The gospel was publicly proclaimed in Uxbridge town centre near to the Underground Station on April 26th by Pastors John Sherwood and Peter Simpson, who were very ably helped by three faithful local Christians and Mr Pablo Sharma.
A Muslim woman speaking to Pastor Simpson claimed that parts of the Bible had been removed, and that therefore the Christian Scriptures were not reliable. Pastor Simpson replied that Christians today are reading the same full Bible that they would have been reading in the latter part of the first century. The Muslim was probably referring to the books known as the Apocrypha, but they were never part of Jewish Old Testament canon of Scripture in the first place, and continue not to be part of true Bibles today.
Pastor Simpson endeavoured to make the Muslim lady focus on her own relationship to God, and asked her, Can you earn a place in heaven? She sadly, but not unexpectedly, replied that she could! She admitted the reality of sin in people’s lives, but argued that by good works and religious duties the sinner’s relationship to God can be restored. However, the sins already committed have to be punished by the holy God, and no good works can remove of the guilt of them. Only the blood of Christ can cleanse from sin. The salvation by works and religious duties falsehood is of course directly condemned in the Bible, for example in Galatians 2:14, which reads, “By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified”.
A young Polish man also entered into conversation with Pastor Simpson. He had his hair dyed partly in a pink colour, and was either homosexual himself, or claiming to be very pro-homosexual, in that he who felt it necessary to raise this particular subject. The young man claimed that the Bible did not condemn homosexuality, but that the relevant Bible passages have simply been mistranslated. All in fact that the Bible condemns, he claimed, is pedophilia. So here was another attack on the integrity of God’s word. However, true Christians know that the Bible is the inerrant word of God and their only authority. We declare with Martin Luther,
“I am bound by the Scriptures … My conscience is captive to the word of God … Here I stand. I can do no other”.
The minister responded that he had studied the original languages of the Bible, and that there is no question that in, for example, Leviticus 18: 22 two men lying with one another is plainly referred to. The young Pole also claimed that Christians hated homosexual people. The minister responded that the Bible condemns adultery and theft, but that does not mean that Christians hate all adulterers and all thieves.
Pastor Simpson then courteously suggested to the man that one of the reasons why he was so pro-homosexual was because he was conforming to the spirit of the age, to an attitude which would make him popular with his peers, and to a way of thinking which was extremely fashionable. The pressures to conform, especially upon young people, are very strong. However, contemporary fashion can never determine absolute eternal truth. Sadly, the man did not have time to engage in further conversation about this.
A man came up to Pastor Sherwood as he was preaching and shouted at him, Why do you not say something more constructive? This was because the seriousness of sin was being preached upon. This kind of question indicates the very real corruption in the human heart which only desires to hear soothing things about itself.
A young man who has approached the witnessing Christians on previous occasions was again extremely and most unpleasantly hostile to the gospel. He was sporting an occultic tattoo on his arm. His language and contempt for Christianity were really shocking. Pastor Simpson Pastor asked him that if he finds the message so unacceptable, why does he not just walk on by and ignore the Christians. He responded that he could not ignore us because we were there in the town centre publicly telling people lies.
The minister then told him that one day he would have to bow the knee before the Lord Jesus Christ as his Judge. He shockingly replied (and please forgive the blasphemous nature of this) that if Jesus turns up, he would ‘kneecap’ Him. How little does He understand that the One whom he despises could remove his very life breath at any moment.
The depth of contempt towards the Christian message that this man harbours suggests that his heart is already dangerously hardened, despite his young age. May the Lord, yet be pleased to have mercy upon him, and indeed, upon many others who had the privilege of hearing gospel truth in Uxbridge upon this day.