Covent Garden Evangelical Church
‘Are you good enough for Heaven?’
That’s the title of a new evangelistic card produced by Covent Garden Evangelical Church for use on the doorsteps and streets of London’s West End. The aim is to provoke people to think for at least a moment about the realities of life and death.
Responses to the card expose a great deal about the human heart. Pride is common. Those who say, ‘Yes, I am’, can be challenged to compare themselves to God’s standards, seen above all in Jesus Christ.
Often, there is resistance to any idea that God could possibly find people wanting, while some refuse to consider the existence of God at all. On the other hand, there are people who will acknowledge some imperfection. Sometimes this is just superficial, without any obvious awareness of the seriousness of the matter.
But there are those aware of real shortcomings in the way they live. Sadly, it is all too rare for such people to respond gratefully to the good news of Jesus Christ, because their hearts are gripped by sin.
London In-reach
Perhaps the most common reply to the question is, ‘I hope so’. This hope is usually rooted in self or religion, or sometimes both. It doesn’t stand up well to close examination but those involved, often Roman Catholics, are generally unwilling to expose themselves to the possibility of real assurance.
What can we say about all this? Simply that, while human hearts are hard, we believe in a God who is able to open any heart.
Speaking to individual men and women about salvation is challenging work. But we need to do it with hearts full of compassion for those who are ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd’. And we need to pray.
The London In-reach Project Open Day on 19 September is designed to help those who want to pray for gospel work in Covent Garden and Soho. All are welcome.
Following a session for information and prayer, Paul Pease from Hook Evangelical Church, Surbiton, will speak at the thanksgiving service. His theme will be ‘Matters of the Heart’. For more details, please contact Derek Sewell on 020 7831 5666 or see http://www.cgec.org.uk
Andrew Murray and Derek Sewell
