Jerram Barrs, The Heart of Evangelism. Crossway Books, 2005.
Referenced in: Approaches to Evangelism – Missionally Responsive/Evangelical
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is the first of two books on evangelism by the same author. The other is Learning Evangelism From Jesus. The Heart of Evangelism is not on method or technique. It is a meditative reflection on the work of evangelism from a conservative evangelical orientation. As the author says, it “is the fruit of more than thirty years of reflection on what the New Testament teaches about evangelism; and it is the fruit of more than thirty years of desiring to practice in some poor way what I have learned from that study.” His method was to “examine once again what Jesus and His apostles teach us about evangelism, and also to look at the way they practiced evangelism so that we might learn both from their instruction and from their example.” (9)
Section One is an examination of the Great Commission, the Day of Pentecost, the spreading witness in the book of Acts, and how the Great Commission bears upon every church and individual believer, touching even “our daily lives at home, in the workplace, and out in the wider society.” (10)
Section Two discusses the work of God in evangelism. It shows “how patient and gracious God is. He labors, often for many years, to woo people and to win them to begin to love Jesus.” It also considers “some of the infinite variety of means that God uses to touch people and to kindlg the flame of faith in their hearts.” (10) Barrs shares his own testimony and looks closely at biblical incidents such as the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40), Naaman (2 Kings 5), the widow at Zarepath (1 Kings 17), and King Manessah of Israel (2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20).
Section Three considers the barriers that make it difficult for Christians to engage the work of evangelism. It first looks at internal barriers such as fear, anxiety, guilt, overcommitment, and the “internal Pharisee we all carry inside us.” It next looks at barriers between the church and the world such as the loss of conviction about the truth of the Gospel, the sacred/secular division, failure to use language non-Christians can understand, and the wall we erect between “us” and “them.” (10) A particular concern here is the new postmodern context.
Section Four provides a detailed look at the seven principles of communication as seen in the ministry of the apostle Paul: respect, building bridges (i.e. “becoming all things to all men,” 1 Cor. 9:22), understanding those to whom we go, using the right language, reasoned persuasion, clarifying the truth, and challenging the heart and mind. (11)
Barrs’ strengths are in helping readers envision how to work with God as he is already at work in the lives of unbelievers, and in engendering sensitivity to the lost as reflects the heart of God.
From the Publisher
All Christians are called. Called to love God with all that we are. Called to serve Him. Called to reach out to the lost. However, if we are honest, the majority of us would admit that we find this last calling the most difficult. While we gladly support the evangelistic ministries of others, many of us feel discouraged by our own attempts at witnessing because our memorized approaches don’t seem to work.
This biblical study of evangelism gracefully reminds us that the New Testament model of witnessing is not a one-size-fits-all methodology. With compassion for the lost filling every page, Jerram Barrs shows the variety of approaches used in the New Testament—where the same uncompromised Gospel was packaged as differently as the audience—and calls you to follow its example.
You can learn to witness comfortably in your particular circumstances so that sharing Christ doesn’t feel like a chore. And as you watch God work in the lives of others and see the great blessings He brings, you’ll discover what a privilege it is to live out the heart of evangelism: truly loving others to Christ.
About the Author
Jerram Barrs is the founder and Resident Scholar of the Francis Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Theological Seminary. He also teaches apologetics and outreach, among other subjects, as Professor of Christianity and Contemporary Culture at Covenant. He and his wife were on staff at English L’Abri for many years.
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