Battle Log

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• Page 146

Myanmar (Burma) Short Term Missions

As the January 2019 Myanmar Mission begins, you can hear Andrew and Matt encourage you in a Gospel conversation that has already been had as well as other simple things that have occured at the beginning of this Myanmar Trip.

Hear also how you can be praying for that team over these comings days!

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On Tuesday at Woodridge the team had many conversations. It is often that when there is less traffic flow from the train stations that people are more willing to stop and chat. The first man to stop was Michael.

He was a past drug user, who had recently returned from prison and was actually quite interested in talking. He did struggle to concentrate through the conversation but chatted as we talked through the law and saw his sin. He mentioned that upon his grandmother passing a few years back his whole family (other than him) had started going to church.

This conversation turned toward explaining the Gospel as the solution to sin and its penalty but sadly he didn't get to hear it in full as his bus arrived. Please be praying that Michael wouldn't just desire to go to Church to it in with his family, but would take to heart the Gospel upon hearing it and desire to know God as a result.

Through the rest of the afternoon a range of other conversations took place. King an Aboriginal talked about how he had gone to some JW meetings but in the end had left quite quickly because he didn't think they were telling the truth. This also meant that he was very skeptical about talking with the team and didn't stay around long enough to hear the Gospel.

A conversation was also had with Matthew, a Muslim. The primary issue that he had was that he was so ingrained in his Islamic worldview that he couldn't even comprehend the Gospel. This was really hard to deal with. The team tried many different ways of explaining it, trying to use pictures, different analogies and yet he was unable to understand that we aren't saved by our good works.

Another JW and Mormon were spoken to and they both sadly said, "I don't want to believe in a God like that".

The last conversation of the afternoon began almost an hour after usual pack up time. The team were having many good conversations and so a few members had decided to stick around and keep talking. This enable a conversation with Tea.

She was a young lady who had a background in an atheistic family but had gone to a large church during her teen years but had subsequently left. She had a long and in many ways sad story through her life but the big point focused on was her leaving the Church.

She was actually really upset over it. She was moved to tears on three occasions as she reminisced on how distant she felt from God. Through the course of the conversation it came out that she had slowly drifted from God. At first she missed a few Sundays here and there and slowly became more and more distant from the Church.

There was a range of reasons that she mentioned as to why it occurred by it boiled down to a self-indulgent sin issue. Over the course of a lengthy conversation she came to understand why sin separates us from God, what the solution is and she was challenged strongly at the end to consider counting the cost of forsaking her sin and trusting in the Saviour.

Please be praying for all those who heard the Gospel or were challenged even briefly in what they believed, that God would be working in their hearts.

Please also specifically pray for Tea that she would come to know God and start attending a local Church, worshiping God in the gathering of the saints.

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The outreaches in King George square are usually filled with less conversations but longer ones.

The first one of the night was with three Muslims. They were challenged by God's law and the need for a Saviour. The struggled with Muslims is to keep the Gospel the centre of the conversation. It can often be lost in rabbit trails and other discussions.

In an attempt to keep the conversation on tract the attempt was to ask them to answer the question, "What has God done, to pay the penalty for sin, so that sinners can be forgiven?"

This question was bought back over and over and the reason it was focused on is clear, the "god" of Islam hasn't done anything. Where as the true and living God has acted in history and taken the judgement for sin on the cross, for those who trust in Him.

Jam, Yas and Wassim through this conversation were openly lusting after girls that walked past, pointing each other to look. In the end they left saying they would search out what had been said and would talk with the team another day.

Another conversation was with Cody, who said, "three people have spoken to me about this in the last three days". It was pointed out that God was clearly trying to God his attention. He was taken through the law and its penalty and through the Gospel and its beauty and then left with the very serious thought that God had now given him three chances to hear the message of hope and to respond and God may never ever give him another chance.

Lastly, the team was about to speak with Yance, a European Doctor, who lives in Australia. He mentioned that on Sunday of the previous week at Wellington Point a kind gentleman had given him a tract, talked with him briefly but he had to leave. (This was another 513 team member).

Yance noted at the end of the conversation that he was very grateful. He now understood the Gospel, had many of his questions answered and even noted that the conversation was not intrusive and he was happy to have had the conversation.

He said that he would seriously think about what had been said!

Please be praying for those who were challenged by the law and heard the Gospel this Saturday that God would use this to draw them to Himself!

 

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At Sunnybank the conversations are often short and sharp so there isn't much time to "waste". Thankfully due to the seriousness of the question people are often willing to engage.

A few quick conversations were had with Lai, an African lady and Catherine.

Lai, acknowledged after the building, builder analogy that there is a God but he said he didn't know what came after death. Sadly his bus arrived and he left with the tract.

An African lady said that she "was" a Christian back in her home country but when she came to Australia didn't want to be religious anymore so she has just started living however she wants.

Catherine an older lady believed that God exists but seemed to use her lack of knowledge of what came after as an excuse for her actions.

One extremely sad conversation was with a man named Josh, he was on some sort of drugs and was struggling to converse well. He also had a girlfriend with him who really wanted to leave. He spoke with the team for a short while about how monks, who had great control over their body proved they had "super"-natural power. Ironically, the very fact that they had achieved it by their own effort, showed that it was just natural power.

Josh was shown the mirror of the law and left with the very serious consequences of breaking it. Sadly at this point his girlfriend dragged him away.

On the other hand two Asian ladies, Eden and Maria, by accident missed two busses! Firstly at the beginning of the conversation they missed a bus and then were able to talk. Just as they heard the law and the penalty for breaking it another bus they could have hopped on, drop by without stopping and so they got to hear God's offer of hope.

It was pointed out that God had kept them at the bus stop long enough to hear the peril that they were in and the solution to it. They were thankful to hear and took tracts, hoping on their bus on the third attempt.

Please be praying for those who heard small amounts, those who had lengthy conversations and those who came to intellectually understand the Gospel for the first time. Please be praying that God would use the conversations and the tracts to save many!

 

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At Woodridge on Tuesday the afternoon was filled with as usual, a range of interesting people. The first conversation of the afternoon was an extremely sad one.

An elderly Albanian gentleman named Zem talked to the team and mentioned that he had tried to commit suicide four times and yet every time God had stopped him. He had faced some tough life situations, including losing his wife and he said he couldn't stand living anymore.

What made it even worse was that even though God had kept him alive, (through quite unexpected means), he did not want to hear how his greatest need could be solved. This was a sobering start to the outreach.

An exciting conversation was with Georgia. She had traveled all the way from New Zealand and was hanging out with her friend. As they walked past she stopped and whilst her friend went on and did some shopping she talked with the team. She said that she had stopped because she knew very little about God and actually wanted to hear what we were sharing.

Georgia heard the Gospel and said she would seriously think about it. She was also encouraged to find a local Church to attend when she made it back home.

Joe on the other hand, although he wanted to talk was much slower to understand the Gospel. He desperately wanted to hold onto the idea that his goodness would be able to save him. Using the picture on the back of the "How we know God exists" tract, Joe finally came to understand what Jesus had done and that we must trust in Him alone.

A final sad conversation was with Claire, a Mormon who couldn't understand the Gospel. She was sure she had to earn Jesus' forgiveness by her actions. After a lengthy conversation she was sent on her way with the challenge to read Romans 3-5 that evening.

Please be praying for these souls, that God may use these conversations as a vital part of them coming to understanding the Gospel and subsequently trusting in Christ for their salvation.

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As the outreach started on Monday at Capalaba, an older lady was engaged. She started talking about things that the JW's believe and it became clear that is what she believed. Whilst the conversation was going on with her there was another lady sitting near by who didn't want to have to listen to the discussion. She made some comments under hear breath to try and gain some attention but then after almost fifteen minutes she got up, walked over and yelled, declaring, "Stop talking to this lady, she doesn't want to know what you have to say".

The rude interrupter, was simply asked if she knew if God would send her to Heaven or to Hell after she died. To which she responded that God didn't exist but at this she walk a few metres away and then remained silent.

Sadly through the discussion, even opening up the scriptures with the JW lady, she was unwilling to acknowledge what God had said. She read some passages and yet would simply say, "It can't mean that". Saying basically, "The text doesn't mean what it actually says. This was a very sad moment, she was so committed to her pre-conceived ideas that she was not interested in what God actually had said.

The afternoon was filled with a mixture of other conversations. Jean said she didn't know what happens after we die but thought she was good. She tried to use her, "I don't know" as an avoidance at first to talking futher but then was happy to talk and heard the Gospel.

Puneema and Rista, two young indian ladies were being silly in and attempt to not be serious about God. The heard the law and the Gospel and left with tracts.

Daniel, loved his sin and his primary attempt to defend his sin was to claim that Jesus wasn't really God. He took a tract but didn't hear the Gospel.

The afternoon finished with some more exciting conversations,

A young man Lachy, had no arguments, he seemed to be affected by the law and the Gospel and was very interested in talking. He left with a Gospel of John.

Also a lady named Samantha, after hearing the condemnation of the law struggled to understand the Gospel. Using the pictures on the back of the tract she seemed to understand but only time will tell.

Please be praying that God would continue to work in the lives of these men and women. God has graciously provided them all with an opportunity to hear His offer of salvation, please pray that He would also change their hearts, that they may know Him.

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By God's grace, this is now going onto my 3rd year in doing street evangelism, I was reminded today in my time of prayer before this outreach, a request that I've heard my Pastor make before the throne of grace, ..."that they would not faint, or go weary in their labor for the Lord"...

I became aware of this as I had pleaded this request myself while sitting in the car park about to head out....all my literature was in the back, back pack packed, flip chart, stool everything was there, but I wasn't feeling right, I became afraid, as people were walking through the carpark walking past my door holding their single use plastic bags, the fear of man began to creep in as it has many a times before an outreach.

How did I come right? Here are 4 Chapters in Holy Scripture that the Lord used to encourage me, I read these chapters in order, they were: Luke 2, Mark 15, Matthew 28, and Romans 5, the Apostle Paul, says in his letter to Timothy describing the gospel as the glorious gospel of the blessed God, what privilege and responsibility every Christian has to be entrusted with this soul saving message.

I was teamed up with  Pastor Alfie an our brother Stewart, we split up and stood on opposite sides of our usual fishing spot at the walkway, with myself I had many conversations, many of our Op513 tracts were handed out, as soon as I had set up the flip chart I got to go through it almost immediately with a couple of men who stopped and were interested, there were a few others who stopped by to talk to me about spiritual things also with another Christian brother who stopped to encourage me, his name was Will. Two conversations stood out to me today, the first one was with Terry, now Terry I had spoken with twice before, both times we had lengthy conversations about the gospel ending with me pleading with him to repent & trust in Jesus.

Terry both times was open to the things of God, had genuine questions which by God’s grace was able to answer, but this third time was different, Terry looked different, he physically did not look well, I barely recognized him, as he had lost so much weight, he came over to me while I was standing at the flipchart.

I said to him “Terry, you don’t look well, are you sick?” he said “Yeah….I’ve got brain cancer” he told me that he’s planning to travel back to the UK to try and visit family, and again by God’s grace I was able to share with Terry the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I reminded him that whether he dies tomorrow or in 100 years time that either way he would still stand before God to give an account for his life, and that the only way he could have his sins forgiven is to trust in the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross when He died for sinners.

Terry look on his face became more serious when I explained to him that the very cancer of the soul is his sin and only Christ is the cure. Before Terry left he said that he understands that he needs to trust in Jesus alone and that Jesus is his only hope, Terry was happy for me to pray for him before he left. Please continue to pray for Terry.

The next conversation was with Hugh, Hugh came over to do the flipchart, again he had a lot of good and genuine questions about the Gospel and the Bible – Hugh grew up believing in the Maori gods and myths, his view on Christianity was that it was used to colonize New Zealand and that it was a in his words “white man’s religion”.

It was only until he was in prison that he finally became aware of some of the teachings of the Bible and became curious, this made it easy in a sense to talk about God’s judgment and “our day in court before the Judge of the Earth” I believe the Lord blessed our time together as we spoke for almost an hour. Here you see pictured is me with Hugh. Please continue to pray for the work here may the Lord be glorified.

SDG!

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Here are a few of the treats that our gracious Lord gave to us today.

     Lee-Anne had a long chat with Shaun and his teenaged children. He had been 'to church' so now he has an understanding of how Jesus is our righteousness and has paid the price for His sheeps' too-many-to-count sins - all perfectly  'paid in full' as is evidenced in His resurrection. Shaun received a Bible for one of his children. May the Lord grant them the joy of living in the grace of this wonderful salvation.

     Aldis, a newly arrived Swedish carpentry student was taken through a flip chart summary of the gospel to which he responded that he was a Christian. He struggled with a diagnostic question but he is still  'learning English. He went with an English Bible and a recommendation to a city church at a busy multi intersection.  Pray he attends and is blessed.

     There were 4 J.W.s who engaged in the "Good Person" test. 2 left when they found out it was religious. The other 2 finished but had no understanding. While they freely admitted some sins, they were adamant that they had never lusted. They reckoned they would say "Sorry"  on Judgment Day. Very sad. Such a careless attitude to their sins probably because they have been conditioned to believe that their membership in the Watchtower Society is their guarantee of glory. It is a Unitarian version of the heresy that the Church saves.

     When the last of God's elect is 'home', then will be too late to evangelize.  Join us

     We thank God for the above and other encounters He arranged for us and we give Him the glory. He alone is worthy!

     

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Redcliffe (QLD) Team

It was picture perfect weather today in Redcliffe; the sun was shining, the skies were clear, and the beaches were full of people celebrating Australia Day. For this afternoon’s outreach we moved down to Sutton’s Beach as the local council had put on a special event that attracted thousands of people to come out in order to celebrate the founding of our nation.

On 26 January 1788, the First Fleet arrived from Britain; with them came the gospel. While many people may debate over our history, I think the arrival of the gospel on our shores is something to be celebrated, and what better way to celebrate than by telling Australian’s about the Good News!

At 2pm the Operation 513 team arrived and commenced the outreach; immediately tracts began to be handed out with people gladly receiving them. Over the course of three hours,
we distributed about 1500 “Good Aussie” tracts. Before too long numerous conversations were underway. One of our team members, Col, later remarked that he had personally spoken to about 20 people in three hours.

The first couple I spoke to were “Religiously Christian,” with the male being of Greek Orthodox background and the female of Roman Catholic beliefs. I asked them, “If you were to die tonight, and God asked you, ‘Why should I let you into my Heaven?’ What would you say?” The man replied, “I am a reformed sinner, I try my hardest.” The lady said, “He’d let me in because I am a nice person.” We then chatted about God’s holiness and how He cannot allow sin into Heaven. As we spoke about these things both of them realised that they were not holy and that they deserved Hell. It was a joy to be able to tell the good news of Jesus. They listened intently as I explained the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. At the end of our conversation they both shook my hand and thanked me for the conversation.

It was at this point that Vesa called me over to the flip-chart. A father and his two young daughters had stopped as they wanted to take the “Good Person Test.” It is always hard to have a conversation with children present, but the Lord gave me the right words.

The most startling and heartbreaking thing for me, was to hear the youngest girl, who would have been about 6 years old say several times, “I don’t believe in God.” She was adamant that God did not exist, but still I persisted in sharing the gospel with her. As we spoke the father made sure that his daughters understood, and encouraged them to listen. The man wasn’t a Believer, but he was really supportive of his girls learning about Jesus. At the end of the conversation the father told me he had a hard time understanding repentance and faith, especially since that means child molesters can say ‘sorry’ then go to Heaven. I shared with him about true repentance, and also the Lord Jesus’ words from Matthew 18:6 about God’s view on those who harm children. The man was content to know that God would judge wicked men and do what is right.

As that family left, it really grieved me to see such a young girl being committed to atheism at 6 years old. This young lady would never go to church, nor would she have ever heard the truth if we hadn’t gone out on the streets to witness. The lost aren’t coming to Church, so we need to go to them!

Many other conversations throughout the day with cult-members, religious people, atheists, and those who were indifferent. It seemed like every member of the team had numerous conversations over the course of the afternoon,

Please pray that the gospel seed would fall upon good soil and that many would be saved.

SDG!

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At Wellington Point, we enjoyed the Lord's cooling breeze as we conversed with those whom He brought to our notice. 

- pray that our Lord may deal with a lady who has recently 'lost' her son. Fynn was enabled to present the good news to her in a manner that she appreciated.

- Lee-Anne had a thorough conversation with 2 young ladies, Nikita and Monica. They had devised a 'small' god whom they were comfortable with. They are now aware of the God of the Bible; why they can rely on the Bible as God's revelation and the good news that God commands us to 'preach to every one'. May He cause them to remember with thankfulness what they heard and discussed.

- Mark joined us following a challenge from the occasional preacher (Ryan) at the Ormiston C.R.C.  morning service. On his first use of the flip chart, he was able to take a young couple partway through the message. They would not accept the fact that they were answerable to the Creator for their lives, (every thought word and deed)! 

- There were some even more closed, e.g. the lass who was not interested because she was a scientist. The priests of modern religion wear a white lab gown?

- There was Coco and Katherine, ex Myanmar and our Natalie who was on the last short-term mission to Myanmar. They have heard. Ask God to reveal the exclusive nature of the Saviour.

We thank God for the way He enabled us and Mark was welcome and seemed to be 'right at home'. Think of the harmony in glory when we are GLORIFIED.

Let us covenant to keep the team leaving for overseas mission work in our prayers. petitions and praise! Amen. 

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