Hi Everyone

Well, today wasn’t supposed to be or usual Gone Fishin’ Outreach, as we were planning our big Riverbank Easter outreach at the end of the month.

But I couldn’t not go out!

So I decided I would try something a little different. Last year on Wellington Outreach week we did a day in central Hutt, mainly on the streets around the Queensgate shopping mall. It turned out to be a fantastic fishing hole!

So Pastor Jarryd put the call out to the congregation for anyone to come and join me.

There was a good turnout – Mike & Di, Marie, Helen and Frances!

After prayer, we split up and posted ourselves on various corners. The wind was a wee bit fresh, but it was lovely in the Autumn sun.

The tracts were flying out – most people took one. The others in the team commented on the different demographic of people they came in contact with. This is why it is good to try different fishing holes, as it brings different people across your path.

The first person who wanted to chat was an elderly gentleman pulling a shopping bag. He said “Everyone calls me ‘Little Ron’ “. He was very open about the afterlife, and wanted to think that over his 80 years on this earth that he had done enough to make it to heaven. He told me he was a ratbag when he was younger, but when he matured he made up for his wrongdoings. I came in from the justice angle, trying to convince Little Ron that a good judge wouldn’t overlook his crimes because he changed his ways, or said sorry, or asked for forgiveness. He said “Well, I’m stuffed then, aren’t I?”. I told him I had good news if he was willing to hear it. He said OK. It was my privilege to visually show Little Ron how Jesus offers to take our hell punishment, but only if we place our trust in Him alone. He said he understood what I was saying, but he still thought he could do it alone. I asked him what happens to people who don’t place their faith in Christ, where do they go when they die? He said that by my reckoning, hell. I said “It’s nothing to do with what I think, Ron, but what the creator of the universe thinks – and by His standard, we all deserve hell. That is why He sent His Son to take your hell punishment for you.”. I think the penny dropped for him at that moment. He knew I was telling the truth, but he was hardened to it. He said he had to go. I told him how patient God had been with him to allow him to live for 80 years, but “His patience will eventually run out with you, Little Ron. God may choose to let you live another 20 years, but He make take you tonight. And if you haven’t transferred your trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, you will end up in hell. I don’t want that for you, and I don’t think you do either”. He had heard enough. He shook my hand. He promised to think about it, and I pray he gets no sleep until he does!

The next conversation of note was with a young Maori guy. He thought we “go back to the installer” when we die. Someone made us, and when we die, our soul goes back to the installer, who takes them, upgrades them, and re-installs them into another body. Hmm that was a new one on me! He said there were too many gods to pick from. I asked if there was a creator for the universe. He said yes. I asked him who this was. He said it can be anything you want it to be. So I used the building/builder analogy to show that creation was carried out by an intelligent designer. He agreed that whoever created us gets to set the rules on how we behave in their universe. He agreed. But when I went through some of these rules, he was in big trouble. But then he decided to supress the truth in unrighteousness, and give sarcastic answers. He wouldn’t take a tract off me. Later in the morning he walked past me and handed me a Living Waters ‘Round Tuit’ tract, saying that someone in the team had given it to him, and he didn’t want it. I know Marie likes these, so he was probably convicted by something she said to him as well. He didn’t want to talk about it, and went on his way.

I went over the road to catch up on the others, and spotted a guy who looked like a professional photographer, taking photos. I thought it was buildings he was photographing, but it was a book table manned by a young woman on the other side of the street. She was dressed a bit alternatively, so I assumed she was a new ager or Hari Krishna. When he took the camera away from his face, he had Hari Krishna markings between his eyebrows. He said his name was Joel, and he was a cheerful chap. I asked him what does he think happens after we die. He said we go to the gods that made us. I asked which god he was referring to. He said there was only one, even though he was using plural language. He said god has three facets, masculine (the father), and the divine feminine (the spirit energy). He said we are trapped on earth, and so god sent his son to rescue us from the world. This sounded like a mashup of gnosticism and Eastern religion. I would not have known any of this if I hadn’t watched the Third Adam series on youtube. So I asked Joel about ultimate justice – if we have offended God, do we deserve a punishment or a reward? He said that God is forgiving, and knows our hearts. I asked him if God was a perfect judge. He said yes, of course, but He is also merciful. I asked him a question that stumps (and often offends) Muslims: “How can God be perfectly just and perfectly merciful at the same time, while remaining perfect?”. He just answered that God is God and can do what He wants, that He can show mercy to whomever He wants to show mercy (a bit of scripture twisting there). I said that isn’t justice – a payment has not been made for the crime. He raised an eyebrow at me. I asked him if there was a way God could be just as well as merciful would he want to know? He was sceptical, but said yes. I said “But first I want to test and see if God needs to be just or merciful with you”. I took him through the law, and it turned out he indeed deserved justice, but needed mercy. I asked him if someone took 100% of his hell punishment for him, how much would be left for him to take? He said none. I asked him who would do that for him? He thought for a second then said “Jesus did, but I know all that”. I told him that was how God renders justice and mercy perfectly, because His Son Jesus paid the price for us. I said, “But you don’t value this, because you think that God just loves everybody and will just forgive. But that would make God a corrupt judge. That is a God made up in your head to suit yourself. You have no concept of who God really is, and are in danger of spending eternity in hell”. He didn’t like that, and his self-righteousness flared up. I told him that he had just proved my point – he thought his goodness would be enough to bribe God into turning His back on his sin. i said “God will demand justice for your sins. This justice will be served by you in hell for eternity, or by Jesus on the cross. Complete faith in Christ is the only way you can avoid your hell punishment”. He looked angry, and told me I was a mean person. I said “Joel, if I didn’t tell you any of this, I would be the meanest person on planet earth. The fact that I am telling you is proof that I actually care for you. I can’t make you do anything, just tell you the truth. The rest is between you and God”. He took a couple of tracts off me, and said goodbye. It was a hard chat, but hopefully God will work on him!

Later I saw Mike talking to the young girl at the book table. Afterwards he said that she was very young and very closed-minded. She was happy following the Hari Krishna way, and said she wasn’t going to look at any alternative until she turned 20. I pray God’s patience extends that long!

My last chat of note was with a young man named Matt. He was carrying a skateboard, and smelt like a tobacconist. He thought he would go to heaven because he was pretty good. I took him through the law. He wasn’t very perfect like he needed to be. He agreed he would go to hell. We went through the only way he could avoid his hell punishment. However, he told me he was enjoying himself (or his sin?) too much to care about any of that stuff. He said he would think about it later. He did take a tract, and I pray God extends His grace long enough to read the tract, and ponder his eternity. 

By this time the others in the team had said their goodbyes, and said how much they enjoyed fishing in a different hole. We will definitely try this again, maybe here, or another place!

Soli deo gloria!

Blessings

Craig.