Evangelism at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront: June 9th, 2018
- hemadeusalive
- Jun 29, 2018
- 6 min read
For those who don’t know, almost every weekend, a group of friends and I go to the Oceanfront to pass out gospel tracts and water bottles to the people. Our goal is to spread the true, God-centered gospel– not one that centers on man and is only beneficial to our own selfish desires.
I am starting this blog post about three weeks after the date that is in the title. The night of June 9th, I wrote a small paragraph to update those who prayed specifically for the unbelievers that we would be talking to while passing out tracts and water bottles that day. My immediate thoughts were that a detailed synopsis of the day’s events would be an encouragement to those who had prayed; they would be able to see the ways that God has worked in the lives of both believers and unbelievers through their prayers. Today, as I start this blog, I pray it would be an encouragement to all those who read it, including myself!
I want to preface this post by saying that not every Saturday is like this one. I would go as far as to say that this Saturday was incredibly unique because of the sheer number of conversations that took place. God provided so many wonderful and amazing opportunities for Him to be glorified in our speech and conduct, and my prayer is that it was so. Without further ado, here is the report that I sent out to many friends after the day had ended (with some additions):
A group of four, including me, went to pass out tracts and water bottles at the Oceanfront. We went to 24th street for sheer convenience- it was where we parked. Depending on the Saturday, we will walk towards an attraction on the boardwalk and set up there so that we might see and talk to more individuals. However, there was no need this weekend- it was absolutely packed because of the annual Sand Soccer Tournament. When making these plans, none of us knew that the tournament would take place this weekend, and so when we learned about it, we praised God. Rachel, a girl in the group that often goes evangelizing with me, bought three cases of water, but halfway through our time, I walked to the CVS to buy another case. It was very hot outside, and I am glad we were able to give away as much as we did; I remember playing in the Sand Soccer Tournament years ago and knowing girls who would pass out because of dehydration.
Along with four cases of water, we gave away at least 200 tracts. Now, I normally do not count out how many tracts we give away; I do not want to get into the mindset of filling a ‘person quota’. Having a numbers-centered mindset is very dangerous when considering the souls of others, and additionally is obviously not a genuine way to evangelize! However, I know that three of us started with two packs of 100 and stopped when we ran out. Giving away many tracts proved to be a good way to start conversations with others. What was especially amazing about this weekend was that all of us were able to have at least one lengthy conversation where we had the privilege to share the gospel.
Rachel had the opportunity to talk to two young men and one young woman, all of whom were in the military. As she walked them through the gospel, it became apparent that they wanted to talk about the LGBT community with her. One of the men remarked that it was pride month, which led into a further discussion about sin itself. While not coming to a point of agreeance, the gospel was preached in that Rachel walked them through the Law and sin, which points out the need for a Savior (which she also talked about). We do not believe they were saved, nor that they walked away with their minds changed. Only the Lord can fully know the heart’s of men and only the Lord can change the heart’s of men (Psalm 44:21. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9). This is the greatest comfort we can have when individuals walk away, seemingly indifferent.
I and two others (Chad and Zach) had the opportunity to talk to a young man named Chandler for a good while, all at separate times. He was at the Oceanfront to meet members of CRU, a Christian outreach program geared towards college students. He said he was a professing Christian, but that the church was full of hypocrites. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have encountered someone who has felt burned by the Christian Church, and I responded by telling him that I believe that much of what is wrong with the contemporary Christian Church is caused by sheer man-centeredness and pragmatism. I admitted I have struggled with feeling anger towards my own church in several instances where I felt like we were doing things just because it worked, not because it was biblical. That led into a long discussion about Romans 3, specifically the verses where Paul makes plain to the Romans that there is no one righteous.
He asked me the question, “If God were to rain hell and fire and wrath on America today, what would you say about it?”
I responded by saying “I know, because of my own transgressions against the Law (and therefore God), that I am deserving of eternal wrath- we all are.”
For a while after that, he just stood there. Then he basically agreed. Our conversation finished with me praying for him- that he would find a stable job while still being able to pursue his hobby of music. Unfortunately, I do not know much of what he and the guys talked about. Zach told me that they were able to talk about the Cross and the sufficiency of Scripture, but I have absolutely no clue what Chad was able to say to him (and they talked the longest!). HOWEVER, I do know that he has been to church with Chad since then, and he has gone to our bible study once.
There is a tourist booth a short walk away from where we were all set up. Chad had the opportunity to talk to the man who worked there while Rachel and I were in the restroom, and I learned later that Chad walked him all the way through the Gospel. Although it seemed that the man, too, was indifferent, I know that it is God and not man who produces a saving faith; and it is my prayer that God would grow the seeds we have wildly sown, including the seed Chad has sown in this mans heart (Matthew 13).
The last encounter of the day was with a young man named Rodney. While the rest of the group was talking to different CRU members, I had the opportunity to talk with him about the Law, sin, and Jesus. I was able to fully walk him through the Law, making it known that we are deserving of wrath because of the fact that we break it (Ephesians 2:3). At first, he was not in agreement, but as we continued to talk and go more in depth about what sin was, he changed his mind. Then we talked about how God, because He is great in love and rich in mercy, has made a way for us to not only get what we don’t deserve, but to also obtain eternal fellowship with Him (Ephesians 2, 2 Corinthians 5:12-21, John 3:15-17). I finished our talk by stating that I wasn’t searching for him to say the sinner’s prayer and walk on, but that I wanted to share the gospel with him because I care about his soul. He told me that I gave him a lot to think about and thanked me for talking with him. We then prayed for the health of his unborn child, who is due in December. I was greatly encouraged by this last conversation; I still think and pray for Rodney often, mainly that God would save his soul.
In short, I want to point out that it was God who gave us these opportunities, God who put the words in our mouths to say, and God who produced the responses in the individual’s hearts. There is no credit that I or Rachel, Chad, and Zach can take. This weekend was very encouraging, not just for me but also for my friends. It is always a joyous occasion when we are able to receive responses that are not indifference or disagreement, but it should be said that God would still be at work even if we only received those responses for the years to come.
Please pray for the soul’s of those we passed out tracts to, and those we were able to speak with on this day.
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