Battle Log
Battle Log > London Team > Page 3
Friday, 23 April, 2010
Leicester Square in London continues to be our location of choice for sharing the Gospel with as many people as we can. Friday night was some night indeed. Arriving in the Square we opened in prayer and then set about getting ready.
As he has done in recent weeks Barney stood up to give a little intro before I stepped up to preach. As he was preaching some men in the crowd stopped to mock and sneer and poke fun at what Barney was saying. I was standing right next to them at the time and perhaps they were a little surprised when I stepped up to preach after Barney had finished. No sooner had I said a few words that one of the men who had mocked Barney starting to fly into a tirade of insults and abuse. He was incredibly rude and foul mouthed and was intent on doing nothing but attacking me and the message I was proclaiming. He could see that I had a Bible in my hand and began making wild accusations against the Bible, even though by that time I hadn’t even quoted a verse. It soon became very difficult to preach since he began to stir up the crowd against what I was saying, or at least was trying to say. It made me think of the book of Acts and the many times that the Jews stirred up the crowd against the apostles. This seemed no different. About twenty minutes in my Assistant Pastor, Stuart, arrived and his timing was impeccable. We were a bit thin on the ground and to have another man on the team was a great help. By this time I couldn’t continue preaching and so we all began to engage with people in one-to-one conversations.
The conversations remained heated as there were many people in the crowd that had become part of the “anger mob.” We all did our best to be gentle, but also firm. I per-sonally had to defend my ground quite strongly and when someone squares right up to you, you can’t help wondering what his next reaction is going to be. There were police in the Square, which is normal, but I don’t think these chaps cared much about that. It was St. Georges Day as well, which is England’s National Day. Friday nights always re-sult in alcohol consumption, but I think this night meant an even greater amount. I think this added to the fire. It struck me that I wasn’t scared at all. I certainly don’t say that to boast, but it is something I can honestly say. I had guys around me that were anything but peaceable, yet I had a sure confidence that God was with me and that should I take a beating then so be it. This was front line Gospel work and when we engage the world with the Gospel we shouldn’t be surprised when we meet with hostility. Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).
As the evening progressed we all started to get the upper hand in our conversations, in the sense that we were able to diffuse the situation as we spoke calmly and firmly with people. I was called all things under the sun for believing that there is a God but I re-sponded by showing them how foolish they were for believing that blind chance some-how engineered the universe we live. They didn’t like it when I called them foolish but I think they were started to see that we had some backbone and that we did have an-swers to the accusations they mounting against us. Towards the end of the evening I got talking with a chap called Neil. He came up to me and said that he was part of the crowd that mocked and laughed at me in the beginning, but actually he really respected me for standing up and making a stand for what I believed in. He had grown up Catholic and had a lot of questions he wanted to ask. As we were talking his friend came up and started to be a real obstacle to our conversation. I have seen this so many times before. You will get one person who is genuinely interested but a friend they are with serves to be nothing more than a hindrance. What was quite interesting to see though was Neil coming against his friend, pleading with him to let me speak. At one point he said to his friend something very true: “If there is no God, why do we have good and evil, right and wrong? Where did that even come from?” I stood there marvelling. Here was a chap who wasn’t born-again, yet he could reason rationally enough to make this conclusion. I continued to talk with Neil for some time. He had many questions so I took his email address and said that I would contact him so that we could continue our conversation. I have since done so but he has not yet emailed me back, do pray that he would so that I can continue sharing with him God’s truth.
It was certainly some night. I can say on a personal level this is probably the most an-ger and hatred I have ever experienced towards the preaching of the Gospel. Yet we rejoice! Jesus said: "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
Soli Deo Gloria!!
Friday, 18 December, 2009
It was a bitterly cold evening tonight as we headed out into the Square. Due to the holiday season a number of the team were away so we were a bit thin on the ground. But it was a joy and a blessing to be out to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
With my team acting as my “mock crowd” I stood up to preach. Just like the week before the Square had been turned into a carnival atmosphere. With all the noise and the cold, I knew it was going to be tough to bring in a crowd.
I decided to do a call out as people walked past. I was talking about morality and the common claim from people that they are good. As a couple of youngsters walked past I called out to one of them and said, “How about you sir, would you consider yourself a good person?” He responded with the affirmative and so we quickly got into conversation. His friend joined in too. Their names were Callum and Stanley. They objected to being not good concerning God’s standard of goodness. They were not convinced that God existed and so failed to see the relevance. They questioned why I was on a stepladder preaching to them. I had to keep plugging away with these two chaps, telling them that I too had fallen short of the glory of God. I made a case for the existence of God and spent some time talking about sin so that they could see they too had sinned and were guilty before God.
They stayed for some time and even when I came down off the ladder they stayed talking with me. We talked for a little while longer and I think Callum in particular (on the left in the above photo) was becoming far less objectionable as he listened. In the end they both thanked me for talking to them. I think their initial response when they saw me was, “Who is this religious nut standing on a stepladder talking about fairy tales and nonsense??” However after we had talked I’m convinced this mindset had been changed. They saw the reasonableness of what I was saying and I’m sure they felt I was still in control of my senses!
After they had left I looked around and saw that the whole team was in conversation. I noticed one chap who had stopped and was talking with a Christian from another ministry that comes to Leicester Square. I came a little closer and listened. The chap’s name was Lewis. After listening for a little while I introduced myself and thanked him for stopping to talk to us. He commented that I had “started something,” since all around him there were conversations between my team and people who had stopped to listen. Lewis seemed to be genuinely interested in the Gospel message and was certainly open to spiritual things. He said that he had had an experience of the supernatural at a time when he had taken narcotics. Often this is the case. Whatever experience he’d had, it was clear he was open to hearing the Word of God and this is a work of the Holy Spirit. He was open, but I did not sense that he was ready to make a commitment. He had a lot to think about. I did not say, “So, would you like to make a commitment?” However, I did tell him that his life could end at any time and unless he was right with the Lord he would go to hell. He appreciated this and agreed he had much to think about. I gave him my details and said he could email me any time. Please pray for him.
Below are a few more pictures from the evening.
In the picture below you can see Andrew and Elyske on the right in conversation with someone and you can also see in the centre of the picture Lesley (in her big fur coat!) in conversation as well.
It had really been a great night.
Soli Deo Gloria!!
Friday, 11 December, 2009
Tonight was a great evening. We began by meeting for a time of fellowship and devotions at Cafe Nero. It was wonderful to have a good turn out and everyone was excited to be out to share the Gospel.
We arrived in the Square and I began to get things organised for the night. Andrew was not with us, which meant that the preaching fell to me only. Our ministry is now quite facetted and along with the open-air preaching we also have the sign-boards that we use, along with the many gospel tracts that we hand out. Below and to the left is a picture of Lesley using one of the sign-boards, with the question: “Ask me the meaning of life.”
The boards work really well and the result has been that many conversations have been initiated by them. Our aim is for people to hear the Gospel, whether it be through an open-air preach or through one-to-one conversations. Of course, open-air preaching leads into one-to-one conversations and it’s wonderful when the two work together like that.
Street evangelism is very dynamic and each Friday night is always different. Often it’s a case of waiting to see how the evening plays out. That said, I do believe it important to have a structure to the evening. To this end I have decided that the open-air preaching ought to take place first. This is because it is a team exercise. When the preacher stands up to preach it makes a huge difference for him to have a “mock crowd” in front of him. People draw people and it is the aim of every open-air to draw in a crowd. In addition to this, the Christians in the crowd have the responsibility of observing those who take an interest in the preaching so that they can engage them in one-to-one conversation. This was the plan for Friday night, although events transpired in such a way that we had to abandon the plan. This is not a bad thing and it cannot be prevented, the key point is that we do have a plan for the evening so that we are focused and directed in what we are doing.
As I was getting ready to preach a man approached me and asked if I had preached yet. I was a bit surprised and so I asked him how he knew that I would be preaching. He said that he had seen me preach five times previously and that he had taken photos each time (the camera he had used was in his hand). I told him that I was almost ready to preach but had a few more things to do. He seemed pleased and asked if I could give him something to read as he waited, as he could see that we had various tracts and booklets, etc. Just before I stood up to preach he came to ask me about something he had read in the booklet I had given him. I had given him a Gospel of John and in the front of the booklet it says the following: “The Bible is the greatest work of literature, the most accurate record of ancient history, and the most profound book ever written.” He took issue with this and argued that the Bible could not be completely accurate and trustworthy, since it had been written by sinful man. I realised that the preaching would have to wait and that I needed to address his objection. I looked around and was pleased to see that my team had begun to engage people in conversation. The man I was talking to introduced himself as Patrick and as we continued to talk I recognised him from having spoken to Susi the week before. He seemed to believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life and that they had played a role in human history. As we were talking another man came up to us and pushed his way into the conversation. This can be a tricky thing to deal with and it does mean that you have to take control of what is happening, to the best of your ability.
The man who had joined our conversation asked concerning Andrew and I realised that they had spoken before. He had in his hand what appeared a Muslim booklet/tract that quoted various verses from the Bible, which called in to question the Deity of Christ, etc. He was becoming very difficult to deal with and I repeatedly had to ask him to be fair and allow me to respond to what he was saying. Patrick noticed too that he was not being fair and asked him the same. It did not help and eventually I had to say to him that I would no longer be talking to him, since he had no desire to be fair but instead wanted to dominate the conversation. I found it interesting when he said to me that he was not a Muslim and in fact did not hold to any religion, yet he seemed intent on showing Christianity to be full of supposed errors. My biggest concern was Patrick. I had given him my best attention and hoped that he appreciated this and also that he understood my decision to walk away from the conversation. I could no longer continue my conversation with Patrick without the man’s interference. Perhaps I could have tried something different and should I meet with him again I will certainly do my best to take greater control.
By now it was getting quite late but I still felt I had sufficient time to preach. Leicester Square has recently been transformed into an amusement park and so it’s a lot nosier with far more distractions. It makes open-air preaching certainly more of a challenge. I decided to still give it a go. Some other Christians had come to join us and I asked one of them if he wouldn’t mind standing by me as I preached. After a little while some people began to stop and listen. A young lad by the name of Francis saw it as an opportunity to have some fun at my expense but I played off of that and managed to turn it around a little bit. He didn’t quite like the fact that I caught him out with regards to his sin but he stayed to listen and I was pleased that he did. A little later another young man stopped to listen and he asked some genuine questions concerning the claims of Christianity, as well as the credibility of the Bible. I attempted to answer his questions as best I could and when he moved on he came and shook my hand and thanked me for my efforts. I had hoped that he would have stuck around but sometimes a person only wants to have their questions answered before they move on. It could be the beginning of the Lord drawing this man to Himself (John 6:44) and I do pray that the Lord would do just that. Unfortunately I did not get his name but please do pray that the Lord would continue to work in his life.
After I finished preaching we all continued to talk with as many people as we could. It was a very cold night but praise be to God that we were able to talk with a good number of people. After a little while we gathered together to talk about the night. Rowina seemed very excited and came to share some news with us. It turns out that during the open-air preaching two men who had stopped to listen are in fact father and son but had not seen each other in 17 years! The father had been arrested and sent to prison and so they had completely lost contact. Now, 17 years later they had been reconciled after stopping to listen to the Gospel being preached on a cold winter’s night right in the middle of London in Leicester Square! We also learned that the father became a Christian while in prison. How good is God?! I was speechless as I listened to Rowina. We serve a great God.
Tonight truly was a great evening. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Saturday, 12 September, 2009
On Friday night we were out with the Gospel and it was a wonderful night of evangelism. We had a few new faces join us and also some of the team were back from holiday and so forth. So it was great to be back out!
After praying for the night ahead we headed into the Square and set up for the evening. We had quite a few tracts and we also had some visual aids that Rowina has put together. These are really great and are sign boards that give questions for people passing, questions like: “Ask me what happens when we die.” The boards prompt many questions from people and are great for getting into conversation. We have people on the team who are confident enough to approach strangers in order to engage in conversation, but we also have some on the team that find this difficult so the boards are really great for them. This adds another dimension to what we are doing and along with open-air preaching it means that we are utilising another avenue to approach people with the Gospel. Below is a link to a brief video I made of the boards being used.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYk1_uzjxt4
During my open-air preach I was heckled by quite a few people. One in particular was a man named John who admitted that he believed in a higher power but had question marks over who that higher power was. I reasoned with him concerning creation to show him that there is in fact a God who made this world, and I also reasoned with him regarding the conscience to show that he is accountable for his life and that when he stands before God one day he will need to give an account of his life. John listened and heard the Gospel and so we praise the Lord for bringing John to Leicester Square to hear the Gospel. This is not something we ought not to dismiss, John could so easily have gone anywhere that night but the Lord brought him to Leicester Square to hear the Gospel. Praise the Lord!
Audio of Rob Hughes preaching:
The night was a great night and we praise the Lord!
Soli Deo Gloria!!
Friday, 4 September, 2009
On Friday night we met at our favourite café and enjoyed a time of fellowship and prayer together. We were small in number as many were still away due to summer breaks, etc. However, we had two new faces join us. Sarah and Nathan had joined me from my church, which was a real blessing to us. Both Nathan and Sarah are starting university soon so they will not be able to join us regularly, but hopefully we can see them join us again soon.
After setting up in the square I stood up to preach. I proclaimed the truth that the true living God reigns and that contrary to most people’s belief today, God is not dead. Many people in the UK today see God, or the idea of God, as being something redundant, i.e. dead. I proclaimed that God is very much alive and that He is very interested in our lives.
After I finished preaching we all got into conversation. I got talking with a young man who asked some very probing questions. Many of his questions were red herrings I believe, even though he stressed that his questions were things he genuinely wanted to know. He questioned why God would ask Abraham to sacrifice his son; and if God were to ask someone to do such a thing today how would we know if that person were hearing from God and was not mentally disturbed. I explained that Abraham knew God and knew His character and that he understood it to be a test from God. If I were to hear such a command today it would be important that I obey God in the same that Abraham did. Abraham did not need to go and tell anybody, he simply had to obey God and do what He asked.
Rowina had made up some signs that prompt the person passing to ask a question. Each sign has a different question on it, like: “As me what happens when a person dies?” They worked a real treat and we had some great conversation start from them. I wanted to grab some pics but forgot to bring my camera! Hopefully I’ll remember for next week. LOL!
I also spoke to two young Jewish men from Israel. This was really special and it was so wonderful to show them from the Scriptures that Yeshua (Jesus) is indeed the Messiah. I read to them from Isaiah 53 and showed them from the Torah that Jesus was indeed the Messiah that was prophesied. They did show interest and I praise God for that because many Jews today are taught that Jesus is not the Messiah. We gave them both a Gospel of John and I really pray the Lord would lead them to read it.
Towards the end of the evening Sarah and I were talking with a fervent evolutionist. He used some very scientific terms and scientific language and I must admit it was difficult to keep up with him. I tried to keep things simple and spoke to him of the impossibility of life arising from inorganic chemicals, as well as the impossibility of complex and unique genetically coded creatures changing into something with a different genetic code. We ran out of time in the end but we did manage to swap details. Please pray for him, the Lord knows his name.
We’d had a good night. It was challenging at times but we need to be out there proclaiming the Gospel and making a defence for the existence of God. The Lord is mighty to save, but we must preach His Word. This is His command.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, 5 June, 2009
Tonight we were out once more for the sake of the gospel. Meeting in Café Nero as per normal it was encouraging to have a good size team, as well as some new faces!! God is so good.
After a great time of fellowship, prayer and devotions we made our way into the square. There was some space between the artists along the railing. Our friend Mark was on one end and even though he is our chief antagonist it's been a while since we were near him so I decided to give it a go. Andrew was up to preach first and he did a good job. Nervousness is still quite evident when he preaches but we praise the Lord, he is still getting up there and proclaiming the gospel. He did not preach too long but I think this was because not much of a crowd stopped to listen. However some did and that is what is important.
Carl had brought an A-frame sign that allows verses to be tagged on. One in particular quotes Psalm 14:1, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Andrew had finished and I was getting ready to preach when a man walked past and gleefully cried out, "There is no God!" I quickly interjected and told him that it is only the fool who says that. I pointed to the sign as I said this. As it happened he had only seen the part that said, "There is no God." He became intrigued somewhat when I started speaking to him and so he and his partner stopped to listen. Our conversation started to centre on the issue of creation versus evolution and the available evidence we have. We wrangled here and there and Andrew came to support me, which was helpful. The man's mind was unfortunately made up; however they left with a tract and some food for thought. Please pray, we never know whether this will be the beginning of God's work for them both.
After I had preached we all got into one-to-one conversations. Because the square was quite filled with Christians (there were Christians from another ministry and our team was quite big too) I decided to split us up a bit and so I took four people with me and we headed a little out of the square, towards Piccadilly Circus. I approached a group of young teenagers and gave them all a million pound note tract. I was able to talk with them all for at least 30 minutes and it was quite something. They listened and I really challenged them to get right with God. Some of the girls in the group, in particular, were listening to all that I was saying. As I left I gave some of them a "This is a round TUIT" tract. This is really humorous and all you have to say is something like this: "Hey guys, get right with God, this is your eternal destiny we are talking about! Do you think you'll get around to it and some point??" If they say yes, or maybe, then say, "Well you don't need to get around to it; I've already got one for you." At this point you give them the "This is a round TUIT" tract. It get's a belly of laughs and humour is one of your greatest allies when you are out witnessing. Give it a try.
After we rejoined the rest of the team we all swopped stories and spoke about the objections and questions we'd had. There really is no better way to learn than being out on the street talking with people about the gospel. You will learn things you will never learn from a book or in a classroom. The classroom and books are always important, but nothing beats learning through doing.
It was particularly cold by the time we got ready to leave, even though it is now summer. Well, that's England for you!!
We'd had a good night.
Soli Deo Gloria!!
Friday, 22 May, 2009
The team met at Cafe Nero as per usual this eve. To my surprise some new visitors had come to join us this eve from the Hackney area, we were about 12 people in total. After a brief study on truth and the Bible we moved to Leicester Square. I handed out almost all the tracts I brought to our team and after prayer, we dispersed amongst the crowds. I had a fruitful evening talking to many people and handing out many tracts. I managed to meet several Muslim men and a number of English youths. All conversations were very courteous and informative for both parties. In one encounter I met a young man named Joel and after our chat I gave him my contact details. We have chatted on Facebook and he said he's read the tract I gave him 3 times this week. I pray God will grant him repentance and faith in Jesus Christ! This evening was a wonderful opportunity to sow the seed of the Gospel and we ask God's blessing on the work done this evening.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, 15 May, 2009
The night began with some great fellowship at Café Nero. The rain was really coming down and so we were unsure as to whether we would be able to minister in the Square. We decided that we would stay in the café and fellowship together, and should the weather clear up we would make our way to the Square. To the right is a photo of us together. Some new faces!
The weather did eventually clear up so we made our way to the Square. After arriving we set up and I got ready to preach. The pictures below show the team all ready for some outreach! (I'm giving a few pointers here and there...)
During my preach a crowd gathered despite the poor weather. At one point a young couple began to heckle me. They wanted to know what was "so special" about me that I had the right to stand up and point out faults in others. I explained that I too was a sinner and that I simply wanted to help people understand that God's judgment would come upon them unless they repented and believed the gospel. I took them through the moral law and showed them that they were sinners just like everyone else. The young lady went on to explain that she still considered herself a good person and she pointed out relief work that she had done in Africa. She was promoting her self-righteousness and so I had to keep pointing out to her that even though it was quite likely she was far better than some people, it was God's standard she had failed. She wouldn't have it though, particularly the notion that she was a bad person. Before she turned to leave she insisted that she was actually a Christian. I could not see how this could be as it was clearly obvious she trusted in her own self-righteousness and not in Christ. It was hard to see this and as we spoke about it later we realised that we simply had to pray that God would humble her so that she would trust in Christ. I never got their names, but do pray for them both. The picture below has an arrow pointing to them.
After I finished preaching open-air the whole team got involved in one-to-one conversations. It was really wonderful to see. The open-air and the one-to-ones worked perfectly. It was great!
Katie, James and Raymond in a one-to-one conversation.
Michael and Harriet (on his right) in a one-to-one conversation.
All in all it was a great night! Below is a group photo of us all in the Square.
It was truly wonderful to have such an enthused team. May the Lord continue to add workers to the harvest!!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Friday, 8 May, 2009
After a time of prayer and devotions at Café Nero we headed into Leicester Square. Once we had set up our table with tracts and Bibles, etc, Andrew got ready to preach. This is now the third time he has preached open-air and he is improving all the time. It's great to see him growing as an open-air preacher.
Andrew began to draw in a crowd and soon he had a few hecklers. One of his first hecklers was a chap named Matt. I was particularly interested at this point because Matt came to heckle me a little while back when I was preaching. At that time he was holding a large, thick philosophy text book in his hands. Needless to say it's quite clear where Matt is coming from and that he has a very philosophical worldview. He does agree with a sense of right and wrong but does not wish to submit to the standards of God, preferring to adhere to the standards of humanity. He also sees God as simply an "idea" in a mythological sense. Andrew reasoned with Matt that there is a God and that His standards stand. He made the world and therefore He makes the rules. After Andrew finished preaching he continued to talk one-to-one with Matt; do pray for him.
A little later Lizzie came to me and asked if I would come and speak with a middle-aged gentleman named Peter. Peter expressed how life had been for him in recent years and that he had personal loss. Here was a man struggling to find hope. Lizzie and I spoke to him of the hope that is in Christ and the peace that comes through knowing Him (Philippians 4:7). I stressed to him the importance of being reconciled to God, the most important being the forgiveness he so desperately needs, but also the hope and peace he will receive through knowing the God who made him. He listened attentively and told us that what he was hearing did make sense to him. I gave him my contact details and told him that he would be free to call me anytime. I got the sense he would not be comfortable giving me his details so I didn't ask. Unfortunately we had run out of Bibles and I also bemoaned the fact that we did not have any literature that is written specifically to bring comfort to those who are hurting. We gave him an in-depth gospel tract and I also gave him a booklet that has principles for growing Christians. It is also a gospel tract in that it has the gospel in the front and I told him that should he wish to surrender his life to Christ these principles would be very helpful for him. Do pray for him.
Not long after I stood up to preach. I had not planned on preaching as lately I have felt I needed to give my voice some rest. The preaching bug caught though so I preached a brief message. I pleaded with those who listened that if God was speaking to them, if He was drawing them, then they should throw themselves on the mercy of God. We must persuade men; we must call out to them with the love of God and help them to see how urgent it is for them to be saved.
We'd had a great night of ministry. Jannah and Petra were both beaming after they'd had a very encouraging conversation with two homosexual men. They had been quite reasonable and were open to hearing the gospel. It's important to remember that lying is as much a sin as is homosexuality. Too often Christians have very nearly attacked people for their sin of homosexuality and have not shown the love of Christ. We can confront people of their sin, but we must never cease to show the love of God.
Soli Deo Gloria!!
Friday, 3 April, 2009
The team met as usual at our now local cafe for a time of fellowship, coffee, devotions and prayer. This has become an important time for us as we prepare for an evening of ministry.
Heading into the square I got ready to preach open-air. This afternoon I popped into Homebase and bought a new stepladder and it was great to get back up again to preach. During the first half of my message only a few people stopped to listen, which is fine. Whoever the Lord chooses to bring in is all in His hands. However, things were about to change…
A large group of young people walking past decided that my preaching warranted some investigation and so they strode up to me, all the while throwing questions and various taunts. They were all quite young, probably around 15 o 16 years of age. They were also fairly drunk, some more than others. I stayed standing on my ladder and engaged them in debate, but when they came up close and surrounded me I stood down. This is something that can be very frustrating and difficult to handle. It would be far better if they would stand back and “be the crowd.” However this happens from time to time and as yet, apart from firmly asking them to stand back, I have yet to find a working solution.
A young girl, who was not fully drunk but clearly had been drinking, approached me and said that she had been blessed by some Christians the week before and that she was now a Christian. I asked her what had happened and she told me that that she had been led to “say a prayer” and that upon doing so she was now a Christian. Two emotions arose in me as she told me this: anger and sadness. I was angry because it was very obvious that the gospel had not been properly and clearly communicated to her. She was not able to tell me what it meant to be born-again, or even that a person needed to born-again. She did not know what repentance meant. The way she conducted herself and the speech coming out of her mouth was almost clear evidence to me that she was not saved. Yet she had been told that she was. This happens so many, many times in the church today. The heresy known as antinomianism has taken the form of “easy-believism”, this idea that it is easy to become a Christian. It is not easy; it is in fact very hard to become a Christian. This is because a person must be prepared to surrender their entire life, they must be willing to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Christ. (Luke 9:23) As John MacArthur has said many times, it is hard to believe. I would encourage you to watch a video where Kirk Cameron interviews John MacArthur about this very issue. Click on part 1 and part 2 to view.
I was angry because it is not our job as Christians to dumb down the message or make it more palatable. By removing those parts that are hard to say we in effect change the message. When we remove the offence from the gospel then we have removed the gospel. So I was angry and of course I was also sad. Here was a girl who had been told she was now a Christian. Here’s my question: how is that love? How is it love to lead a person into a false sense of security only to see them die and go to hell? This is something that needs to change in the body of Christ today. We must preach the true biblical gospel, or we should rather not preach at all. So I would ask you to pray for her. Her name is Mary. Just so you know, I share with her the truth of the gospel, although she was pulled away by her friends before I could finish. She did take an in-depth gospel tract and also a Bible, which she had asked for. Do pray for her.
I also spoke with a young man named Billy. He was not quite sober himself, but he listened to me and said that I made a lot of sense. He was not prepared to surrender to Christ there and then but he sure was made to think. I am always amazed at how simple the gospel is when it is communicated rightly. It may be an offence to many, however it is not difficult to grasp. Christ Jesus came to this earth to save sinners. The good news of the Gospel is that the Son of God has substituted Himself in our place, has incurred God’s wrath for our sin, so that we might go free. It is indeed a simple message, but a message that is most profound and most life changing. Nothing will ever come close to it. Many tracts and Bibles were given away and we had some great conversations. I did preach a second time and got in a conversation with a woman who believed in evolution. She was simply aghast when I told that evolution was an embarrassment to true science and was completely erroneous. I rebutted her arguments and told her that there is indeed a God who made this world, One who will judge both the living and the dead. On that day we must all be ready. (Hebrews 9:28)
Soli Deo Gloria!!