Personal Evangelism

I've recently come to the conclusion that my general lack of intentional evangelism is inexcusable, despite my best efforts to make excuses.  These excuses have ranged from, "I'm too introverted" to "I'm not sure if the Bible says that every Christian should be regularly involved in personal evangelism."  Yet recent conversations, The Gospel Coalition National Conference, and now Mark Dever's book The Gospel and Personal Evangelism (Wheaton:  Crossway, 2007) have helped me see these excuses for what they are--excuses.  Coming in at 124 pages The Gospel and Personal Evangelism is a quick, punchy, and convicting resource for all Christians who need to know the basics of evangelism.

I particularly enjoyed chapter 5, What Isn't Evangelism, as well as his criticism of evangelistic techniques that are essentially sales pitches.  These techniques, including "controlled conversation" (107) betray the unbiblical view that a person's conversion depends on the success of the evangelist rather than God's sovereignty in election and calling.  On a personal note, a salesman friend of mine once remarked that his training in sales and his training in evangelism had much in common.  This made me deeply uncomfortable at the time.  Thankfully Dever has now helped me put more theological reflection behind my criticisms.  Dever says,

My concern is the opposite:  if you don't believe that the gospel is the good news of God's action--the Father electing, the Son dying, the Spirit drawing--that conversion is only our response to God's giving us the grace-gifts of repentance and faith, and that evangelism is our simple, faithful, prayerful telling of this good news, then you will actually damage the evangelistic mission of the church by making false converts.  If you think that the gospel is all about what we can do, that the practice of it is optional, and that conversion is simply something that anyone can choose at any time, then I'm concerned that you'll think of evangelism as nothing more than a sales pitch where the prospect is to be won over to sign on the dotted line by praying a prayer, followed by an assurance that he is the proud owner of salvation.

But evangelism isn't all about our ability to hawk our religious wares.  Discouragement can be painfully sharp sometimes as we share this best of news only to have it received as unimportant or unbelievable.  But that's where we must remember that it is our part simply to give out the message; God will bring the increase" (110-11). 

Stated more positively,

The Bible presents the human problem as one that can never be solved by coercive force or imposition.  Therefore, all I can do is present the good news accurately, live a life of love toward unbelievers, and pray for God to convict them of their sins and give them the gifts of repentance and faith (71).

Here's more wise advice that in my experience has been unheeded in some churches' evangelism training:

But afterward we'll have to do what some witnessing Christians find very hard to do, something that surprises some of our non-Christian friends--listen to their answers! (65-66)

My one beef with the book is that I'm not sure if people less out-going than Dever will feel as encouraged to evangelize as people with more extroverted personalities.  By no means is our identity limited to where we fall on the introversion-extroversion scale, but nevertheless I've noticed that some of the most passionate people who urge all Christians to evangelize are those who seem most suited for it themselves.  I'd love to read a book on evangelism by an introvert.

With that said, however, Dever makes a strong case from Scripture that all Christians are indeed called to the task of proclaiming the gospel.  His book is clear and helpful--even for people with less out-going demeanors.  Now it's up to such people (like myself) to stop making excuses and start sharing the gospel.

Here's the book's outline:

1. Introduction
2. Chapter 1:  Why Don't We Evangelize
1. Basic Excuses 
1. I don't know their language (literally not metaphorically)
2. Evangelism is illegal (in some countries it is)
3. Evangelism could cause problems at work
4. Other things seem more urgent
5. I don't know non-Christians
2. Excuses concerning them
3. The Heart of the Matter:  Plan to Stop Not Evangelizing
3. Chapter 2:  What is the Gospel?
4. Chapter 3:  Who Should Evangelize? (answer:  everybody)
5. Chapter 4:  How Should We Evangelize?
1. The Balance:  Honesty, Urgency, Joy
2. Specific Suggestions
1. Pray
2. Use the Bible
3. Be Clear
4. Provoke self-reflection
5. Use the church
6. Chapter 5:  What Isn't Evangelism?
1. Imposition
2. Personal Testimony
3. Social Action and Public Involvement
4. Apologetics
5. The Results of Evangelism
7. Chapter 6:  What Should We Do After Evangelism?
1. Negative Responses:  I'm undecided, I want to wait, Not now, No never
2. Positive Responses
8. Chapter 7:  Why Should We Evangelize?
1. Reasons
1. A Desire to be Obedient
2. Love for the Lost
3. Love for God
2. Encouragements to Evangelize
1. Ask for testimonies
2. Consider the reality of hell
3. Consider God's sovereignty
4. Meditate on the gospel
5. Consider the cross
9. Chapter 8:  Conclusion:  Closing the Sale
10. Recommended Reading
11. Appendix:  A Word to Pastors