I was blessed to visit a relative of mine in the UK over the winter break.

On one cold Sunday in February

of 2023 an Anglo-Indian friend I had met in college who lived in London took me along with his wife on a
tour of the beautiful city of London. We happened to visit a place called Hyde Park and decided to have
a walk to warm ourselves a bit that on a winter Sunday morning. Hyde Park is famous not only because
of its beautiful, manicured lawns in the middle of the city but also because there is one area called
Speaker’s Corner which is frequented every Sunday morning. Speakers' Corner has been a traditional
site for public speeches and debates since the mid 1866 when protests and demonstrations took place
in Hyde Park. In the 1872 Parks Regulation Act, the government allowed for the of right British citizens,
and anyone living in England to meet and speak freely in Hyde Park. This was established through a
series of regulations governing the conduct of meetings.

Speaker’s Corner is located on the North-East edge of Hyde Park, nearest Marble Arch and Oxford
Street. I learned that historic figures such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell were known to
often use the area to demonstrate free speech. In 1872, an act of parliament set aside this part of Hyde
Park for public speaking. Speakers' Corner was also the focus of a huge rally in February 2003 against
military action in Iraq. The number of people who attended was estimated at between 750,000 and two
million. The speakers and supporters included the actress Vanessa Redgrave, human rights campaigner
Bianca Jagger, former MP Tony Benn, playwright Harold Pinter and the Hollywood actor, Tim Robbins.

Even today, on a Sunday morning, it's not unusual to find crowds gathering at Speakers' Corner to listen
to enthusiasts expounding their views. Anyone can turn up unannounced to speak on any subject, as
long as the police consider their speeches lawful. On this particular Sunday while we passed this
Speaker’s corner, I was impressed by the sight people of all colors, people from different walks of life,
men and women who came together to address current issues regarding politics, philosophies, and
especially religious issues. “Speak your truth in debate corner” is the prevailing theme every Sunday.

Looking at these people in gathering like this every Sunday morning reminded me the story of Apostle
Paul in Athens where he stood before the Areopagus.  We are told Acts 17:22-34 that Paul went out “in
the marketplace and spoke” with those who happened to be there, showing his desire to reach Gentiles
and that Jesus’ Gospel is meant for everyone. Thus, his evangelization was extravagant, indiscriminate,
offered on the streets and from the rooftops to anyone willing to listen. 

My friend told me he had on occasionally seen some Seventh-day Adventist church members in London
reach out to these folks in the past by distributing tracts and books to them like Steps to Christ in the
past but that he had never seen any SDA pastor or lay member speak up like these Imams, Jewish Rabbis
and other protestant denomination pastors who were speaking. This was such a grand spectacle for me
and while I scooped my cell phone from my pocket to record some of the brave speakers who were
thundering their “truth”. I overheard one Asian speaker preaching Jesus as the only one who can save by
condemning Prophet Mohammed as being the Anti-Christ. I thought that was quite provoking, seeing
there were many Muslims gathered there. It is not an approach I would use.

There was another Caucasian speaker farther down the road whom I presumed to be American because
of his accent. He was talking about President Obama’s regime’s involvement with Libya and why
executing former president Muammar Gaddafi had been wrong. Across the street from him was a
Muslim whom I suspected to be an Imam. He seemed to be addressing the current tensions between
Israel and Palestine. Every speaker seemed to have an agenda or a burning issue they wanted to
address. They all spoke as loud as they could to interested onlookers. Some even had placards with bold
statements on them while others stood stool chairs to be able to project themselves better, but some
opted to go the easy route and use megaphones.

My friend Andrew looked at me and said, “Why don’t you say something Tim?” “What? Really? I am not
sure I am prepared to speak to these strangers.” I hesitated a bit then I thought about Apostle Paul.
What would he have done? The answer was obvious to me from his narrative in the book of Acts, and
because I admire his zeal to reach the world, I knew I had to speak something that morning. I also
recalled Apostle Peter’s admonishing in 1Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But
do this with gentleness and respect.” I said yes and asked for a few minutes to develop a speech that
would attract people to come listen to the gospel even for a few minutes.

I decided to speak about the Sabbath truth. We surveyed for an empty spot in the crowd and went
there. I handed my mobile phone to my friend and requested him to record this historical event for me
because I intended to later share that experience on my new YouTube channel. I took a breath, said a
quick prayer, and started speaking. “I am offering a million pounds to anyone who can prove
from scripture that the sabbath day of rest was on Sunday or was changed by God from Saturday to
Sunday.” “That is quite a lot of money which you don’t have Tim, why don’t you say something
believable”, chuckled Andrew. I repeated the offer several times but adjusted my reward from a million
pounds to a thousand pounds instead.

It didn’t take long before a small audience of Muslims and Jews along with other Christian
denominations gathered around me to listen to what I had to say. I grabbed that opportunity to speak to
them about how God had established the sabbath at creation week as a day of rest in Genesis 2:2,3 and
how He blessed and sanctified it, proving that that the sabbath was handed down to humanity through
Adam and Eve our first parents, and not to the Israelites only. God later commanded the Israelites to
remember the sabbath to keep it Holy (Exodus 20:8-11) as part of the decalogue, showing its
importance. It was almost as if He knew humanity would one day forget this day and what it
commemorates, that Satan would deceive them to pick for themselves another man ordained day to
rest, a day called Sunday, one that He never ordained or chose. This has led to millions keeping a false
day of worship while breaking God’s commandment in doing whatever they please on Saturday. I spoke
for about 6-7 minutes giving a quick historical recap of how the sabbath was changed from Saturday to
Sunday by an emperor called Constantine in the third century. While talking, I got encouraged to
continue after I noticed that even some of the other speakers had come to listen to me.

This led to some questions and conversations for about 30 minutes. The Asian speaker who was
speaking against Islam now joined our group and was now accusing a Muslim man next to him,
encouraging me to preach to him because Muslims kept Friday as their day of rest. In his defense, the
Muslim man did not deny it but countered the Asian by questioning him why he also kept Sunday for the
sabbath instead of the “true sabbath” that I had talked about. It was quite amusing to see them arguing,
but I simply told them that my motive was not to accuse anyone, only to share the good news about the
sabbath. I even added the caviar good news that unlike the Jews, who also keep the Sabbath, we
Seventh-day Adventists keep the Sabbath as a sign of redemption because 2000 years ago Jesus died
and redeemed us from sin, resting in the tomb on the Seventh sabbath day after His work of redemption
had been accomplished. My challenge to them was that we out to keep the whole 10 commandments in
order to not to be saved but because we love Him for saving us.
I also pointed to them that scripture shows how Jesus Himself kept the sabbath by going the synagogues
as His custom was as well as doing good on the sabbath day like healing the sick. The Apostles did the
same in the early church as reveled in the book of Acts. Jesus never declared to them to change His Holy
day. Afterwards we had to leave the venue, so I said my goodbye to them, and I thanked God that got to
share the gospel to these inquisitive minds. I could tell they were all searching for "The Way the Truth
and The Life."

I didn’t get to hear declarations of surrender to Jesus or see anyone confess to, but I was satisfied that
they all seemed to have accepted and some to have even believed my message. As we continued with
our tour and walk down Hyde Park, I reflected and pondered. “Did my speech make any difference?”
Then I remembered Apostle Paul at the Areopagus again. We learn that though he found common
ground to start speaking to these pagans that the inscription to the “unknown God” was the real true
God, he was not successful compared to his previous Gentile ministries.

The bible rads that “When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said,
“We will hear you again about this.” (Acts 17:32). I imagine his eloquent speech not resulting in any
conversions must have been disappointing to Paul, compared to his recent success among the Bereans
but what he may have seen as failure, to God it was a success. We read that a handful of people who
were willing to give Paul the benefit of the doubt, “Some of the people became followers of Paul and
believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a
number of others. (Acts 17:24). These were the ones who believed and became the seeds of European
Christianity, from whence it would spread throughout the world.

Speaking of this experience, Ellen G White wrote, “Had his oration (Paul’s) been a direct attack upon
their gods, and the great men of the city who were before him, he would have been in danger of
meeting the fate of Socrates. But he carefully drew their minds away from heathen deities, by revealing
to them the true God, whom they were endeavoring to worship, but who was to them unknown, as they
themselves confessed by a public inscription” (Sketches from the life of Paul).

“The experience of the apostle Paul in meeting the philosophers of Athens has a lesson for us. In
presenting the gospel before the court of the Areopagus, Paul met logic with logic, science with science,
philosophy with philosophy. The wisest of his hearers were astonished and silenced. His words could not
be controverted. But the effort bore little fruit. Few were led to accept the gospel. Henceforth Paul
adopted a different method of work. He avoided elaborate arguments and discussion of theories, and in
simplicity pointed men and women to Christ as the Savior of sinners.” (Ministry of Healing)

This is a lesson for us, whether ministers missionaries or regular Christians to take be cautious against
measuring the effectiveness of our ministry by the results we see in our own lifetimes. The apostle saw
few people converted in Athens on the occasion of his speech (Acts 17:32–34) but the lasting influence
of his work there and throughout the Mediterranean world is seen in that today the text of Paul’s
speech is engraved on a bronze plaque at the foot of the ascent to the Areopagus.

Our motto ought to always be like that of Mother Teresa’s principle. She said, “don’t worry about being
successful; worry about being faithful.” That was my motivation to speak, and I pray it continues to be. I
pray that it would be your motivation too. I uploaded this video experience on YouTube and within a
week, it went viral, receiving over a thousand views. I hope and pray that of all those viewers, some
seeds have been planted for the kingdom of Christ. Just like the Areopagus in Athens, or like Speaker’s
Corner in London, there are many thirsty souls today in different parts of the world who have that
similar longing. They yearn to meet and know the Jesus the “Truth, Way and Life” and the salvation that
He freely offers. May we continue to share the Gospel when an opportunity avails itself. Don’t count
converts and leave the increase up to God. Only heaven will reveal the results of your labors one day. I
can imagine how surprised Paul will be in heaven when Jesus shows him that Areopagus was not a
failure after all because he will look at you and me, and together I imagine we will all praising the Lord
our Savior.

Story by Timothy Omwega, Final Year MDiv Student, Andrews University