Pastor Peter Simpson was proclaiming Jesus Christ and Him crucified in High Wycombe High Street on May 30th, helped by faithful lady members of the congregation at Penn, and by Mrs Lesley Pilkington from Chorleywood.
One of the helpers, Miss Saw Bee Ang, spoke to a man who was probably in his 80s and who was very open about not believing. The very fact of one very advanced in the years rejecting His Maker is of course a matter of grave concern, because the time is very short for that individual to make his peace with God.
The man was told that all people are born in sin and have inevitably broken God’s commandments, and therefore deserve God’s punishment. The senior citizen was very uncertain about the very notion of life after death, and so Miss Ang emphasised to him the reality of heaven and hell. Thankfully, he did take an evangelistic tract. Interestingly, he had been sitting on a bench in the street for quite a while, whilst Miss Ang was handing out leaflets, and after some time he had come over to her to ask, What is this all about then? Hopefully, this was the Holy Spirit drawing him to think about his soul.
One of Pastor Simpson’s preaching sessions was based on the Lord’s words in Matthew 15 : “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man” (Matthew 15:19–20). He went on to explain how all people without faith in Christ have a serious heart problem. All need to come to the Great Physician of souls, the Lord Jesus Christ, for radical heart surgery. The minister also quoted Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”. Many people like to think that they are fundamentally good-hearted people, and they point to certain outward acts to convince themselves of this, such as their supporting of charities, but no-one is capable themselves by their own efforts of changing their hearts. This can only be achieved by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, inwardly cleansing and inwardly transforming those who repent of sin and come to Christ for salvation.
When Pastor Simpson was preaching, a man stood in front of him and listened for around 10 minutes, which was in itself encouraging. When the preaching had finished, Mrs Outten then approached him, and they began talking. The man said that he could see how the world is changing and that many things are wrong. He was then told about the reality of the Day of Judgement and that we need to be ready for it, as we do not know when we will die or when the world will end. The man asked for a definition of what sin actually is, as it had been obviously referred to in the preaching, and so Mrs Outten explained this and the need to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to obtain forgiveness of sin. The man did not take a gospel leaflet at first, but afterwards was willing to do so. He did not accept the offer a free Bible, but he did ask when the witness in the town would next be taking place.
May the Lord show this enquirer his great need, and the only solution of coming to Christ, and may he do likewise with many others also who heard the gospel upon this day.