Alvin Reid’s book Sharing Jesus Without Freaking Out is an encouraging, practical book on personal evangelism. Rather than training his readers in yet another rigid, formulaic method of sharing the Gospel, Reid makes clear that Christians are already equipped to engage others in conversations that have eternal significance.
Much of what this book accomplishes is demystifying the idea of sharing the gospel with our friends, relatives, co-workers, acquaintances, or even strangers. Many of our real conversations take place around the areas of passion and pain, says Reid.
Sharing Jesus is as simple as connecting with others around their passion or their pain. It’s in our everyday conversations that we can help people see that their life matters, that their passion to live comes from God, and that the good news of Jesus can rescue them from pain (2).
Throughout the book, the author helpfully presents the basic truths of the Gospel, recalibrates the heart of the reader to be amazed by the grace of God in salvation, and offers practical tips for engaging in gospel-centered conversations that are natural and effective.
If Jesus is the greatest thing that ever happened to us, he should come up in conversations. Not forced, not structured, but simply because he is the biggest deal in our lives (50).
And while this book is refreshing, energizing, and encouraging, it does not go without delivering some much-needed conviction regarding the average believer’s lack of enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel:
Let’s face it, if you know someone really closely for years and never speak about Jesus, you are speaking about him; you are saying with your lack of words he is no big deal (105).
If that pricks your heart (and for most of us, it should!), then I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book. Sharing Jesus Without Freaking Out is the most practical book on the topic of evangelism that I’ve encountered, and with an included 8-week study guide and free videos accompanying each chapter it is well suited to small group study.
It is not too late to make evangelism a natural and regular part of your Christian walk. We are commanded to share the gospel (Matthew 28:16-20), and this book can help take some of the fear and confusion of how to be faithfully and joyfully obedient to that Great Commission.
As Reid illustrates, the best day to plant a tree is twenty years ago. What is the second-best day? Today.
Ideally, we would all begin regularly sharing Jesus from the first day of our salvation. But the second-best day to begin is today. I am confident that this book will help you do just that.
Sharing Jesus without Freaking Out: Evangelism the Way You Were Born to Do It
Author: Alvin L. Reid
Publisher: B&H Academic, 2017.
Length: 144 Pages
Available at Amazon and many other retailers
Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.