Seven reasons why Christians should keep reading evangelistic books!

Christian people face many vital issues to grapple with as part of their discipleship; medical and sexual ethics, political engagement; the great themes of biblical theology, family life, church growth, world mission, social concern, poverty, illiteracy, work and more. Why in the middle of all that should Christians still read the occasional evangelistic book?

I suggest there are seven good reasons to keep reading books intended to share Christ with non-Christian readers. (And none of them have anything to do with selling our books!!)

  1. We underestimate the danger of compromising the gospel itself as we wrestle with complicated matters of ethics, policy and theology. Reading a gospel book every year brings us back to the foundations of our faith and provokes us to reaffirm our faith in Christ our saviour. It can stop us becoming like those ‘foolish Galatians’ who ended up embracing a distorted gospel. It would be tragedy to become wise in complex matters but lose the heart of the gospel.
  2. Reading a gospel book helps to prevent us from drifting in our emphasis. This is especially the case if the works prepared in advance for us to do, are not primarily evangelistic. If you are called to be a plumber or politician, or if your Christian service involves debt counselling or fundraising – then the centre-of-gravity of your Christian life can move from the cross to these outworkings of it. A gospel book can help to keep us orientated around what matters most by redeclaring the gospel itself.
  3. Reading an evangelistic book is helpful to keep faithful Christians from being corroded by that most deadly of all acids to the soul: pride. If after years of hard work in the kingdom we even for a moment begin to rest on our own merits rather than those of Christ, we will sink! A helpful remedy is to go back to the gospel, the tragedy of our sin and the grace of God in Christ.
  4. Reading an evangelistic book can equally be just what we need to read when we feel that our Christian lives are going rather badly! “When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see him there, who made an end to all my sin”. What brings help to my soul when I sin, is not thinking “other people are worse”, or “I’ll try harder” or “I must do more”, or “On balance, I’m not so bad really”. Such nonsense makes things worse. What I need is to know, believe and feel the gospel again. An evangelistic book is great way I do this.
  5. Christians can gain a lot from reading good, new evangelistic literature too. Much as I love J.C. Ryle, I also love Glen Scrivener; a lively, contemporary writer who brings the gospel to bear on issues and trends that Ryle could never have imagined. The challenge to keep expressing the gospel in ways our peers can understand, and which confronts the sins and idols of today is great. Gifted evangelists are called to do exactly this and in their evangelistic books share that with us.
  6. Brilliant evangelistic writing helps to keep our appreciation of the gospel alive too. Every evangelistic book is slightly different, and drives towards the cross from different starting points, over varying terrain. A great writer can re-spark our imagination with the beauty of the gospel.
  7. Finally, a regular gospel-refresher keeps us on our toes Let’s be honest- life is stressful and tiring and it’s easy to let gospel proclamation drop down our priority list to the point where it barely happens; unless we are deliberate and intentional about it. Reading an evangelistic book can be one way of giving the gospel of Christ the place it deserves in the architecture of our daily thoughts.

I hope I have persuaded you.