The Heart of Evangelism

by Jerram Barrs

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 truly loving others to Christ.

Genres: Christian, Evangelism, Theology, School, Nonfiction, Religion, Faith

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Jerram Barrs is Professor of Christianity and Contemporary Culture at Covenant Theological Seminary, as well as a founder and Resident Scholar of the Francis Schaeffer Institute there. He was a part of Schaeffer's L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland shortly after becoming a Christian and he and his wife were on staff at English L’Abri for many years. "During our 18 years at L’Abri and in my role as a pastor, we provided constant hospitality, talked through endless questions received from both believers and unbelievers, led discussions, taught and preached, offered pastoral care, participated in lots of practical work serving people and doing home and garden chores with them" (Interests).

Reviews

[Grace Catherine Beckham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a wonderful walkthrough of the biblical context for evangelism, what God has revealed about his heart for the nations, what things (in ourselves, the church, the world) stand in our way, and how to approach sharing the gospel with people in a variety of contexts. I appreciated that this book was rich and deep theologically while remaining engaging and digestible in a literary sense. Barrs uses the examples of Paul's and Jesus's ministry and proclamations of the gospel/kingdom of God as the framework from which we can approach ministry of our own. This process of outlining and diving into evangelism was both effective and instructive, from my perspective as the reader. I am leaving this book feeling more encouraged by the heart of God, more equipped for conversations with friends and strangers who don't yet know Jesus, and more challenged to recognize and reconcile with God the unbelieving places in my own heart. I am very grateful to have read this book! So good.

[Chris Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, this book is incredible. I’m definitely a little biased because I have been watching lectures in my seminary class from this professor/author and I love his teaching. Jerram is so passionate about what he teaches/writes and he does it in both a loving and gentle way. I also loved this book because his approach to evangelism is so personal and I can see RUF’s philosophy of ministry in his teaching/writing, which makes me even more fired up for my job. Everyone is called to evangelism and this book talks about it in a way that doesn’t shame you but simply asks you to be an imitator of Christ in the way you live your life and interact with the people God has put in your life.

[Zachary T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, it provides such a wonderful posture to engage our neighbors with the Gospel. It is unique and beautiful and very biblical! Only downside is that it’s a bit repetitive toward the end.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. It was a fresh perspective on living an evangelistic life. Barrs writes with such humility that it's hard to get mad at him as he exposes the ways we (I) have thought about evangelism all wrong. I would put this on my list of books that I believe every Christian should read and would benefit from reading. Easy to read and short chapters keep it moving.

[Sarah G Tafur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pablo uso su conocimiento en escritores Griegos como Epimenides y Arato, así como su conocimiento del estoicismo y Epicureismo para hacer más claro el mensaje del Cristianismo. Esto hizo más fácil su difusión. También muestra el poder de contar historias que hace a Lewis tan influyente

Este libro me hizo pensar en mi necesidad en el corazón, en como fallo constante pero él es suficiente, en lo grande y su amor. Fue sobre como hablar del evangelio a otros pero habló mucho del evangelio a mi corazón ❤️.


Algunas cosas que aprendí:

-Que Dios no es Reacio a personas acercándose a Él, y que podemos acomodar la verdad a las personas pues la Encarnación es la mejor muestra de como el se acomodó a nuestra realidad para Salvar.
-Que la iglesia siempre ha sido la reacia, y fallado desde el inicio en hablar del mensaje (Pedro necesitando mil señales)
-Que los puentes son indispensables y siempre existentes, para comunicar a otros el mensaje pero también pueden ser las barreras que ocupan el primer lugar en el corazón.


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Such a great study of Acts, about Paul and actually carrying for others and not just trying to sell something, it made clear how God is the one who does Everything but also empowers us to do hard work by knowing others' context ideas and beliefs.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slowly devoured portions of this book and quickly skimmed over others. Sections 3-4 are worth the price of the book and I will be revisiting these principles for years to come.
I love that Barrs doesn't want to give us another "7 step program" for evangelism. Rather, he wants to give a paradigm for Christians to address barriers within themselves, the culture, and how to embody the law of love by presenting Christ using Words and deed simultaneously. I am excited to read his book "Learning Evangelism from Jesus" in which he unpacks his biblical paradigm for outreach by looking at the ministry of Jesus.

It's also worth your time to check out Barrs' free lectures from Covenant Seminary on Apologetics and Outreach.

No gimmicks, just a ton of Scripture, humility, thought, prayer, and real world experience coming from one of the key leaders of the L'Abri movement.

[Clay Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good things to think about, but could be much shorter probably

[Bailey Cowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really great! It didn’t feel incredibly inaccessible, but very readable and some great key takeaways about evangelism and care for those around us.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I have never met him, I have benefited greatly from Professor Barrs' teaching and lectures available on the internet. His audio material on evangelism is compelling and faith-building, and I thank God for his teaching. That said, his writing style in this book isn't compelling, and I didn't benefit from it as much as his spoken lectures. But I can still recommend the contents unreservedly - I just found Professor Barrs a better lecturer than writer.

[Michael Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barrs as written a fine text. I didn't find it to be as profound as I thought it would be. With that said, I've read other texts before this one. I think this would be a good primer or introduction to the lifestyle and practical obedience to evangelism.

[Jay Yousef]

Great outline of memorized presentation of Gospel and instruction when how to use one and good exposition of Scripture to follow in the methods of Jesus

[Stuart Gunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting a Good Reads at my wife's request. What better time to start than the half way point of seminary?

The Heart of Evangelism is engaging, convicting, and motivating. Rather than taking a guilt based approach to the daunting duty of evangelism, Jerram Barrs takes the pressure off of the reader's shoulders while encouraging with a Biblical nudge. He helps the reader identify what their Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) are. One of my favorite sections of the book was when he talks about the importance of hospitality. In doing so, he helped the reader see the person/people they are trying to share the Gospel with as just that...people. While the contextualization of Paul's sermons in Acts in the closing chapters gave a helpful frame for not taking a one size fits all approach to evangelistic conversations, I found it to be quite repetitive and at times scattered. That was the main thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars.

I highly recommend this book to any Christian looking for helpful practical tips, Biblical examples, and heart engaging analysis in the sphere of evangelism.

[Artis Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisited this book as I’m walking with my students through evangelism. There is no one better suited to discuss this topic than Jerram. Helpful reminder of the mission of the Gospel. Unbelievers aren’t our enemy.

1. “Many of us who are Christian are afraid of the culture around us.”
2. We too are to regard ourselves as servants of everyone we meet, so that we also might find opportunities to “save some.”
3. Respect and graciousnesss flow from the head that is being changed by God.
4. Paul was able to enter into the culture of others in order to reach them.”

Overall i am reminded to think of others as more than myself. That we all have to come to the same altar. We all owe the same debt and that it is paid by the blood of the lamb. Will revisit again in another couple years.

[James Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Solid Biblical Approach To Evangelism
In this book, Barrs looks at the way evangelism was done by Paul in the New Testament. The main idea that runs throughout the book is that each evangelistic situation is different. Therefore, each message should be different. The Gospel does not change, but the way we present it does. For example, we would witness differently to a close friend than we would a stranger. It is wise and biblical to customizing your evangelistic message to each different situation. We should be all things to all people to win some to Jesus Christ.

[Kaelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second book I’ve read by Dr. Barrs. I love his writing style and his easy-to-digest chapters. This book is a phenomenal overview of why evangelism is important, how to do it poorly, and how to do it well. He relies heavily on scripture for examples of evangelism, and shares personal stories as well. This book is phenomenal read that I’ll keep on my bookshelf forever.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 would be my rating. There are very helpful and thought provoking principles in this book. It is chalked full of Biblical illustrations and examples. I think some points were stretched a little far, and the writing style wasn't my favourite. Yet it is worth the read for some though provoking insights on evangelism in a postmodern/post Christian world.

[Garrett McLain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book that largely focuses on how to evangelize to people in their circumstances. The author takes time describing Paul’s missionary journey in places like Athens compared to those already familiar with OT scripture (Jews). He writes about how Paul saw their unique beliefs/understandings and met them where they were.

[Gretchen Bredemeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most impactful books of my faith walk. I’ve just never heard someone express the heart of the Christian faith is such a loving, gentle, and hopeful way. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to have Dr Barrs as a professor, as every lecture was filled to the brim with the same gentle hope.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and rich in content. I loved Barrs as a professor in seminary and I find myself returning to this book from time to time. Great encouragement and great resource for teaching and sharing with others.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nearly 300 pages long but it doesn't feel like it. It's almost devotional as each chapter is concise, some as short as 5-6 pages. I will be implementing a lot of what Barrs has to offer. Do read this book. Evidently, Barrs was the sort of person who would lead someone to Christ regularly.

[Ethan Leonow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book closely examines the evangelistic examples of Paul and Jesus, uncovering helpful details in how they approached sharing the gospel. It’s highly pastoral and approachable, written in bite-size chapters, but can be redundant at times.

[Kenny Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book on evangelism. Simple but profound, deeply Biblical, compassionate, comprehensive, realistic, and hopeful. A must-read!

[Heather Schirmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

May we be all things for all people.

[Aaron Beane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multifaceted in its approach to evangelism.

[Sophie Rooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, simple, beautiful understanding of how to evangelize like Christ!

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book that gives readers the why of evangelism and practical steps to help share their faith in a relational way.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A variety of topics and things on evangelism. Not a very focused book, but a useful collection of ideas and expositions esp. on the Book of Acts.

[Charlie Tognotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could quite possibly be the best book on evangelism I have read so far. Easy to follow examples led me to actually implement these ideas into my own life.

[Jessica Shaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read certain sections for a seminary class but this was a very insightful book.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

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