top of page
Search

Evangelism at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, August 25th, 2018.

If I were to describe this day using only one word, it would have to be hectic. This particular weekend, there was ECSC, a surfing competition that generates a lot of tourism and general busyness in the area. Due to this and our own unpreparedness it was also a short day at the Oceanfront. A lot of our group found difficulty parking because of the competition. We agreed to meet at 2:00p, and almost everyone got there closer to 3. We planned to meet on 30th street, and Zach had to park at 19th, while Patrick, Sean, and Philip had to park around 42nd!

Tori and I got there around 2:30, and ended up praying and starting then. We both admitted that we were very nervous. It can be awkward and uncomfortable to pass out tracts to strangers and try to engage in conversation– especially when you are not having success. However, we are called to be obedient, which doesn’t always correlate with effective. The Lord does the work of saving someone, and He chooses who will talk to us as well. I became encouraged as Tori brought up the idea of praying continuously, taking turns while the other one passed out the tracts. While this didn’t bring any long lasting conversations at this time period, it was incredibly beneficial to both her and I’s mentality. It is easy to get into the motion of handing out tracts, to think that our objective is to be right when talking to people, and even to doubt that God would save someone because of the literature we give out or the conversations we have. Praying helped me focus on why we were handing out tracts and on Whose glory it was for.

Shortly after, Zach, Kamyron, Philip, Patrick, and Sean came, with Zach bringing the cooler of water bottles. It was at this time, when we were all congregated together, that everyone realized we had showed up expecting one another to supply the tracts. What a foolish thing!! It was almost comical, but I do not want to make too much light of the situation. It was a good reminder to always be prepared. Luckily, we all had enough literature between us to hand out for a good while. There were two good conversations that I had the privilege to be a part of, all glory be to God.

The first conversation was between a young couple, Sean, and I. Sean gave them waters and tracts, and then asked them if they had a moment to talk. The man was very jovial and open to discussion, whereas the woman was quieter.

Sean started by asking the man if he knew where he would end up when he died, and the man said “heaven”, because of God’s forgiveness. Sean then asked them if they thought they were good, and they responded with “yes”. Then, Sean took them through the Law, asking them if they had lied, stolen, lusted, and hated with their hearts. Again, they said “yes”, and acknowledged that they were not actually good. This was when the woman started to speak up. She said that God is a forgiving God, and so that even if she sinned she would still go to heaven because of His forgiveness.

I then spoke up, bringing in the analogy of the Righteous Judge. I began to say that if we stood before a righteous and just Judge (as we one day will) having committed crimes, that Judge will not let us go. That would make the Judge a corrupt one. Sean then spoke and brought in the gospel. He went along with the analogy, and emphasized that there has to be someone to take the punishment; there has to be atonement for sin. This is where Jesus comes in. Jesus took that punishment for us when He died a sinners death on the cross. Through Him is the only way we can receive that forgiveness from God because of His once-and-for-all sacrifice. The couple seemed to be in agreement with us for the most part.

Then Sean said something that I thought was pretty profound, although it is a simple truth. He spoke about how the work of the cross is so revolutionary and scandalous that when you believe, there is a transformation that occurs within the heart. One no longer wishes to sin, but wishes to follow Christ (Romans 7). They didn’t have much to say about that. This is a common theme that I have noticed in people who generally agree with the premise of the gospel. I would not say that these people left our conversation having been changed, because there was no repentance of sin (or acknowledgement of it). There was just a very general sense that they believed in something like what we were saying. However, the Lord works in ways that I do not. I know full well that He works in the heart long after conversations have passed. Please pray for this couples salvation and that their lives would be changed by the gospel.

The next conversation that I had the opportunity to be a part of was with Patrick and Sean. I passed out a tract to a man, and then he said “I have a question, and let’s see if you can answer it: why does God say no incest when He populated the earth via incest?”. I gave an answer that I thought was sufficient, but then he reasserted his question. Patrick and Sean also gave answers, and the man continued to ask the same question. Eventually, he moved on into more pseudo-deep questions like that (about the Apocrypha, etc.). I had left for a period of time during this conversation, and while I was away from the crowd I ruminated on some things. It is very easy to get distracted from the true goal of evangelism: to share the gospel. It is not necessarily bad or unprofitable to answer questions like this man was asking. However, questions like that become more of an obstacle the longer you entertain them. I have not yet found a way of deterring questions like that. When I got back to our group, the man had left with his mind unchanged and his heart unsatisfied with the answers to his questions. Please pray for his salvation and that God would use His people to reach him.

In short, this time was hectic, we were unprepared, and yet God still worked. He focused my heart on Him, He allowed people to have conversations with us, and He enabled us to share the gospel with others via tracts and conversations. Please pray for our hearts as well as the hearts of those we share the gospel with.

Resources Used:

 
 
 

Comments

© 2020 by The Aquila and Prisiclla Hour. Proudly created with Wix.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
bottom of page