Hello all, I will be traveling to Scotland from July 11-23 to join the ministry JeremiahCry for an open air preaching tour. If you know me, you know I may have difficulty preaching very loudly. Instead, I am planning to engage in street evangelism sharing the gospel in conversation.
Why did I decide to go on an evangelism trip?
All genuine children of God are called to make disciples, and this trip is one of a variety of ways to accomplish the Great Commission. Jesus gave us this instruction in Matthew 28: 18-20: 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Romans 10:13-15, “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Why did I decide to go on this trip?
God once used Scotland and John Knox in a mighty way. John Knox began as a preacher when a Scottish Catholic regime martyred the pastor of St. Andrews. He went on to outlaw the Mass and reformed the Church of Scotland to be Presbyterian in ecclesiology and reformed in theology. John Knox was a successful reformer who impacted English Puritan theology and influenced Presbyterian and Reformed Baptist theology.
However, Scotland has now lapsed into paganism and is in great need of God’s work through the gospel once again:
- “More than half of Christians in the United Kingdom claim to have experienced hostility and ridicule for their faith, according to a study released Thursday.” The study found that much of the cultural hostility toward Christians in the U.K. emerges from LBGT ideology and that most of the younger Christians they interviewed who reported worsening persecution also held to a firm belief in biblical teachings regarding sexuality, gender and marriage.
- In April 2024, Scotland enacted legislation that outlaws offensive speech as “hate speech” with no exclusions for religious language. Evangelical apologist David Robertson called the new laws “crazy” and warned that shifting the definition of a hate crime to the perceptions of the supposed victim “will help modern Scotland become more of a police state — and less tolerant and inclusive”.
What is the nature of this trip?
We have a group of 22 men including 4 Scots who will be in four teams. We will be providing a list of local churches on every tract we hand out, and we will have 15,000 tracts. Our 4 Scots are primarily from one local church, and we will attend that church on Sunday.
I will be in Team Fide, and our team main contact/leader will be one of the 4 local Scots. We will be traveling to many cities in Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, St Andrews, and Aberdeen from July 13-20. The teams will be rotating in open air street preaching. I plan to engage in street evangelism primarily.
How have I prepared for this trip?
While I am not sure anyone can be prepared for such a trip, I can share how God has been working in me.
- In 2024, I have been reading through the Bible with an immersion method, reading 3-6 chapters daily and reading a book of the Bible 30x before moving to a new book.
- I am also blessed to be part of a church that preaches a sound gospel and believes that God is the author of our faith, providing us a new heart, and that evangelism does not require attracting the natural man but simply speak the complete gospel in love: the nature of the holy God, the nature of the originally sinful man, Christ the Son of God and His work, and our response to repent and believe.
- I am active in the monthly evangelism team, and this has been a great blessing to my faith and helped me grow in courage to share the gospel with strangers. These times help motivate me to share the gospel more so than I would otherwise in between the monthly evangelism.
- I have begun memorizing more verses for sharing the gospel.
What do I need prayer for?
As Paul wrote in II Thessalonians 3:1-2, “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith.”
Please pray for me in the month leading up to this trip for:
- A dedication to prepare my heart and mind for a singular devotion to Christ, being regular in my daily devotions and prayer, pursuing and growing in holiness, growing in an effectual knowledge of God, and studying/memorizing a complete gospel presentation. And the same for my trip mates.
- Encouragement that this trip will be used by God and that He will strengthen and protect us. That I would be strongly motivated to share the gospel here in Houston before and after this trip and be clear minded about the urgent need of the gospel in the dark days in which we live.
- Unity and faithful edification among my Team Fide and all brothers.
- That God would send His Spirit upon us to speak the truth boldly in love. That we would communicate the gospel accurately and faithfully with grace. Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- That God would send His Spirit to prepare the hearts and minds of the Scots who hear us and that he would lead many to submit to the Lordship of Christ and believe in Him for salvation out of a new heart that only God can provide.
- For strength of voice during all conversations.
- Safety and health in travels and during evangelism. I’ve seen videos of UK locals becoming agitated during street preaching. That the constables would protect us and treat us well and that none of us would be arrested.
Partnering with this trip
The main request I have leading up to this trip is by far and away your prayers. Paul even requested prayers from his church partners, and I am in need much more than Paul. I have no doubt that this trip is working against Satan’s designs for Scotland – we see this even in the recent law to ban offensive speech. Messengers of the gospel are always risk in ways both internally and externally to be hindered and discouraged from sharing the gospel. If you are willing to partner with me in prayer, please reply to me and let me know how often you will pray.
- You may email me here: ben.spivey@protonmail.com.
- Please include Scotland Trip in the subject to help me recognize all the emails.