Promoting the Gospel

Last week I read John Dickson's book Promoting the Gospel: The whole of life for the cause of Christ. I can't find a picture on the web, pub by Aquila Press 2005, ISBN 1 920935 770. Copies are available in the Tron Book shop Glasgow, at least they were the last time I was in.

The eleven chapters of this book are a great encouragement to any Christian to be involved in the work of promoting the gospel. I know that some have used these eleven chapters as fuel for a sermon series, but they could equally be used in small groups, for evangelism training or the whole book read at a church book group (and if you don't have one, why not?)

However, the highlight of the book are the appendices, especially 1 and 2. Appendix 3 is good, a modern retelling of the gospel in which Dickson gives an example of an evangelistic conversation, but appendices 1 and 2 steal the show.

In appendix 1 Dickson seeks to answer the question 'What is the Gospel?', and boy does he answer it well. An examination of key NT 'gospel' texts results in the following description of the core content of the gospel:

• Jesus' royal birth secured his claim to the eternal throne promised to king David.
• Jesus' miracles pointed to the presence of God's kingdom in the person of his Messiah.
• Jesus' teaching sounded the invitation of the kingdom and laid down its demands.
• Jesus' sacrificial death atoned for the sins of those who would otherwise be condemned at the consumation of the kingdom.
• Jesus' resurrection establishes him as the Son whom God has appointed Judge of the world and Lord of the coming kingdom.

For me, there isn't anything in this 'core content' that should not be included, nor is there anything omitted that should be included. This is the Gospel: it's all about Jesus, the Kingdom of God is the message, the cross is at the centre.

In appendix 2 Dickson offers what he calls Gospel bites, by which he means ways of answering the questions asked by people who don't share our faith using the sayings and deeds of Jesus. Too often we don't look for the Gospel in the gospels and here are a series of great examples showing us how to answer with the Gospel from the gospels. Easiest just to copy out the first example, page 192:

Imagine a friend declares, 'I've done too many wrong things ever to be a Christian.' ... Lk 7:36-50 could provide the basis for the following possible reply:
Well, then, you are exactly the sort of person Christ was interested in. He was at the home of a religious leader (Pharisee) one day when a prostitute came in looking for him. She was so overwhelmed she burst out crying. Everyone there wanted to condemn the woman and throught Jesus should do the same. Instead, Jesus condemned his self-righteous host and turned to the woman and said, 'Your sins are forgiven.' He forgave her and she was a changed woman because of it. Christ didn't come for the 'good' people. He came to restore and forgive those willing to admit they are anything but good. Have you ever looked into Jesus life?

Read it through, a short answer but it addresses the comment and uses a gospel story to teach the Gospel. Dickson offers a number of other examples which, once you catch on, you will be able to work out your own.

This is a good book to help us keep the main thing the main thing. The Good News needs to be proclaimed and we need to promote the Gospel.
John Dickson was a speaker at this years EMA, and you can download his two addresses from that site here.