Battle Log

Thursday 6 May 2021

Posted 17 May 2021, 3:08 PM by Matthew Andersen. Permalink

Online evangelism in a joy to be involved in because the conversations are easier and so exciting! It also can be done anywhere with internet and electricity meaning, that even when away from home and the usual locations you can still tap into a mission fields thousands of people strong, with conversations just a click away!

Each day the team has many conversations between them with people from all over the world! One of the encouraging chats had online during the week was a conversation with a man named Mike. He was unsure on what the afterlife would look like but as the conversation went on, he offered suggestions indicating that he was fairly familiar with the Catholic faith.

In looking at his suggestion of purgatory as a punishment, he came to understand that everyone falls into one of two categories, innocent or guilty. Those who are innocent, having done nothing wrong, would not be deserving of punishment. Those who are guilty, having even broken one of the eternal God’s laws, would deserve eternal punishment. Mike was able to understand that since we are all guilty of rebellion against God, the temporal punishment of “purgatory” would not satisfy God’s wrath.

On this basis, he was also able to understand why a simple confession of sin would not clear him of the hell punishment he deserved. Rather, he needed to depend upon the perfect sacrifice that Jesus offered in his place as the only reason that he could be made right before God. After a long conversation going over the problem of evil, God’s character, and other such topics, Mike was given the checking question, “If God asked you why He should let you into Heaven, what do you think your answer would be?”

Answering based on what he had understood from the conversation, Mike replied, “The delivery onto Jesus of, essentially, the entirety of my sins. Acceptance of the gift from Jesus that all of my sins were taken on by him, and because of him I may get to heaven. And only him.”

It was a beautiful answer, demonstrating the clarity with which he had come to grasp the gospel. Whilst he was not sure whether he yet believed it for himself, Mike expressed much gratitude for the conversation, even saying that he had not heard this good news explained in such a way before. He mentioned that if he were ever to end up in heaven, it would probably be because of that very conversation.

Of course, God is sovereign in all things, and it is his will and saving grace that determines whether or not Mike will be seen in heaven. But by his mercy, Mike was able to hear the good news, and received it well - even if he had not yet come to place his trust in Christ.

Another conversation was with a young man who had grown up in the church but thought his requests for forgiveness would be the reason that God would grant him mercy. Upon seeing that asking for forgiveness does not merit salvation and cannot pay for sins, he was led to see that Christ alone can save and was able to understand the good news in its simplicity. It was encouraging to hear him grasp it and the conversation finished with some final apologetics to help him be sure that there must be a God.

He did not profess to believe but did at least say he would consider it and get into reading the gospel of John for himself! Please be praying for the online outreach, that God would be preparing hearts, bringing them across our screens and enabling the gospel to reach those who are yet to hear of it!