A review of Mark Dever's "The Gospel & Personal Evangelism"

It has been a few years since I read a decent book on the subject of evangelism. The last book I read on the subject was "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God" by J.I. Packer. I had not found a basic introduction to the subject of evangelism that is accessible to the average church goer, and that examines the subject from multiple points of view. That is, until I read Mark Dever's "The Gospel & Personal Evangelism," which I would recommend as a must read for any Reformed Christian seeking to pursue evangelism in the context of the local church. The chapters mainly deal with questions that the average Christian has about evangelism, such as; Why don't we evangelize, what is the Gospel, who should evangelize, how should we evangelize and what isn't evangelism. What I found to be one of the most powerful aspects of the book was the many stories about evangelists in church history that were scattered throughout the chapters. In fact, the book opens up with a very engaging story about an evangelist aboard the Titanic which is so interesting and encouraging to the aspiring evangelist, that I will not give any details beyond that in order to spur on your interest to pick the book up yourself. Dever then answers the question of why we don't evangelize and then continues on to define what the Gospel is. Most of this will be review for the average Christian, but it is always helpful to be reminded of the basics. We need to eat, sleep, and breath the basics because evangelism is the act of taking 'the basics' out to those who presumably have never heard them before.
Of particular interest to those of us from a more traditional Reformed background is his chapter on who should evangelize. Many Christians in Reformed churches seem to think that evangelism is only the activity of a select few at the very least, and others seem to implicitly think that it is a task only for ordained ministers. Unfortunately in a large number of Reformed churches not only do little, if any evangelize, but often even the ministers do not actively engage in evangelism. Through many Scriptures and comments of respected Bible scholars, Dever demonstrates that evangelism, while a gift to a select few, ought to be pursued in some avenue by all Christians. His main texts for this are Acts 8:1-4, and 1 Peter 3:15,16, which read as follows:

And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (Acts 8:1-4)

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, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:15,16)

Clearly 1 Peter 3 is aimed at all Christians addressed in Peter's letter, and Acts 8 seems to insinuate that all the Christians who were scattered preached the word as they went. Dever also give several examples of people evangelizing who were not ordained ministers of the Word.

While I found these chapters refreshing and revitalizing to my own pursuits of evangelism, the chapters on how to evangelize and what isn't evangelism were the most convicting and applicable. Dever seems to be open to various forms of making contact in evangelism. Often direct street evangelism is called 'contact evangelism,' but all evangelism is going to involve a contact between individuals even if it is in the context of a progressing relationship with a non-Christian. Often 'friendship evangelism' is labeled 'relational evangelism,' but all evangelism is relational, even if it is with a complete stranger on a street corner. Rather than focusing on methods of contacting unbelievers, Dever focuses more on defining for us what evangelism is in context of communicating the Gospel to an unbeliever. He writes in several sub-points that there needs to be a balance in our approach between honesty, urgency, and joy. His reasoning for this is as follows:

Honesty and urgency with no joy gives us a grim determination (read Philippians). Honesty and joy with no urgency gives us a carelessness about time (read 2 Peter). And urgency and joy with no honesty leads us into distorted claims about immediate benefits of the gospel (read 1 Peter). (Dever, pg 60)

His specific suggestions for the task include; prayer, using the Bible and using the church. What particularly struck me and resonated with my previous thoughts on evangelism, was his recommendation that we try and provoke self-reflection in the unbeliever. In some of the best evangelism encounters that I have engaged in or observed others engage in, self-reflection on the part of the unbeliever was a cornerstone of the conversation. Even the Way of the Master, while being a more rigid form of evangelism, uses this principle in trying to use the Law, coupled with questions, to help the non-Christian see their own sin. Dever writes these encouraging words:

Ask good questions and listen to their answers. Explore them. You may be helping them to enunciate and articulate their own thinking for the first time ever. And you don't even need to try to pretend that this is easy for you. (Dever 66)

One last subject which he covered that I found very comforting and helpful to the task of evangelism, was his chapter on what isn't evangelism. The last false idea of evangelism that he addressed in the chapter was the tendency that we have to view evangelism as the act of winning converts. How often have we been discouraged in evangelism, sought out non-Biblical means, or felt that we needed to be overbearing in the lives of unbelievers because we thought that the fruit of evangelism was the same as evangelism. Of course we should hope for conversion, but every good Calvinist knows that evangelism is what we do with God's help, while conversion is the monergistic work of the Triune God. Of course we should seek to follow up with those whom we evangelize, and we definitely want to disciple those who are willing. But we ought not look at the few instances which produce such results as 'success,' and the rest as failure. We fail at evangelism when we do not accurately present the Gospel, or neglect to present it at all, not when we ourselves fail to see fruit. In many ways our 'success' and 'results' driven culture probably influences our attitudes here. But I also think this tendency of ours is more universal, as we see men in their sensuality throughout the Bible desiring to make images of God, making idols with their own hands, and desiring to walk by sight rather than faith. Dever rightly observes that this mentality can lead to feelings of failure, aversion, and guilt when evangelism doesn't go a smoothly as it is 'supposed' to. In quoting another book he writes:

To evangelize is to declare on the authority of God what he has done to save sinners, to warn men of their lost condition, to direct them to repent, and to believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Dever 80)

There is much more that is covered in this book, and everyone will probably find different parts significant, enlightening, and encouraging. If I were to summarize what I found most significant and the overall message of "The Gospel and Personal Evangelism," I can only quote the conclusion of the book.

We do not fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not subsequently converted; we fail only if we do not faithfully tell the gospel at all.

10 Lessons Learned

It has been probably around 3 years since I had last gone out into the streets and public places in order to engage in evangelism. A lot has changed since I last actively pursued participating in the Great Commission. Before I was a Dispensational Baptist who was slowly becoming a 5 point Calvinist, now I am a full-fledged Presbyterian. Previously Bush was in office and almost every left winger that I spoke to about the Gospel was not only naturally antagonistic, but also thought I was trying to get them to be baptized by Sean Hannity into Bushianity. But now politics and what is deemed by secularists as “Evangelicalism” (Whatever that means) are not as tightly bound in our society’s political consciousness. Most importantly, 3 years ago I lived in what has been deemed the most liberal metropolis in America[1], now I live in what many have called a Calvinist ghetto. In the few experiences I have had since I began evangelizing again I have learned a few things. Some of it includes new realizations, but most of it are lessons I had learned before which have ‘come back’ to me since I started engaging in evangelism again.

1. As Piper and many other Pastors have emphasized, preach the Gospel to yourself daily. Your evangelistic appeals will become more natural and believable as the Evangel itself becomes the heartbeat of your life. You are a sinner and need the Gospel too, even in the midst of any attempt at sharing it with others. You are a sinner who has received grace going out to share with others what has been given to you.

2. Do not be afraid to simply pass out tracts. I know to many people they seem chintzy and often get a bad rap, especially in our theologically-centered reformed environment. However, good gospel tracts can go a long way in planting many seeds without one’s personality getting in the way.

3. Our primary aim in passing out tracts is to use them as “icebreakers,” or a means to facilitate a conversation with a stranger which otherwise would be difficult initiate. Learn to become comfortable interacting with and greeting strangers with a winsome attitude so that you can come across as approachable.

4. DO NOT try and force people into conversations. Many people are on a limited time schedule, or just simply do not wish to talk to strangers. It will be better off if they read your tract later when they have time, rather then be turned off by feeling hassled or forced into an awkward conversation.

5. Do not rely heavily upon certain methods of presenting the Gospel, while keeping in mind that certain truths need to be communicated in order for the encounter to be considered Biblical Evangelism. If we are too focused on methods we often do not truly connect with people as individuals, and subsequently loose credibility with them and they stop listening.

6. In order to understand the context of the individuals that you do converse with, use questions to help facilitate a healthy/natural conversation. Listen attentively and be genuine, people LOVE to talk about themselves.

7. In street evangelism most people will initiate a conversation with you by asking about the tract which you are handing to them. This makes it quite easy to bring up the Gospel, by simply answering honestly to them that it is a Gospel tract and asking them if they have ever had it explained to them and/or if they believe it.

8. In door to door evangelism you are initiating a conversation with them 100% of the time if they actually answer the door. Therefore, you must be prepared to introduce yourself and your partner and establish credibility by stating the church or organization that you are representing. From there you can ask them a question such as, “do you currently attend church?” or “have you ever had the Gospel explained to you?”

9. Just because someone says they are a Christian, it does not necessarily mean that they are. You also do not want to play the role of the elders of the Church and try to determine on the spot whether they have a credible confession or not. If you prod around on issues such as their church attendance, zeal for the Gospel, and knowledge of the Gospel you can usually tell whether or not you are dealing with a well grounded believer. Every individual is different, so be aware that if a professing Christian does show you evidence which concerns you, it may be due to a failure in shepherding or hurt from being sinned against. It does not necessarily mean they are unregenerate.

10. If your witnessing encounters, especially the first few, do not go as you had hoped, avoid dwelling on it or beating yourself up. Remember, we are just instruments planting seeds and that it is God who provides the increase (1 Cor. 3:6,7). God will use us in our weakness as long as the content of our message is Biblical; because His word will not return to Him void (Is. 55:11). Satan will be seeking to dissuade you from the task of evangelism; do not give him a foothold!

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[1] http://govpro.com/content/gov_imp_31439/