Come Quickly Dawn: A Training Novel

by George Patterson

Come Quickly Dawn offers a unique reading experience. This fully integrated hybrid is both a fast-paced novel and an incisive training tool. It equips one to evangelize in a way that spreads like measles, to make disciples who actively obey Jesus, and to multiply churches or cells. The best way by far to prepare an effective shepherd or church multiplier is to do it as Jesus and Paul did it: take apprentices with them to where the action is happening. Its simulated trip conveys one out of a familiar comfort zone to a setting similar to that of many peoples among whom God is working powerfully, as in the book of Acts.

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Becky Durstenfeld · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book and expected to like it, but I am sorry to say I was disappointed with it. There were a few things that bothered me about the book. It had too much violence. It reminds me of the secular adventure movies full of violence, but whose main character gets out of every scrape he gets into. The main character was portrayed as a flawed man, but a wise leader. However, he had been a believer, learning from the pastor, and had been witnessing to neighbors for just a month before he moved to this new area. I wondered how he knew all that he was teaching to everyone else, even the pastor of the church. A good number of the characters were portrayed as very strange or dumb and a good many of them did and/or said dumb things. It bothered me that one of the most evil characters in the story was an elder in the church until near the end of the book and also that one of the characters who attempted to kill the main character was not held accountable for his actions.
Some of the plot was not very realistic or believable. George didn't really let the characters grieve very well over their losses. I was glad that the main character's wife did confront him with his spending so much time on ministry that he was neglecting his family. There was too much dialogue of conversations between church leaders. What was supposed to be portrayed as doing church simply actually came across as complicated with a lot of things the leaders and the cell groups were supposed to do. I did like that it showed how the Holy Spirit can transform lives and also how the believers were encouraged to share Jesus with others and seek peace and justice through God.