Book Review: The Gospel and Personal Evangelism

I once visited a secular homeschooling Internet forum where the members were decrying evangelical Christians.

It seems that they believed Christians gleefully went around telling people that they were going to Hell. If their comments hadn't been so discouraging it would have been funny.

First of all, no Christian I know finds any consideration of Hell gleeful. Secondly, I have to wonder where we all appear to be running around so vocally.

Mark Dever wrote The Gospel and Personal Evangelism because evangelism is scary. Anytime we share our faith we face the possibility of being laughed at, rejected, or mocked on a secular homeschooling Internet forum. It's enough to keep a lot of us silent about our faith.

But such an attitude is not only disobedient to Scripture, it also defies logic. If we truly believe Christ's work on the cross is the best news ever (and I pray that you do), why do we hesitate to share? Why aren't we telling everyone, all the time?

Dr. Dever begins the first chapter with five excuses we use not to evangelize, and then lays out twelve steps we should take: pray, plan, accept, understand, be faithful, risk, prepare, look, love, fear, stop, and consider. The remainder of the book rests on this chapter.

He also takes the time to discuss what the gospel is and what the gospel is not. This may seem elementary to some, but I think a lot of people lose sight of this. The gospel is not just sharing our testimony (although we can share the gospel in that context), nor is it apologetics or political activism. The gospel is helping someone understand that they are a sinner without hope apart from Christ's death and resurrection.

But evangelism is sharing the gospel faithfully. Results are nice, and certainly bless the one who shares, but Dr. Dever warns that we should not confuse the results of evangelism with the act of evangelism:

According to the Bible, converting people is not in our power. And evangelism may not be defined in terms of results but only in terms of faithfulness to the message preached. John Stott has said, "To 'evangelize'...does not mean to win converts...but simply to announce the good news, irrespective of the results."

Since it is the Holy Spirit's work to save, and only our work to share, we are then free simply to share. Dr. Dever warns us to avoid the temptation to make the gospel more palatable by leaving out the hard parts. Coming to Christ involves repentance, and repentance is costly.

So however we evangelize, we aren't to hide problems, to ignore our own shortcomings, or to deny difficulties. And we are not to put forward only positives that we imagine our non-Christian friends presently value and present God as simply the means by which they can meet or achieve their own ends. We must be honest.

This short little book does not contain anything new. It is not a how-to book per se, but a timely reminder to follow through on the final command that Jesus gave to his followers. But I think everyone, from the seasoned pastor to the new Christian, could glean something from this book.

The Reading Mother

I had a Mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath

I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.

I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness blent with his final breath.

I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings-
Stories that stir with an upward touch,
Oh, that each mother of boys were such!

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be-
I had a Mother who read to me.

~Strickland Gillian

Yea! It's Saturday!

Enough said.

Queen of the Road

Big doings at chez Writing and Living today.

We are going on a little road trip. Emphasis on little, but for my poor children, it's quite exciting.

The homeschool jumprope team has a performance. Out of town. A town I've never been to.

Did I mention that I'm driving? And that someone is riding with us?

I'm not worried about finding the town, seeing as how a whole town is hard to miss. It's finding the place IN the town that's a little iffy.

I probably would not be so concerned had I not had a terrible time getting Samuel to his baseball practice last night. You know, seeing as how I've lived in this town for eleven years and all.

In my defense, the only time anyone ever goes to this particular park is if they have a Kindergartner playing T-ball. And even at that, you kind of have to sneak up behind the baseball diamond. You can get to the park fairly easily, but the baseball diamond is over a hill and across the creek and you have to navigate an impressive number of dead end side streets to access the baseball diamond.

The first time Peter had a practice at this field we parked in the main parking lot and walked over to the ball diamond. We might as well have worn signs that said, "We're not from around here." I wasn't going to do that again.

Samuel, who has a freakishly good sense of direction and his father's phobia of being late, was Concerned. "Mom, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

That's not very comforting when the six-year-old isn't sure if you're competent.

Anyway, I went on Mapquest to get my route for today. Mapquest immediately got off on the wrong foot when it told me to take a two-lane highway instead of the Interstate. In this part of the world, taking a two-lane highway means you're going to wind around hills behind a tractor going 35 for two hours. If you're trying to write a hit country song, that's okay. Not so much for getting to where you want to go.

Not that I don't have the deepest gratitude for our farmers, seeing as how food is very important to me. May they hog up the two-lane roads in the best of health. I just prefer not to be stuck behind them. Especially with a van full of kids. Thank you.

When I clicked for another route, it still had me taking the two-lane, but it did give me another route from my driveway to the four-way stop sign by the post office. Which really wasn't very helpful.

Will I get there? Sure. Will I get there without giving poor Sam an ulcer? That remains to be seen.

Reading the Classics Together: The Word of Salvation

I am participating in Reading the Classics Together at Challies dot com. We are reading The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by A.W. Pink.

This chapter is entitled "The Word of Salvation." Here Pink focuses on the exchange between Christ and one of the thieves crucified alongside him that was recorded in Luke 23:43-43:

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

This chapter is very deep (and a little longer than the last chapter). There is a lot covered here, and it's all very good.

Two things in particular stuck out to me. The first is Pink's reminder that God's sovereignty placed these two men on the crosses with Jesus. Both saw everything that transpired. One turned to Christ and received forgiveness, and one did not.

There are a lot ways to apply this. Pink brings out the fact that at the time the thief turned to Christ, Christ was being mocked and jeered at by the crowd. But while one thief turned to Christ, the other thief, who was in the same circumstances, did not.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings people to Christ, but often we are tempted to try to "help" the process. Perhaps we are tempted to downplay the difficult aspects of walking with Christ. While being a Christian is filled with peace and joy, there is also a lot of dying to self involved.

I think there's also a temptation to search for a formula that "works" in bringing others to Christ. But if the Holy Spirit can work in the heart of a hardened criminal nailed to a cross, we probably shouldn't presume that our efforts would be more fruitful if we had better tracts or changed the lighting in our church services.

I was also struck by the point made in this paragraph:

That which makes heaven superlatively attractive to the heart of the saint is not that heaven is a place where we shall be delivered from all sorrow and suffering, nor is it that heaven is the place where we shall meet again those we loved in the Lord, nor is it that heaven is the place of golden streets and pearly gates and jasper walls -- no; blessed as these things are, heaven without Christ would not be heaven. (emphasis in original).

I just finished a Bible study in which much was made of how in heaven we would finally be able to make sense of all our sufferings. The author even went as far as to say that it would be like watching a movie - complete with popcorn - only this time we would get to see all the "behind the scenes" activity wherein God was accomplishing His purpose in our lives.

I don't want to make too much of this, because I believe the author's main point was not whether or not there might be popcorn in heaven, but that there is a reason behind our struggles here that we are not privy to. But I couldn't help but wonder how that squared with 2 Corinthians 4:17: "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."

I'm sure that we will someday we will have more insight into how God was working in our lives, but once we are worshiping before the throne, I don't think our struggles will matter much anymore.

Fourteen years ago yesterday

 

We love each other now more than ever.

But neither one of us has gotten any better at remembering important dates...like anniversaries.

I guess we should take comfort in the fact that we both forgot.

More quotes

The main problem in the universe, according to many emergent writers, seems to be human suffering and brokenness. Make no mistake, suffering and brokenness are a result of the fall, but the main problem that needs to be dealt with is human sin and rebellion. Where sin is the main problem we need a crucified Substitutes. Where pain and brokenness are the main problems, we need to learn to love ourselves. God is no longer a holy God angry with sin, who, in His great mercy, sent His Son to die on our behalf so that divine justice might be satisfied. God becomes a vulnerable lover who opens Himself up to hurt and rejection in order to be with us because we are worth dying for.

I have no doubt that this message will find a receptive audience, but it is not the message the apostles proclaimed and for which they died. Christians don't get killed for telling people that God believes in them and suffers like them and can heal their brokenness. They get killed for calling sinners to repentance and proclaiming faith in the crucified Son of God as the only means by which we who were enemies might be reconciled to God (Romans 5:10).

Why We're Not Emergent, pages 194-195

Gratuitous Dachshund Photo

Even in Buggarville

Rocks in My Dryer is hosting Works for Me Wednesday -- but this week she's switching it up. Now we're talking about what doesn't work for me.

And I could come up with a few things to put there. But first I must explain my title.

You see, my father is from a spot in the road called -- I am not making this up -- Buggarville.

(Did you hear that thump? That was my sisters fainting in embarrassment that I just posted that on the blog. Even though my dad tells everyone he knows for upwards of five minutes this little tidbit.)

Anyway, although I've never met anyone from Buggarville who wasn't a delightful person of reasonable intelligence -- and I think I've met all twelve of them -- just the name itself kind of implies, ahem, rural.

So, when I tell my dad the story about how Proactiv astringent dried out my face so much that it was painful, his answer?**

Well, even in Buggarville we know to stop using something that makes the skin on your face crack.

Or the two days when I attempted the Atkins Diet and felt so terrible I couldn't function?

Well, I may be from Buggarville, but I would say it's time to stop.

It seems to have become a catch phrase around the house between Theodore and me.

You know honey, even people from Buggarville know to put the lid on a jar before they shake it.

It's one of those phrases that is more fun to say than to hear.

So while a lot of things might not work out for me, the phrase, for better or for worse, is a keeper.

**Note: I do use Proactiv cleanser. Just not the astringent. And if I would have followed read their warnings more carefully, I would have stopped it sooner. It's not Proactiv's fault

Book Review: Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be)

In some ways, reviewing books is difficult. What if someone buys a book on my recommendation and he doesn't like it? What my recommendation causes someone to pass over another book that would have been more helpful? We only have so much money to spend on books, and so much time to read them in. There are a lot of choices.

Books like Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) make it a lot easier.

This book gives an excellent overview of the emergent church movement -- and explains why you should care. It is thorough, even-handed, and theologically sound. The writing is exceptionally clear, which makes it an easy and enjoyable read.

Ted Kluck and Devin DeYoung never back down from their strong theological stance, but their tone remains gracious -- not an easy task when you're disagreeing with someone. They use extensive quotes from emergent writers such as Rob Bell, Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren, and Doug Pagitt, which help give a clear understanding on what these men are teaching.

If you don't have a clue what I mean when I say "emergent church," this book would be a great place to start. If you've read books like Velvet Elvis and A New Kind of Christian and can't figure out why people are in such an uproar about these guys, this book will help you understand why. If you know someone who is enamored by this movement and want to get an idea of where it is going, read this book.

Besides pointing out the unbiblical teaching most emergent leaders are promulgating, the authors give some analysis that I think is invaluable. One of their observations is that the emergent church largely consists of the disenfranchised children of evangelicals. I've heard similar sentiments from Mark Driscoll as well. But in the emergents' efforts to solve what they perceived as problems in the church, it seems that they've thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

The authors also discuss the implications of the trajectory that the emergent movement is on. While many of their members have a biblical knowledge to draw from, what's to become of the next generation?

This is a good book, but I also believe this is an important book. Up until a few months ago I was unaware of the insidiousness of this movement. We need to be aware, so we can be ready to snatch our brothers and sisters out of the fire.

Quoting Why We're Not Emergent

I have three books to review. I was going to review Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be) this morning, but the presence of a virus in the house has thrown me a bit off schedule. I'll leave you with a quote for now, and hopefully come back to this later today.

I'm not sure what the emerging church believes about the Bible. And this concerns me. Burned-out evangelicals who go emergent and talk squishy about the Bible may still basically treat the Bible as if it were completely true and authoritative. This would be a fortuitous inconsistency. But what happens in the second generation? What happens when an erstwhile church planter with a few Neo books under his belt starts doing church with a radical skepticism about the authority of the Bible and forms a people by musing on about how his community affirms the Bible (in part?), therefore making it "welcome" in their conversation? We can wax eloquent about the beauty of the story and how the Scriptures read us, but unless people are convinced that the Bible is authoritative, true, inspired, and the very words of God, over time they will read it less frequently, know it less fully, and trust it less surely.