was also Daniel and Arki a couple who heard the gospel but didn't seem to understand despite best efforts and ended up leaving with tracts.

Please keep all those who heard the good news in your prayer and why not consider this weekend coming on out to share the good news of what Christ has done to save sinners?

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