As John preached on Sunday, we have the joyful privilege of inviting people across the island and around the world into the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s our mission as a church. Our method is to develop significant relationships with unbelievers so they can have a significant relationship with God. Here are some resources to help us all do that better.
Marks of the Messenger (Mack Stiles)
Many think evangelism is rooted in a method. It is rooted in something much deeper. It is found in what makes us whole and healthy messengers of God’s truth about Jesus.
Mack Stiles has lived the life of the healthy evangelist in homes and coffee shops, at universities and farms. He has lived out and spoken about the gospel to Kenyans, Koreans, Arabs and North Americans. What he has learned around the world and at home is summarized here in a few basic truths that can shape any of us into faithful people who bring good news to needy and hurting friends.
The whole gospel changes much more than our relationship with God. Stiles shows how it changes all of who we are and what we do. It means learning the whole gospel without shaping its message to meet our tastes. It means not just going through the motions of accepted behaviors. It means showing the unity of witness and justice. It means love. It means community.
Everyday Church: Gospel Communities on Mission (Tim Chester, Steve Timmis)
We live in an increasingly post-Christian culture. More and more we find ourselves on the margins as less and less people have any intention of ever attending church. What used to work doesn’t work anymore and we need to adapt.
Helping us to see the way forward, this book offers practical ideas and personal stories for engaging with Western society. Find out how to effectively reach people in the context of everyday life and take hold of the opportunity to develop missional communities focused on Jesus.
The book involves a missional reflection on 1 Peter, looking at how Peter equips his readers to live on the margins and do mission in the face of hostility. But the heart of the book is a number of practical ideas for doing evangelism, discipleship and pastoral care in everyday life.
Evangelism & The Sovereignty of God (J.I. Packer)
If God is in control of everything, can Christians sit back and not bother to evangelize? Or does active evangelism imply that God is not really sovereign at all?
J. I. Packer shows in this new edition to his classic book how both of these attitudes are false. In a careful review of the biblical evidence, he shows how a right understanding of God’s sovereignty is not so much a barrier to evangelism as an incentive and powerful support for it.