The Student Mission Field

It was a wonderful opportunity for some of us at Leeds City Mission to assist the Christian Union at Leeds Univerity in their 'Fresher's Week Outreach'.  There are 30,000 students at Leeds University! and for those coming as Freshers, they are away from home for the first time in their lives.

Sadly, it is evident that there is much to allure these young people.  The clubs, bars and pubs backed by big breweries target the students selling them a lifestyle of hedonistic partying and drunkeness. 

However many of these precious young people, are at a time in their life where they are asking questions and seeking.  Let us pray that students come into contact with the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We were particularly struck by how many foreign students were open to the gospel.  Scott met a Chinese student who had just arrived in the UK the day before, having just left China for the first time!  She had visited churches in  China, but had yet to hear about how we can just put our trust in Jesus alone, not through our own works, to be made right with God.  She received prayer, took literature and left her contact details with the Christian Union.

On two different occasions, Scott had a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel and minister healing in Jesus name to Muslim students.  Hassan shared that his neck and shoulders were hurting so Scott laid hands on him and prayed.  Hassan was shocked when the pain left and their was a clear clash between his religious worldview and his just encountering the Kingdom of God coming to him. 

Bench Outreach!

Tom and I set ourselves up for an afternoon's outreach in Leeds City Centre, but we had a quick sit down on a bench while Tom grabbed a bite to eat.  That time on the bench extended because person after person came and received the gospel when they sat next to us.  

One person in particular, D, sat down and we struck up a conversation and she was clearly someone who was on a journey with the dealings of God.  We were able to share about the righteousness that Christ gives us as opposed to people trying to establish their own righteousness through religion and self improvement.  I believe the Lord was opening her heart to the truth of the glorious gospel.  We were able to give her a copy of Terry Virgo's book "God's Lavish Grace" (WELL RECOMMENDED!) and we had the opportunity to pray with her over some needs in her life.

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I met Terry an Afro Caribbean man on the Briggate in Leeds.  He was not very open to talking about Jesus to begin with.  I then asked him, if he had every experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit.  He said he had not and I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes, so I held his hand on prayed.  He started to tremble and was very startled as God's presence touched him right there on the street.

He was then very open to hear the gospel.  I shared how the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and how the word 'world' means the whole world system.  He shared how he saw the corruption all around and wished that he could smash the system.  I gently brought him to a point of realizing he had corruption / sin and that the system was emeshed in him.

I shared how Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, to take us out of the judgement that is due to come upon the system.  

 I then shared how I felt he had pain in his legs and he let me pray for him.  He said his legs were burning when I prayed.  

Terry clearly had an encounter with God and I shared how the gospel is not in word only but in a demonstration of the Spirit and of power and how God was confirming His word to Him through this encounter.

I then asked Terry, if He believed that God raised Jesus from the dead.  He said, that he could not say anything other, given what he'd just experienced.  He then professed Jesus Christ as His Lord.  Thank you Jesus!

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Richard and I shared with two young Goth guys on a bench about the love of God.  One of the guys was very cynical and dismissive about the gospel, but I sensed there was much pain and hurt in his heart. We resisted the urge to react to this guy and I shared with him how people have enmity in their minds against God and said that despite what he was saying, in his heart he had deep needs. He softened, took a testimony tract and we parted on friendly terms.

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