Navan Outreach 18th May 2024

Navan Outreach Group Photograph

Each time we go on the street is so different, the people, the encounters, the sense of 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞, and today was just like that – different.

The overall sense was that there was a resistance in the air. One hard conversation went like this: “𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬’ 𝐝𝐢𝐞?” – “𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝”, the answer came back. “𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫?” – “𝐍𝐨” was the reply. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, - when the realisation came an opening was made and the opportunity given to speak to the heart.

When Jesus sent out the disciples, he gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease, but he told them; “𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬”

When speaking, especially to religious people it takes the wisdom of God to be able to speak right through the pride and into the heart where the seed of the gospel can be planted.

In all this there were some good conversations, one of those with a young 17-year-old girl who knew nothing about God, had no knowledge of religion and was brought up in a family where there was no mention of God.

When she was told through a personal testimony of how God can set you free, and fill your heart with peace, and place a destiny for heaven deep inside you she was so intrigued she hung on every word – as we prayed for her the presence of God was all over her and being so moved by the encounter she left with a spring in her step, and a promise she would pray and ask Jesus into her heart.

Before we went out we had our usual pressing into God on behalf of our community during this there was a strong sense of spiritual battle, which continued even out on the street – we later learned that the legion of Mary had set up a large stall in the shopping centre just across the way from us, and as such there was a battle in the atmosphere which played out in the many encounters had on the street.

Ephesians Chapter 6 explains that “our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against the mighty powers in this dark world, and against the evil spirits in the heavenly places”. We are called to battle, and we are not on a cruise ship, but a battleship in the midst of a spiritual war and as 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨, 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨

There were so many conversations had today, and over 50 Johns Gospels were given out to people through personal encounter and these people can never be the same again now that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has touched their lives, some for the very first time, and others somewhere along their journey.