The Gospel & Personal Evangelism
by Mark Dever.
Crossway Books, 2007. 128 pages.
ISBN 1581348460

Like most Christians, I struggle with evangelism. Being introverted doesn’t help, but a big part of it is that we live in a culture that so values pluralism, uncertainty, etc., that it is an uphill climb to share a universal truth like the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And so, with this in mind, along comes Mark Dever with a book about evangelism. Dever, who is pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and executive director of 9Marks ministries, also struggles with it. And so he wrote a book, as he says, for one purpose: To help us in evangelism. It’s not a book about techniques for evangelism, though some are covered, and he includes a “Recommended Reading” section. Instead, it is…

…meant to be an encouragement, a clarification, an instruction, a rebuke, and a challenge all rolled up into several short chapters. My prayer is that because of the time you spend reading this book, more people will hear the good news of Jesus Christ. (p16)

And what an encouragement it is! Throughout the book, Dever reminds us of truths we already know but need reminding of:

…if you will realize that conversion always accompanies proclaiming the gospel and the Spirit’s work, then you will stop trying to do the Spirit’s work, and you will give yourself to proclaiming the gospel.

He also reminds us again and again of the essentials of evangelism – not only the essentials of the evangel, the message itself, but also the essentials of delivering it. Again, this is not a book about technique, it’s about approach and attitude.

I considered summarizing each section of the book here, but to do so would essentially repeat most of the content, since the text itself is such a quick read. Dever’s message, ultimately, is simple:

This is to be our evangelism: a God-given commission and method, a God-centered message, and a God-centered motive. We should all evangelize. Evangelism isn’t all those other things we considered; it is telling the good news about Jesus, and doing it with honesty, urgency, and joy, using the Bible, living a life that backs it up, and praying, and doing it all for the glory of God.

Amen. Soli Deo Gloria.

Preparing to teach on Hebrews 11:1-3 this week, I came across the following from Matthew Henry:

Hebrews 11:3

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (ESV)

We have here one of the first acts and articles of faith, which has a great influence on all the rest, and which is common to all believers in every age and part of the world, namely, the creation of the worlds by the word of God, not out of pre-existent matter, but out of nothing, v. 3. The grace of faith has a retrospect as well as prospect; it looks not only forward to the end of the world, but back to the beginning of the world. By faith we understand much more of the formation of the world than ever could be understood by the naked eye of natural reason. Faith is not a force upon the understanding, but a friend and a help to it. Now what does faith give us to understand concerning the worlds, that is, the upper, middle, and lower regions of the universe?

1. That these worlds were not eternal, nor did they produce themselves, but they were made by another.

2. That the maker of the worlds is god; he is the maker of all things; and whoever is so must be God.

3. That he made the world with great exactness; it was a framed work, in every thing duly adapted and disposed to answer its end, and to express the perfections of the Creator.

4. That God made the world by his word, that is, by his essential wisdom and eternal Son, and by his active will, saying, Let it be done, and it was done, Ps. 33:9.

5. That the world was thus framed out of nothing, out of no pre-existent matter, contrary to the received maxim, that “out of nothing nothing can be made,’’ which, though true of created power, can have no place with God, who can call things that are not as if they were, and command them into being.

These things we understand by faith. The Bible gives us the truest and most exact account of the origin of all things, and we are to believe it, and not to wrest or run down the scripture-account of the creation, because it does not suit with some fantastic hypotheses of our own, which has been in some learned but conceited men the first remarkable step towards infidelity, and has led them into many more.

- Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1706

Matthew 7:1-2

7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. (ESV)

Thus saith the Geneva Reformers:

We ought to find fault one with another, but we must beware we do it not without cause, or to seem holier than they, or in hatred of them.

Well bespoken, forsooth.

Some good stuff in the blogosphere lately…

• Dan Phillips answers, What if someone claims an angelic visitation [today]?
• David Kotter at CBMW responds to Luke Timothy Johnson on homosexuality and the church
• Paul Lamey tackles the tough subject of applying Old Testament law (and principles) today
• John Piper posts an amazing poem from his son, Karsten (do yourself a favor – if you don’t recognize the Bible reference, don’t look it up first)
• There is a new site available for study of the Westminster Catechism, with links to commentary and analysis by many Puritan scholars (HT: Justin Taylor, of course)
• Again, thanks to Justin Taylor for linking to a surprising clip from TV’s ER
• I got my Logos ringtone… Did you?
• Note to self: need to sign up for Band of Bloggers…
• Note to self: need to blog more, too…
• Great prayer for getting ready for Sunday…
• And lastly, Tim Challies talks about whether forgiveness is unconditional for the Christian

I finished up Dever’s The Gospel and Personal Evangelism last night. (Review coming soon… Probably. ;-)) I’m following it up with Thomas Boston’s The Art of Manfishing, a short book from a Scottish Puritan on evangelism, from around 1700. Here’s a crumb (emphasis added):

O my soul, then see that gifts will not do the business. A man may preach as an angel, and yet be useless. If Christ withdraw his presence, all will be to no purpose. If the Master of the house be away, the household will loath their food though it be dropping down about their tent doors.

Why shouldst thou then, on the one hand, as sometimes thou art, be lifted up when thou preachest a good and solid discourse, wherein gifts do appear, and thou gettest the applause of men? Why, thou mayst do all this, and yet be no fisher of men. The fish may see the bait, and play about it as pleasant, but this is not enough to catch them.

Why do we not evangelize? Mark Dever provides one explanation: it has the potential for immediate discomfort. Someone might get mad at us, they might reject our message, etc.

We typically want to process our experiences immediately, and if they are unpleasant, we are inclined to change course in order to some way avoid the discomfort of the difficult comment or the pain that comes to us by a long obedience.

Mark Dever, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism (p. 98)

And yet we are called to a long obedience, as unpleasant as it may be. We are called to evangelize, and other duties that produce immediate unpleasantness (discipleship, exhortation, rebuke…). And we are called to rejoice in the unpleasantness, even to the point of suffering and persecution.

1 Peter 3:13-17

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (ESV)

No, this is not a tribute to the Veggie Tales… (Though I do love those guys.)

Rather, it is an observation from The Geneva Bible on the creation of man. Observe how God creates the other creatures of the earth:

Genesis 1:20

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” (ESV)

Genesis 1:24

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. (ESV)

And now, notice how God creates Man:

Genesis 1:26

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (ESV)

While He commands the other creatures to be “brought forth,” with Man, he says “Let Us make…” There is definitely a special, distinct act performed here which is not the same as the other creatures.

Or, as the Geneva Bible states it:

God commanded the water and the earth to bring forth other creatures: but of man he saith, Let us make: signifying, that God taketh counsel with his wisdom and virtue, purposing to make an excellent work above all the rest of his creation.

Truly, God made you special.

Dan Phillips has a great post at Pyromaniacs on “The God of the Second Chance” – sometimes.

The Bible holds out great hope to the repentant man or woman who scarce dares to dream that God could accept him or her in Christ.

The Bible holds out no hope to the unrepentant man who presumes on the longsuffering of God, and who misinterprets His forbearance as approval (Romans 2:4-5).

Happy Valentine’s Day, My Love!

You are BLESSED!

Proverbs 31:10-31

10  An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates. (ESV)

By popular demand… Pics of Atticus and the cake.