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Get Real: Sharing Your Everyday Faith Every Day
Christians often make evangelism into an awkward experience. We host evangelism events and rehearse three-step plans, but we struggle to relate to non-Christians or to tell our own stories in an authentic way. Get Real calls us to live out what Christ modeled–a lifestyle of actively sharing the good news in our relationships. John Leonard–pastor, seminary professor, and former missionary–shows how Christ’s own example releases us to love, listen, pray fervently, and respond faithfully to opportunities everyday. When we get real, we are free to share our everyday faith with the people God places in our lives.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2013
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464 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
October 21, 2017
I was really excited to read this book but walked away mostly disappointed with it. While Leonard did make some good points—such as doing evangelism corporately (i.e., the local church evangelizes together, utilizing the various gifts each member has been given), incorporating all of God's Word into our evangelism, and listening to the unbelievers God brings along our path so that we can actually understand them and their struggles and share the gospel accordingly—he said too many things that I definitively disagreed with or had concerns about for me to give this book a high rating.
Since I shared three good points about the book, I will highlight the three points that I had the most problems with:
1) "[Christians] work hard at being like their neighbors in the nonessentials, so that people can imagine that they too can be followers of Christ in the essentials." While I understand Leonard's concern that we not make the "nonessentials" of Christianity an essential part of the gospel, I think he swings the pendulum far too much to the other side. First off, if our unsaved neighbors practice the nonessentials in a worldly manner (common sense would say yes, they do!), then we have no business trying to copy them so that they don't think we're "weird." Second, we have missed the whole point of the Great Commission if we're focused on helping people become "followers of Christ in the essentials." What did Jesus actually say in Matthew 28? "Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you [emphasis mine]." Being nonessential is not the same thing as being unimportant. Jesus Christ wants disciples who strive to obey Him in every area, whether essential or nonessential.
2) "[T]he gospel is not a one-size-fits-all sweat suit, but a custom-made suit. . . . The gospel is remarkable because it applies to everyone equally, yet must be shaped to every single individual." My objection here is with the carelessness of Leonard's words. Although he's trying to make a good point that it's not appropriate to use the same formulaic, multi-step gospel presentation with everyone you meet, he does a terrible job separating the message of the gospel (see Paul's definition in 1 Cor. 15) from the manner of presenting it. To say that we shape the gospel (as opposed to our gospel presentation) for each individual can be easily misconstrued as saying that it's OK to change the message of the gospel based on who's listening. And that, my friends, is heresy!
3) On evangelizing people of other faiths: "We must not communicate that becoming a Christian means leaving behind a person's culture and all the things she loves about it, although this is often the consequence of conversion. What we need to help people understand is that Christ embraces them in their culture; he loves their foods, their holidays, and their customs. They will learn these things when we wrap Christianity up in their culture's sights, smells, sounds, and tastes." Again, I see the overarching point Leonard is trying to make (especially since he makes this statement as a former overseas missionary), but he gives far too much leeway. Does Jesus love all of a culture's customs, as Leonard seems to imply here? Does He really? And should we just eagerly wrap Christianity up in whatever culture we're ministering in? Leonard makes no attempt to acknowledge all the wickedness and worldliness that abides in any and every culture.
Wish this book had been better!
(Read for the 2017 Tim Challies Christian Reading Challenge: A book about evangelism)
Since I shared three good points about the book, I will highlight the three points that I had the most problems with:
1) "[Christians] work hard at being like their neighbors in the nonessentials, so that people can imagine that they too can be followers of Christ in the essentials." While I understand Leonard's concern that we not make the "nonessentials" of Christianity an essential part of the gospel, I think he swings the pendulum far too much to the other side. First off, if our unsaved neighbors practice the nonessentials in a worldly manner (common sense would say yes, they do!), then we have no business trying to copy them so that they don't think we're "weird." Second, we have missed the whole point of the Great Commission if we're focused on helping people become "followers of Christ in the essentials." What did Jesus actually say in Matthew 28? "Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you [emphasis mine]." Being nonessential is not the same thing as being unimportant. Jesus Christ wants disciples who strive to obey Him in every area, whether essential or nonessential.
2) "[T]he gospel is not a one-size-fits-all sweat suit, but a custom-made suit. . . . The gospel is remarkable because it applies to everyone equally, yet must be shaped to every single individual." My objection here is with the carelessness of Leonard's words. Although he's trying to make a good point that it's not appropriate to use the same formulaic, multi-step gospel presentation with everyone you meet, he does a terrible job separating the message of the gospel (see Paul's definition in 1 Cor. 15) from the manner of presenting it. To say that we shape the gospel (as opposed to our gospel presentation) for each individual can be easily misconstrued as saying that it's OK to change the message of the gospel based on who's listening. And that, my friends, is heresy!
3) On evangelizing people of other faiths: "We must not communicate that becoming a Christian means leaving behind a person's culture and all the things she loves about it, although this is often the consequence of conversion. What we need to help people understand is that Christ embraces them in their culture; he loves their foods, their holidays, and their customs. They will learn these things when we wrap Christianity up in their culture's sights, smells, sounds, and tastes." Again, I see the overarching point Leonard is trying to make (especially since he makes this statement as a former overseas missionary), but he gives far too much leeway. Does Jesus love all of a culture's customs, as Leonard seems to imply here? Does He really? And should we just eagerly wrap Christianity up in whatever culture we're ministering in? Leonard makes no attempt to acknowledge all the wickedness and worldliness that abides in any and every culture.
Wish this book had been better!
(Read for the 2017 Tim Challies Christian Reading Challenge: A book about evangelism)
August 18, 2020
A helpful book about sharing your faith in normal, natural ways. Lots of helpful ideas. Easy to read.
April 13, 2024
Refreshing! Somewhat like an injection of grace filled hype for sharing Jesus.
This book has been my friend during this semester. I'm enjoying looking back and appreciating how I've been able to apply it directly to the friendships, CU events weeks, church life, hobbies, day to day encounters that I've been muddling through. So can testify to its help and impact! And hooray, evangelism doesn't stop after uni, so I'll be keeping this one at hand to keep me on my evangelistic toes.
Short and snappy chapters to dip in and out of. Doesn't beat about the bush in calling out silly notions we have about evangelism.
Some particularly helpful moments:
- understanding the crucial role of the church in evangelism... We're saved by grace alone... But all the means of grace are expressed in the church! Eeek!
- friendly evangelism > friendship evangelism (don't use this as a cop out)
- evangelise Christians and disciple non-christians
- let them be a friend to you too!
However, although challenging, I felt a few of his spicy suggestions were a bit of a stretch! Appreciate what he's trying to shift us away from... but I'm not exactly sure we can call the gospel 'custom made' or encourage compromise on non-essential things in order to blend in and look normal?? The section about culture and Christianity also has some question marks. I have thoughts to think.
(But you should definitely read go read it - you can't borrow mine cause I've gone straight back to start at the start again.)
This book has been my friend during this semester. I'm enjoying looking back and appreciating how I've been able to apply it directly to the friendships, CU events weeks, church life, hobbies, day to day encounters that I've been muddling through. So can testify to its help and impact! And hooray, evangelism doesn't stop after uni, so I'll be keeping this one at hand to keep me on my evangelistic toes.
Short and snappy chapters to dip in and out of. Doesn't beat about the bush in calling out silly notions we have about evangelism.
Some particularly helpful moments:
- understanding the crucial role of the church in evangelism... We're saved by grace alone... But all the means of grace are expressed in the church! Eeek!
- friendly evangelism > friendship evangelism (don't use this as a cop out)
- evangelise Christians and disciple non-christians
- let them be a friend to you too!
However, although challenging, I felt a few of his spicy suggestions were a bit of a stretch! Appreciate what he's trying to shift us away from... but I'm not exactly sure we can call the gospel 'custom made' or encourage compromise on non-essential things in order to blend in and look normal?? The section about culture and Christianity also has some question marks. I have thoughts to think.
(But you should definitely read go read it - you can't borrow mine cause I've gone straight back to start at the start again.)
Read
January 28, 2022Wow this book actually made evangelism sound fun and not like the worst thing ever. Didn’t realize that I can be a normal human and still evangelize. Funny how that works out. Won’t be knocking on random peoples door anytime soon.
July 7, 2017
Leonard's book contrasts traditional evangelism and what he calls "real" evangelism - traditional evangelism being what so many of us learned to do, with a rote gospel presentation, sharing our testimony about how we were saved, etc. "Real" evangelism, however, focuses more on the needs of the person you're talking to - how does the gospel apply to them personally and specifically instead of how do they fit into the rote presentation we've memorized?
I love this book and can see coming back to it again. It started a little slow, but around the middle picked up the pace with chapters that each addressed a specific idea on how to evangelize. His chapters on how to disciple non-believers, how to make yourself approachable so people will want to talk to you, and how to talk to people of other faiths were worth the cost of the book. Some of his ideas are somewhat counter-intuitive because of how many churches have taught people to evangelize, but his reasoning makes a lot of sense. Every Christian should read this book.
I love this book and can see coming back to it again. It started a little slow, but around the middle picked up the pace with chapters that each addressed a specific idea on how to evangelize. His chapters on how to disciple non-believers, how to make yourself approachable so people will want to talk to you, and how to talk to people of other faiths were worth the cost of the book. Some of his ideas are somewhat counter-intuitive because of how many churches have taught people to evangelize, but his reasoning makes a lot of sense. Every Christian should read this book.
March 22, 2025
Very helpful. I am in many ways the “traditional evangelist,” which means I am often not much of one. This book is very good at breaking some of the habits we have that either lead us away from evangelism or lead us to evangelism in the wrong ways. There are some over-statements in the book. In attempts to be provocative, Leonard misses some opportunities to draw important distinctions. But all in all, very good.
February 23, 2015
What does it look like to share the gospel of grace with those around us on a daily basis? This is the question asked and soundly answered in this book.
Leonard begins in the first chapter by drawing the distinction between a “real” approach to evangelism and the conventional presentation-style approach. He continues to develop this distinction throughout the book, but this first chapter shows how the conventional approach can be awkward and artificial at best, cold and uncaring at worst.
Chapters 2 and 3 lay the theological foundation for the rest of the book. In chapter 2, Leonard describes the gospel of grace for us and reminds us that we can no more save ourselves from sin than fly. This is crucial, for we cannot share God’s grace with others if we have not been transformed by it ourselves.
Chapter 3 builds on this picture of grace by expounding how Jesus Himself communicated grace to others in Luke 7. His ministry touched the lives of a poor Jewish widow, a rich Roman centurion, the prophet John the Baptist, and the sinful woman. Leonard refers to these as “the four compass points of humanity,” representing the full spectrum of both human and spiritual experience. This shows that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. If we are to follow in the steps of Christ, we are called to get dirty in His service as we learn to love sinners well and communicate grace to those who need it most. This is messy business that lies beyond our power, bringing us right back to our own need for God’s grace.
The remainder of the book (chapters 4-17) contains the practical development and application of these truths. Leonard discusses good listening, being engaged in our communities, praying with unbelievers, using illustrations that apply to our hearers, raising curiosity, the importance of the local church, the nature of our testimonies, using apologetics with love, and the importance of asking unbelievers for help. Liberally sprinkled throughout are fascinating anecdotes from Leonard’s own experiences.
The “real” approach that Leonard advocates is a breath of fresh air. It is simple, humble, and loving. It is also the natural expression of grace-centered theology; if we have been saved by God’s grace alone, then we know that it is only His grace that can save anyone else. If it is not up to us to guarantee the salvation of those to whom we speak, we are free to simply love them as we have been loved and to allow the grace that we have received to overflow into all aspects of our lives and relationships. The results are in God’s hands.
Leonard’s writing is clear, engaging, and accessible. While the content is meaningful and thought-provoking, it is communicated in a way that is easy to read and understand.
I highly recommend this book to anyone!
Leonard begins in the first chapter by drawing the distinction between a “real” approach to evangelism and the conventional presentation-style approach. He continues to develop this distinction throughout the book, but this first chapter shows how the conventional approach can be awkward and artificial at best, cold and uncaring at worst.
Chapters 2 and 3 lay the theological foundation for the rest of the book. In chapter 2, Leonard describes the gospel of grace for us and reminds us that we can no more save ourselves from sin than fly. This is crucial, for we cannot share God’s grace with others if we have not been transformed by it ourselves.
Chapter 3 builds on this picture of grace by expounding how Jesus Himself communicated grace to others in Luke 7. His ministry touched the lives of a poor Jewish widow, a rich Roman centurion, the prophet John the Baptist, and the sinful woman. Leonard refers to these as “the four compass points of humanity,” representing the full spectrum of both human and spiritual experience. This shows that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. If we are to follow in the steps of Christ, we are called to get dirty in His service as we learn to love sinners well and communicate grace to those who need it most. This is messy business that lies beyond our power, bringing us right back to our own need for God’s grace.
The remainder of the book (chapters 4-17) contains the practical development and application of these truths. Leonard discusses good listening, being engaged in our communities, praying with unbelievers, using illustrations that apply to our hearers, raising curiosity, the importance of the local church, the nature of our testimonies, using apologetics with love, and the importance of asking unbelievers for help. Liberally sprinkled throughout are fascinating anecdotes from Leonard’s own experiences.
The “real” approach that Leonard advocates is a breath of fresh air. It is simple, humble, and loving. It is also the natural expression of grace-centered theology; if we have been saved by God’s grace alone, then we know that it is only His grace that can save anyone else. If it is not up to us to guarantee the salvation of those to whom we speak, we are free to simply love them as we have been loved and to allow the grace that we have received to overflow into all aspects of our lives and relationships. The results are in God’s hands.
Leonard’s writing is clear, engaging, and accessible. While the content is meaningful and thought-provoking, it is communicated in a way that is easy to read and understand.
I highly recommend this book to anyone!
May 24, 2016
What a wonderful encouragement this book is! He describes most Christian's, well my, feelings about evangelism to a tee. After exposing our fear, guilt and embarrassment, he points back to scripture.
Did you ever notice that Jesus didn't use a one size fits all evangelizing template? He didn't jump on anyone with a list of verses pulled out of all context. He used the message most likely to show each individual their lost condition and His love for them. Leonard does an excellent job of applying Jude 20-23.
It was really freeing to understand Jesus doesn't expect us to all be the same. He saved us. He is sanctifying us. He is changing us. He will use us. Conformity to man's strategy isn't necessary.
Now he doesn't give us an excuse to quit or only do what we are comfortable doing. Just the opposite rather, he motivates us with the Biblical reasons for evangelization.
It's not the Bible. It's not perfect. I would have given it higher marks but for a few issues in chapters 4 - 5. I am a very conservative Christian. I believe there are some things we should not do. Not that he is exhorting anyone to sin, but just to participate in some questionable things. Perhaps it falls under 1 Corinthians 8. The other was saying that salvation was only found in the Church. The only place he found that was in writings of the 'Church Fathers'. Yes, we should go to church, and be an active part of it, but it is not a salvation issue. It's a sanctification issue. He spends a lot of time coming up with new ways of reiterating some old ideas. After a while, that got a little annoying. It would have been easier to use the old words and just explain them.
Did you ever notice that Jesus didn't use a one size fits all evangelizing template? He didn't jump on anyone with a list of verses pulled out of all context. He used the message most likely to show each individual their lost condition and His love for them. Leonard does an excellent job of applying Jude 20-23.
It was really freeing to understand Jesus doesn't expect us to all be the same. He saved us. He is sanctifying us. He is changing us. He will use us. Conformity to man's strategy isn't necessary.
Now he doesn't give us an excuse to quit or only do what we are comfortable doing. Just the opposite rather, he motivates us with the Biblical reasons for evangelization.
It's not the Bible. It's not perfect. I would have given it higher marks but for a few issues in chapters 4 - 5. I am a very conservative Christian. I believe there are some things we should not do. Not that he is exhorting anyone to sin, but just to participate in some questionable things. Perhaps it falls under 1 Corinthians 8. The other was saying that salvation was only found in the Church. The only place he found that was in writings of the 'Church Fathers'. Yes, we should go to church, and be an active part of it, but it is not a salvation issue. It's a sanctification issue. He spends a lot of time coming up with new ways of reiterating some old ideas. After a while, that got a little annoying. It would have been easier to use the old words and just explain them.
March 3, 2022
I think this book had some very helpful comments about sharing the gospel. It can be very easy to start treating the gospel as formulaic, and think that sharing the gospel only looks a certwin way. I think this book did a good job of highlighting how God has made each of us with individual gifts and personalities that are going to bring us into relationships with people, where we can genuinely share the gospel.
I did feel like the author may have pressed the point too hard at times, and I think it can be easy to go to the opposite extreme and say that I share the gospel through my life and fail to speak about Christ.
Just some quick thoughts :)
I did feel like the author may have pressed the point too hard at times, and I think it can be easy to go to the opposite extreme and say that I share the gospel through my life and fail to speak about Christ.
Just some quick thoughts :)
August 14, 2018
Solid. A bit breezy for my tastes, and could have been sharpened. His efforts to upend traditional evangelistic wisdom were a bit strained at times, but the book has a heart of gold, and there is much wisdom here. If a more conversational tone rather than systematic is your preference, this book will be very useful.
July 30, 2018
Good basic content on loving unbelievers as a lifestyle. But I almost couldn't finish the book because of Leonard's writing style. He comes across as arrogant and constantly straw-mans "traditional evangelism" in order to show you how to do things his way.
December 14, 2020
Such a wonderful book that really lays out evangelism in a way that is clear and personal.
July 20, 2017
Finally, a realistic book on sharing your faith in Jesus. Love and listen to people, & give the Gospel in the context of people's lives. Ask more questions than making statements.
June 10, 2022
This is there best book on evangelism I know of! It is an indirect critique of depersonalized, distant, and dehumanizing approaches to evangelism that have been a staple of evangelicalism for decades. While boldly challenging us to frequently share our faith, he continually emphasizes the thoughtful care we must have for the person in front of us. He starts his book marinating in the gospel we’re called to share, encouraging us to live out of a framework of grace, not guilt. Living by grace, relational evangelism at its best is costly, messy, and inconvenient as we share our own shortcomings alongside our “hundreds of testimonies” of God’s kindness throughout our lives (118).
This book doesn’t leave you feeling burdened or condemned, while giving you myriads of practical helps on how to grow in sharing your faith. This is hard to achieve, but Leonard pulls it off! I will not emulate all of the approaches and examples Leonard gives, but I will return to this book and heartily recommend to people who want to lovingly share Jesus with the people the Lord has placed in their midst.
July 29, 2017
Honest, insightful, funny and occasionally cringe worthy, Get Real is clearly written by a man who knows what he's doing when it comes to talking about Jesus. John Leonard effectively tackles the "traditional" model of evangelism and instead calls for a more natural approach.
While I don't mesh with his very orthodox theological approach, I can appreciate a lot of Leonard's wisdom, including reaching out as a community rather than individually, sharing especially with those who need to hear it, discipling non-Christians, sharing personal examples of God's ongoing grace, and listening to the thoughts and stories of those coming from other faiths.
It's a great place to start for anyone or any church thinking about sharing their faith more in an everyday way.
While I don't mesh with his very orthodox theological approach, I can appreciate a lot of Leonard's wisdom, including reaching out as a community rather than individually, sharing especially with those who need to hear it, discipling non-Christians, sharing personal examples of God's ongoing grace, and listening to the thoughts and stories of those coming from other faiths.
It's a great place to start for anyone or any church thinking about sharing their faith more in an everyday way.
December 10, 2019
Maybe this caught me at the wrong time, but he came off a little bit “this is the old way that everyone else thinks is good, but this is the better way that only I know about. Aren’t you glad I’m here to look down on you?”
That being said, there were some incredibly good ideas and it actually made me a lot less nervous about evangelism. And dare I say inspired? I would recommend it, but the tone is very annoying.
That being said, there were some incredibly good ideas and it actually made me a lot less nervous about evangelism. And dare I say inspired? I would recommend it, but the tone is very annoying.
February 19, 2021
Very good.
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November 1, 2021Disclaimer: I did not read the whole book, but only the first part. So no starred review. I do think, however, it is important to mention this.
I had a serious problem with the chapter "Be Normal, for Christ's Sake." The language immediately caused me to flinch, as this was the kind of language that caused fear and paralysis for me as a young Christian. I was terrified of sharing the Gospel because I knew that I was not 'normal,' and I was afraid that my weirdness would push people away. I often felt like I was a 'bad evangelist' because I could not successfully 'fit in.' Now, at first, while reading the chapter, I thought, "It's okay, he's just using 'weird' to mean 'hyperspiritual' or 'pushy'"--which, I agree, is no good. But then I came to his description of people who are 'weird': "geeks" "lack social graces" "don't know how to dress" were some of the phrases he used. Ouch.
Now first of all, this is unbiblical. John the Baptist was God's messenger, and he dressed strangely and was often perceived as insane, and certainly wasn't the most socially graceful, either ("you brood of vipers!") But, also, it's this kind of thought that planted a deep insecurity in me -- a lie that I believe is from the mouth of the devil and not of God. It's the lie that I can't share the Gospel because I'm weird, different. I found out recently that I'm autistic, which explains some of my difficulties with 'being normal,' but I'm sure it's not only neurodivergent Christians who struggle with feeling 'different' or find normalcy an unattainable goal. And really, we shouldn't be seeking normalcy -- we should be seeking to be Christlike.
IN SUMMARY: the 'Be Normal' premise is not Biblical could cause fear and paralysis for some Christians, esp. neurodivergent Christians
I had a serious problem with the chapter "Be Normal, for Christ's Sake." The language immediately caused me to flinch, as this was the kind of language that caused fear and paralysis for me as a young Christian. I was terrified of sharing the Gospel because I knew that I was not 'normal,' and I was afraid that my weirdness would push people away. I often felt like I was a 'bad evangelist' because I could not successfully 'fit in.' Now, at first, while reading the chapter, I thought, "It's okay, he's just using 'weird' to mean 'hyperspiritual' or 'pushy'"--which, I agree, is no good. But then I came to his description of people who are 'weird': "geeks" "lack social graces" "don't know how to dress" were some of the phrases he used. Ouch.
Now first of all, this is unbiblical. John the Baptist was God's messenger, and he dressed strangely and was often perceived as insane, and certainly wasn't the most socially graceful, either ("you brood of vipers!") But, also, it's this kind of thought that planted a deep insecurity in me -- a lie that I believe is from the mouth of the devil and not of God. It's the lie that I can't share the Gospel because I'm weird, different. I found out recently that I'm autistic, which explains some of my difficulties with 'being normal,' but I'm sure it's not only neurodivergent Christians who struggle with feeling 'different' or find normalcy an unattainable goal. And really, we shouldn't be seeking normalcy -- we should be seeking to be Christlike.
IN SUMMARY: the 'Be Normal' premise is not Biblical could cause fear and paralysis for some Christians, esp. neurodivergent Christians
December 29, 2025
I love this short book so much I re-read it every year or two. It reassures me that evangelism is not something I'm supposed to be doing to people even if they hate it, it raises my awareness of the ways I love Jesus and love the people I encounter and naturally bring them together, and it challenges me with a few new ways to do it. Here are some of my long-term favorites. (1) In modern western Christianity we sing Jesus words "I will make you fishers of men" with the motions of an individual casting a pole, but Jesus was talking to fishermen who worked in community with large cast nets. (2) Leonard's claim that, in the reverse of usual thinking, it is important to evangelize Christians (we tend to unintentionally think we've graduated from salvation by grace into keeping score) and disciple non-christians (if 56 gospel presentations didn't "take," the 57th only shows we're not listening to what our friends really care about--move on to all the other ways God impacts life--and if and when our friends believe, they'll already know so much about that faith). So many more specific, real ways to really respect and love the people we come across...like Jesus did.
August 18, 2018
A really wonderful book about evangelism. Not so much a how-to as it is an invitation to thinking about evangelism in a different way. The second half of the book in which Leonard goes over a lot of the practical (and somewhat counter-intuitive) lessons he's learned in his years as a missionary, pastor, evangelist, and seminary professor were incredibly helpful. This is a book that makes you WANT to evangelize and it paints evangelism in such a light that you feel like, yeah, I could do that, too. Highly recommended.
January 8, 2016
This was a very helpful book. Really approaches evangelism in a non traditional way! There were a few points that I disagreed with, but overall it opened my eyes to the everyday opportunities I have to share my faith. From a gas station to resteraunts.
February 17, 2021
Overall this is a practical book for evangelism. The advice is helpful, but repetitive at times. Leonard pulls heavily from his own experiences, which isn’t a bad thing. However, some of them may not be super practical for an American context.
March 13, 2014
Best book on evangelism I have read. Encouraging, helpful, biblical. Can't recommend it highly enough.
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June 5, 2021Get Real by John Leonard is about how to evangelize strategically. The primary principle is to tailor your evangelistic message to everyone based on their individual circumstances. You accomplish this in three steps. First, you understand the person with whom you are meeting. You want to get an idea of their life story, their difficulties, and their daily life. Second, you need to understand how God worked in your own life. You do not have one testimonial, but thousands of moments that reflect God’s work. Finally, you want to find the overlap between that person’s situation and the way God working in your life to tailor a custom evangelical message.
To understand people, you want to cast a wide net. Talk to everyone you encounter, whether at work, at the grocery store, or your neighborhood. People have stories they want to share, so be open to listen. As they share their struggles and dreams, you will begin to see the deeper layer under their surface. This gives you targets for your evangelism. Further, as your contacts become acquaintances, you begin inviting them into your life so they can see you wear your faith on the sleeve. This serves as a passive apologetic.
Your testimonial is not your moment of conversion, but it is any point in your life where you noticed God’s work. You see sanctification in action and can share how God transformed your life. The overlaps between their lives and your own life are tactical evangelism. Your contacts will realize God can do the same thing for them. You can also incorporate paraphrased scripture so they see how God is speaking to them in that moment.
Two other major themes in this book are “party evangelism,” which is realizing you are only one part of the conversion process, and “discipleship as evangelism,” which reinforces the notion that the gospel applies to your whole life.
Personally, I like this idea of strategic evangelism and the customization of it. If all Christians who live biblical lives practice this form of evangelism, there will be a lot more bumpers along that person's path. For example, if every time a non-believer walks down a path and bumps into a Christian living a devoted life, who is tailoring their evangelistic story to them, they are going to be guided a little bit closer to Christ. Eventually, after so many encounters, the person is going to be more willing to give his life to Christ.
This approach also takes away the burden of trying to bring a militant atheist all the way into full devotion, as we just worry about living a Christ-centered life and instinctively tailor our evangelism. This form of evangelism is somewhere between active and passive. It is active in the sense that we learn to listen, tailor our message, and actively engage with as many people as possible. But it is also passive in the sense that we always live out our Christ-centered lives, allowing people to see what such a life is like.
This form of evangelism is more comprehensive than other evangelistic models. It is something I began incorporating into my life and ministry, but it is also something I cannot keep to myself. If we want to see the world glorify Christ, then we need the whole body of Christ serving as strategic bumpers. Only by filling the community with strategic evangelists will we truly begin to see the world filled with Christ’s disciples. As such, I highly recommend this book, especially for a group study.
To understand people, you want to cast a wide net. Talk to everyone you encounter, whether at work, at the grocery store, or your neighborhood. People have stories they want to share, so be open to listen. As they share their struggles and dreams, you will begin to see the deeper layer under their surface. This gives you targets for your evangelism. Further, as your contacts become acquaintances, you begin inviting them into your life so they can see you wear your faith on the sleeve. This serves as a passive apologetic.
Your testimonial is not your moment of conversion, but it is any point in your life where you noticed God’s work. You see sanctification in action and can share how God transformed your life. The overlaps between their lives and your own life are tactical evangelism. Your contacts will realize God can do the same thing for them. You can also incorporate paraphrased scripture so they see how God is speaking to them in that moment.
Two other major themes in this book are “party evangelism,” which is realizing you are only one part of the conversion process, and “discipleship as evangelism,” which reinforces the notion that the gospel applies to your whole life.
Personally, I like this idea of strategic evangelism and the customization of it. If all Christians who live biblical lives practice this form of evangelism, there will be a lot more bumpers along that person's path. For example, if every time a non-believer walks down a path and bumps into a Christian living a devoted life, who is tailoring their evangelistic story to them, they are going to be guided a little bit closer to Christ. Eventually, after so many encounters, the person is going to be more willing to give his life to Christ.
This approach also takes away the burden of trying to bring a militant atheist all the way into full devotion, as we just worry about living a Christ-centered life and instinctively tailor our evangelism. This form of evangelism is somewhere between active and passive. It is active in the sense that we learn to listen, tailor our message, and actively engage with as many people as possible. But it is also passive in the sense that we always live out our Christ-centered lives, allowing people to see what such a life is like.
This form of evangelism is more comprehensive than other evangelistic models. It is something I began incorporating into my life and ministry, but it is also something I cannot keep to myself. If we want to see the world glorify Christ, then we need the whole body of Christ serving as strategic bumpers. Only by filling the community with strategic evangelists will we truly begin to see the world filled with Christ’s disciples. As such, I highly recommend this book, especially for a group study.
January 10, 2022
This books starts off a little slow, but really picks up with some hard hitting truths around chapter five. Leonard helps people realize you don't have to have a magic gift of evangelism to share the Gospel to those around you. He provides easy to apply tips of how to spread the love of Christ in your everyday life simply by paying more attention to the people around you that you typically whiz by (such as essential workers) and by simply listening to what people have to share so that you can tailer the Gospel to what actually fits the current needs of their life. Evangelism isn't about sharing your 5 minutes or less Gospel presentation, it is about listening to people and showing people how the love of Christ and what He has done for us can directly impact their specific circumstances. Would definitely recommend this book as it makes what is often a daunting mission in the Christian world simple and achievable by anyone.
November 17, 2025
I thought Leonard made some good points - he paints a vision of evangelism that's compelling and that I WANT to be a part of. His idea of discipling non-believers is really good and turns how we have conversations on their heads. The thought of "don't make evangelism a process" but just talk to people about faith and get to know them and care about them was good. There were other points I really disagreed with. I think he's wrong that you should only evangelize to people who are interested and I think that supporting that claim with mostly personal narrative evidence takes a low view of the sovereignty of God. In general I thought he backed up his claims with too many personal narratives, which was good, but made it hard to see how to apply some of the themes to my own life. It's worth reading, but it's worth reading with a fair degree of caution and not before other books on evangelism.
August 15, 2019
Really good book. The best insights for me were the idea of sharing your faith in community, discipling unbelievers, and going out of your way to get more face time with people. I love how he sees salvation as a process instead of something that you have to do at once. Not only that, but his critique of relational evangelism is one of the more helpful things that I have read. To say you need a long-term relationship before evangelism means that it will likely never get done, you don't have enough bandwidth.
September 5, 2017
Keeping it simple
We have all heard a multitude of ways to share the gospel but the author here takes you back to the beginning. It is not about what you memorize it how much you know, it is about keeping it real. The relationship. It begins between you and Jesus and it should be the same through you to others. Extremely enjoyed the simple approach and the reminder of where it is all at....the relationship.
We have all heard a multitude of ways to share the gospel but the author here takes you back to the beginning. It is not about what you memorize it how much you know, it is about keeping it real. The relationship. It begins between you and Jesus and it should be the same through you to others. Extremely enjoyed the simple approach and the reminder of where it is all at....the relationship.
January 19, 2021
Evangelism that is accessible and faithful
Evangelism to many evokes drudgery or something we all have to do once in a while so that we won’t feel a mountain of guilt later.
This book is instructive in that like a sail that needs wind to move , this book does just that. It gives fresh wind that makes evangelism (something that everyone does) and makes it enjoyable , travel, attainable and NORMAL.
Evangelism to many evokes drudgery or something we all have to do once in a while so that we won’t feel a mountain of guilt later.
This book is instructive in that like a sail that needs wind to move , this book does just that. It gives fresh wind that makes evangelism (something that everyone does) and makes it enjoyable , travel, attainable and NORMAL.
January 23, 2024
worth a read as it has many good points throughout, but it's overall a lot of fluff. His emphasis on grace in the beginning and end is important framing for the whole book.
One of my main problem with the books is that this guy is always the hero of EVERY SINGLE STORY. He's so winsome and clever and provocative and always has the right answer. He needs a dose of the self-awareness he calls for in others.
One of my main problem with the books is that this guy is always the hero of EVERY SINGLE STORY. He's so winsome and clever and provocative and always has the right answer. He needs a dose of the self-awareness he calls for in others.
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