READY?
Evangelism for Everyone
By Andy Paterson
Christian Focus. 115 pages. £7.99
ISBN 978 1 527 110 953
Ready? is an apt title for this pithy book. Not a book for wannabe ‘Evangelists’ but one for every ‘normal’ believer humbly seeking to share God’s glorious rescue in Jesus with others.
This book is ‘guilt-free and passion-driven’ (p.IX). With its brevity and bite-sized chapters it is accessible. Yet, in its brevity, there is no compromise in depth and breadth of poignant truth that flows from its pages. Many helpful reminders even for those for whom Evangelism is their day job.
Paterson, FIEC Mission Director and pastor, attempts to unpack the distinction between and the implications of direct and responsive evangelism (Col. 4:6). His intention is to allow God’s word to reset our expectations and inspire our hearts (p.3). He begins in the Old Testament to show God’s purpose in declaring His glory to the nations through His people. He moves quickly into the New Testament to clarify the distinction between those called to be ‘Evangelists’ and those who ‘evangelise’. He addresses the problem of professionals and programmes which complicate evangelism, and then normalises the Christ-adorning life by expounding Colossians 4:2-6.
What follows are multiple practical chapters which unpack the spectrum of everyday opportunities one may miss – if one’s eye is not on the goal! The wide range of research, briefly summarised, translates that which may be complicated and overwhelming into something simple, accessible, and enabling.
I wholeheartedly commend this Jesus-centric and Word-soaked book – illustrated with historical, contemporary, and personal examples. The pithiness and poignancy of each chapter fuels a passion for getting on with sharing Jesus, knowing that He is at work in and through us in the everydayness of Christian life.
