Battle Log

Saturday 19 July 2008

Posted by Posted 24 July 2008, 10:53 PM by David Gee. Permalink

Anna my lovely wife joined me in witnessing to the lost of Sheffield this week, we prayed together beforehand and pleaded with God for the souls of those we would speak to today. As the weather was fine, Fargate was full of people and opportunities.

We began by handing out tracts while we waited for some others to join us. During this time many people took tracts and we both had a few people stop to ask what it was all about. While the couple of people Anna spoke to were hard of heart and cursed God, I had a good conversation with a pair of young men. While they didn't give me their names they both gave me their full attention and listened well. There was a few self justifying comments when they heard of the law and judgement, but they quickly were settled when we examined the justice of that judgement. I rejoiced as these two young men heard the gospel and left having given me assurance they would turn to God. We entrust them to your great hand Lord God and pray that you would draw them to you and keep them in the Lord Jesus Christ until they come to heaven.

After distributing the tracts we had, I set up to preach under the trees. I preached the great divide between the great gifts of God to us (life, a world to live in, food, clothing, sun, fellowship etc.) and the stingy and miserly gratitude that mankind shows Him in response. Worse than this we tend to hatefully use the very name of God as a swear word and interjection! Most would be aghast if you did this with their loved one's name, as any Christian should be if they hear the name of God blasphemed. A group of young ladies walked past laughing and I called out one of them and began to talk with her about her own response to God and her position before Him according to the law. We unfortunately were interrupted by her friend and she left so they didn't hear the whole gospel.

During this however Caz stopped with his mate and they wanted to speak to me about the things of God. Caz was proud and wanted to be able to stand before God and be justified without repentance and faith in someone else's work. In short he wanted to be able to do it himself - sadly the desire of most people. Again part way through Caz and his friend had to go and though they left with a tract it was sad to see him leaving still wanting self justification.

Next up was Anna, she doesn't preach very often any more but when she does I am always encouraged by her clear exposition of the scriptures and clear presentation of the gospel. During her preaching a couple of young people stopped to listen for a moment and then came back to listen to her. She engaged them on weather or not they were good and then went on to preach the gospel to them. Anna is very expressive when she preaches, today the stool that we use to preach from copped the full force of that expressiveness as Anna stomped on it to express the hate that most have for the name of God in blasphemy. The stool promptly broke into many pieces and so we have not stool but thankfully also no one was hurt either. At this the preaching to the young people became one-to-ones and many good conversations followed.

One particular couple stayed around for a period to talk and we were able to talk with them at length about the gospel and give apologetics for the faith that we have in Jesus Christ. The time was congenial and they left with smiles and tracts.

Praise God that He uses us to speak, may His word not return void!

SDG

View previous Sheffield report (9 July 2008)