Gospel & Personal Evangelism

If there's one thing Christians are called to do that they seldom seem to muster the courage for, it's evangelism. Mark Dever knows all the excuses we use topardon ourselves from spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, but he also knows how important it is to fulfill the Great Commission, and what the Bible has to say in response to our objections.

Dever is, by personal admission, an extrovert. But even as an outgoing person (more than normal, according to his friends), he still finds it difficult at times to confront unbelievers with their sin. Why? There are many reasons, among them fear of rejection and lack of communication skills, but none are compelling in light of God's Word.

Does every Christian need to evangelize? Yes, Dever would answer, and he proves from Scripture why this is so. Reflecting his role as pastor, however, he doesn't leave it at that. The Gospel & Personal Evangelism is meant to equip Christians to understand and share the Gospel, providing both a doctrinal foundation and practical advice toward this end.

After dealing with our excuses for not evangelizing, Dever spends a fair amount of time describing what the Gospel is and how we must present it in full in order to be actually spreading the good news. Subsequent chapters deal with the who and why of evangelism, what evangelism is not, and what we should do after evangelization.

Some of the strategies Dever presents seem pretty obvious, yet we rarely implement them. For instance, he frequents the same restaurants on a regular basis in order to establish relationships with people in them, in order to share the Gospel at an opportune time. But he isn't a mere opportunist: as is obvious from this text, Dever wants us to evangelize out of a love for and concern for those lost in their trespasses and sins.

This is a short little book, but its message is desperately needed in today's churches. Biblical, easy to read, and full of applicable information, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism ends with suggested further reading and a word to pastors exhorting them to lead their congregations by example in evangelization of the lost. This is hands down one of the most important books you can read if you're a Christian palsied by a perceived inability to share the truth of Christ's saving grace with others.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.