Pastors Peter Simpson and John Sherwood were preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners in the centre of Uxbridge on November 24th.
Pastor Simpson began his preaching by quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” (1 Corinthians 6:9). God is holy and He must punish sion ,or deny h0s very nature. Who are the unrighteous? Every single one of us. Every human being has broken God’s commandments, and needs to be saved from his or her sins. No one is basically good. The preacher then quoted 2 Corinthians 5:10, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ”. The Lord Jesus Christ is both the world’s only Saviour from sin, and the unique Judge of all men.
At one stage Pastor Simpson entered into conversation with a young man whom he has spoken to on various occasions previously, and who has claimed to be a Satanist. He is accordingly very hostile to the Christian message. He asked the minister what he thought about homosexuality, and he was told that it was not a question of what the minister thought, but of what the word of God declares, and it states that the practice of homosexuality is sinful. The young man then said that it was not wrong for people to seek happiness in a same-sex relationship.
The minister responded that there was no evidence or research affirming that being homosexual made people particularly happy and free of problems such as serious depression. The man then replied that homosexuals were more likely to commit suicide, precisely because of people like the pastor. Mr Simpson responded that all people are sinners and all need to be made aware of the seriousness of sin. It is of course in act of love towards non-believers to tell them about the justice of God and of the need to flee to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. It is an act of love to warn one’s neighbour, if he is in danger.
To say that homosexuals commit suicide because of nasty Bible-believing Christian pastors was a personal insult, and Pastor Simpson challenged the young man on this. His comments were also laced with plenty of four letter words, and so the minister said to him, The fact that you cannot discuss an important moral issue without personally insulting me and swearing proves that you have a sinful heart. The young man in his virulently anti-Christian worldview sadly could not see this.
A middle-aged man came up to Pastor Simpson as he was preaching and told him to go away and do some useful practical work like helping those with real social needs. He was told that showing people without Christ their need to come to Him was the greatest help which could ever be given. The preacher then asked the man if he were a good person. He said, that he was, even though he admitted to having stolen. Pastor Simpson replied that his thieving, amongst other things, meant that he was under the judgment of God. The man then used a 4 letter word to blaspheme God’s name. He was vigorously challenged on this, and the conversation proceeded as follows :
Opposer : Where did God come from?
Pastor : God has no origin or Maker, because He is eternal Spirit, unique and unlike anything else in all creation. He did not come from anywhere because He Himself created the universe. May I again ask you, Do you think that you are a good person, because the Bible says that all are guilty of sin.
Opposer : I do not care about the Bible.
Pastor : You should do, because it is the word of God. You are also going to have to stand before Jesus Christ as your Judge.
Opposer : I have suffered many health problems in my life and no one ever helped me.
Pastor : That does not prove that God does not exist. It proves that men are sinful.
Opposer : We just do our best and try to be good.
Pastor : You cannot earn a place in heaven though your own imagined goodness; you are too sinful for that. You have a sinful heart, but Jesus can give you a new heart.
Opposer: Did Jesus go to the toilet?
Pastor : He became just like each of us in our human frailty in order to accomplish our salvation.
Opposer : I have read the Bible. I know all about these things.
Pastor : Have you read it with a humble heart?
Opposer : I have a humble heart. What about my illness which afflicted me for 25 years? No one helped me.
Pastor : That does not disprove the existence of God. Did you ask God to help you?
Opposer : No.
Pastor : Well, how do you know that he won’t help you, then?
Opposer : There are many religions. Who do you pick?
Pastor : Jesus Christ is the only way.
Opposer : No, which God?
Pastor : Jesus Christ is God. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God, you will not get to heaven.
Opposer : You need to get a life.
Pastor : If you do not come to Jesus Christ, Sir, you are lost.
The man then walked away. May the Lord open his heart to see his need of the Saviour, and indeed the hearts of many others who heard the precious gospel of salvation in Uxbridge upon this day.