Pastor Jordan has been recommending resources each week of our "Gospel Matters" summer teaching series. We definitely want to make sure you get these in-hand, especially since many of us are freed up more than usual for some reading.
This past Sunday Jordan recommended The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever, a favorite of our staff and a go-to read on the topic of preaching the gospel to others. If you haven't read this one, please grab a copy. It's a great summer read, also, at 119 pages.
Listen to Mark Dever,
"We are called to love others. We share the gospel because we love people. And we don't share the gospel because we don't love people. Instead, we wrongly fear them. We don't want to cause awkwardness. We want their respect, and after all, we figure, if we try to share the gospel with them, we'll look foolish! And so we are quiet. We protect our pride at the cost of their souls. In the name of not wanting to look weird, we are content to be complicit in their being lost" (27).
And,
"Evangelism is not an imposition of our ideas upon others. It is not merely personal testimony. It is not merely social action. It may not involve apologetics, and it is not the same thing as the results of evangelism. Evangelism is telling people the wonderful truth about God, the great news about Jesus Christ" (82).
Again, please grab a copy - you'll be encouraged and helped to better engage in your relationships as a witness to the saving power of the gospel.
