Personal Evangelism

[blhowes]

I was wondering if anybody could recommend some good reformed articles or books that talk about personal evangelism, particularly for the layman? I've read a few in the past from the non-reformed perspective, but the approach always seems very mechanical and the message lacking.

 

[fredtgreco]

Bob,

I know of about a half dozen excellent little books that are lay oriented. I'll find them when I get home and post them. To start with, the booklet "Ultimate Questions" by John Blanchard is very good.

 

[blhowes]

Originally posted by fredtgreco
Bob,

I know of about a half dozen excellent little books that are lay oriented. I'll find them when I get home and post them. To start with, the booklet "Ultimate Questions" by John Blanchard is very good.

Fred,
Thanks.
If others are interested, here's an online copy of Ultimate Questions.

 

[JonathanHunt]

It depends what you are looking for. 'Ultimate Questions' is an evangelistic tool which by its very nature contains helps for personal evangelism, but it isn't a guide to personal evangelism.

In terms of the actual mechanics of witness, and so forth, I recommend

Biblical Strategies for Witness by Peter Masters

http://www.tabernaclebookshop.org/products.asp?partno=mast41

Available in the USA from www.amazon.com and Ingham Book Group

JH

[Edited on 2-2-2005 by JonathanHunt]

 

[blhowes]

Originally posted by JonathanHunt
It depends what you are looking for. 'Ultimate Questions' is an evangelistic tool which by its very nature contains helps for personal evangelism, but it isn't a guide to personal evangelism.

I'm actually looking for both helps and guides, similar to what Fred and you have already recommended. The book you recommended looks excellent, in that it uses Jesus as a model. I don't think you can go wrong there.

In general, the content of Ultimate Questions is the kind of thing I'm interested in as well. I've read about half of it and will read the other half on the way home from work. I like the way it goes from the very general to the more specific information. After having read through it, I would think a person with no religious background would have a pretty good idea why they need to repent and believe.

I'm reminded of an evangelistic outreach I was involved in once (which I may have shared on the board already) that had results but contained almost none of the content described in Ultimate Questions. A very successful evangelist was invited to the church I use to attend and those interested were invited to go out on Saturday to learn to be more successful at witnessing. We went door-to-door at some local projects and I watched him meet a total stranger, steer the conversation so that the person gave the correct answers to some questions, and then had the person ask Jesus into his heart and say the sinner's prayer - all in about 5 minutes or so. It was amazing.

I relate this incident because its just one example of an approach that I find very disturbing. Hopefully this and similar methods aren't real widespreadly used (I try to be optimistic), though I think they are. In many circles, there is much emphasis on the results of evangelism, without necessarily following the method or material given in the scriptures. Personal evangelism is one of the areas that's lacking in my life and one that I have a desire to cultivate.

I'm hoping that since the reformed writings in general are so practical and biblically based, that some of those writings/resources would be available for helping a person learn to be a better witness as well.

 

[blhowes]

Originally posted by joshua
"Tell the Truth" by somebody Metzger.

Josh,
Thanks for the book recommendation. Have you found the book to be helpful? The table of contents looks like it'd be pretty good.

I like the little blurp I found about it:

What is evangelism? Inviting people to a Bible study? Presenting three or four basic facts? Feeding the hungry? Being a friend to non-Christians? "The mandate our Lord gave us," writes Will Metxger, "was to teach 'them to obey everything I have commanded.'" The author helps us tell the truth--and the whole truth--with a comprehensive presentation of what it means for whole people to offer the whole gospel to the whole of a person's life.

 

[gwine]

Anyway....just my not worth much more than that, I'm sure.

Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

My friend, your comments on this board are worth far more than you think.

 

[blhowes]

Josh,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

What I like best about what you said is that I think relating to people where they're at, rather than just using some rigid method, requires more faith (in my opinion) in God and less reliance on self. I'm pretty confident that I can (and have) memorize something like Romans road and a series of questions and use them with everybody I witness to. Doing that is well within my 'comfort zone'. There's much more trust involved when you interact with people as you described and how Jesus modeled.

Wouldn't you agree that we need additional icons for people, like Gerry said, whose comments are greatly undervalued.

 

[Puritan Sailor]

I just started reading it, but it looks good so far: Powerful Evangelism for the Powerless by C. John Miller. He's was a Presbyterian up north and also taught at Westminster East.

 

[blhowes]

Originally posted by puritansailor
I just started reading it, but it looks good so far: Powerful Evangelism for the Powerless by C. John Miller. He's was a Presbyterian up north and also taught at Westminster East.

Patrick,
Thanks for the book recommendation. It looks like a good one as well.

I did a search to get information about the book and I hit the jackpot at the first link I went to. Looks like a nice list of good books to read on the topic of evangelism.

 

[blhowes]

Originally posted by joshua
A strong confirmation to the lost of the sincerity of our evangelism will be seen in how we respond to trials and/or persecution. Will we simply theorize about the Gospel, or practice it...especially when great afflictions arise?

I agree. It is a good testimony to the lost when God's grace helps us through our trials and/or persecutions.

Not to in any way compare what we go through with what others in history experienced, but it reminds me of something interesting that James White said in one of his church history lessons. At one point in early church history, the rulers decided to stop having the Christians martyred publicly. They noticed that instead of deterring people from becoming Christians, the opposite was happening. God used the faith demonstrated by the martyrs, as they faced death so bravely, to bring many into the kingdom.

How we live the Christian life is important, as well as how we relate to those we verbally witness to.

 

[blhowes]

Originally posted by joshua
Bob, here are some samples from Will Metzger's Tell the Truth...

Originally posted by joshua
It's really quite a comprehensive yet basic book. I think it's good.

Thanks, Josh. That sounds like an excellent book that addresses some of my concerns about some modern-day evangelistic tendancies. I'll have to see if I can get myself a copy.

Bob