Book Review: The Gospel & Personal Evangelism

The Gospel & Personal Evangelism

Publisher: Crossway (2007)

Author: Mark Dever

ISBN-13: 9781581348460

Binding: Paperback

The Gospel & Personal Evangelism is an excellent book on evangelism. Pastor Mark Dever has given the church a great resource to aid in our call to faithfully share the gospel of Jesus Christ with every person.

In seven short chapters, Dever clearly and concisely answers these common questions about evangelism:

Why Don’t We Evangelize?

What Is the Gospel?

Who Should Evangelize?

How Should We Evangelize?

What Isn’t Evangelism?

What Should We Do After We Evangelize?

Why Should We Evangelize?

One of the best parts of the book, would have to be chapter two. Many of us, whether intentionally or not, often don’t get the message of the gospel right. In this chapter, Dever argues rightly, that in order share the gospel, we must be clear about what the gospel is. So, what is the gospel? Dever writes:

the good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in his image to know him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him. In his great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in him. He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted. He now calls us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into new life, and eternal life with God. Now that’s good news (43).

The practical insights and observations concerning doing evangelism are most helpful in this book. One of Dever’s answers to the question, “How Should We Evangelize,” is that we should strive to communicate the gospel clearly. Dever makes the point that we should seek to help our hearers understand the gospel, even though they may not like what we have to say. We must be clear about the fact that we are all sinners, and in need of turning from of our sins, and turning to Jesus, the Savior. Dever writes, “A gospel that in no way offends the sinner has not been understood” (64).

In The Gospel & Personal Evangelism, Dever clarifies some of the muddled thinking that clouds much of what passes as evangelism today. He examines what the Bible says about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and how we can be obedient in sharing this good news. He challenges us to be faithful, and encourages us both through personal illustrations and practical examples of how to improve our efforts. Get this book. It will challenge, encourage, and instruct you, not only in thinking about evangelism, but also in doing evangelism.

Note: Mark Dever will be speaking next week at The Desiring God Conference for Pastors.