The Unbelievable Gospel

A friend and Acts 29 brother, Jonathan Dodson, has written a new book on Evangelism.  I am about half way through and loving it.  Best of all, you can get it online for only $5.99 HERE

This quote sums up the heart of the book:

“Gospel theology should affect our evangelistic methodology. People don’t what to hear a memorized presentation. They want to know how the gospel is good news to them. But first, the gospel needs to be good news to us. It is terribly difficult to be convincing about a belief when it is shared dispassionately.” (53)

Since our confidence is in God, we don’t need to resort to gospel-less ways of sharing the gospel.  You are “the most effective missionary to the people you live, work and play with.” Thankfully, we don’t need to rely on our own power, but on the power that is already at work within us.

I’d encourage you to read  this book with a few other people. Ask God to illuminate areas in your life where He needs to work in you, where you need to be overcome by His beauty. Because God is relational, we are relational, and these prayers will be answered in the context of relationships.

Here are a couple of more quotes:

“You see, we all need fresh encounters with Jesus for our evangelism to ring with authenticity. We need fresh encounters with Jesus to remain our authentic selves. Otherwise, we will begin to treat people as projects to be avoided or recruited. Evangelism will become a way to judge or praise ourselves. Apart from the gospel, evangelism will become a measuring stick not an overflow of joy in Christ.” (30)

“Christianity is utterly unique, not because Christians are better but because Christ is better. In Christianity, God dies so man can live. In other religions, generally speaking, men live in the uncertain hope that they won’t really die. In the gospel, God works his way down to us in Jesus to bear our load and give us his life. In religion, man works his way up to God bearing an unbearable load with a vague hope of eternal life.” (36)