Battle Log

• Battle Log
• Page 158

In this short clip you can hear Jackson share, in humility, that despite his lack of great oratory skills, God still uses him as an ambassador for Christ. He also encourages you, no matter your knowledge of Christian apologetics to head on out, in simple obedience to God, and share the Gospel wherever you can!

You also get to hear from a very tired Glen, who has travelled over from New Zealand for a few days to join the team in the evangelism efforts! Hear his excitement as he was able to lovingly, yet clearly, engage with two homosexuals and a "Christian" who were down for schoolies week.

Hear Giuliano sharing about a night of many conversations, with those from many different world views and the sharpening of his faith that was a result!

How can you be obedient to Christ's call for disciple making this week?

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At Schoolies on Tuesday night there was a large team out. It was exciting to be a part of. Despite the large team, there were still plenty of opportunities for conversations. There are over twenty thousand schoolies out and about and only around twenty team members. There is always room for more labourers.

From this evening you can hear John, who travelled down from Brisbane just for one night, share about the night that he had sharing the Gospel.

You can also hear Ryan and Bek, two team members down for the whole week sharing how, even whilst they were off getting a quick snack at McDonalds, they were able to share the Gospel with a man named Alex.

Please keep the team in prayer as the week progresses, knowing that it is only by God's strength that they can persevere.

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With street ministry it is rare to see the results of the conversation and if you do get to witness the fruit it is usually months later.

Hear an excited Matt and Jonathan sharing about conversations they had with a young girl Naomi and even see Naomi herself, express in words how she would like to respond of God's offer of salvation for sinners.

As you watch this, you too can take a way a simple analogy to explain repentance and faith.

Please also be praying for Naomi that she would be serious about following Christ and would seek out a local church back in her home town.

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As the outreaches take place over this week it has been noted that the vast majority of people have a strongly "Catholic" background. Many people have just finished twelve years of "Christian" schooling and a scathing rebuke to almost every school that claims the name of Christ is that they all seem to have failed to articulate the Gospel.

You can hear in this video Hannah share about the tragedy of some of the conversations, whilst Cobus shares about the joy of others.

Please be praying for those who heard the word of truth that they would repent and believe.

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As the team is down on the Gold Coast, for the schoolies outreach, you can hear the encouraging stories coming back.

Hear Natalie, who could only make it down for one night share about the joy she had sharing the Gospel with schoolies.

Hear Arlini share that although english is her second language, she was able to preach the Gospel to a young man named James.

Hear Trinity, share about the last conversation she had during the night, with a man who hear the Gospel, wanted to know more and said he would count the cost of trusting in Jesus.

If you have a spare moment during the week, please consider joining the team. Accommodation can be provided, and any extra voices will be great help!

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The Warwick outreach has changed from Tuesdays to every Friday. Rick is now able to join on this day and my work was able to give me this day off. Praise God for the blessing to be together in this beautiful work to share the Gospel in this little town.

Over our first two Fridays we have had many great conversations and given out lots of tracts, we know God will use all our efforts to accomplish His work in hearts of the people. We know the Gospel is the power of God unto Salvation. Only God can save sinners. We have been graced with faith in Jesus and saved from hell punishment and His great love is something we can not keep silent about. 10 out of 10 people need Jesus. 

Last Friday the table was being set up and a young man wanted a Bible and some resources.

He told me he had just moved to Warwick and was using his girlfriends Bible. I asked him if he was a believer, to which he acknowledged he is and then told me his testimony. He had been brought up in a Mormon family. He told me how God had shown him truth of who Jesus is and that he was born again. Amazingly i had just watched a mormon testimony on youtube that morning and in God’s sovereignty he had watched the very same testimony the night before. (Micah Wilder Testimony) There were a couple of things that were addressed that he needed some direction in God’s word with, pray he will get on tract with God’s help. He took a Bible and some resources.

Rick had a conversation with a man with a Catholic upbringing. He was encouraged in that it is only the work of Jesus that saves and not anything we can do. The conversation was a good length of time and pray with us he will receive the gift of Salvation or his sins. 

We also meet Christians who ask us to pray for particular things so praise God that they are able to have the desire to share their burdens and we can pray for them or with them.

This Friday we came together again and got plenty of conversations short and a couple of lengthy ones. One was with a man who has had belief in dream times. As I listen he seemed to have some understanding of the Bible and Jesus in his sharing and said he was open and teachable. Pray God will use the tracts to help him to understand the Gospel.

A great conversation was had with a young man in year 11. He goes to a Christian College and a local Church and from a family that are believers in Jesus. Both Rick and I spent quite a bit of time with him. After going through the Commandments he wasn’t sure about his salvation. The flip chart was used and he heard the Gospel. Rick stressed to him that he had to own it for himself to examine himself and believe what Jesus has done on the cross to save him. He took tracts and some resources. He said he would look at the Facebook site for the ministry. Pray for his salvation and be given a hunger for God’s Word.

Thank you for your prayer support it is very vital.

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Redcliffe (QLD) Team

We had a great day of outreach in Redcliffe. A group of us from Operation 513 and OAC Ministries met at 11am to share the gospel for a couple of hours.

The waterfront was quieter today, but we still managed to have many great conversations. Mike from Samford Baptist Church seemed to constantly be witnessing to people with his flip-chart, and other team members were busy handing out tracts.

I managed to have a couple of really good conversations, including with a young man from New Zealand. This Maori gentleman told me that he had grown up in the church, but it was very clear that he had little knowledge of Christian things. We chatted for quite some time, and at the end of our conversation he took a Gospel of John so he could learn more about the Lord Jesus.

The highlight of the day for me was the last conversation I had. We were about to start packing up when a young lady came across from a local cafe. She told me that the staff had been watching us, and wondered what we were doing. We chatted at length about our sin and also the Saviour. At the end of the conversation this young lady said, “I’m scared. I don’t want to go to judgment.”

I explained to her the love of Christ towards sinners, but she said that it would be impossible for Jesus to love her. It was clear that she was struggling with something. I replied by saying, “Let me tell you a story. What would you think about a man whose life mission was to kill Christians and wipe out the church. Would Jesus love such a man?” She replied that Jesus would not love a person who hurt Christians.

I then said, “Have you heard of Saint Paul?” She said had. “Well,” I replied, “his mission was to wipe out the church and kill Christians. Yet, Jesus loved him and forgave him. Paul later described himself as the chief sinners, but still Jesus saved him.”

The young lady looked shocked. She said, “Wow! I’ve never heard that before!” She willingly took a tract and a Gospel of John.

Please pray for all those we met today. May the Father draw them to the Son.

SDG!

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This afternoon in Brisbane City the team arrived to see a local business man who is a Christian boldly proclaiming the Gospel on his lunch break! When asked why he was doing it he even clearly stated that he must obey his Master! It was encouraging to hear and an excitement to witness others, in the capacity God has enabled them, to be out there sharing the Gospel with the time God has given!

How are you serving God with the minutes, hours and days he has given you?

What has been interesting recently is the large number of Greek Orthodox people who the team has run into. They have a scary belief system as it declares that one must work at overcoming sin, so that God will see that effort, enable you with the Holy Spirit and in working with the Spirit you will slowly be "saved". The saddest part is that every person who has declared this has ultimately come to admit that they were not able to achieve what they were striving for and had given up in one way or another.

Specifically this afternoon George was spoke to and he said this. He knew quite a lot about history but sadly had completely missed the Good News that Jesus saves sinners, not the righteous. He heard the Gospel and was encouraged to read Romans 1-8 so that he could hear how the Apostle Paul talks clearly and explicitly about salvation.

Please be praying that George would come to a knowledge of the truth and would not die in his sin.

Another conversation was had with a young guy who had studied interpretation. This conversation may not have been handled as well as it could have been in hindsight. He mocked at the Good Person test then declared that God didn't exist because churches were simply a place for "money-laundering, pedophiles". He was pushed back and asked if he had any sin or rebellion in him that God hates.

The conversation went on as this man tried to avoid the judgement of God in all the usual ways of trying to invalidate God as existing or being good. He even stated that he would stand before God on judgement day and that God would have an awful lot to "answer for".

Ultimately he ran away very quickly when he got caught out on a simple point. He was arguing that writings don't tell us how they are to be interpreted (this came off the back of pointing out that Exodus 1 and Leviticus 1 tell its readers who the intended audience is). It was pointed out that drivers licenses, birth certificates and shopping catalogs tell you clearly and simply right at the start their intended purpose. In very much the same way, the books of the Bible record their intention.

At this point, he in anger walked off very quickly seeing that simple point he was arguing for was wrong. His pride had inhibited him from admitting that he was wrong on that point. Sadly the "argument" was won but he didn't get to hear of God's love for him in Christ. Although, despite this, God's word doesn't return void.

Later in the afternoon he actually walked past and was reminded, "We're not hear to just try and win arguments but because we care about you and will be praying for you". To which he angrily replied that he hates the "imaginary sky fairy".

Please be praying for this man that his anger and hatred toward God would be turn to love and gratefulness when he comes to understand what God has done to save him.

The team were also able to have a conversation with a lady named Charlie. She legitimately had no understanding of the Gospel and happily engaged and listened to it. It took a while but she asked some questions and by the end shared that she understood it. Even asking, "So what now, how does someone trust in Jesus?"

She heard what it means to repent and believe and said she would definitely consider it tonight. Please be praying that Charlie would come to know God, as her Lord and Saviour!

Another exciting chat was had with Max a grade ten student who had a Catholic background but was sort of struggling with whether or not he believed in God. He heard of the universal condemnation of humanity and even on a number of occasions noted that no one could get to Heaven on their own. Yet it also took a lot for him to understand that our good deeds have nothing to do with us getting to Heaven.

He heard the Gospel and its promises and was encouraged, this very day to read Romans 1-8 and to consider what God has done for guilty humanity.

Please be praying for Max that he would, despite the self-righteous faith of his parents, come to a total surrender to and reliance upon Jesus Christ!

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Tuesday at Woodridge as always was filled with conversations as well as being an opportunity to hand out hundreds of tracts. The conversations were mixed as always with the ultimate shine through of each being that God alone can save. The same sentence can be shared with two people and polar opposite reactions will occur.

An early conversation was with a man who had traveled from Africa and had only been in Australia four months. There was a language barrier but from the conversation had it seemed as if he was trusting in his goodness to get him to Heaven. The gospel was explained a number of ways, with emphasis on the work of Christ as the only reason we are right before God. Even despite trying to explain it a number of ways he didn't seem to understand.

Please be praying for Ikalo that he would understand the tract as it explains it again and that he would seek God and find the truth of salvation in the Bible.

A conversation soon after this was had with a Muslim lady. The problem was, she was extremely proud. She wanted to declare all the things she thought and she knew and couldn't seem to understand despite speaking with two different team members that the conversation wasn't about 'discussing different ideas', rather it was about comparing what we think and how we live, to who God is and what He has said.

She had many ideas and many beliefs, one of the scariest was her belief that John 14:26 refers to Mohammad. She had no desire to actually read the verse, in English or Greek, all she wanted to do was use it for her own argument, completely stripped of its clearly intended meaning.

Please be praying for this lady, that she would consider the challenge she was given that the primary reason she wanted to reject Jesus was because she thought she was good enough to get to Heaven.

An interesting conversation was also had with a young lady. She was a Muslim and was happy to talk and engage with the team. She took and tract and was asked a range of questions about what she believed and why she believed it. What was interesting was that a man named John who had been asked a question earlier was so angry that he actually came over, interrupted the conversation with the intention to have a go at the team member.

He asked a lot of questions in an accusing fashion but was actually stopped in his tracts quite quickly when he started asking about Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen and the Catholic Church. His questions were met with very clear and simple answers, these people are charlatans, abusing the name of God for their own gain and they will suffer the eternal consequences from God for their wicked deception.

It seemed as if he was expecting them to be defended. This was the moment that was taken to point it back at him. It was stated that they aren't the only rebels against God, they aren't the only selfish people on the planet, in fact all of humanity is desperately wicked and has lived their entire lives in direct rebellion against God.

At this moment John's bus arrived and the Muslim lady was also hopping on the same bus. Please be praying that these two will be able to have future conversations with the team about God's offer of salvation.

A number of other conversations were had with various people who were recommended to head along to local churches or were simply challenged in their current incredulity toward God.

Please be praying for all those who heard the word of truth that they would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

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We had a team of 2 and another of 4 with 2 large flipcharts. Before we got the charts set up, Lee-Anne & Railee were speaking with a 15 y.o. named Casey. His countenance lit up after he heard of his alienation from God because of personal sin and the gracious redeeming work of Jesus. How selfless is God? The Lord Jesus Christ, the only one in history to have always done the Father's will, and delighted to do so, voluntarily suffered the wrath of God so as to merit a certain salvation for those that He prayed for - Jn. 17. There is no other way to be reconciled to God except what He has ordained - personal repentance and trust in Jesus Christ as one's Saviour and Lord. God knows His own and they are known by fleeing from sin, 2 Tim. 2:19. God Himself keeps each one who receives His gift.

     Have you, reader? Or are you like the Greek Orthodox man we met who does not believe, says the Jews wrote the Old Testament based on Greek mythology, and goes to church because it is something to do!!! Jn. 3:36. 

    What a privilege to serve Him who first loved us! Glory to God in the highest!

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