The subtitle sold the book to me. So often I feel discouraged in my feeble attempts at evangelism, and the results indicate that I am not very effective at it either. So, judging the book by its cover, at least gave me some hope.
That hope was met in the pages of this short book, just about 100 pages, that I read in 2 sittings. It was such an encouragement to read something so common sense and “normal”. Time will only tell if it raises my effectiveness. The book encourages us to get on with scattering the gospel seed. The parable of the sower encourages us to sow more seed, and we just need to do it in any way we can, as often as we can.
It then explores a number of “strategies” for seed scattering: The Power of Stories, of Questions, of Weakness, of Enthusiasm, of Social Media, of Prayer and the Holy Spirit, and of God’s Word.
Two things I found really helpful in the book – first, it was really achievable and practical. Of course I can tell a story, ask a question, be enthusiastic, pray for my friends and opportunities, learn to tell a short Bible story. That is all so possible.
Second, the book has questions for pondering at the end of each chapter that really helped me to think about what I had read applied to me. They would make perfect application questions for a small group discussing evangelism.
Here is snippet from the chapter on the Power of Questions:
I was asked the other day what my favourite questions are. … My all time favourite: ‘I find my faith so helpful. What about you? Do you have any beliefs you rely on?’ The reply isn’t usually very thought out or articulate, but you very soon get a sense of whether your friend wants to continue the conversation or not – and that’s helpful. It’s not remotely pushy and you can back off right away if you sense they don’t want to talk. (p 47)
I wholeheartedly recommend this book for personal use if you are feeling discouraged or ineffective. A great shot in the arm! But it would also be an excellent book for a small group bible study.
Available from:
Here is a sample PDF from the publisher:
Scattering-Seeds-of-Hope-sample-from-publisher