Battle Log

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Monday, 6 January, 2020

Posted 7 January 2020, 10:38 AM by Matthew Andersen. Permalink

On Monday the team headed back out to Capalaba for the first time this year and had a great afternoon. The team of four saturated the bus stop as there are still fewer people around than normal but overall it was a good afternoon of outreach.

An early conversation was with a lady named Hannah. She came to see God's existence and that because God is good there must be a day of judgement. She was then unsure of what hope there was and came to hear of the good news but then she was hesitant to believe in it because she didn't want to be reliant on someone else. She was shown that the reason people don't want to trust in Christ isn't honour but pride. It is because we think we have some ability to be able to get to Heaven ourselves and therefore don't want help. But when we come to see how desperate our position is before God, that without Christ we are destined for eternal punishment with no escape, then it makes sense to rely on the one who has the ability to save us. She was challenged as to what she will do with this good news and whether she will start trusting in Jesus to pay for her sin or will continue to rely on herself.

There was a young couple who were out for an afternoon of fun and had an opportunity to chat whilst waiting for their bus. They came to hear and grasp the simple gospel but encouraged one another away from believing in Jesus Christ because they wanted to live their own way. It was sad to see their rejection not knowing the moment they will pass from this life into the next.

There was an encouraging conversation with a lady who at first was a little ashamed of her Christianity but as we chatted she opened up and said she wasn't sure about whether or not she was going to Heaven but she knew the simplicity of the good news and was asked a few simple questions to help her realise that entry into Heaven isn't on the basis of her strength of faith but on object of her faith. She could be certain that she would enter Heaven on judgement day because Christ has died for the payment of her sin and is gloriously risen verifying that He is who He claimed to be.

Overall it was an exciting afternoon with a range of other conversations taking place. Please be praying that God may be working in the hearts of those who heard that message today, drawing them to Himself!

Friday, 3 January, 2020

Posted 7 January 2020, 10:38 AM by Matthew Andersen. Permalink

On Friday evening in Surfers Paradise it was very busy! Due to the holidays and the warm temperatures there were many families out! A lot of tourists were around and as a result it was a much harder time than usual to try and get into conversations. Usually when it is quieter there are just singles or couples walking around and are more willing to stop and chat but bigger groups are hesitant to stop, especially in fast moving foot traffic. With a team of 13 out there was also a bit of competition for space but overall it turned out to be a good night!

Apparently there was some type of "Orthodox" convention or holiday planned and as a result there were many people from the ironically named Orthodox religion. An early conversation was had with a young adult who declared that God would let him into Heaven because he had never done anything wrong. He was shown God's law and denied it and was shown that God says anyone who claims to be without sin is a liar. He didn't take well to God's word and actually said, "I disagree with whoever wrote that". His father joined in but was adamant that his actions would play the primary part in God's decision whether to save him or condemn him. It was scary that these men were so willing to hold onto their own righteousness when God has been clear that the standard of entry into Heaven is perfection.

There was a wonderful encounter with a young man from Christchurch (New Zealand) who was in Aus for his final day. He had a Catholic background and came to see that he is guilty and heading to Hell. He had to head off quickly mid conversation as the rest of his family were leaving and so he took a tract. As you may know from reading the reports, Operation 513 has some teams in Christchurch, please be praying that he would have an opportunity to finish the conversation which was begun here in Aus.

Another encouraging chat was with Casey who was open and willing to chat, he knows God exists and now that he will be found guilty on judgement day unless something is done but was dragged away by friends just as the good news was to be shared. He received a tract as well.

It was a night that it was a little harder than usual but God's word never returns void. Praise be to the one who uses the feeble efforts of His saints to draw sinners unto Himself!

Thursday, 2 January, 2020

Posted 7 January 2020, 10:38 AM by Matthew Andersen. Permalink

Thursday the team started at Sunnybank and with 9 team members out and not many people using busses a team of six was left at the station and the others headed into Brisbane City early. There were some good conversations had at Sunnybank in the little over an hour before the split. There was a professing Christian who didn't know the gospel and was given a tract as he raced off, a man who once would have said he was a Christian who now rejected it and had some simply answered objections. Thirdly was a man who came to grasp the good news and was challenged as to when he would believe and was given a tract as his bus arrived.

A stand out converastion was with Bali a Nepalese man who remembered chatting to us and came and said hello. He said he was now beliving in Jesus to pay for his sin but was still a Hindu. It was a good opportunity to talk about the exclusivity of Jesus' saving work and talking about the importance of the lordship of Christ in the life of a believer. He was challenged to continued reading John's gospel that he had started and to strongly consider which he will choose, Hinduism or Christianity.

The whole day was finished with an exciting conversation with a African couple, Clement and Shantae. Shantae said they she was a child of God because she had been baptised and therefore thought that would be what got her into Heaven. Clement said it was faith in God and his good works. Through the analogies and explanation of the gospel as a gift Shantae came to grasp it first and said that she had already started to believe. Clement was a little most resisting but was asked that if the Bible says it would he believe it, to which he said yes.

He was then asked to read Romans 4:1-8 and was still hesitant and then was encouraged to read Ephesians 2:8-9. Upon reading the second one, his face changed and he acknowledge that absolutely it was faith alone in the person and work of Christ that justifies.

The couple then wanted to know more about Christianity and were encouraged to read John's gospel and Romans together. They hadn't spent much time reading the bible together but were shown COMA bible study questions and said they would sit down and read a chapter at a time and try and answer the questions together.

What an awesome end to the day of conversations with a wonderful opportunity. Please be praying for all those heard the message, were challenged by the gospel or even a question and who took tracts that God would be working in their hearts. Please specifically be praying for Clement and Shantae that they would grow together in Christ as they read God's word together!

Saturday, 4 January, 2020

Posted 6 January 2020, 6:19 PM by Martin Park. Permalink

On Saturday, by God’s grace five of us gathered at the city. The weather was great and very pleasant. We shared on Isaiah 64:6 and had some time to learn from book ‘Soul winner’ by Charles Spurgeon which said ‘The preacher’s work is to throw sinners down in utter helplessness, that they may be compelled to look up to Him who alone can help them’. and we all pray for the evangelism. 

By God’s grace this Saturday, we had many interesting chats. We met people who thought that they are Spartans (but they considered themselves as Greek Orthodox Christians). Angelo was one of the person who thought so, he was really funny in character and brutally honest and quick to speak which I mean disruptive. He was very interested in the gospel tract ‘eternity’ and the question that I have asked “what do you think about after life?” and Angelo quickly asked me to sit down beside of him and engaged in the conversation. He considered himself as greek orthodox and boasted on orthodox’s long service time and uniqueness. So, I asked him "what is the good news that save us" he could not give appropriate answer and when I began to ask him the LAW question, he got distracted and started to talk about his good works he has been doing so far and at this very moment his best friend (who considered himself greek orthodox Christian and descendant of Spartan) came and interfered the conversation so the LAW questions were asked to him as well, Angelo’s friend seemed to be quite offended and shared his life testimony how he was really really bad person but now he is almost morally flawless and he was extremely very disruptive so I had to pleaded with him to give me a chance to speak which he did (Praise God!) and Gospel was shared and shared with them why I believe in the authority of the bible as they questioned the authenticity of the bible. Please pray for Angelo and his friend so that they may humble themselves and repent and put their trust in Jesus Christ.

I also met a person from India who was travelling Melbourne. He was gentle and engaged really well with conversation. He really got the whole point of the gospel about God’s justice, love, our wretchedness, death on the cross and resurrection. He kept on saying that really makes sense throughout the conversation. As he wanted to believe in this gospel, I urged him to repent and truly trust in Jesus Christ alone as he was from Hindu background. Praise God!. Please pray for him as you read this

From Huy Do:-  

As we walked towards the state library for evangelism, we encountered some Mormon missionaries and their peers, to which we decided to preach the Gospel to them. I talked to a missionary and a girl by the name of Joanne, they both advocated that although  Christ paid it, they still have to do the rest, meaning that it is partially Christ and partially them. I took the time to take them through the Word and labored in regards to the law, to break them until they could find no righteousness and no hope in it of themselves, so that they might find their worth in Christ. It was noticed that while this process took place, the girl with the missionary was very convicted, and the missionary wanted simply to leave early, so as to not be further exposed to the Gospel, but the kin in whom he went with insisted that they stay. As such, when they were taken through the Word, although Joanne had read the scriptures 4 times, she had not really considered what the scriptures said in regards to man’s depravity and the sole atonement of Christ that saves. At one point, I simply opened the scriptures to Romans 3 and told her to read from verse 10-24. By the expression of her face, she was very convicted, and shocked. Please pray for them that God will illuminate their minds in regards to the scriptures, convict them of their sins and regenerate their hearts

Soli Deo Gloria 

Friday, 3 January, 2020

Posted 3 January 2020, 1:51 PM by Doug Espie. Permalink

Friday, 3 January, 2020

Posted 3 January 2020, 1:32 PM by Doug Espie. Permalink

Every semester we are guaranteed to meet some interesting people during our outreach efforts. Paul and Alon met one such person in Queen's Park, who proudly declared himself to be "the biggest atheist in Toowoomba".  This older guy liked to speak about the importance of science and sound thinking, of which religion evidently couldn't play a part. He asked Alon "What do you do for a living?", to which Alon responded "I'm a doctor".
 
"Well...you should have known better then!" was the retort from the feisty man. Both Paul (who is an engineer) and Alon spoke about how their faith actually complements their work and provides a foundation for it, but the bloke wasn't interested. He was willing to talk, but after a while it was clear that he wanted to argue and not necessarily consider the alternatives. Paul and Alon parted on good terms with the man and it was certainly a memorable conversation!
 

I (Doug) also had a  conversation with a young 18 year old woman. After watching me hand out tracts for a while, she came over and said that she used to go to youth group at the Salvation Army Church in Toowoomba, however she had experienced some difficult times since then and drifted away from God. She encouraged me by saying that "you're doing a good thing" and I sought to encourage her by sharing that God's forgiveness of my intentional and unintentional evil has both sustained and changed my life and that "we can walk a million steps away from Jesus but it is only one step back".  It was a really good, somewhat unexpected conversation and it goes to show that evangelism not only publicly reaches those who haven't met Jesus yet but also encourages those who have.
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This semester we made it a point to continue to connect with our local Jehovah's Witness, who set up in the CBD during the same time as our outreach. They work on a rostered basis, which allows us to build on-going relationships with the JWs we meet. This rostered system also provides a great variety of JWs, from those who were on their first "posting", all the way up to seasoned veterans who've been in the organisation for decades. Most of our conversations revolve around our work/families and then springboard to the critical differences that separate the JW's beliefs from Christianity. Our approach and our main topic of conversation (How can a person is reconciled to God?) is outlined in detail in our previous Battle Log.

This semester we've noticed an interesting new stratagem that the JW's employ when we ask them a question. When asked a question, they'll often "reverse it" on us by saying "Well, what do the Scriptures say?" and ask us to respond to the very question we asked them!  This keeps us "on our toes" and demonstrates the necessity of personally knowing God's Word, but it can get frustrating, especially when employed over and over again to avoid difficult questions that highlight the unbiblical and contradictory nature of their religious system.  
 

If they keep using this tactic as a diversion (rather than as a genuine query), we've found it useful to respectfully say "I'm happy to answer what I believe, but could you please first answer from your perspective?" This tends to get the conversation back on track and allows both parties to politely yet rigorously engage in a more deeper and therefore more mutually beneficial dialogue together.

Probably the most memorable event of the last semester occured when Adrian and I were walking down the street together.
We suddenly heard a loud commotion across the road. We walked over to see a young lady loudly yelling at Jonno that "God isn't Wrath, He is Love!" and "You're doing this the wrong way!". Her husband, who was standing besides her, exclaimed "You're upsetting my wife, you need to leave!". Jonno was apologising for causing any offense and amidst the adrenaline I could only think "What on earth had we just walked into?"
 

Well, it turned out to be more straight-forward than I anticipated. Once everyone had calmed down, Adrian and I went to speak to the angry woman. It turns out that both her and her husband were rostered to help run a local ministry in the CBD this Saturday. She also shared with me how she become a Christian out of a somewhat "hippy-ish" background only a few years ago.

She knows that Bible speaks of God being angry at evil yet she believes that God cannot be loving and wrathful at the same time. She didn't parade this denial of Scriptural teaching..rather she seemed genuinely conflicted with this idea. This tension exploded when Jonno began speaking with her about Jesus and Jonno mentioned God's wrath against sin.

She believes that we should only ever speak of God's love to people, and that speaking to people about God's love and wrath is destructive to their reception of Jesus.

 

Throughout this time, I spoke very little and did my best to listen. The adrenaline hadn't  worn completely off yet (for either of us) and as a general rule of thumb the more hyped up someone is, the less likely they are to be able to think clearly and speak gently about an important topic. We eventually wrapped up our conversation and the lady even asked me to pass on her apologies to Jonno. I was deeply impacted by her humility and said that I would do so. I also mentioned that I'd like to continue our conversation together in the future on this issue.

 

The belief that God *cannot* be loving and angry/wrathful at the same time is sadly alive and well in our community. If I have the opportunity to speak with her again, I'd endeavor to point out that it is God's love which is the basis of His wrath. Think about it. Imagine if you saw a grown man punching a little girl over and over again at the shopping centre. Would you not be filled with wrath and would you not run to the little girl's aid? Would you not want the man punished for such an awful crime? Now imagine the little girl is your daughter.... how do you feel now?

 

We naturally get angry at domestic violence, exploitation of young people and a host of other sins. Our anger dramatically increases in proportion to how much we love the victim. If God is the most loving being in existence, it follows that He must also be the most angry at sin. Thankfully, His perfect wrath and His perfect justice are indivisibly united, and His wrath against an individual's or a nation's sin is always expressed in a manner which is perfectly just.
 

Sharing the Gospel publicly with others has been an amazing privilege this year. Just as Paul wrote, sharing our faith really can help us effectively explore "the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ" (Philemon 1:6). As the team leader, I'm incredibly blessed by the amazing team that I work with and the God whom we trust and serve. He holds 2020 in His hands and we're ready for the next chapter.

Wednesday, 1 January, 2020

Posted 2 January 2020, 11:37 AM by Matthew Andersen. Permalink

For the first outreach of the year the team headed back into Brisbane city for an afternoon of conversations. It was actually a harder afternoon than usual as many people were still exhausted or hungover from the previous night, rejecting chatting because of their physical state. But after a number of attempts to engage in conversations, Fran was willing to chat.

Fran at first said that she thought she was a Christian and hoped she would go to Heaven but was unsure because currently she was living in sin. The first point of call was to make sure Fran was clear that our right standing before God is entirely on the basis of faith in the person and work of Jesus. Once Fran came to grasp that it was important to clarify what the life of a Christian will look like and how it will change. It was pointed out to her that although she knew the infomation about Christ, she didn't seem to be trusting in Him.

There was this moment late in the conversation were she visibly was moved as she had something to share and she started sharing her story about life decisions and current circumstances and the wrong things she was doing and why she was still living that way but she then finished her little story by saying, "Over the past few weeks I have really been feeling uneasy about my Christianity and a couple of days ago I prayed and asked God to send someone to talk to me about this!" The best part is that Fran doesn't even live in Brisbane, she had just come up for a visit for a few days!

God had answered her prayer and she left with clarity on the gospel, the realisation that upon beliving that Jesus had paid for her sin things in her life will change very significantly and took a gospel of John and was encouraged to start reading. Please be praying for Fran, that God would radically change her life, beginning from today, 1st Jan 2020.

This was followed by a converastion with Phillip an African man who was quite convinced that salvation was on the basis of faith and works. He rejected that salvation is a gift despite many simple displays and then was asked to read Romans 4:1-8. He read it and didn't argue again. It was amazing, this man respected the Bible as the word of God and instantly upon reading and understanding that righteousness is apart from works, he believed that. He then came to grasp the role works play in the life of a believer and said that it all made sense. He said he was very thankful for the conversation and was quite sure that eternity would be different because of this chat.

Praise God for such a wonderful beginning to 2020! There were a range of other conversations that took place but what a joy it is to see God answering prayer and working in people's lives through simple conversations had in a public square in Brisbane. Why not consider finding a team near you, coming on out and letting God glorify His name through you?

Tuesday, 31 December, 2019

Posted 2 January 2020, 11:08 AM by Martin Park. Permalink

On Tuesday we gathered at Federation square cafe which is next to Flinders station as people were gathering to see fireworks and to enjoy the music. God has faithfully sent us total 8 labourers ! We mainly focused on handing out the gospel tracts this week but we also had many good conversations. In my case, I had good chat with tourists. 

I met two Japanese tourists who were very friendly and open to chat. They could not speak english well but they used google translation app very effectively. So it was my first time sharing the whole gospel through Google translation app. Praise God for the technology!. After I shared the gospel and the lady told me “I will believe in Japan” as it was her last day in Australia. So I told her that death can come anytime and urged her to believe as soon as possible, she did not say “ok” but she smiled and nodded her. please pray for these 2 tourists so that they will really repent and put their trust in Jesus Christ. 

One of other memorable conversation I had was, with a person called Mautias from Germany. He showed interest in ‘New years’ gospel tracts and willing to engage in conversation. after the Law & the Gospel was shared, it seemed like he was thinking about it and said “yeah, it was really good point to think about” but I had to mention that salvation is not about ‘thinking’ that it is good news rather we have to repent and 'believe' in this death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to be saved. I gently advised to reflect on the conversation that we had as he travels in Australia because his eternity is at stake. He agreed to do so. Please pray for Mautias.

From Daniel:- 

Me and other people all together 8 or so handed out Gospel tracts tonight. I had a chat with a Muslim who admitted he is not perfect and believes the standard for heaven is perfection but he still is trying to work his way to heaven which he ultimately can never do. I told him Jesus who is perfect died for me, so I go to heaven based what He has done for me, He paid for my sins, I am now free and forgiven. Without Jesus' death on the cross you have works based salvation which is hopeless. Pray for the Muslim man and others who recieved the Gospel tracts.

Soli Deo Gloria !! Praise God who sustained us to preach the good news for His glory and for the lost souls ! 

Christchurch (NZ) Team

Tuesday, 31 December, 2019

Posted 2 January 2020, 6:19 AM by Glen Richards. Permalink

A team of two headed out on New Year’s Eve evening to share the gospel of Jesus.  Jermaine joined me.  Like last year, there was an event happening in North Hagley Park, with bands and fireworks.  So we made our way there for outreach.

We parked in the city, and had a fair distance to walk - but there were plenty of people about and much gospel opportunity on the way: handing out tracts, and we got into our first conversation which ended up being a long one.

It was with a young man who had an encounter with Jesus but was struggling with sin.  To our surprise, he broke into tears when expressing his amazement that Jesus died on the cross to take away his sin - how amazing is the grace of God!  This young man liked to talk, so we did a lot of patient listening.  Now, everyone is at a different place with their sanctification - no doubt, so I didn’t want to pre judge this guy.  But I talked about my own sin, and that as I have walked with Jesus, I have been growing in holiness.  At various points, I challenged this young man on this.  If we have faith, there will be repentance that will lead to obedience and a growing in holiness.  Eventually, some subtle anger broke out of this young man in regard to this challenging.  But we parted on good terms.  He left with a few gospel tracts.

We continued on towards the park - there were a lot of people about and many opportunities to start conversations.  But the Holy Spirit led us to a young man for what really felt like a divine appointment.  On a whim, I decided to ask him what he thought happened after life - and he was quickly engaged.  This led to a simple, but clear gospel presentation, which included a round or two of checking questions where he seemed to be quickly grasping the concepts of the gospel.  He seemed genuinely appreciative.  When challenged on what was stopping him from trusting in Christ tonight, he thought for a bit, and said he needed to work it through - which I appreciate, but I challenged him not to think too long, as we have no idea when we will die.  He is from Sweden, and was flying home the next day (thankfully I heard no reports of plane crashes!).  We talked about reading the Bible, and church.  And he accepted three types of gospel tract.  I hope to see this guy in heaven one day - may he become a part of the kingdom of God, by faith!

We finally made it to the event, we ended up only having time for one more conversation, before making the return walk back to the car.  It was with two Catholic teens.  Checking questions really came to the rescue here, because these guys just weren’t grasping that salvation was by faith and not by works (not surprising for Catholics)!

This was a real eye opener for Jermaine, who now has a fresh appreciation for thorough checking to make sure people are understanding the gospel.  On the way back, we ended up working through the detailed mini flip chart together and discussing ways we can make the gospel really clear: like checking questions, trying not to monologue - by using questions to get people processing the concepts, and focusing on the concept of faith alone before moving to repentance.

I’m really grateful for the few hours we spent getting out to share Jesus.  We leave the results in His hands, all glory to Him! :)

Tuesday, 31 December, 2019

Posted 1 January 2020, 1:32 PM by Matthew Andersen. Permalink

In normal fashion, the Operation 513 team, consisting this year of sixteen members, ended out the year and entered the new year in a mixture of evangelistic conversations and handing out tracts. Over the course of the evening over 10,000 tracts were handed out and many conversations were had.

The evening was filled with a range of responses both to the tracts and to the conversations. Many people were asked, "What do you think would happen to you if you didn't make it through 2020?" others were asked, "What would happen if you didn't make it to 2020?" and many responses sadly were, "I don't care" or "I don't want to talk about it". A range of conversations were even cut short by people saying, "I just want to keep doing my own thing (and play on my phone until midnight)". But amongst the apathy and rejection God in His providence had some people who were open, willing to engage and listen.

The first conversation was with a young couple, Tyler and Kyla. Tyler declared that he didn't think there was a God but didn't have any defense or reason for his position and Kyla said she thought she would be going to Heaven because she was good. They were shown how we know God exists, they were taken through the law and the gospel and Kyla came to understand it quite quickly. Tyler on the other hand, even after being able to answer the questions previously when asked at the end, what would he say to God, said, "I think I have lived a good enough life". He was once again shown that this would not be enough, rather would be the confirmation of his eternity in Hell. He was given the correct answer and was encouraged to ponder it in his own time.

There was also a converastion with Laud a Spanish speaking, French, Catholic who came to grasp the good news. She had struggled with understanding it for much of her life and she said she was sure this was a God send, that He had sent us to talk with her because she had really been struggling with it all over the past few days. She seemed to grasp the gospel but it is hard to know for certain because even throughout the conversation she had moments of clarity then went back to saying her old answers.

Overall it was an incredible night, the final gospel conversations of 2019 and the first conversations of 2020 were a priviledge and a great way to bring in the New Year. Why not find a time to join the team this year. Find an outreach that you can attend and come along. You will be glad you did!

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