Battle Log
Sunday 29 September 2024
Posted 29 September 2024, 2:01 PM by Glen Richards. Permalink
So, I know I missed last week's report. A couple of reasons for that: 1) I didn’t end up doing any street outreach that week, mainly because 2) my daughter got married! Congratulations!
Also, since the Wellington trip, I’ve been feeling usually tired. It’s like I’m recovering from a cold, but I never actually had a cold?
Anyway, by God’s grace, I was able to make it to all 4 street outreaches this week. This report will cover those outreaches.
So, going back to Tuesday afternoon, in Riccarton with Roger. I was feeling flat, and it must have come across to those passing by, I didn’t get many bites. Things were going the opposite way for Roger. All he needed to do was blink and he was into a good gospel conversation! I rejoiced at the good chats he seemed to be having!
I didn’t bring my flip chart, concerned about the wind, and so I decided to go for a wander up to the bus stops. In the midst of the many rejections, I encountered a lady who, as soon as she saw me coming to her, said, “I’ve got no time for God”. I crouched down next to her and asked why, and she started to list all the loved ones in her life that had died. It was certainly tragic listening to the list! I decided not to try to take an intellectual approach to addressing this. Instead, I empathised, agreeing that death is a tragedy. She started to tear up. She was wallowing in bitterness toward God for allowing evil - which is not the right response. Sadly, I didn’t get to continue the conversation, because she took a phone call, and then her bus came. I can’t remember if she accepted a tract.
But, what is the right response? We rightly grieve death, but we have the sure hope that God is going to bring perfect justice upon all those that do evil, and the hope that that justice won’t fall on us in hell, because of the mercy of Jesus. There will be resurrection and the hope of the new heavens and the new earth, with no more mar of sin or death. Knowing God’s mercy allows us to respond to trials and suffering in our life with forgiveness, rather than bitterness. We need to be patient for justice, grateful that God’s patience with us has led to us knowing his mercy!
Maybe my empathy surprised her? Maybe the fact that I didn’t flinch at her bitterness will open the door for her discussing this deeper, grieving her losses appropriately, and hearing the gospel - from someone else? Who knows. What I know is, God delights to show his strength through our weakness. I take much assurance from that, and am emboldened to persevere in my feeble efforts to proclaim the gospel. May you be encouraged to do the same.
I found Friday’s afternoon’s outreach difficult as well. I was with Andy and Roger. My prayer was that I would be able to engage with people who really wanted to talk about the difficult questions of life. I didn’t have the energy for battles. God answered my prayer in a sense. I had a couple of interesting conversations with young ladies, they were short chats, because they were honest about the fact that they were suppressing the reality of God because, basically, they wanted to be their own god. They enjoyed life on their own terms and were happy to be ignorant of the consequences. So, I didn’t end up having any battles, I just let them move on when the time was right. One of them did take a tract, the other refused.
Saturday’s outreach was different. I had a handful of wonderful conversations. It never ceases to amaze me that what seems so foolish (standing on the street corner with a flip chart) can lead to something so powerful (someone grasping the wonder of the gospel of Jesus).
The first was with a young Chinese lady. What was interesting was that she was getting baptised the next day, and yet, she still wasn’t clear on the fundamentals of the gospel. Our short conversation cleared that up, I could tell, because she started nailing the check questions perfectly. We fell into natural conversation about other things, in light of the gospel, and at one point she even teared up. She wanted my contact number and later she sent me a text to thank me for the chat.
The second one was with a young Chinese guy. A local pastor had actually contacted me about him earlier in the week, and we had been talking via Messenger. A face to face chat would be easier, so I encouraged him to meet me during my Saturday outreach - so he did. We were able to sit down and start chewing the Bible together. It was a long chat. Part way through, a couple of young guys took interest in my flipchart, and so I was able to share the gospel with them while this young Chinese guy watched. You see, he is wrestling with complicated questions, and in turn seems to be missing the obvious stuff - I wanted him to see the simplicity of the gospel through the conversation with the other 2 guys.
He ended up walking with me to my car, and then I ended up giving him a ride home. Although he is understanding key concepts, I don’t think he’s really got it yet. I’ll be praying for him! And I hope I get to talk more.
I spent an hour in the city on Sunday afternoon. I handed out some tracts, but not many takers. I had a brief chat with a Christian guy, and then an even briefer chat with a young Sikh lad. May God prosper our feeble efforts!
Oh, I forgot to mention the protest at the Bridge of Remembrance on Friday. It was an interesting mix of: climate change, racial rights, sexual ‘rights’, anti-government rhetoric. But under it all seemed to be a root of ‘rage against God’. I had an interesting conversation later with a pro Palestinian protester. He was very quick to try to drag the conversation into a ‘fight’. But I wouldn’t let him, wanting to go deeper to the root of why we ‘fight’ in the first place (sin), and the ultimate solution (Jesus). Amazingly I was able to share the law and the gospel with him, and I was encouraged by that. May God save him, and change him. SDG!!!
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View previous Christchurch (NZ) report (15 September 2024)
Christchurch (NZ) Team
Weekly outreaches:
Tue 3:30pm - 5:30pm - Riccarton (corner of Riccarton Rd and Rotherham St)
Fri 1:30pm - 3:30pm - City (Bridge of Remembrance)
Sat 11am - 1pm - Riccarton (corner of Riccarton Rd and Rotherham St)
Sun 1:30pm - 3:30pm - City (corner of Colombo St and Cashel St).
Contact Glen Richards or Andy Barlow for more information.