The Gospel was publicly proclaimed in Slough High Street on September 13th by Pastors John Sherwood and Peter Simpson.
As passing woman came up to Pastor Simpson and asked, What if God is a woman? It is not clear what was behind this facetious question, but the minister responded that in the word of God the Almighty is always addressed using male terms including heavenly Father. It is so sad to see how secular feminism he’s so dismissive of the Christian revelation, and to pursue its agenda is quite happy to question the nature and Person of the holy God, who is of course Spirit, but who, when He took upon himself human flesh, chose to do so as a man.
A Hindu man asked Pastor Simpson, “If Jesus died for sinners, we all have nothing to worry about, because everyone is saved”. The preacher responded that the death of the Lord Jesus is only effective for those who personally apply to Him in repentance and faith, confessing that they have hopelessly broken God’s commandments.
The minister then gave the following analogy : and I craft might be carrying many parachutes for all the people on board, but the parachutes will only be effective for those who put them on. Accordingly, the Gospel tells men, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14).
One young woman with a child in a pushchair stopped and listened to the preaching on two separate occasions, and it is hoped that this was a because of genuine spiritual concern. She sadly did not stop to enter into conversation, but make the Lord speak perfectly to her heart.
Pastor Simpson challenged one man walking by who had been drinking to excess about the need to repent of drunkenness, which is a lust of the flesh. He replied by saying, Jesus turned water into wine. It was sad to see the Lord’s first miracle being abused in this way to justify sin and excess.
Pastor Sherwood had a conversation with a Muslim lady about Jesus being the word of God. Reference was then made to two passages in the Quran, Surah 3:45 and 4:171. In Surah 4:171 Jesus is called “His Word”, (the ‘His’ referring to Allah), and Surah 3:45 states concerning Mary, the Lord’s mother, “Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him – His name will be Christ Jesus”.
“It is of vital importance for Muslims to note that Jesus is the only prophet who ever lived who is called ‘a Word from God’ ” (1). He is of course the UNIQUE Word from God, and we know from John chapter 1 that ‘the Word’ is one of the titles of the eternal Son of God, He who existed alongside His heavenly Father before the world was created.
A Muslim spoke to Pastor Simpson and said that God is too holy to have a Son and too holy to become a man. The preacher responded by saying, He became a man to save you’, because there is no other way that you could possibly be saved from your sins”.
The minister then explained that the Lord Jesus had to become one of us, taking up our flesh – and yet without son – in order to press-tenets us before the holy God. Man is too sinful to atone for his own sin or to enter into the presence of the holy God on the grounds of his own merits. He rather needs a sinless Mediator to act on his behalf, and that Mediator is uniquely the Lord Jesus Christ.
May the Lord open the hearts of these Muslims, and indeed of many others who heard the gospel proclaimed in Slough, to realise that Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God become a man and that He is the only means by which any sinner can escape the eternal condemnation of hell.
