Battle Log

It was an epic outreach at Riccarton on Tuesday.  I love this spot, I look forward to coming here.

Yet, it was a grievous outreach as well.  Why?

Well, a young man & lady came past, I recognised him from multiple chat’s I’d had with him last year at this location and said his name in hello - please to see him.

The last time I talked to him, he had approached me.  He seemed to be deeply impacted by the gospel.  He had explained that, against his normal nature, he had started reading the Bible.  I was very encouraged, and I had started praying for him regularly.

I asked him about how things were going in his life, remembering the details he had shared with me previously.  He has finished school now, and will be starting a job in February.  But, sadly, he seemed dead inside.  He had forgotten the gospel.

I was able to go through it with him again, but I was directing my attention mainly to the girl that was with him.  She was resistant too.  We discussed why there is evil in the world - at an emotional level more than an intellectual one.  She had been to church in the past, but what good was God to her?  I was flabbergasted at this reasoning.  I gently challenged her on that.

They heard the law, and the gospel.  But they just weren’t interested - they had to go.  We said farewell, I was grieved, yet glad I had another opportunity to talk.

It was a windy day, I didn’t bring my flip chart, and Roger’s blew down once.  Yet, Roger had a busy outreach.  And so did I.  After my first chat, I decided to walk down to the bus stops to see if any would be willing to talk.  I told Roger that if I didn’t come back, I would be in a long deep conversation with someone.

Well, as soon as I had turned the corner leaving Roger, I sped two young people sitting on a bench on Riccarton Road.  I politely approached them, and we fell into a long deep conversation, with many many questions going both ways.  They seemed like senior high students or early uni students - on holiday.  The conversation must have gone for about an hour and a half, it was ten minutes past the finish time of the outreach before I made it back to Roger.

Due to all their questions, there was a lot of apologetics.  And yet, the law and the gospel was well and truly covered, with many checking questions.  They were both very intelligent, yet there was a resistance from her - wanting to go down rabbit trials, and getting the checking questions wrong; and an openness from him, wanting to get to the point and getting the checking questions right.

It was a wonderful chat, and yet a very tiring one.  The Sun was blasting on my neck the whole time, it was windy, and the traffic noise was loud.  I came away with a strained voice.  And yet, it was worth it.  May God be glorified in them coming to learn more about him - even if they reject him.

The rest of Tuesday and Wednesday I was online.

I talked to my first person from Japan!  Sadly, they didn’t stay for me to even be able to talk about the law, let alone the gospel.

I talked to a girl from Brazil who was completely deadpan in regards to the serious nature of what I was talking about - sadly completely uninterested, but polite enough to stay and listen.

I had a difficult chat with a girl who had been through some very hard times.  Her sister had been raped and committed suicide.  She was very angry at God.  With God’s help, I was able to navigate the emotions and amazingly have her come to some grasp of the law and the gospel.  She seemed very appreciative of the chat.

There was a nine year old kid, who seemed more like five.  He shouldn’t have been online - his parents were asleep and should have been too.  But before I learned this, he heard the law and the gospel.

I talked to a couple of Muslims.  One in particular was challenged and wanted to continue the conversation via Instagram.

But my highlight chat was one with a kid who wasn’t interested in his Mum’s faith in Christ.  I took him through the logic of God and his justice - and it really clicked.  He was open to hear the law, and his jaw opened when he came to grasp the gospel!  I worked through checking questions and finally I asked him - do you have any questions?  He said: “No, you actually changed my whole mind about everything”.  Lord, I leave him in your hands.
 

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