Evangelism by J. Mack Stiles

There was a lot in this book that fit into the ongoing Entry series that I have been posting, so I wanted to offer some quotes from it.

The book is Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by J. Mack Stiles.

With apologies to G.K. Chesterton, it’s not that evangelism has been tried and found wanting, it’s that evangelism has been found difficult and left untried. p42

In a culture of evangelism, people who love Jesus work together as instruments in the grand symphony of God’s work. We don’t always know what the next piece will be - the Holy Spirit orchestrates that. But if we are focused on him and his direction, we get to be a part of his work in people’s lives. p81

The old seeker-sensitive movement and its modern replacements have it backward: churches are called to concentrate on God, while individuals are called to be sensitive to seekers. p87

“Unless we discipline ourselves for evangelism, it is very easy to excuse ourselves from ever sharing the gospel with anyone.” p95, quoting Don Whitney

As I watched him walk away, I acknowledged to myself that I felt weary, too. I was tired of talking to tired people about a treasure they need but seemed not to want. I was tired of my silly fears of rejection. But most of all, I was really tired of feeling that I shouldn’t feel that way; a feeling that sometimes made me want to give up sharing my faith. p111

This last quote might be the most encouraging one, as it helps me know I’m not alone when sharing my faith feels like a long slog with no progress. Mack goes on to explain how even the attempt to share our faith is growing something in us as believers, even if we never see fruit in those we are trying to reach. Let us be faithful to the task.