AKA Lost
A Review of Jim Henderson's Book on a New Approach to Evangelism.
A review of Jim Henderson's book currently published as "Evangelism without Additives" which addresses finding creative ways to connect with the people Jesus misses most.
The back cover of Jim Henderson’s a.k.a “Lost” asks: “If the gospel really is good news, why do most Christians avoid evangelism? Why is ‘witnessing’ often a negative experience, for both the sender and receiver? Wouldn’t it be great if you could communicate the good news without having to become a spiritual salesperson?” The inside of the book describes a new approach to sharing this good news with our friends and others who don’t or won’t call themselves “born again” Christians.
The book which is now being sold under the title, Evangelism Without Additives, can be ordered from their website, http://off-the-map.org/ or at most online book sellers. It’s not the deepest book written, nor is it a detailed treatise on the theology of evangelism. It is a new way to approach what the church needs to do most, tell others about Jesus. Actually, it’s not a new way; it’s just a tacit approval for doing what people who care about others have always done.
The book redefines those who most Christians would label as “lost” as “the people Jesus misses the most”. While some would argue that doesn’t matter, the author makes a great case that semantics does indeed matter. The intentional use of the term “people Jesus misses the most” forces Christians to care about these folks more because they really do matter to Jesus. They are not just something that is “lost” but they are people who are valued and who are missing. When the cap of our pen is lost, we don’t spend much time or resources looking for it, but realize that our cell phone is missing and we move heaven and earth to locate it. Just look at the resources spent when someone is missing in a forest or when a child is missing and you can see the value that is placed on finding people in most societies.
In the book you learn:
· Being yourself is great
· Do what is doable
· Celebrate the ordinary
· How to connect with people Jesus misses the most
· To dump the religion business
· How to be real
· To count your everyday efforts to help people connect with Jesus
· To practice evangelism in a way that will continue in 5 years
If you are someone who has had a bad experience with a formal evangelism training method either as the person going out or the person being evangelized, then you need to read this book. You discover a refreshing approach do sharing the greatest news ever in a way that frees the believer from feeling guilty for not being a great spiritual salesperson. And you will discover that God really likes people, even those who have yet to accept Jesus as their Savior. You’ll discover that you really can be used by God to nudge those He misses most one step closer to Him. That reality alone is worth the price of the book and the time to read it.
You can also find out more about this type of evangelism at http://www.off-the-map.org/akalost/minisite/index.html a mini-site devoted to the material covered in this book.
