Battle Log

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I had a fruitful time of witnessing this morning outside Tooting Broadway station.

Unfortunately, I was out by myself. However, the Lord was with me and that's what matters.

By God's grace I was able to hand out a good number of tracts. I also had some great conversations. 

The most encouraging conversation I had was with a young couple who listened intently as I shared the gospel with them. It was great to hear them say that it made total sense for them.

Praise God!

Please pray the Lord would draw them to repentance by His lovingkindness. 

Here is a link to the audio from the conversation: http://bit.ly/1ocVrOL

Soli Deo Gloria!

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Never a dull night out evangelising in Brisbane city. Tonight there was a drunk man trying to speak over the top of a street preacher and annoy him by putting his hands in his face, but watch what the crowd, which consisted of Atheists and Muslims, did.

Glory to the King of Kings!

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7 June 2014 - Stirling

There is a cartoon that describes a conversation between two men in Scotland. One of the men asks, "What is the special Scottish word for when it is cold, grey and raining." The other man replies by saying, "Summer." This most certainly was the case when we arrived in Stirling today. The trip down was beautiful, sunny and warm, but that all changed just before the outreach began. Yet, despite all the rain God was glorified!

At 2pm, we met together to prepare for the afternoon of outreach. The sky was dark and rain was threatening, so we decided that the best thing we could do was start the ministry as soon as possible. While the team handed out a few tracts, I began to preach. The text I chose to preach on today was John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal"

I started by talking how people today always seem to overcome by bad news, and as a result a sense of hopelessness can abound. From there I was able to introduce a message of Good News. The message that says that God is Love, and that He can forgive sinners on the basis of what Christ has done.

A few people came out of shops to listen, and a few others sat opposite to the preaching. One young man objected to me saying, "God is loving." His reason for the objection was that he couldn't see that God had done anything for him. I answered his questions, but it was clear he wasn't overly interested in answers, instead he just wanted an excuse to justify his unbelief.

I preached for around twenty-minutes, and in that time we saw the rain come and go. After, I finished preaching Jason stood to preach on how only God is good. For a new preacher he did well. Then it was time for Craig to step up. By this time the heavens had opened up and the rain was coming down quite hard. Yet, a group of people stood and listened to the preaching under the cover of a local shop entrance. Also, during the preaching, a group of teenage girls stopped to ask questions of Craig. Even though the rain was falling, and it was wet and cold, the Gospel was still going forth.

Eventually after all the preaching had finished we began to pack up. As we got our bags together a young man who was smoking a cigarette engaged us in a conversation. It started off by him realising that I was an Australian and thinking that was 'cool.' The next part of the conversation then went to him recommending different alcoholic drinks I should try before I leave for home.

Somehow the conversation got around to the fact that we were Christians. The young man was quick to declare that he liked Jesus and that he was a Christian also. So I asked him, "If you die tonight, why will you go to heaven?" To which he answered, "Because I'm good." This then opened up a whole gospel conversation. We spoke about how by nature we have all sinned, and none of us deserve God's Heaven. From there we explained the cross, and how it is only by the mercy of God that any of us can ever be forgiven. The young man visibly changed throughout the conversation. He started as a boasting young man, but by the end you could see the conviction upon him. He knew that he was not good, and that he needed the Saviour. The young man then took a tract and also a Gospel of John. Please pray that the Lord would save him.

Even though the rain came down, we still had many gospel opportunities. Praise God for His faithfulness in allowing us to declare Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria!

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It was an intense night in Brisbane with constant crowds listening to the preaching for over 2 hours.

You will see in the clip below how one person responded angrily to the gospel, while at the same time many others were asking genuine questions and were listening intently.

To God be glory forever!

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31 May 2014 - Glasgow

It was a lovely, and warm day as I made my way to Scotland's largest city. The plan was to meet with the guys at 1pm, but God in His sovereignty had other plans. As I was making my way to the outreach I discovered a massive traffic jam which resulted in it taking thirty minutes to move two miles. Needless to say I was now late for the outreach!

When I finally arrived in Glasgow, I discovered that the outreach had already commenced. Craig Scott had come across a Muslim group trying to win converts, so he decided to go and talk to them. It was a real interesting clash of world views in that part of Buchanan Street, for there was the Muslim group, the Communist group, and a bunch of Scots playing bagpipes. In the middle of all that was our small group of Christians handing out literature and talking to people about Jesus Christ.

Craig spoke to the Muslim for quite sometime, and while he did that the rest of us were able to hand out many tracts. The position I was in allowed me to distribute around two-hundred tracts in about twenty minutes. People were friendly, and some even came back asking for some more literature.

After Craig had finished speaking to the Muslims, we made our way to the top of the street in order to begin the open-air meeting. We found a spot that appeared to be ideal for our purposes, and we began to share the Good News.

I was the first preacher up, and I took for my text Acts 16:30-31 - Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.

From that text I was able to talk about how in life we have many questions, but the most important question we should be asking is, "How can I be made right with God?" From there I was able to provide the answer that is found in Jesus.

Things were fairly slow during the preaching. A few people sat to listen, but many others walked-by. One man sat and listened to the whole message, and at the end he took a tract. About half-way through my message a Muslim man with his family stopped to listen. He seemed to be very interested, but left before anyone could give him a tract (although, I did see him later on in the day and he gladly took literature).

While I was preaching a young lady came up to ask a question. She was a Christian and was struggling with her spiritual walk. Since at that moment I was preaching, I couldn't deal with her specific pastoral need, so I referred her to Craig who was able to help her.

At the end of the message, a well-meaning Christian man came up to me and wanted to debate Bible translations. He believed that the King James Version is the only real version, and that all other translations make Jesus to be a liar. He even argued that the Greek and Hebrew was in error. I answered his questions briefly, and then continued on the outreach. The questions that he raised are questions that should be discussed and answered, but that is an 'in-house' discussion, not one for an outreach.

By now Craig had stood up to preach. It has been good watching Craig's open-air preaching develop in the time I've known him. I truly believe God is going to use this young man to reach the people of Glasgow. Make sure you are praying for him.

While Craig was preaching a drunk man approached him and began to be silly. This drunk didn't pose any threat, he was just 'out of it'. At one point he lit a cigarette and began to walk around Craig. This riled up an onlooker who walked up the drunk, smacked the cigarette out of his mouth and told him to be more respectful. A couple of us had to intervene to make sure no violence erupted.

By this stage it was getting close for me to head home. But just before I left it was great to see Dane arrive with a large group to continue on the outreach. Dane and I would disagree on many points of theology, but we agree in the Gospel. I am thankful for men like Dane, and those with him who are passionate about preaching Jesus to those who are in the darkness.

As Dane began to preach I made my farewells to the group. Today was my last outreach in Glasgow before returning to Australia. While it was great to work with all these different Believers, it was also sad to say goodbye to them. I will miss working alongside them, and I will miss being able to preach the Gospel in the beautiful city of Glasgow.

As the motto of Glasgow use to say, "Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the Word and the praising of Thy name!"

Soli Deo Gloria!

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Did you know the nightly news at 6pm on Channel 7 and Channel 9 proves something? Watch as you see an overview of the Operation 513 outreach held on the 24th May 2014 in Brisbane, Australia.

Watch the following three minute video from the night and be encouraged.

Soli Deo Gloria!

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It has been a couple of months since I have taken time to write what has been happening in Scotland. The reason for this is that four months ago my daughter was born, but we have discovered she has a rare bowel disease. Numerous trips back and forth the hospital has taken up much of my time which would have otherwise been devoted to evangelism.

However, in the midst of all that the Gospel has been still advancing. I've had opportunities to spread the Gospel in the hospitals, via tracts and personal witness. While I would have loved to get out on the streets more often, I have found that God has given me more than enough to do in day to day life.

On Saturday, 24 May, I was finally able to get back out on the streets of Scotland to proclaim the Gospel. I was invited to Stirling by the Reformed Presbyterian church plant there to assist them on an outreach.

We arrived in the historic city at 2pm, and immediately I noticed that the High Street was full of people. I found a good location to preach, and from there the outreach began. The first preacher for the day was Craig Scott. The plan was that he would preach first, and then I would follow, but God in His providence had other plans.

As Craig preached a few people sat down to listen. While he preached and people listened, I handed out tracts to those who were walking past. As I did this I noticed that a young man who was well dressed and sat down next to a lady who was listening. He had a coat zipped up high, but I could see that he was smartly attired. At first, I didn't think much about this, but then I noticed he began to engage this lady in conversation, before too long he had produced a booklet and handed it to her. This booklet was a Mormon pamphlet that spreads their message. It turns out that two Mormon missionaries had snuck in to try and spread error as people listened to truth.

After a few moments I was able to engage this LDS missionary in a conversation. It turns out that he travels between Ireland and Scotland, but is originally from Utah. He was very polite as we began to discuss different issues. At one point he asked me, "What do you like about our church?" My reply seemed to shock him, I said, "To be honest, I like nothing about your church, as according to Galatians 1 it preaches a false gospel."

Elder J— was surprised at my bluntness, but we were able to have a great conversation. I asked him to explain how someone was saved, and he replied by saying we need to repent, have faith, be baptised, and keep the commandments. He went on to say that salvation is much like a person trying to cross a big canyon. We do as much as we can to bridge the gap, and then finally God's grace takes us across the final bit.

I pointed out that while the Book of Mormon may teach such doctrine, it is actually foreign to the Bible. At this point I quoted from 2 Nephi 25:23 (Book of Mormon), which states, "...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." Then, I compared it to Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Elder J— didn't have an answer for this verse, except to point to James 2, which I was able to answer by showing that James 2 talks about works after salvation, not works for salvation. From there I was able to show numerous other verses that explain that salvation is not based on what we do, but rather it is based upon what Christ has done. As I explained the Gospel to him, a man interrupted and politely asked if he could listen into the conversation. We both agreed that he could, and I continued to present the Gospel.

Elder J— was quickly trying to get onto a different topic, so I asked him about the Book of Mormon, and if it was God's Word. He said that it was, and that it confirmed perfectly with the Bible. He also, went on to say that there were no contradictions between the Bible, and the Book of Mormon. I replied by saying I had already showed him one in relation to salvation, and that I could show him another if he wished. Elder J— asked me to show him another contradiction, so I asked him, "Where was Jesus born?" Elder J— quickly replied, "Bethlehem." At this point I had him open his book of Mormon to Alma 7:10 which states that Jesus was born in Jerusalem. Elder J— just looked at his book, and then said, "The Bible says that also, as it is cross referenced to Luke 2:4." So we turned to Luke 2:4 and discovered that the Bible says Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

At this point Elder J— called over Elder G— and asked him for help. Elder G— got to hear the Gospel also, and then made this admission. He said that the Book of Mormon had made a mistake, and got this doctrine wrong. This then opened up a whole discussion on how we can know the truth by comparing Scripture to Scripture. After talking about this for awhile the LDS missionaries had to leave, but both of them willingly took tracts.

The man who has asked to listen in was still standing with us at this stage, and he turned to me and said, "I will never become a Mormon now." I asked if he was a Christian, and he admitted that he was an atheist. For about the next thirty minutes we had an excellent conversation on apologetics and the Gospel. This young man was very open to learning more, so he took a tract, and said he'd do some research. It is always nice to have conversations with atheists who are friendly and open.

But, the next atheist I was about to encounter was not friendly, nor open. He had begun heckling Craig so I went along to see what I could do to assist. It turns out that this atheist was the son of a missionary. He was an apostate, who had turned his back on Christianity, and had embraced the life of sin. No matter what you said this atheist would just rant saying that he has heard it all before. Yet, when you questioned him he admitted to never hearing it before. This man was just angry at God, and was not prepared to talk. He just wanted to rant and rave. We were able to present the Gospel to him but he just scoffed.

By this stage the day was getting late, so we decided to pack up and head home. As we were packing up three older women walked past and yelled abuse. We were able to engage them in discussion, and it turns out that they just hated Christianity and wanted to banned in public. One of the ladies said to me, "I will never go to church as that is only for sinners." I answered her by saying, "Well, I guess I'll see you in church tomorrow then?" This stopped her for a moment, and we were able to talk of Christ again.

Overall today was an excellent day. The Gospel was proclaimed; people heard of Jesus, and many people wanted to learn more. May Christ be honoured!

Soli Deo Gloria! 

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This evening in Brisbane city we encountered a lot of Muslims and tried to persuade them to find forgiveness in Christ. Watch the following video from the night:

To God be the glory!

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I decided to head to the Gold Coast early afternoon, well before our weekly evening outreach would begin. As I was driving there, I prayed to God asking that He would send along someone else who could evangelise with me there, for otherwise it would just be me there for several hours.

Once I got to Surfers Paradise, I began handing out gospel tracts and having a few conversations with people. It was not long before I was talking to John, a forty year old man who grew up Greek Orthodox and was on holidays from Sydney.

When I asked him if he was going to Heaven, he replied, “I hope so.” So I asked him what he’s relying on to get him there. His goodness, he said. So I wanted to see how good he really was. “Have you ever lied?” I asked. “All the time.” “Stolen something?” “Yep” “Looked at someone with lust?” “Constantly. In fact I picked up someone just the other day.”

He began to see that compared to God’s standard, he was not good enough and that he was on his way to Hell. I then explained that the only way of entrance into Heaven was by having a substitute – somebody who could take the punishment for his sins on his behalf. That was Jesus, dying on the cross 2000 years ago, rising three days later.

I told him that he needed to trust not in his goodness or Church going or any good action for his forgiveness, but simply in Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

But when I asked him a checking question to see if he understood what could get him to Heaven, he reverted to works again. So I explained the gospel again and then again and finally he got it.

He said, “Ah it makes sense! I have shivers going down my spine.” I then was urging him to count the cost - he cannot have Christ and still love his sin. He understood that, and said he wanted to trust in Christ and repent. He then was asking lots of questions on how he can fight sin.

After talking for almost an hour, and then I asked him if he wanted to help me hand out gospel tracts. He said, “Ok sure, let’s do it.” Then for the next few hours he was helping me hand out gospel tracts. What a way God answers prayer! Way beyond anything I expected. Saving a person and then straight away making him a co-labourer in the Great Commission.

He said he had listened to 200 hours of Creflo Dollar, after finding him on early morning television. I warned him about prosperity preachers like Creflo who do not faithfully proclaim God’s word. I then recommended he listened to better Bible teachers – giving him names of John MacArthur, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, and James MacDonald.

When 7:30pm rolled around, a couple of regular team members couldn’t make it - the ones who bring out the amplifier. So the outreach was spent in one2ones and handing out gospel tracts, as well as discipling John. Very much a worthwhile outreach. Lots of gospel tracts went out and some good conversations were had by the whole team.

To God be the glory!

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Easter Monday Outreach

There were 8 of us who hit the streets on the Easter Monday public holiday to get the message of Jesus' death and resurrection out to the thousands of people who were at the Gold Coast that day.

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