There may be a few people out there
who honestly enjoy evangelism, there are a probably some who evangelize even
though they would rather be doing something else, and then there are the rest
of the body, those who are quick to point out Paul’s words: “…Some to be prophets,
some to be evangelists,, and some to be pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). With
the implication being that they were given to be something other than
evangelists.
And it’s for that latter bunch that
Rico Tice has written “Honest Evangelism: How to Talk about Jesus even when It’s
Tough” (The Good Book Company, 2015).
There are basically two parts to
this simple book. Part I explains why we should be evangelizing, sharing the gospel
– even when it’s tough. And then Part II gives some tips on how to go about it.
This is a small book, both in number
of pages (take out the front and back matter, and we’re talking less than 100
pages) and in the dimensions. The font used is also a larger one than is found
in many books. Obviously, based on those simple statements, this is not an
in-depth treatment of the subject. And that is one of the positive things about
this book.
Tice doesn't try to cover
everything ever written about evangelists and evangelism. And that’s a good
thing. This book is written for people who haven’t had years of theological
training. A book with hundreds of pages in a very small font with hundreds or
thousands of footnotes would quickly scare away the very people he was trying
to reach.
This book is written for the lay
people in western churches; it’s written in a style that tells people: yes, you
can do this, it might not be as easy as you would like, but it can be done. Part
of your life as a Christian involves telling others about Christ – that’s the
why you do it. And here are some helpful tips for doing what you’re supposed to
be doing.
As mentioned earlier, this is not a
complete resource, but it is an excellent place to start, and a great resource
for all the people in any church who insist that the Holy Spirit gave them
gifts, but evangelism wasn't one of them.
I received a copy of the book from the
publisher in exchange for a review.
4/5
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