How can we encourage Christians today to well reflect Jesus and proclaim Him well in evangelism?

In A New and Ancient Evangelism: Rediscovering the Ways God Calls and Sends, Judith Paulsen draws on Old and New Testament narratives of conversion to give Christians some ideas of how God can work through them in proclaiming Jesus to others.

The author sets forth a Biblical narrative - many of the conversion stories from Acts, some of Jesus’ encounters in the Gospels, but also the healing of Naaman from 2 Kings - and will then point out aspects of those stories and how they can encourage and equip Christians today to well reflect Jesus to others.

To this end the book has a lot of good wisdom for Christians to consider. Many of the premises come directly from the text; others flow more from the wisdom of experience a bit downstream from the text. It is not as if the latter is inappropriate but it is not exactly “ancient.”

If you’re looking for some encouragement about evangelism, this book can be a good resource for you.

There is ever a time in my life, I hate evangelism because I think that church just want every body become a Christian without a clear understanding and even, with threat going to hell. Judith Paulsen brings to us the ancient traditional evangelism rooted from conversion stories in the Bible to enrich our knowledge of evangelism. This is a breakthrough for ordinary man like me and you, to do evangelism in our own context and capacities.

Many Christians feel guilty because they are not “evangelizing” enough. Others consider evangelism to be the duty of the pastor, or others who are particularly gifted with this ability. Judith Paulsen refutes both of these ideas in her close look at how conversion took place in the early church.

Each chapter begins with a biblical conversion story. Many are from the book of Acts, but some are taken from the gospels. She emphasizes that God is always the evangelizer. Nobody is converted without the action of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to participate with the Spirit when we feel His leading. This requires prayer, and prayer should precede any evangelistic efforts.

Conversion most often occurs when someone who is a spiritual seeker forms a trusting relationship with a Christian. Through natural conversations and being a “lived apologetic,” each of us can cause those with questions to gradually learn about Christ and become open to knowing Him. Jesus should be at the forefront of our teaching.

Each chapter closes with some questions for journaling or discussion. It would be a great book to read with a small group. There is an appendix with some suggestions for churches an individual to try. I especially liked the idea of “dinner church.” This is essentially gathering a small group together to share a meal. The group would include both church members and seekers. Before the meal a Scripture passage is shared. During the meal there is a discussion with questions such as:

What words or phrases stand out for you in the passage.
Was anything surprising, confusing, or encouraging?
What does it tell us about Jesus?
What connections can you make between the story and life today?