And Finally…

It’s always essential to have some good gospel tracts around, as you never know when God might open up a door of opportunity.

Here’s links to the best 2 (in my opinion). We have copies available for free for you to pick up from Sunday 14th October.

2 Ways to Live produced by Matthias Media in Australia.

How Good Are You? produced by our Sovereign Grace Sister Church, Covenant Fellowship, near Philadelphia, USA.

The penultimate post on evangelism resources, but this time an audio message rather than a book for those looking to make the most of their drive/ride to work…

“Conversational Apologetics” by Michael Ramsden

A two-message set that can downloaded for free from the Sovereign Grace Store…

Michael Ramsden directs the RZIM Zacharias Trust, the european branch of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. He holds a law degree from the University of Hull and a doctorate in law and economics from the University of Sheffield. As Diretor of Zacahrias Trust, Michael works as an apologist and evangelist, travelling extensively in the UK and internationally, speaking on university campuses and to church and civic organisations.

In these rich messages, Ramsden demonstrates with practical examples that apologetics is not a specialist discipline for the select few, but that thorugh conversational apologetics, any and all Christians can learn to communicate the gospel of grace in all its simplicity, profundity and life-changing truth.

Highly, highly recommended!! Especially as they are free!! Almost leaves no excuse!!!!

We are reaching the end of our series of posts highlighting resources regarding evangelism. Here’s the next book…

“Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman

Randy Newman has worked with Campus Crusade for Christ for more than 20 years, teaching seminars to equip people in evangelism and apologetics.

This book is based on the premise that we should follow Jesus in the eay he engaged people – by asking them questions!

Newman’s compassion for people comes shining through. Rather than a offering a new ‘how-to’ methodology of evangelism, Newman equips us, the reader, to learn to listen and hear what the person is really saying and the assupmtions behind their questions, then to answer by asking a question – gospel-probing questions.

He also, brilliantly, teaches us how evangelism and apologetics work hand in hand when speaking with our friends and family.

Chapter Breakdons are as follows:

Part 1 – Why Ask Questions?
1. Why are Question Better than Answers?
2. Solomonic Soulwinning: What Does the Book of Proverbs Teach Us About Questions?
3. How Do Questions Pave the Way for Answers?

Part 2 – What Questions Are People Asking?
4. Why Are Christians So Intolerant?
5. Why Does a Good God Allow Evil and Suffering Such As Columbine and AIDS? The Ultimate Why Question (Part 1)
6. Why Should Anyone Worship a God Who Allowed 9/11? The Ultimate Why Question (Part 2)
7. Why Should We Believe an Ancient Book Written by Dead Jewish Males?
8. Why Are Christins So Homophobic?
9. What’s So Good About Marriage?
10. If Jesus is so Great, Why Are Some of His Followers Such Jerks?

Part 3 – Why Aren’t Questions and Answers Enough?
11. The Question of Compassion: What If I Don’t Care That My Neighbour is Going to Hell?
12. The Question of Anger: What If I Really Want My Neighbour to Go to Hell?
13. The Question of Silence: When Is It Time to Shut Up?

Epilogue: Unanswered Questions
Study Guide

I didn’t find Chapter 12 helpful – on addressing anger – in ourselves and others – but nonetheless an extremely useful book. Should be reagrded as a book to get hold of and read ASAP!

Unfortunately, no Mark Dever insights into this book, but instead a book review and overview from John Loftness, who was, until recently a pastor at Covenant Life Church, one of our Sovereign Grace sister church in Maryland, USA and now the Senior Pastor of another Sovereign Grace church – Solid Rock Church.

Click here to download John’s overview: Questioning Evangelism – Book Overview

Next on our list of evangelism resources…

“Tell the Truth” by Will Metzger

Will Metzger has been a campus minister at the University of Delaware since 1965, where he serves with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Christian InterAction (a church and campus connection). His evangelism ministry has taken him to every continent, and he has witnessed to people from varied nationalities both on campus and through a church that he pastored.

The first thing to be said about ths book is that it is comprehensive!! At 260+ pages it is almost twice as long as any of the others recommended so far.

BUT…that shoudn’t put you off purchasing and reading it! Whilst being comprehensive, Metzger has written in a very acessible way. Tell the Truth is biblical and theologically sound and strong, and practically relevant and helpful. This edition also includes a useful personal study guide.

Written to address the concern that many Christians today, entrusted with the gospel message, have forgotten or fumbled the message and failed in their responsibility to tell it accurately. I love his focus on God-centred, grace-centred gospel evangelism.

Chapter Breakdowns:

Preface
Introduction

Part 1 – The Whole Gospel: Content of Our Message
1. Personal Witness as Planting and Watering
2. The Gospel Reduced
3. The Gospel Recovered

Part 2 – To The Whole Person: Conversion of the Total Person
4. Professors but Not Possessors
5. The Whole Gospel to the Mind
6. The Whole Gospel to the Emotions
7. The Whole Gospel to the Will

Part 3 – Wholly By Grace: The Foundation for Evangelism
8. Grace is Only for the Powerless
9. God is Grace-Full
10. Sovereign, Saving Grace
11. Worship

Part 4 – Offered by Whole People: Character and Communication in Witnessing
12. Ordinary Christians Can Witness
13. How to Communicate Personally

Appendx A – Training Materials for Learning God-Centred Evangelism
Appendix B – Learning the Gospel Diagram “Come Home”
Appendix C – Study Guide
Appendix D – Doctrine is Not an Obscene Word

Mark Dever writes of this book: “Tell the Truth may be the single best book on evangelism that I’ve read. Metzger makes it clear both theologically and practically that our evangelism should not be ‘man-centred’ but ‘God-centred’. The book contains old illustrations and good charts.”

Available from Amazon for around £7.

Our next recommendation is…

“Speaking of Jesus” by J.Mack Stiles

Based in Lexington, Kentucky, J.Mack Stiles is southeast regional director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. With his wife, Leann, he has codirected more than a dozen short-term mission trips in Kenya, the Middle East and Central America.

For me, the subtitle and a comment he makes in the pages of the book, capture the idea and reason behind this book, it is written to equip the reader on “How to tell your friends the best news they will ever hear” and to help us “…speak about Jesus in a way people can hear.”

I love this book for the lively, engaging and contagious way Stiles writes about evangelism and reaching out with the gospel. It is packed full of simple truths and honest, humourous personal illustrations and examples of both success and failure in reaching out.

One thing I particularly appreciate is the way he completely blows out of the water the misconceived idea that you have to be a Billy Graham to be effective in evangelism and, while giving thanks for Billy Graham, reminds us that God is after “ordinary heros” – everyday people, in everyday situations, using everyday language to pass on the simple, but best, news anyone can ever receive – the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 15 on “Ambassadorship” was particulalry helpful to me.

The chapter breakdowns are:

Section 1 – Engaging Our World:
1. Blowing Smoke
2. First Steps
3. A Father’s Rescue
4. What I Did on My Spring Break: A Study in Engagement
5. Speaking of Jesus

Section 2 – How Jesus Engaged His World:
6. Divine Appointments
7. Jesus Had an Attitude
8. Crossing Barriers
9. The Power of Positive Evangelism
10. The Hooker at the Well
11. Questions
12. Answers
13. Telling Our Story

Section 3 – How Paul Engaged HIs World:
14. The Big Picture
15. Ambassadorship
16. Immigration
17. Establishing Residency

Epilogue: Of Model A’s & Evangelism
Appendix 1: 2 Plus
Appendix 2: First Steps to God
Appendix 3: A Code of Ethics fo Christian Witness

Mark Dever writes of this book:
“Mack Stiles’ Speaking of Jesus provides masterful examples of naturally speaking about Jesus Christ to friends and family. Mack is one of the best personal evangelists I have ever met and never ceases to exhibit a personal and spiritual empathy for those around him. His ability to relate and remember spills over into his book in the entertaining and instructive stories he recounts.”

Available from Amazon for around £7.

Continuing on with resources and recommendations on the topic of evangelism…

I was particularly pleased to see that the 3 books I was going to recommend on this topic are the ones recommended by Mark Dever in his latest book! So I’ll provide my two-penneth observations from the cheap seats and let Mark Dever convince you!

So, next up…

“Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God” by J.I. Packer

J.I Packer is consider to be one of the foremost and important evengelical theologins of the 20th century. He currently serves as the Board of Governers’ Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada – and is the author of many books, including the classic Knowing God.

In this book, Packer carefully deals with the issues related to evangelism and the Sovereignty of God in election, getting to the answers of common misunderstandings like, if God is in control of everything does that mean we Christians can sit back and not bother to reach out and evangelise? or the flip side of, if we do evangelise is that implying God isn’t in total control?

He offers careful review of the biblical evidence and concludes that the truth of God’s sovereignty, far from being a hinderance and discouragement to reach out and evangelise, is actually an incredible incentive and motivation to be faithful.

In fact, in his own words from the introduction, Packer writes: “…far from inhibiting evangelism, faith in the sovereignty of God’s government and grace is the only thing that can sustain it, for it is the only thing that can give us the resilience that we need if we are to evangelise boldly and persistently, and not be daunted by temporary setbacks.”

The chapter breakdowns are as follows:

Foreword
Introduction
1. Divine Sovereignty
2. Divine Sovereignty & Human Responsibility
3. Evangelism
4. Divine Sovereignty & Evangelism

Mark Dever says of the book in his “Recommended Reading chapter:
“Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereingty of God is a modern classic in explaining the theology of Christian activity in evangelism and how that fits with the Bible’s teaching on election. This is a great introduction to a doctrine (election) that God used to encourage Paul in his evangelism (Acts 18).”

It can be purchased from the church book stall for £6.