bondChristian

Yes, my answer to the title question is, yes.

Jenn Joshua from Our Generation asked me to write a guest post for her blog about friendship and evangelism. If you’re visiting from her blog, welcome – thank you for stopping by. If you haven’t yet seen the post, go read it here:

• “To friend or not to friend: Top 10 thoughts on adding friendship to evangelism“

I’ve written about sharing the gospel before. Specifically, I’ve written two groups of posts about relating to people through personal experience and interaction:

• “The ‘How to be interesting’ series“
• “Your testimony revolution: Shifting your story to change lives“

Still, I’d not covered the topic of how friendship works in evangelism. It’s something I’ve been exploring on and off for for the past year or two (though Jenn didn’t know that when she asked). I’d like to think I learn about it because it fascinates me (which is true), but it’s mostly because I need all the help I can get.

(Which reminds me – if you have any suggestions, let me know.)

As I was writing the guest post, I thought of three books that have influenced me the most in my understanding and motivation for evangelism. I thought I’d share them with you.

1. The Bible: Of course, you don’t need an introduction to this book. Specifically, though, check out the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for examples of how Jesus introduces the gospel to the woman at the well, Nicodemus, and even Pontius Pilate and how He trains His disciples.

2. The Soul Winner by Charles Spurgeon: This is intense – it took me a long time to wade through this (it’s not long – just densely packed). But, if you can get through it, it’s a fantastic resource for developing an overall perspective on salvation, evangelism, and discipleship.

3. Out of the Saltshaker & into the World by Rebecca Manley Pippert: This is much more accessible. The stories she shares matched many of experiences (and fears) perfectly. While Spurgeon’s book focuses more on the mindset, Pippert offers the practical skills for sharing the gospel.

I hope you’re able to use some of these resources. Bringing others closer to Christ (or introducing them to Him for the first time) is the best way to serve others and glorify God. It should be our primary mission in life. As Jesus said:

“Go, therefore, and make disciples…” -Matthew 28:19

Serving Suggestions:

(1) Visit Our Generation, if you haven’t already,  and read the post (and leave comments).

(2) Visit the About page, if you’re visiting from Our Generation, and introduce yourself.