The Gospel and Personal Evangelism
I have begun to take notes about the books that I read. This is not a “review” per se, but rather my notes from the book. I hope that you find them profitable.
Core concepts:
The gospel should captivate our hearts and motivate us to share the good news with others.
Apologetics and personal testimony are not evangelism. Telling the good news is. We should consistently share with people the need to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
The sovereignty of God is a crucial doctrine in our understanding of evangelism. It guards us from discouragement and trying to force decisions.
Twelve steps to more faithfully evangelize:
pray, plan, accept the responsibility, understand it is our responsibility, be faithful, risk, prepare, look, love, fear God not man, stop excusing ourselves, consider what God has done in Christ
Key issues and questions:
Evangelism should be a part of the church culture.
How can we build evangelism into the culture at church?
How should I be spending my time each week in evangelism?
How can we train others in evangelism? It seems to me it has to be intentional and practical, not just a “program.”
We should constantly be growing in our evangelism.
What should I be doing on a daily basis to grow in evangelism?
Significant quotes:
“Simply put, we don’t pray for opportunities to share the gospel, so how surprised should we be when they don’t come?” (p. 24).
“Maybe we are too polite to be faithful to God in this area. Maybe we are more concerned about people’s response than God’s glory. Maybe we are more concerned about their feelings than God’s” (p. 25).
“If we would be more faithful in evangelism, we should fuel the flame of love toward God within us, and the flame of gratitude and of hope. A fire so inflamed by God will have no trouble igniting our tongue” (p. 29).
“According to the Bible, evangelism is simply telling the good news. It’s not making sure that the other person responds to it correctly” (p. 70).
“Certainly, we pastors sacrifice personal opportunities to do evangelism when we work full-time in ministry” (p. 118).
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