For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believe: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)

You couldn’t have missed the giant cross LCM Missionary, Doug, carried last weekend. Participating in the Big London Walk, Doug walked more than 12 miles across London carrying it on his shoulder.

It was a big public display of faith that pushed him out of his comfort zone.

“I wanted to do something different,” Doug explains.

“Once when I was travelling on public transport, I realised people were looking at me when I was reading the Bible. I realised that I felt ashamed in some ways of the gospel and of Jesus. And that really unearthed me…

“Why should I be ashamed? I realised in society people are made to feel ashamed of their religion, of their faith in Jesus.

“I realised I needed to make a bold statement.”

The big cross Doug carried was a statement – not only about his faith, but also about being bold and unashamed of the gospel.

And God used it to bring opportunities to talk about Jesus Christ with others.

“Amazingly, people have been so positive,” says Doug.

“I’ve had people come up to me and give me high fives and say, praise the Lord. I’ve had Muslims stop to say hi.

“I’ve had some incredible interactions from all kinds of people!”

It was the opposite of what Doug thought would happen.

Instead of persecution, God provided encouragement and opportunities for deep conversations about faith. Instead of indifference, Doug was given opportunities to share the salvation found in Jesus.

“People want to see you being bold about your faith. And that’s the message I want to tell… Please, do not be shy of the cross. Just be bold with this amazing message of the gospel that we have.”

Click here to find out more about the Big London Walk.