Battle Log

• Battle Log
• Capalaba (QLD) Team
• Page 7

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Capalaba Team (QLD)

Meets 2-5pm every Monday afternoon (except public holidays) at the bus station between the two shopping centres (next to Noeleen Street).

Contact Ryan Hemelaar for more information.

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It was another interesting day in our Lord's service. There was a young Lebanese woman who was most appreciative of our chat.

Also 2 Muslim men in their late teens or early 20s on their way to NSW received a "You may not have tomorrow" and "What law have you broken?" tract.

There was a young J.W. man who was a bit apprehensive at first but we ended with a respectful challenge to one another. I asked him to ponder Mt. 28:20 and how Jesus could keep His promise to be "...with you always...'' since He left and ascended into heaven. He gave me Ps. 83:18 which I rejoice to submit to in the light of progressive revelation!

Thanks for praying and remember the other outreaches and the team in Myanmar.

To God be the glory for He alone is worthy. 

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How wonderful to be entrusted with telling forth God's good news. How good is God to keep equipping us and using our frail efforts to glorify Himself. Today was another day of great and varying responses to the gospel:

- a young man Andrew said that his Dad was a Christian but he was not. As I took him through an overview of the Bible's content, he kept supplying facts such as our first parents' names, Adam and Eve. He seemed to understand how God's justice and mercy are perfectly satisfied in Christ's life & death. Pray he is thinking deeply about what he has heard because his bus arrived before he could be challenged to forsake all for the sake of knowing Jesus as his Lord and Saviour - forever.

On the other hand, there was Lyn: After  getting her agreement to certain facts, she started to disagree with Lee-Anne. She has heard the truth that can set her free.. Pray that she will be tormented by the thought of having to pay the price for her own sins - forever - and flee from the wrath to come!

Another young lass didn't want a tract but when asked, replied that she was a Christian. On being asked if she worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ, she said "Occasionally". Then she indicated that she did not want to talk anymore. Pray that if she is converted, she will fall deeply in love with the Lord and commit fully to following Him.

The spiritual battle rages. The Prince of Peace is Victor. Let us serve Him with thanksgiving and keep on giving the glory to our great triune God through the one Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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How encouraging is our God and so gracious to us in our weaknesses! Lee-Anne was having a great conversation to a couple in their 20s who seemed to be receptive. A couple of us noticed this as we finished our own conversation and in one of those rare instances we prayed out loud, "Lord. Help Lee-Anne speak to their hearts."  Their bus arrived and Lee-Anne comes to us saying that she wished she had longer. Look again! The couple is not allowed on that bus so Lee-Anne returned and resumed their conversation. We thank the Lord.

There was Remiole who thought he would get to heaven because he went to his R.C.church.After going through the gospel, he correctly answered the diagnostic question. Then he said that he would go to Church for His sake.

Rebecca had recently been to a friend's baptism. She has heard the truth and has a gospel of John to read.

God gave us many more conversations and perhaps a seed was planted in some of thos young lives?

Whatever the result, it is glorious because it is God's work and displays His character. To Him be all the glory, thanks and praise!

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Another adventurous day at the 'original' Capalaba bus stop.

- A sad ending to one conversation went something like this: 'This is where you and I differ. Jesus may have died for your sins but He never died for my sins'. This was spoken by a mature aged man who said he was going to heaven. He also had decided that his R.C. priest would go to hell as he had absconded with the parish funds when he retired. How sin hardens the heart so that the good news is not even considered. 

- an open door: Tallara, a young lass, was keen to hear God's good news. After hearing the law and gospel, she was challenged to count the cost (which might be for her leaving her friends who were mocking while she was paying close attention). She is armed with John's gospel, the apologetic tract, the Jesus tract and the comic tract.

- encouragement: A lady attending an interdenominational community church and her husband both want to draw closer to God. She needed to hear the gospel explained and after some time she was stating that one had to believe in Jesus to get to heaven. He is spending time in jail but claims he is wrongly convicted. May our Lord draw them to the Saviour.

- a few other chats with Christians helping them to grasp a firmer hold on their faith in Christ.

What a privilege to serve God giving Him all the glory knowing our own weaknesses and inability to regenerate anyone.

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Some substantial chats were had:

     - Aldrin understands the gospel. He said that the Bible speaks of 2 genders only but tells us not to judge. So why are some people told to repent of their lifestyles? God knows what is best. God does not target any one type of sin. One needs to trust Him and trust that He will renew anyone who comes to faith in Christ alone to save him. God has delights none but His children can experience.

     - 2 young girls who didn't think they would get to heaven. Later on, they said they didn't believe in God. Their first statement was a work of their conscience. Further evidences were presented to them which they accepted. By the time that their bus arrived, they had heard the good news,  and one expressed her thanks.

     - a young man who had half an hour  trying to defend his position, "I'm not religious."

     - a young man who had a vague knowledge that Jesus was born to wash away our sins. He proved a keen listener and we trust a seed of faith may have been planted.

The work continues tonight through Thursday night in the city - Christmas lights. Please pray for God's strength and protection and clarity of thought for those involved. To God alone be all glory and praise. 

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Hasn't the Lord commanded His people to take His words of eternal life into all the world? This is one way Christians can demonstrate their response of love to Him who first loved us, 1 Jn. 5:3-5.

There were some unusually 'hard ones' today, e.g. one lady who claimed that she had proof for reincarnation  but would not listen to a white person because they are the cause of all the world's problems! Another man who made outrageous claims of what he knew then explained that his tattoo had the Hebrew name of God, Allah. ( wrong!)  Providentially his bus arrived and whisked him away.

Ryan asked one lady if she thought she would go to heaven. She said that she did not believe in heaven and all that. Hearing the builder analogy, she said that made sense. Then she adapted this new position: I choose not to believe. The conversation continued until she asked how can one know what hell is like. Explaining that Jesus (who made hell - Col. 1:15,16) had died and rose victorious from the grave on the third day, the conversation ended there as her bus arrived. Pray God stirs her spirit so she seeks the answers and the gospel that she so desperately needs. 

Lee-Anne met Katy, a good person type Christian. Pray she receives the gospel message as explained to her.

Pray for Jemma, a young lady who is open to learning God's good news and has her own Bible. May she read a gospel account to confirm what has been explained to her and find new life to the full in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Praise Him from whom all blessings flow and thank Him for using His fallible servants for His glory. Our sovereign Lord God Almighty always has the last word!!!

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A day of some good introductory chats and some regulars saying they did not want to hear the gospel again. Pray that those introduced to the good news would check it out further. Pray also that God may be merciful to those objectors and give them a desire to seek Him. 

Of particular interest;

 - Colin, claimed to be a Christian who was 60% of the way there. This was explained as he has given up adultery and is now fighting some physical addictions. He goes to a 'church' that cannot help him! He listened to the gospel and Lee-Anne urged him to get urgent in trusting Christ alone to save him (he had responded well to the Blondin illustration).

- - Sarah, went through creation to the gospel and chatted about her and her partner's last 12 months. Explained that the Bible portrays even 'heroes of the faith' as true to live = imperfect in this life but looking forward to Christ's return to complete what He merited on behalf of His people in His first coming. So she can expect some Christians to be less mature than others. She had already encountered a few judgmental ones. Stating she would read the gospel of John, I gave her one and explained how it emphasizes the deity of Christ and why that is essential.

--- a week-old visitor from Turkey; this man respected all religions. Briefly Lee-Anne  indicated that he needed to trust Christ alone. He was given a comic tract that he said he would get someone to explain to him.

Thanks for praying and all praise to our faithful triune God for enabling His servants to get His good news out to more people.

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Thanks for praying for this outreach.

- Pray for Allan, an elderly man who used to do door-to-door witnessing for Jesus for 10 years until his wife became very violent towards him because she hates God. At one stage he was chased by his wife with a gun. So unfortunately he stopped his Christian endeavors and gave up on the faith, and as a result his wife calmed down towards him because he no longer was in the faith. He needs strength and boldness from the Lord to get back to where he was. Pray for this, and for his protection.

- Jai, had previous trouble with the judicial system and did not like the idea of being in trouble with God. He has heard the good news now. He is encouraged to read the Bible that he already has and count the cost of following Jesus.

- Marina, a young Muslim woman who had been raised in a Christian home ihn South Sudan. She had had questions that her church did not answer. She had read the Bible and asked God to reveal Himself to her. She said that we worshiped the same God.

After a long chat showing the uniqueness of the triune God, the 2 natures in Christ, and justification by faith alone vs. her own stated 'works' view, she cordially responded that she still believed He was the same God in Islam and Christianity. As we parted, I suggested that maybe God was answering her prayers of a few years ago with what she had heard today. May God stir her to question her present faith stance.

Again we thank God for the pleasure of serving Him and give Him all the glory for the results.

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The Lord's work keeps His people prayerful for we know that we need to be fueled by grace.  There was a 22 year old man, Braden who was on a 10 minute smoke break. He thought that Lee-Anne had already spoken to him before. She hadn't but then seized the moment and after conversing a while, Braden stated that this had to be a God-appointment.

Last Saturday, his sister had asked him to come to church but he declined. Now, going through the law, the court room analogy then the gospel, Braden listened carefully. He heard the evidence for the reliability of the Bible, received a gospel of John and after expressing his thanks, returned to work. He has the 'way to heaven' tract. Please pray that God grants him the gift of saving faith and its attendant blessings. 

Ryan had a chat with Ramia, a teenager, who had been raised Roman Catholic Being taken through the law and gospel, Ramia exclaimed that he should respond to the gospel today. He was challenged to count the cost and start regularly using the means of grace. Pray the Good Shepherd speaks to him.

He also met a young lass who claimed to follow satan's bible. She lives for today to please herself. She said that there has to be a god if one believes in satan. For her, hell was a temporary something or other. She freely admitted to breaking the commandments of God but tried to justify her sins by saying that the bible has been altered and is full of terrible deeds done by believers. Ryan countered her statements. She changed her mind about  the Bible, but then, her bus arrived.  Pray that God sends more of His messengers to complete the gospel presentation to her. 

I had a long chat with Fabian, from P.N.G. His professed faith in Christ was reinforced as he talked about his daily walk with the Lord using God's means of grace. He stated that life without God was meaningless. How true! The sad thing was that he had met very few Christians on our streets since he arrived in Australia. Rom. 1:16,17!!!!!!!

Again we give God all the glory for the above and other events of this time serving Him. How privileged we are to be used of Him as we are in our many faults. Maranatha!

 

 

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It seemed a mainly 'black and white' day at the bus stop today. There were those who compressed their lips as they indicated they were not in a talkative mood - mainly older citizens. But also. there were teens who confessed to be Biblically ignorant but took tracts and seemed to accept the challenge to take the Bible seriously for it deals with God's way to eternal life or an eternity of personal misery. Pray that they do 'check it out'.

One young man reckoned that he was too bad to be saved. However he heard God's good news. While he seemed unchanged, we pray that as God's word does its work, Is. 55:11; Heb. 4:12, so his conscience is awakened so that he breaks free from his current fatalistic stance.

We thank God for conversations had, tracts distributed and all our imperfect works with all our imperfect prayers made acceptable through the offices of our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the praise of God's glorious grace. 

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