In the marketplace

You must warn each other every day, while it is still today, so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. – Hebrews 3: 13

Last weekend, we managed to spend an entire afternoon speaking to people on the streets, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We feel it is always beneficial, as so few have any real clue as to what that Gospel really entails, and we have no idea how God will use the seed we plant.

We managed to speak to 3 young teenagers as we spoke first about skateboarding, and then about Jesus. We’re hoping that they will start attending a Discovery Group which we have started in our home for young people who want to know more about Jesus Christ. We are praying, and we shall see. If you’ve never tried it, then let me tell you there is nothing more fulfilling than sharing the Gospel with someone who knows nothing about it.

There are many ways to do that of course, but we prefer to go slowly, as we have always felt the Gospel takes time to share. You can share your own testimony, or a simple Bible passage, or simply talk about why Jesus had to die, and the different sides of God’s character, Holiness and Love. That in particular, seems to always intrigue people. Whatever you do though, make Jesus the front and centre of anything you present. He is always, always the attraction.

Over the years, we have watched and listened to presentations that emphasise certain elements of scripture, usually tied in closely with the person’s denomination or church background. In the end, I always sense there is demand being made on the person that overshadows the Gospel, whatever that is. Groups that promote a particular brand of Christianity, tend to exclude certain passages and highlight others that support their views. These are often the same people that insist on those interested in Christ, coming along to “their church”, as they raise their own extrabiblical belief and church practice to the level of Scripture.

In our experience though, this ends up being a failure. The people we talk to are intrigued by Jesus Christ. The intensity in their listening, willingness to be prayed for, discussed with and even followed up bears this out. We don’t need to insist on catechism, baptism, speaking in tongues, confirmation, church attendance or anything else that we might deem essential to Christianity. We forget that Christ left a group of illiterate, uneducated people to fulfil his work of spreading the Gospel. There was no money, no building, no priests, no New Testament – only the very real presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

So we encourage each of you to speak the person of Jesus Christ into your neighbourhood, wherever that may be. This week we spoke to a young Czech man; he was very curious and willing to listen, even though there was no immediate response. Was that a wasted half an hour? We never think so, who knows what will happen in his life. Most people sail through life never thinking about why they are here, or where they come from or are going, and we get a chance to introduce them to their creator for just a few moments. If he then came across you the reader, you would have the opportunity to build on what had already been said. We never know.

The good news is, there are other Discovery Groups forming and we are beginning to network and connect into other areas in the city. We can go out with them in their area, train them and share fellowship, the very real church where Jesus is the head. It seems in the last days, that God is starting to stir people in the West, moving them out into the marketplace to proclaim his Son.

As we continue onto our goals of ten new converts this year, we have always found one thing to be true; if we will take the first step toward doing something for God, he always sends the resources and people to help accomplish the job. We are not alone.