So I remained silent as I looked at Mrs Stark, giving her my full attention.  Then she told me that her father and twenty-four year old son were both recently killed while on holiday in Germany and, “it’s just not fair!”  I responded by saying that I agreed with her, but said also, “Nothing in life is fair.  It wasn’t fair that Germany’s Hitler killed six million Jews either.”

I believed that this was a response from God, because now I immediately had her silence and attention.  Mrs Stark was essentially blaming God for this family tragedy, so I used my brief time with her to share the love of God – a love which she could experience for herself anytime she, “chose to believe God and trust His Son Jesus Christ.” 

I further explained that if she would take the time to study the nature and character of God and His love towards us in Christ, as it is revealed to us in the gospels, she would very quickly see for herself, that God’s unconditional love towards us is not fair either, because we just don’t deserve it.  I said she would see, “that it’s not fair that Jesus Christ came down into our world to die in our place on a cross for our offences towards a holy God, but He did it anyway.”

Mrs Stark nodded in agreement when I told her there was no death (separation from God) in eternity for all who receive Christ.  She said she knew something of the gospel of Christ because she was once a Sunday school child.  She was apologetic for her outburst, but I encouraged her forget about it and look to Christ and re-establish herself in a relationship with Him.  She said that she may attend services again at a church a few streets from her home.

A young lady in her early thirties told me she too rejected all religions, God, Christ and the Bible.  She said she used to be a practising Catholic, “but not any more.”  This sad, hurting lady was totally anti-Christ.  She said she lost her nineteen year-old cousin through illness some months earlier, so, “how could a loving God let that happen?”  It’s a common question from those who suffer such tragedies, but in my experience I have found far too many people unwilling to hear what God has to tell us about the fact of death. 

They simply do not want to hear the word of God, who tells us that there is a time appointed for each one of us to die, and that none of us are told how or when that time will come.  It is their preference to remain in bitterness and blame God, rather than see and embrace His solution to the problem.  The young lady listened as I shared some gospel promises of comfort and peace for her hurting self, plus the gift of eternal life, but she simply refused to receive.  She walked away.

Freedom of choice has been given to all and God will not violate our choices.  But given that this is so, there was nothing more He could do for that lady.  Her situation will remain unchanged until she sees the need for change.  It is not up to God from hereon in, it is up to her.

I knocked on the door of an elderly Greek couple and the husband answered.  As we spoke I could hear his wife yelling at me to go away.  She thought I was a Jehovah Witness.  Their twenty year old son had joined the J W’s.  The husband told me that some time ago during some home renovations, part of the ceiling fell down on their son, his photograph on the wall fell down also and it cut the telephone cable.

He apparently had an argument with his parents over this, plus the fact that he was now a J W, so he got into his car and drove away in anger.  He crashed the car and was killed.  The husband then invited me inside for a cup of tea and we sat and talked in another room.  He informed me that his wife was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, she was also riddled with arthritis and she was weeping and wailing.  The grief in the home was very heavy.

Although he said they were Greek Orthodox practitioners, neither he nor his wife appeared to know the reality of Jesus Christ from personal experience.  There were religious pictures and statues in the rooms but, as God Almighty Himself through Isaiah the prophet tells us in the Scriptures about such things, “they are profitable for nothing.”  The truth of this was evident that day.  He shared his doubts as to the existence of God after their tragedy, so I encouraged him to choose to believe and find the reality of Jesus Christ for himself and lead his wife to Him as well. 

Another lady told me she used to attend church as a child, but, “now I don’t believe there is a God.”  She told me her son-in-law was murdered four years earlier.  He was a soldier and was coming home in a train when he got into a fight.  Someone pulled a knife and killed him.  Then she spoke about the injustice of this as it related to God, the legal system and the welfare system.

The man’s wife had not had any compensation to date and there seemed to be nothing but, “delay after delay.”  Then the lady asked me why was the world so bad, followed by, “it’s just not fair!”  I gave her my answers according to Jesus’ warnings in the gospels where we read that, as people turn away from God, there will be an increase of wickedness, violence and lawlessness all over the world and, “the love of many will grow cold.”  That’s a fact of life – but a fact of our own making. 

God Almighty did not create the problems human beings find themselves enduring and suffering, but  He provided the Solution.  His Solution is His Son Jesus Christ.  Most human beings reject Jesus Christ as God’s Solution, therefore, the problems go on.  It was sad to observe the realities of this biblical truth and the effects it had on people such as these mentioned in this post.

My life did not even begin to work for me until I allowed Jesus Christ to reveal and then deliver me from my unrealities.  It was only when I began to let Him do so, did I begin to see the futility of blaming God for all life’s tragedies.  When I began to experience the limitless blessings that He waited to pour out upon such a one as undeserving as myself, clearly I saw that, “it’s just not fair.”  But I embraced them anyway and continue to do so.  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.”  Psalm 46:1-3.

© 2009 – 2010, Roger Williams. All rights reserved.

Churches were/are not preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ.  The foundations of biblical theology were/are being denied from the highest pulpits in the land as well as in the theological seminaries.  But the fact remains that people were/are still looking for some sort of spiritual reality and the J W’s do their extreme best to fill that void.  They are utterly fearless in their witnessing and don’t care what anybody says or thinks of them.  

Countless times I found myself either a few days ahead or a few days behind J W representatives.  So much so that in my conversations with people, they would often question the discrepancies in our belief systems.  Puzzled, confused and often angry they would ask, “What is the difference between you both?”

Young married mother, Annette, used to look forward to my visits.  It was an opportunity for her to share her everyday problems and confusions - often they were about her husband’s in-laws.  I would listen and always endeavour to respond as led by the Holy Spirit.  She would say, “I like what you say.  That seems to make a lot of sense.  You are so different than the Jehovah Witnesses.  They make me feel so fearful and guilty.”

Another lady, quite angrily asked, “What is your church doing door knocking?  I thought only Jehovah’s Witnesses did that.”  I gave her a message from the gospel and a smile came upon her face.  Her son was standing with her visiting from the country, so she asked if I could send her two New Testament Bibles, one for her son and another one for his family because, “he had to think about them too!”  Then she asked, “What is the difference between you and the Jehovah Witnesses?”

A young lady in her thirties informed me that she was a Jehovah Witness.  Having said that, it was apparent she had little knowledge of their teachings.  She had numerous Bible translations on the shelf but gave no mention of the J W ‘New World Translation’ Bible as being, “the correct translation.”  She claimed Jesus Christ to be God, that He was her Lord and Saviour and that her sins were washed away by His blood.  Then she spoke about the peace she had and the purpose the Lord has given her in life.  Her question was, “Can you tell me the difference between us?”

An old man, originally from Finland told me he had severe arthritis in his neck.  During our time of nearly an hour together he politely listened as I talked of the purpose of Jesus Christ coming to earth, but he would say, “That’s not what the Jehovah Witnesses say.”  I mentioned that if he’d allow me to pray for healing in his neck, “Jesus might say something to you in the form of a healing.”  Again, “The Jehovah Witnesses said……”  I mentioned that Jesus is in heaven today, but that He continues to heal through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  Quickly he replied, “The Jehovah Witnesses say there is no such thing as the Trinity.  They say the Holy Spirit is not God.  Why are you all so different?”

Another practising J W lady with a welcoming, smiling face invited me inside saying, “I believe the Spirit of God is all around me.”  Then she spoke of the guilt she had, “because I have not been praying much lately.”  She said she was new to the J W’s but wanted to know the difference between our beliefs.  She asked lots of questions in the hour and twenty minutes I was with her.  As I was walking down her hallway to leave, there was a ring on her doorbell.  She opened her door to two women from her Kingdom Hall.  She introduced me to them and told me I was from the local church.  Upon hearing this, a religious spirit of anger presented itself within both of them - in their demeanour and in their speech.

I was once in a Christian book shop.  A man in his late thirties asked the lady behind the counter some questions on Jesus and the Bible and with each answer she gave, he said, “That’s not what the Jehovah Witnesses say.”  Every endeavour on her part brought a similar response from him and this went on for a few minutes.  The lady looked at me with an appeal in her eye to take over, so I did.

Instead of answering questions, I decided to ask him some.  I said, “What do the Jehovah Witnesses say about……?”  When he told me, I would say, “That’s not what the Bible teaches.”  Again, “Do the Jehovah Witnesses teach…….?”  Regardless of his reply, I was able to tell him what the Bible declares about each matter.  At one point he asked me, “What makes you think you people are better than the Jehovah Witnesses and their teachings?”  I said, “We don’t think we’re better.  But Jesus Christ is.”  He then said, “Well tell me the difference between you both.”

I had the pleasure of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with that man, right there.  He was seeking God’s reality and power that day and he readily saw his need of Christ to forgive him his sin if he wanted to enter eternity and live with Him forever.  He asked me to pray with him and I asked the lady to join us.

A few weeks later I walked back into that shop.  I spoke with the lady of our last meeting.  She said, “Oh – you’re the one!  I was hoping you would come back.”  I was surprised at the remark.  She told me that the man had an asthma attack and died just a few days after our prayer together.  

What is the difference between us both?

• The J W’s deny Jesus Christ as Almighty God Jehovah.  We do not. 
• They deny the One God Who exists in 3 Persons – Father, Son, Holy Spirit.  We do not.
• They deny the existence of the Holy Spirit as a Person.  We do not.
• They reject the doctrine of the Trinity.  We do not.
• They reject the doctrine of hell.  We do not.
• They interpret the Bible in the light of their doctrines and books.  We do not.  
• They interpret the New Testament in the light of the Old Testament.  We do the opposite.
• The J W’s claim to be the true prophets of God.  They are false prophets.  

As a result of these denials, rejections and claims by the Jehovah Witnesses, it matters very little as to what else is different between us - and there are many such differences.  But they are all secondary issues.  The eight dot-points above are primary issues.  Therefore, if we say we are a Christian, each one of us must be sound in our theology on each point.  If not, we have nothing to offer anyone who says, “Tell me the difference between you both.”  “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end (uttermost part) of the earth.”  Acts 1:8.        

© 2009 – 2010, Roger Williams. All rights reserved.

Now sometimes people immediately back up those kind of statements by becoming abusive and slamming the door in my face – but not this young lady, so I knew God was in this somewhere.  She then went on to tell me there was no God, no truth, no Jesus, “Don’t talk to me about a loving God, He’s no such thing!”  Her hurts were deep, her words were bitter. 

 Here’s why.  It was the last week of November when we met.  Eleven months earlier at the beginning of January, both her mother and father and two sisters aged thirteen and fourteen were killed in a car crash, as was the drunken driver of the other car.  Tears came into her eyes as she said, “So tell me now about your loving God!”

Times such as these I found to be tricky and each time called for a lot of wisdom to bring ministry to situations like this – wisdom I believe no human being has.  So as always, my practice was to pray for wisdom as I listened to her and at the same time wait for God to speak through me.  I was fully aware that this was His work and that I was just His vessel.

When I sensed the correct timing I explained to the young lady that in the Scriptures we see the word “sin” but it’s basic meaning is “rebellion.”  I then said to her that the Scriptures also tell us there is a devil and as we study his nature and character we see that he is the father of rebellion.  I then suggested that perhaps instead of blaming God maybe she could blame the devil who used a drunken rebel for his dirty work.

Her immediate response was, “Well which one was responsible for the heart attack and death of my twenty-one year old friend who died around the same time as my family?!”  She was not ready for any reply from me, so there were a few long moments of silence.  Then she told me she had watched her friend die over fourteen hours, also having to listen to the doctors say there was nothing they could do.

By now I was feeing a little of this lady’s pain, knowing once again that no human being can rightly respond to such tragedy.  Plenty of people attempt to do so but too often they just add to the hurts.  I knew I was capable of being one of those at this point, so I asked God to shut my mind and mouth to any kinds of humanistic, psychological emotionalism.  This lady’s hurts were deep in her spirit and no one is qualified to go there accept the Holy Spirit of God. 

When I did respond I explained that the Bible factually tells us that the there is a day for each one of us to die, but that it does not factually tell us how or when we will die.  Further saying that because of sin having entered the world, physical death is a fact of life, but spiritual death doesn’t have to be – and won’t be, if we’re trusting in Jesus Christ, who Himself, knows all about tragedy.

She listened and nodded, then more hurts flowed out.  Next she said she had two brothers alive, both of whom she hates.  One of them, “is a born-again Christian and I wish he would die for what he did.”  I didn’t ask what he had done, but whatever it was, she said, “I will never forgive him.”  I then explained that if he truly was born-again in Christ, then all his sin has been forgiven by the Lord and that perhaps the day will come when, if he has to, he will come and put things right with her.

In spite of the hurts and emotions she continued to express, plus the risk of being told to go away, I decided it was now time to share with her that Jesus shows us that the only real loser in unforgiveness is the person who will never forgive.  I remarked that she was a young looking lady, but by the time she was forty this stuff would eat her up if she didn’t allow God to release her from it.  She saw the possiblity of that becoming true, but said, “Why didn’t they both die in the crash instead of my two sisters?!” 

She said she came from a Catholic background but wanted, “nothing to do with that church or any other.”  Underneath all those hurts was a lovely young woman whom God touched that day.  She didn’t want prayer but she did smile and thank me at the end for listening and talking with her.  

God has a special place in His heart for the broken hearted and although I did not see her again, knowing that there are no coincidences in the Lord Jesus Christ, I believe it was His intention that day to begin drawing her closer to Him.  “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  And those who know Your name will put their trust in You: for You have not forsaken those who seek You.”  Psalm 9:9.

© 2009 – 2010, Roger Williams. All rights reserved.

Children at a young age confirm the truth of New Testament Romans 1:19, which tells us the truth about God being known to us instinctively, because He Himself has put this knowledge in our hearts.  That’s why children ask.  They’re open and very teachable at such an age.  I personally believe that it’s only later when their questions haven’t been satisfactorily answered, do they forget about it and move on to other things.  Others didn’t talk about children or grandchildren but they expressed the same emotions, “because I should know more, I used to go to Sunday School.” 

When I introduced myself and the purpose for my visit to some of the older ladies who answered their door, they would break down and cry softly in front of me.  For those who wanted me to pray for them, I did so, often resulting in more tears.  Always in such prayer however, I would ask that God demonstrate the reality of Himself  to them in practical ways for their everyday living.  I did this because I believe it is a powerful way for people to divorce themselves from faulty “religious” concepts of God.   Always such people would close the door with a smile and a thank you.    

This embarrassment and guilt showed up in church goers as well.  Countless people told me they were Christians who “go to church without fail every Sunday,” yet admitted that they had very little knowledge of what the Bible had to tell them about God and the Lord Jesus Christ and what it meant for them.  It seemed with most however, that it was easier for them to continue living with such emotions, rather than consider a new start.  They were “very happy” with their minister, “even if he’s not a very good teacher or preacher.” 

For others, these emotions triggered off anger and bitterness.  The good works that some of these people were  into was a source of comfort for them and they became deeply offended when challenged with the true gospel.  The truth does hurt!  On being told who and what I was, one lady slammed the door in my face and slammed another one inside the house!  That too was testimony to the reality and power of Jesus Christ.  

So was this.  I mentioned that I was from the local church to one man, who then said, “I follow the Pope!  Who’s your bloke?  Who do you follow?”  I said, “I follow the Lord Jesus Christ.”  BANG! went his front door.     

In the particular suburb of Melbourne, Australia where I did this work there are two Roman Catholic girl’s colleges and one boy’s college, one Presbyterian girl’s college and one Church of England girl’s college.  The ignorance of God, Jesus Christ and the Bible among their students was rampant.  Countless young people from those schools told me they knew of Jesus “of course,” but they had no idea of what He or His gospel message truly meant for them personally.

They would make comments such as, ”our school teaches about all religions ” or, “we don’t do catholicness” or, “we’re learning about Buddha too” or, “my teacher says we should believe in all religions.”  It seemed that these statements became embedded beliefs in the students minds, fitting in well with their newly founded forms of political correctness.  

Given the size of the homes that they lived in and the number and quality of the cars in the driveway, it appeared that some people had “arrived” financially or, at the very least, were on the pathway to doing so.  And in nearly all cases these same people were polite and well mannered as I stood at their door sharing Christ, but their eyes gave them away. 

Looking into some of those eyes I could see a picture of unfulfillment, emptiness, fear, sadness, worry and quite often, guilt.  It was a pleasure to talk about the reality and power of Jesus Christ to them.  One man invited me inside to answer his questions about God, Jesus and the Bible, doing so for over an hour.  At the end he genuinely wanted to know his purpose in it all, so he got down on his knees and asked Christ into his life.  He didn’t want “religion” he wanted reality.

I met with two young people, Brett and Danni, who invited me inside.  They told me they were living together as a couple, but not married.  I told them that I was not there to make any judgements.  He was a twenty-eight year old non-practicing Catholic, she was a non-practicing Anglican of similar age.  Both these people were very sharp young intellectuals and asked a lot of very challenging questions about the accuracy and the validity of the Bible, based on their deep interests in science and evolution.  The Holy Spirit of God was working through me and ministering to their needs and questions and they knew it.  A hour or so later they said they were seriously thinking of turning back to Christ, but their living arrangements were of concern to them.  I suggested they turn to back to Him anyway and that He would show them the next step.  

I encouraged Brett and Danni not to wait until they thought they were ”good enough” before they turned back to God, explaining  that none of us are “good enough” – never have been - never will be.  I left them with the thought that it was no coincidence that I’d called and that they’d invited me in to talk.  Because of their background, they knew enough about God to agree with that statement.  It was a pleasure to meet and talk with them.  I never saw them again.

One man and his wife were going to their thirty-six year old son’s funeral on the day I spoke with them.  The father told me his son had cancer, suffering it for many years.  Neither he nor his wife showed any bitterness towards God, just apathy.  I offered to pray briefly with them assuring them that God was going to give them His peace, but they declined.   

In the space of fifty minutes I met an effeminate young man, two atheists, an alcoholic and a verbal abuser.  In every case except for the abuser, God opened the spirits and minds of each person, meeting each one where they were at, not where I or anyone else thought they should be.  The love, respect and honour God has for people as individuals is an amazing truth to witness.

A young mother in her thirties told me that both she and her husband didn’t give any thoughts to Jesus Christ, until the births of their two children, two and a half years earlier.  It was then that things began to change within them simultaneously.  Now they attend a church group and “we’re learning more and more about God, and our lives now have meaning and I wish we had both discovered this reality sooner.”   ” But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name:”   John 1:12.

© 2009 – 2010, Roger Williams. All rights reserved.

The release from these things for me took place exactly the way Jesus said they would, by trusting in Him and His finished work on that cross – by asking Him to enter my life and change me.  It really is true.  Old things do pass away, all things do become new.  Things begin to change, they’re not the same anymore and neither am I.  I am a new creature (creation).  Essentially, that’s the Christian gospel message.  Jesus said He came to set the captives free.  Why would anyone in their right mind not want this? 

I met Mrs Milton, a lady in her late 30′s with four children from about 8 years old down to 4.  Her mother was a Jehovah’s Witness but her upbringing was Roman Catholicism.  She spoke firstly about her desire for the kids to go to Sunday School because that had once been a brief but enjoyable experience for her.  She said the children had previously gone to one up the street but the teacher was old and her teaching methods meant nothing to them.  Another time she and the children were on their way to the church I was associated with (we’d never met) but as they walked towards the door she realised they were late.  Mentioning that to the children, embarrassment set in so they all turned around and walked back home. 

Although I could see Mrs Milton was suffering from worry, confusion and guilt, I also saw that she was searching for reality because she asked a lot of questions about the Bible and Jesus Christ saying she believed He came into the world, died on a cross for sin and rose again.  At this point however, she became reluctant to put her beliefs to the test when I invited her to do so by encouraging her pray to the Lord and ask Him to release her from her sin.  I pray she did so at another time.  She told me her husband had a drinking problem but was in denial about it, as he was about God.  He would laugh and mock her and the children whenever God, Christ or the Bible got mentioned.

I never saw this lady again.  Some months later I took a food parcel to the home and I met her husband.  Mr Milton was very grateful for this as he told me his wife took the children and left him a couple of months earlier.  He said he’d like to get the children back but he couldn’t care less about her.  I don’t think he really meant that last statement, it seemed to be a natural response to rejection.   As I looked in his hallway I could see beer cans scattered around, so I told him that I too once had a drinking problem.  I told Mr Milton I over-drank for more than 20 years but when I asked Jesus Christ to set me free from it, He did.  He looked at me and listened in silence for ten minutes as I spoke about my drinking life, the denial I was once in etc.  Then he said he had to go, but he asked me to write my name and phone number for him to get in touch later.  He never did so. 

I met a young man in his late 20′s, who, when I introduced myself, told me that he’d had enough of God, Jesus, the Bible, informing me he’d had religion “rammed down my throat” as a child, saying also that he had bitter experiences from his time in Roman Catholicism.  I didn’t ask what his experiences were but his anger was deep-seated as a result.  I’ve listened to many a sad experience from people as I do this work but I believe the bad religious experience to be the saddest of all because it distorts and perverts their concepts of the true God. 

I simply asked this man if he’d give me 10 minutes to share the God of the Bible as He reveals Himself in Jesus Christ.  The young man listened to what I had to say, and I observed him relaxing before my eyes as he heard for the first time of a God Who is nothing at all like the god he grew up to believe in.  I say that because of the softening he expressed on his face and in his eyes.  This softening cannot happen unless God witnesses the reality of Himself at that very moment to such people.  He thanked me as we shook hands and parted.  Twenty minutes later he sounded the horn and gave me a smile and wave as he drove past in his car.

A practicing Church of England lady was angry and upset with God because He never answered her prayers.  I explained to her that this could not be true because the Bible tells us He will answer.  That response made her angry with me.  I further explained that Jesus was not interested in her religious activity, He was more interested in having a relationship with her and all she had to do was simply believe His gospel, act upon His written word as He reveals it to her and she would see her prayers answered.  She too changed before my eyes as a smile came upon her face. 

I encountered some rude, self-righteous church goers living in the streets nearby their local church.   I even encountered their local parish minister who went out of his way to avoid me by quickly walking back inside from his letterbox.  So I walked up to his door and knocked.  He opened the door with a forced smile on his face as he said hello.  I introduced myself and explained my work, thinking we might have something in common and I also informed him of this rudeness expressed by some of his parishioners. 

 He made excuses for their behaviour saying that, “perhaps it was because of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who frequently come to the area.”  With that, he backed away wishing me well, but it was not obvious to me that he meant it.  That’s the difference between religious practitioners and those who experience the reality of Jesus Christ.  The first type are quick to make excuses and justify bad behaviour, the latter will always acknowledge such behaviour, repent of it and move on in Christ, and, under the power of His Holy Spirit will seek to share His message and practical love wherever they can.   

One lady from this same church however was very different.  In her profession she was a primary school principal but she was also an active member and influence in her church.  She invited me inside and asked about the way my church did things.  The fact that a church would involve itself in a practical manner with non-church goers with no strings attached, impressed her a lot.  I explained that this activity was the result of 2 years of planning and praying. 

She then informed me that her church was looking for ways of reaching out.  I didn’t tell her of my previous encounters with some of her people or the minister, but as far as I know nothing ever became of her desires to follow up in outreach and it’s not hard to see why.  Also, although it was obvious, she told me she had conjunctivitis so I asked if she would let me pray for her that God would reveal Himself to her and bring healing.  She was very surprised with me suggesting that, but was more than happy for me to do so.  “ The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down……The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.”   Psalm 145:14, 18.  

© 2009 – 2010, Roger Williams. All rights reserved.

Even those who appeared to be the nicest people at the start would turn in a second to become the nastiest.  I tried to make no judgements on the latter (sometimes I failed) because I knew that many (not all) people in life have bitter memories of hurts and experiences under Christian ministers, priests, parents and the church in general.

I too had a religious upbringing and whilst nobody ever did me any physical harm, the church doctrines I was taught did me a lot of mental and spiritual harm.  When I began to read and study the Bible many years later I found out that those doctrines were perverted and twisted by religious men – the result of all that being that I had developed faulty concepts of God.  My problem was, I used to be scared of God, but because of what’s happened to many others they now have downright hatred for Him.  

When I met someone who would share with me their concept of God, it was nice to be able to say to them that I hated that god too!  Those who allowed me to show them the true God as He reveals Himself to us in Jesus Christ through the Scriptures were then enabled to develop more accurate concepts of Him. 

Most of the meetings with people on the streets are very brief.  One day I shared Christ with a young lady in her twenties.  Immediately she told me she believed in evil spirits.  She felt one crawling on the floor a couple of years earlier and told it to go away in the name of Jesus Christ and it did.  She then informed me that her Christian friend told her to do exactly that if she ever encountered one.  Naturally she was feeling pleased with herself because it confirmed her friends’ chat with her that Jesus Christ was real and very powerful. 

 So I mentioned to her that if she was to invite Christ into her life and allow Him be Saviour and Lord, then she would get to experience a lot more of Him, all of which would make for a very productive, creative life for her.  She was all smiles and thanked me very much, we shook hands and I never saw her again. 

Standing at his letterbox at the gate was an old man who nodded and he stopped me for a chat, when it’s usually the other way round.  He told me his name, he said he was 86 years old and a world war two veteran.  He also informed me that he was an ex-prisoner of war in Singapore.  I had known that these men suffered most inhumanly under the Japanese so I asked him if he had ever experienced the reality of God during that time.  He said that he had not.  He told me he’d never prayed himself but he watched the Catholic boys pray and, according to him, they never got any answers so they gave up and died. 

He then said he was willing to be convinced that there was a God.  I asked him if he thought it was coincidence that we were speaking about such matters here and now or did he think that perhaps God was revealing Himself to him in this conversation.  He said he’d never thought of it like that before but would now go inside and do so.  He thanked me for talking with him.         

I met a very talkative 75 year old visitor from England, an ex Army Colonel.  He was a very religious man, he spoke about his Church of England prayer books and hymnals, he said he was a regular church-goer and because he was staying just down the road from the Catholic church, he attended there rather than have to drive to the C of E, further away.   He had a lot to say about God, but he also asked me why I was doing this work, remarking that he’d not seen such for years even in his own country. 

I simply told him a little of what my first personal encounter with the Lord had been, that He’d instantly physically healed me a couple of times, that He’d taken away my desire for swearing and drunkenness etc, and the Colonel was fascinated.  I told him that as a young person, I too used to go to church but never had I experienced the reality of God – for me it was just a religious duty.  I explained to him that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ makes all the difference, then shared the gospel with him and encouraged him trust in Christ’s promises as revealed in the Scriptures.  He genuinely thanked me for my time and told me He was very glad I called in to talk.

Some of the rudest and nastiest people I encounter in my  work are church-goers.  This the account of one of them.  One day I knocked on the door and an old lady answered.  She looked to be a gentle person with a smiling, welcoming expression on her face and I told her I was from the local church up the road.  The next moment a car pulled up outside her home.  The lady told me it was her daughter.  She looked to be in her 50′s as she came striding up the path and she asked me what the purpose of my visit was.  I explained her it was to pray for people and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  She told me she had her own church that she attends. 

As I spoke on, I could see she was very irrate (that’s the reality and power of Christ) but was doing her best to cover that up.  I could also see that this message was setting her up for a bad day so I thanked them both for their time and then left.  Moments later as I was making my way to another home, a white panel van pulled along side – a police white panel van.  The policeman in the passenger seat beckoned me over and asked me what I was doing in the street so I told him.  He asked me for my name and address and some identification.  He looked to be satisfied with everything and was about to send me on my way, but I asked him if he’d mind turning their radio down, which he did.  

I then said to both him and the driver that we’d all agree that the job they do is a very dangerous one and that police often die in the line of duty.  I asked, if that should happen to be them today, what would they tell Jesus Christ when they stood before Him.  The passenger policeman said that they’d be ok because that wasn’t going to happen.  Simultaneously, he turned the radio back up, wound the window up, the driver slipped it into gear, planted his foot on the accelerator and got away from there as quickly as he could! 

The police (rightly so) asked me about my physical activity, God (I believe rightly so) used me to ask them about their spiritual activity.  That too was a demonstration of the reality and power of Jesus Christ.  Later on one of the pastors got a call from the daughter informing him that a very rude man from his church had called to her mother’s house and upset her mother.  “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved……..”  Joel 2:32.     

© 2009 – 2010, Roger Williams. All rights reserved.