Emma: “Hey Glen - righto I need to give this online evangelism a crack.”
Me: “Pick a time and we can show you how it works... no pressure, observation is fine”
Emma: “ah Im scared! yep okay that 'll be cool. thanks! So....maybe tomorrow :)”
Me: “Yip, me too! Haha”
The next day.
Me: “See ya at 3pm :)”
Emma: “Yes :) Phil is going to join me as well if that's okay. He's keen to give it a go too.”
Me: “Awesome! :)”
Sure enough, Phil & Emma joined the virtual meeting. I was late, as I was still in a longish video gospel conversation with a guy from Canada. But when I finally joined, Matt was doing an Omegle demo to them and the rest of the team.
Phil & Emma then joined me in our own virtual meeting room, where we were able to discuss online evangelism. I then shared my screen and audio and proceeded to do another demo for them - with a late teen girl who was happy to hear the gospel, and then ask questions. And then another - this time with a Muslim from the UK. He was open, but we sensed he knew where it was going and bailed before I could share the gospel. But I had managed to drop a link to needGod.net before he left.
After further discussion, Phil was keen to give it a go! And Emma too. And so I left them to it.
It’s so encouraging to see people giving it a try! And if you are not keen for video chat (yet), you can start with text based Omegle chat. And there are other options too.
You may be wondering, “but how do I start the conversation?” Here is a suggestion: “Hi there, hey, I’ve got a deep question for you, what do you think happens after life?” It’s not as hard as you think, because you are willingly entering a conversation with a complete stranger, and so are they - it really does lower the barrier (the social awkwardness) to asking direct questions like that. Give it a try, you’d be surprised how many are keen to talk about the deep questions of life. And if it doesn’t go well, smile and say, “check out needGod.net, have a nice day”. And then hit ESC
Earlier in the afternoon, I entered an Omegle video chat and was greeted with the pictured view! The guy had Hot Wheels (tm) all over his walls! A great conversation starter! And then I noticed he had a t-shirt on with a picture of Jesus on a surfboard! It just couldn’t get better, as it gave me an easy way to swing the conversation from the natural to the spiritual. In this case, the guy heard the law, but I could tell he was going to exit the conversation, so I quickly dropped a link to needGod.net. To my surprise, he looked at it and then, under his breath, as though talking to himself, said: “I’ll copy that so I don’t lose it”. He then proceeded to tell me how things worked in the world (in a nice way), and then, unsurprisingly, bailed - he was gone forever. But he heard the bad news, and he has access to the good news. He is in God’s hands.
I’ve mentioned IRC (Internet Relay Chat) a few times in my reports, and I continue to keep this in the background. Yesterday, I managed to get into a great conversation with a guy who thought there was an objective standard of morality that didn’t require God. As the conversation ended, I “preached” the gospel in the channel, but I became aware of a newbie to the channel. Long story short, it turns out the newbie is a Christian I’ve worked with many times in street evangelism! David had been reading my battle logs (haha, I say this all the time, but - people are actually reading them??) and so checked out IRC for himself. It turns out that he had already taken on the guy I had just been discussing with, about the very same subject (and I never realised, because I came into the channel after David was there).
I’m so encouraged to see Christians getting involved, as they can! Praise God, glory to Him.
Today God gave me a special opportunity to talk about the gospel in IRC. Sadly, the conversation was on the topic of drugs. I am Zedude. I’ve done my best to cut out unrelated chat lines. With multiple people contributing to the conversation it can get hard to follow everything, but I hope you can make out what was going on.
[2020-04-22 13:00:55] [Zedude] Afternoon!
[2020-04-22 13:46:45] → android1 joined (~androirc@unaffiliated/vadre)
[2020-04-22 13:48:45] [android1] passionate about truth
[2020-04-22 13:50:24] [Zedude] android1: you are passionate about truth?
[2020-04-22 13:51:25] [android1] michael highway to heaven
[2020-04-22 13:51:48] [Zedude] Huh?
[2020-04-22 13:51:58] [android1] highway to heaven
[2020-04-22 13:52:09] [Zedude] Are you on it?
[2020-04-22 13:52:20] [android1] are you a club24 member
[2020-04-22 13:52:24] [Zedude] no
[2020-04-22 13:52:31] [android1] sign ip
[2020-04-22 13:52:44] [Zedude] It's a narrow road to heaven, btw
[2020-04-22 13:54:12] [Zedude] android1: are you a good person? Will you go to heaven when you die?
[2020-04-22 13:56:37] [pbxman] what are your thoughts on psychedelic trips doc235 ?
[2020-04-22 13:56:48] [doc235] i love them
[2020-04-22 14:00:10] [doc235] i seen a blue dragon in my kitchen :)
[2020-04-22 14:00:30] [_Sam--] I see a knee dragon on my wall
[2020-04-22 14:01:51] [Zedude] Drugs: here be dragons
[2020-04-22 14:07:13] ← android1 left (~androirc@unaffiliated/vadre): "Quit"
[2020-04-22 14:11:01] [Zedude] Well, if this life is all there is, might as well make the most of it. But then I read Ecclesiastes and I cried like a baby.
[2020-04-22 14:11:16] [dumbguy] Zenude: sup
[2020-04-22 14:11:29] [pbxman] why Zedude? what did touch you?
[2020-04-22 14:12:25] [Zedude] Well, I saw life as so meaningless, and Ecclesiastes confirmed that for me - and touched me in a deep way. It put it into perspective for me.
[2020-04-22 14:16:03] [Zedude] .bible ecc 12:13
[2020-04-22 14:16:04] [HEYYOUGUYS] (Zedude) Ecclesiastes 12:13 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
[2020-04-22 14:16:10] [Zedude] .bible ecc 12:14
[2020-04-22 14:16:10] [HEYYOUGUYS] (Zedude) Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
[2020-04-22 14:16:45] [pbxman] Zedude, how do you think god will evaluate you? What do you expect to get from god?
[2020-04-22 14:17:12] [Zedude] pbxman, by his standard written on my heart: my conscience.
[2020-04-22 14:17:33] [Zedude] A standard I fail.
[2020-04-22 14:17:34] [dave0] Zedude: is ecclesiastes new testament?
[2020-04-22 14:17:39] [Zedude] No, OT
[2020-04-22 14:17:46] [dave0] oh ok
[2020-04-22 14:17:53] [pbxman] Zedude, do you take confession ?
[2020-04-22 14:18:03] [Zedude] pbxman, no.
[2020-04-22 14:18:16] [pbxman] Zedude, do you expect to be rewarded by god?
[2020-04-22 14:18:18] [Zedude] We have direct access to God, through Jesus sacrifice
[2020-04-22 14:18:45] [dave0] nope, sacrifice means nothing
[2020-04-22 14:18:46] [Zedude] no, I'm not worth of any reward; and any I get, I want to cast before Jesus in honour of him.
[2020-04-22 14:19:22] [dave0] another religious snake who thinks the torture and murder of an innocent man for no reason is "good"
[2020-04-22 14:19:25] [pbxman] Zedude, do you think deep meditation or psychedelics could get you closer to Jesus?
[2020-04-22 14:19:28] [Zedude] dave0: through the cross, the temple veil was torn top to bottom.
[2020-04-22 14:19:42] [dave0] Zedude: means nothing
[2020-04-22 14:20:19] [dave0] who said he had to die? what can he teach in death that he couldn't teach in life?
[2020-04-22 14:20:20] [Zedude] dave0: it wasn't for no reason. Jesus did it willingly, to satsify justice and offer mercy.
[2020-04-22 14:20:25] [pbxman] dave0, According to the bible Jesus knew what would happen to him
[2020-04-22 14:20:26] [hi63vj] Do you beleive in magic?
[2020-04-22 14:20:33] [dave0] Zedude: it's meaningless
[2020-04-22 14:20:35] [Zedude] dave0: at a cost we won't be able to comprehend.
[2020-04-22 14:20:52] [Zedude] pbxman: no further away
[2020-04-22 14:21:18] [dave0] knowing it would happen changes nothing
[2020-04-22 14:21:34] [Zedude] dave0: ?
[2020-04-22 14:21:51] [pbxman] to me meditation and psychedelics is what gets me closer to the source of consciousness or "god"
[2020-04-22 14:22:11] [Zedude] pbxman: key statement: "to me". What matters is what is true.
[2020-04-22 14:22:25] [dave0] Zedude: so you say killing jesus was a good thing?
[2020-04-22 14:22:32] [pbxman] Zedude, truth is complicated word in matters of faith
[2020-04-22 14:22:33] [Zedude] dave0: yes
[2020-04-22 14:22:41] [dave0] Zedude: snake
[2020-04-22 14:22:44] [_Sam--] I support the Jews and Romans decision to kill Jesus.
[2020-04-22 14:22:54] [_Sam--] He was going around bringing people from the dead for no reason.
[2020-04-22 14:22:56] [Zedude] dave0: why?
[2020-04-22 14:23:16] [dave0] Zedude: you argue for killing people?
[2020-04-22 14:23:27] [Zedude] pbxman: truth is not complicated, it is true :)
[2020-04-22 14:23:30] [pbxman] .bible john 19:30
[2020-04-22 14:23:31] [HEYYOUGUYS] (pbxman) John 19:30 When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
[2020-04-22 14:23:39] [_Sam--] If some dude came around today and started bringing dead people back to life in a morgue, would you want that dude alive?
[2020-04-22 14:23:43] [Zedude] dave0: I argue for truth and justice.
[2020-04-22 14:23:44] [_Sam--] Or would you want that dude killed?
[2020-04-22 14:24:12] [dave0] Zedude: you call murder truth and justice
[2020-04-22 14:24:31] [Zedude] dave0: no. Murder is objectively wrong.
[2020-04-22 14:24:39] [pbxman] according to the bible he said "it is completed" so he came here for a purpose
[2020-04-22 14:24:50] [dave0] Zedude: no. you say it is good
[2020-04-22 14:25:04] [dave0] Zedude: because you are a snake
[2020-04-22 14:25:17] [_Sam--] It's like lots of other jews before jesus had powers too
[2020-04-22 14:25:22] [_Sam--] And they did good things with them
[2020-04-22 14:25:24] [_Sam--] Like parted a sea
[2020-04-22 14:25:29] [_Sam--] and helped Jews
[2020-04-22 14:25:36] [_Sam--] All Jesus did was bring some people back from the dead
[2020-04-22 14:25:37] [dave0] for which good deed do you stone him
[2020-04-22 14:25:40] [_Sam--] and caught a couple fish
[2020-04-22 14:25:42] [_Sam--] That's it
[2020-04-22 14:25:44] [_Sam--] BFD
[2020-04-22 14:25:46] [Zedude] dave0: Jesus willing went to the cross, to satisfy the justice of God. God kills, but it is not murder, it is justice. By what standard am I a snake?
[2020-04-22 14:26:07] [dave0] Zedude: by your own standard that murder is objectively wrong
[2020-04-22 14:26:23] ⇐ pbxman quit (~pbxman@84.78.242.15): Remote host closed the connection
[2020-04-22 14:26:56] [Zedude] dave0: I don't have a standard, but God does. Justice. We all believe in it. But God is also merciful.
[2020-04-22 14:27:01] [dave0] yep god kills, jesus hasn't killed yet, murder is truth and justice... and you ask why you are a snake
[2020-04-22 14:27:30] [Zedude] dave0: you are twisting my words. Why? Why are you so angry?
[2020-04-22 14:27:39] [dave0] Zedude: you've never heard his voice or seen his form
[2020-04-22 14:27:53] [dave0] because i hate it when religious idiots advocate murder
[2020-04-22 14:28:10] [dave0] i hate it when anyone advocates murder
[2020-04-22 14:28:29] [Zedude] dave0: true - directly I haven't. But I hear his voice indirecly, through the Bible. Written language is objective.
[2020-04-22 14:28:51] [Zedude] dave0: I never ever advocate for murder.
[2020-04-22 14:29:03] [CrystalMath] _Sam--: see i'm only partially jewish, the most i ever did was caused a particular flame to burn more strongly from a large distance
[2020-04-22 14:29:12] [_Sam--] Capital Punishment
[2020-04-22 14:29:14] [_Sam--] I for an I
[2020-04-22 14:29:22] [_Sam--] People get killed in proper justice.
[2020-04-22 14:29:23] [Zedude] dave0: but I did murder - I murdered Jesus. My life should be forfiet.
[2020-04-22 14:29:36] [dave0] snake
[2020-04-22 14:29:42] [Zedude] yes I am
[2020-04-22 14:30:13] [Zedude] I deserve Hell. Cos I'm a snake. But I'm not going there. Because my justice has been satisfied by Jesus. And I have accepted his mercy.
[2020-04-22 14:30:24] [CrystalMath] apart from also doing some gentile magic tricks
[2020-04-22 14:31:09] [Zedude] And that mercy and grace is available to all of you. https://needgod.net/
[2020-04-22 14:31:12] [HEYYOUGUYS] Title: Need God - What's After Life?
And then the conversation died out. That was the last thing I said. There was silence. With up to 300 people in the channel, I just pray that some of them were listening. That some follow the link. Do your best to share the gospel, leave the results in God’s hands - what more can we do? The great thing is that I’m regularly in that channel, people can follow up with me if they want.
View previous Online Evangelism report (19 April 2020)
Online Evangelism
Here are the tentative weekly outreach times for online evangelism:
Sunday 1-3pm (Practical Training Outreach)
Monday 9am-5pm
Tuesday 1-5pm
Wednesday 1-5pm
Thursday 9am-5pm
Friday 1-4pm
Saturday 1-4pm
These times are all in AEST (GMT+10), so adjust them based on your own timezone.
How to take part
To watch any of our online outreaches, you can watch live on our YouTube channel or Facebook page.
Or to take part in any of these outreaches, email us for the virtual room meeting link.