Someone has quipped that in the field of literature, “Classics are books that everybody talks about but nobody reads”. It seems to me that evangelism is something that Christians talk a lot about in the church but few seem to be doing it.
Mack Stiles has written a little book called, Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus. Few books have said so much about such an important subject in so few words and in such a readable and practical way. There are only five chapters, and the last chapter is entitled “Actually Sharing Our Faith”. The index includes a brief outline of the Gospel presentation as well as a helpful subject and Scripture index. It is a book not only to be read, but also to put into practice. It is a book written by a man who understands evangelism and has spent much of his life, training and challenging churches to develop a culture of evangelism in the church.
What is a culture of evangelism? Mac Stiles explains 10 of the top realties that we are praying to developed in order to attain this culture of evangelism in our church.
1. A Culture Motivated by Love for Jesus and His Gospel (2 Cor. 5:14-15)
2. A Culture That is Confident in the Gospel (Rom 1:16)
3. A Culture That Understands the Danger of Entertainment (Ezek. 33:30-32)
4. A Culture That Sees People Clearly (2 Cor. 5:16a)
5. A Culture That Pulls Together as One (Phil. 1:3-5)
6. A Culture in Which People Teach One Another (1 Pet 3:15b; 2 Tim 1:13)
7. A Culture That Models Evangelism (2 Tim 2:2)
8. A Culture in Which People Who Are Sharing Their Faith Are Celebrated (Phil. 2:19-22)
9. A Culture That Knows How to Affirm and Celebrate New Life (Col. 1:3-4, 7)
10. A Culture Doing Ministry That Feels Risky and Is Dangerous (Phil. 1:12-13)
We will be unpacking the truths in this book during our Evangelism Seminar Days on Oct 11th and 18th. Let me challenge you to get the book now at the church free of charge, and read it in preparation for this time. Join me in praying that God will develop a culture of evangelism in our church — and let it start with you.
