Intentional by Paul Williams

Union

by Paul Williams

If we’re honest none of us find evangelism easy. We’re told we should do it, we might know that we should be doing it, but the reality is often too scary. Paul Williams is realistic about our fear and guilt, but with gentleness he shows us that the key to banishing our fear isn’t complex and clever answers, but rather to take our friends to the person of Jesus. He gives practical examples of how we can naturally and thoughtfully share how Jesus answers, and is the answer to commonly asked questions. Paul also shares how this simple model has led to greater confidence and joy in his own evangelism. This can be our joy too!

Genres: Christian, Evangelism, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Christianity, Theology, Faith

Paperback

First published February 12, 2016

About the author

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile contains books from multiple authors of this name.

Reviews

[Matt Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is an excellent help in thinking about pursuing intentional conversations with non-Christians that steer people to thinking about Jesus himself.
The kind of book that could be profitably given to every church member, young and old, to read and apply.

[Ezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific.
In a fantastically practical manner, Williams shows the reader how to show people Jesus in our conversations. I really appreciated how all levels of confidence were catered to and and examples given were excellent; they really help to make you think of what to say. Though I am ashamedly rather a layman of the practice, I think this book will spur me on in evangelism in both intent and practical guidance.

Any book that makes a fellow want to know Jesus and the gospels better is a good one in my books.

A word of warning: the writer likes sports (but tastefully so).

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thais would be a good little book for a Christian who is looking to take their first steps in the area evangelism. Short and to the point.

[Eli Hankinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“They couldn’t escape me. I was bigger than them and more powerful than them. But I was also their father. In their fear, they instinctively knew that the safest thing to do was run to me.”

[Phil Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, very helpful practical book on evangelism. Very helpful style. Some useful passages to learn in order to address questions.

[Helen Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on evangelism. Very readable. Emphasises the need to take time evangelism seriously, studying the Bible and praying for people and opportunities to share the gospel.

[Makenzy Veldboom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great resource for the foundations of evangelism. The author put an emphasis on taking people to Jesus when answering questions about Christianity——meaning “What did Jesus say on this issue?” Or “How can I answer this question from the life or lips of Jesus?” I really liked the way the author arranged on how to effectively have conversations about Jesus with others and I found it to be very helpful and encouraging.

A few other points I really liked were:
Asking someone “What’s the big stumbling block for you when it comes to the Christian faith? Or if you could ask God one question and you knew He would answer it, what would it be?” I thought those two questions are not only engaging but could be a great start to a dialogue!

Another point I liked was clarifying the question being asked. Meaning, answering the question at hand; not making the questioner feel more confused by “putting into the questioners mind issues they don’t actually have or making the answer too long and involved because you are trying to answer an anticipated follow-on question.”

If you don’t end up picking up this book, I do recommend checking out 1 Peter 3:15 and Matthew 9:36 as they were emphasized in this book and may encourage you in your future evangelism!

[r 🤓 · Rating 4 out of 5]

first book i have read in a while, i love paul williams engaging and succinct style of writing

was super helpful in gaining practical skills on how to be more confident in evangelism. i think i agreed with lots of what he said but truly the last part struck me the most. prayer is the most important. as i was reading all his tips it still made me feel scared to start evangelising but i do need to pray for myself and those around me for any work to even take root. praying for my weak self to be bold and courageous in the truth of the gospel is gonna be super helpful in the long term i think! so… just really need to be praying all round to be doing any sort of meaningful work for Christ 🙏🏻

amen

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read that I hope to read again and again to remind myself of evangelism and what the Bible tells us about it. Evangelism is such a scary topic for many believers, but this book jumps right into it and breaks down sharing the gospel into manageable bites.
Paul has such an engaging writing style with a wonderful use of metaphors and imagery that keeps the topic engaging and relatable. His voice and tone, and the stories he shares and builds off of all help build trust in Paul's experiences and expertise, the validity of the message he is communicating, and the connection readers can have with Paul.
Would definitely recommend!

[Tim Goldsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a small, punchy book with simple steps for how to be more effective in evangelism. What's really nice is that Williams doesn't presuppose a particular skill set or personality. All he requires is a passion for the gospel and a willingness to grow in our faith.
It was particularly helpful to have sections that displayed how he would go about dealing with specific questions. I enjoyed that he didn't prescribe that things must be answered in a particular way, but showed his logic for how he has gone about things.
I'm seriously considering adding this to a church bookstall.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short and concise book giving practical guidance on how to evangelize people. Paul Williams' main point is that when someone asks us a question, our immediate response should be about Christ. After all, isn't he the reason that we are saved? Many other responses will lead down rabbit trails and end up in discussions not related to the gospel. Paul Williams understands that evangelism can be hard to do and gives personal experiences from his own life on both practical ways to evangelism and how he gets over some of the fear of evangelism.

[Eve Harrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book giving a practical means to share faith with non-believers. Paul did a great job of laying out scripture to share in a conversation. I was encouraged through his advice to ask questions and not be intimidated but to see every conversation as an opportunity to lead others to Jesus and the Cross. Great job Paul thank you very much!

[WH · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderfully practical, useful, and SHORT. I read it in an hour or so and got a lifetime's worth of benefit from it. I know that sounds like an overstatement, and it probably is, but I honestly do think I will try to implement the author's advice for the rest of my life. That's probably as positive an endorsement as anyone can give.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has given me incredibly useful tools on how to evangelise to those around me, I will be referring back to it in the near future and passing it on to friends and family. Also, it was written by a vicar from a church my friend goes to in Sheffield, how cool?!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, little helpful guide on evangelism.

Found the last quarter of the book particularly helpful.

Good book to have on a bookshelf to reference when needed, and comforting to know that evangelism can be a challenge for everyone - even a vicar!

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise, helpful, and practical. At the risk of sounding like a back handed compliment, one of the strengths of this book is its brevity. It wouldn't have been nearly as helpful if it had been longer, kind of like 45 minute sermon that should have been a 30 minute one.

[Kaitlyn Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, easy, and engaging read that encourages evangelism and reminds Christians about the urgency they should feel in sharing it. This includes practical steps to sharing the Gospel and addresses challenges everyone faces too. A very real book. A great reminder of God’s calling on our life. :)

[Cameran Handy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy read on evangelism. The author gives very practical examples that would benefit anyone new to Christianity or those who don't feel equipped to evangelize. I appreciate that every chapter focused on Jesus and how to get people to Jesus in evangelistic conversations.

[Ashley McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great practical book which gives very helpful insight.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful, practical and easy to read book.

[Michael Kenan Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! I really like Paul's approach and this is a very helpful & readable little book.

[Richard Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book on how to share the message of Christ with others.

This is a light, accessible and practical book that should be useful for almost any Christian, including younger readers.

[Alicia Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the last few chapters there were some good and practical tips for evangelism.

[Hayden Helton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet, practical and gracious.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic little book about how to evangelize. This is a high quality tool giver and a great start to help you overcome that fear you may have of evangelizing.

[Haddon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very engaging and practical read about evangelism. It's focused on getting you out there and talking which is great!

[Erica Couch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good explained the way we need to evangelize.

[Andy Treece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book on evangelism. Key takeaway: in conversation with unbelievers, always try to point them to Jesus and His finished work.

[Madison Findley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay, I was hoping for more depth

[Chris Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Williams has written this short book to emphasise the importance of evangelism and to encourage all Christians to make a start on sharing the gospel with others. He begins by recognizing the fear that so often stories or desire to share our faith ("Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of losing friends. Fear of being ridiculed. Fear of saying the wrong thing and putting people of Christianity.") The Bible's answer to this very natural fear is to cultivate an appropriate fear of God, or as Peter puts it to "set apart Christ as Lord," so that we fear him more than we fear people. As Williams describes it, "God is the almighty creator of the entire universe. He is to be feared. But he is also our strength, our fortress, our stronghold...and our Father. Running to him brings us to a place of ultimate security. Being with him is the safest place in the universe."

He then goes on to outline some of the main ways that setting Christ apart as Lord helps us to speak out for him. These are conviction (that the gospel is true), compassion (for a lost world) and confidence (practically in knowing how to answer questions and confidence in Jesus as the mighty saviour). One helpful piece of advice in being prepared is to resolve not to be caught by the same question more than once.

Next, Williams gives the single best piece of evangelistic and apologetic advice, which forms the subtitle of the book - take people to Jesus: "The gospel is about Jesus Christ, and so in every evangelistic conversation we should try and take people to Jesus. He is the one we want to talk about. He is the one person that everyone needs to know about. He is the way we know God, the way we come to God and the one in whom we can have life." Answering questions like this, says Williams, does three things. First, we are taking people to the one who is the focus of the gospel; second, it means that objections are to Jesus and not us; third, it makes it more natural to continue talking about Jesus as the conversation develops.

Even more specifically, we want to take people to the cross. The approach Williams suggests when we are asked a question is to take the questioner to Jesus; take the initiative by asking a thoughtful question in return; take them to the cross to explain the gospel. On asking questions in return, Williams comments that: "The second step of asking a question is so very helpful because it can probe, challenge and extend a person's thinking. It can help shape their conclusions. It can also be diagnostic. It can help you understand better where your friend is up to in their own thinking. This can help you know what would be most helpful for you to talk about next. What's more, it can change the tone of a discussion. Asking a question shows that you are interested in what your friend thinks. And you are! It shows that you want to listen to them. Finally, asking a good question can slow the conversation down in a helpful way. It can stop it becoming either a confrontational argument or a one-sided lecture." Doing this also follows the example of Jesus, and reminds us that neither we, nor God, nor the Bible are in the dock. And in asking questions, we should particularly ask those that take people to the cross, and highlight their need for Christ.

Using this approach rather than running straight to a supporting argument (like philosophy, science, archaeology, etc.) helps prevent us from getting out of our depth and keeps Jesus in the conversation naturally. Of course, real-life conversations are messy, and we shouldn't try to stick to Williams' framework rigidly, but it is still a useful heuristic to help us say and ask things that will tend to point others to Christ. For the remainder of the book, Williams teases out some examples of how this approach could work in practice and provides a lot of encouragement to keep going and not to give up on evangelising as we get the opportunity.

There are many longer books on evangelism than this one, but few that are better, and I commend it to the attention of all Christians as a powerful encouragement to keep going in sharing the good news of the gospel with others in as loving and winsome a manner as we can.