Mark Dever: Evangelism 101

Mark Dever’s book, the Deliberate church offers helpful advice in how Christians evangelize and consequences of how that evangelism takes place:

What you win them with is likely what you’ll win them to. If you win them with the Gospel, you’ll win them to the Gospel. If you win them with technique, programs, entertainment, and personal charisma, you might end up winning them to yourself and your methods (and you might not!), but it’s likely they won’t be won to the Gospel first and foremost. “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus our Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2Cor 4:5). The implication is that once you try to turn the corner from technique, program, or entertainment to the Gospel, it’s likely that you’ll either lose them, or they will be converted to you, not Christ. The Gospel of Christ has never needed the gimmicks of man to effect conversion in the soul (Rom 1:16; 1Cor 2:1-5). (pg. 44, The Deliberate Church, Mark Dever)

Good advice.