The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission: Promoting the Gospel with More Than Our Lips [Hardcover]

John Dickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2010

This book comes out of years of reflection, failures, and some successes in the task of reaching out to others with the gospel. Many Christians think of the task of mission as an entirely verbal activity, when perhaps the best kept secret of New Testament teaching about mission is that it involves a whole range of activities that explicitly promote Christ to the world and draw others to him, and only a few of them involve speaking. Without diminishing or downplaying the importance of speaking the gospel, John Dickson shows that, on the other hand, downplaying the range of activities that promote Christ to the world has its own set of problems. It can make those who are not confident about speaking---of anything, let alone Jesus---feel inadequate and self-conscious in the task of reaching out to others. Equally, it can make those who do have a flair for speaking feel as though they are fulfilling Christ's mission just by talking. But the reality is that the Lord wants our whole life, not just our lips, in the task of bringing the gospel to the world. Every facet of our lives can be used by God to promote the news of his power and mercy. In this practical guide to the biblical art of sharing your faith, John Dickson offers refreshing insight into the ways that all Christians can and should be involved in spreading the good news of Jesus. While not all Christians are called and gifted to become evangelists, we are all called to promote the gospel through a wide range of activities---prayer, financial partnership, good deeds, godly lives, public worship, daily conversation, etc.---with and without our lips. As readers engage with this book, grapple with its arguments and hear the stories of people coming to faith, they will be inspired to see the whole of life as significant for bringing the gospel to the world, and they will be liberated out of guilt and self-consciousness in evangelism into becoming perfectly natural promoters of Jesus Christ.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Whereas so many books on evangelism are filled with techniques and strategies, the first and most heartwarming thing to commend about this book is that it is biblical---excitingly, eye-openingly biblical from start to finish, moving backward and forward within the Bible and between the Bible, and offering abundant 'case studies' in today's world. The book's second great feature is that it is balanced---showing us in just how many ways the Bible speaks about what we can do to promote the gospel. Everything is there, from being bold to being beautiful (yes, even that is biblical), from doing good to doing worship. Here is a book that takes us beyond merely talking about the gospel (without ever leaving that behind) to really living it, and also makes sure that when we do talk about the gospel, we actually have in mind something that the gospel writers and the apostle Paul would recognize. Biblical, balanced, and---well, brilliant. -- Christopher J.H. Wright, Author, The Mission of God and The Mission of God's People <br><br>

From the Back Cover

"Dickson explains the whole picture of evangelism with so many real-life stories that one cannot fail to be drawn in to the excitement of this many-sided gospel work. Here is a book offering fresh energy for the whole task of the whole people of God."
--N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham 

"Biblical, balanced, and--well, brilliant."
--Christopher J. H. Wright, international director of Langham Partnership International, author of The Mission of God and The Mission of God's People

"This book has the potential to radically change for good your perspective on evangelism."
--Alistair Begg, senior minister of Parkside Church, Cleveland, Ohio

"This is as lively and sensible a book on evangelism as I have seen."
--I. Howard Marshall, emeritus professor of New Testament, University of Aberdeen

"A terrific book . . . theologically rich and practically helpful."
--Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University and senior editor of Christianity Today

"Even--or perhaps especially--if you do not consider yourself to be a gifted evangelist, John Dickson will encourage you to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ."
--Collin Hansen, Christianity Today editor-at-large and author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists

"This is a message that needs to be heard."
--Jim Belcher, author of Deep Church

"A biblically rich and powerfully written book on evangelism . . . that encourages us toward a lifestyle of living and speaking the gospel in our culture today."
--Tremper Longman, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
"Dickson offers a thoroughly biblical account of evangelism, informed and enlivened by stories from his own experience. Most refreshing and inspiring."
--Richard Bauckham, Senior Scholar, Ridley Hall, Cambridge
"A wonderful mix of thoughtful reflection on the Bible and down-to-earth practical application."
--Vaughan Roberts, rector of St. Ebbe's Church, Oxford, and president of The Proclamation Trust UK

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (June 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310328632
• ISBN-13: 978-0310328636
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.9 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Example of Exposition August 19, 2010

By Martin Pitcher

Format:Hardcover

Let me start out by saying that it is an easy read at 218 pages, with a font that is very comfortable to read with or without my glasses on. That has become very important to me over the coarse of the last year. Dispersed throughout the text are call-out boxes that give further background, illustration, definitions, or what have you, that give the content an extra lift. Each chapter (with one exception) is short and nicely divided into small sections by subtitles. The flow is wonderful and makes for enjoyable reading. The book itself is a page-turner and I have had trouble putting it down.

The chapter titles are short with an explanatory subtitle; i.e.

* The One and the Many: Why Get Involved in Mission?
* The Many and the One: The Challenge of Pluralism.
* Following the "Friend of Sinners": The Missionary Mind of the Ordinary Christian.

There is so much that I could say about this book, but I have chosen to limit myself to comment on three chapters in particular.

Let me start with chapter two, The Many and the One: The Challenge of Pluralism. I find that the author does a tremendous job of explaining pluralism in an easy to understand way. Sometimes we get so caught up in definitions that we lose many people along the way. On the other hand, Mr. Dickson does not. He gives a clear, concise, two-part definition of this issue, having divided it into popular and sophisticated pluralism.

In The Hidden Mission: Promoting the Gospel with our Prayer (which is chapter four) you will find sections such as; Compassion and Prayer (Matthew 9:35-10:5), Prayer and Mission Throughout the Bible, Pleading with God, Intercession for Others, Lifting the Gospel Above Our Circumstances, and The Hidden Mission.... This chapter alone is worthy of your time to read and re-read.

Finally, I want to spend time speaking to chapter eight, What Is the Gospel? The Message We Promote. It is a rare thing to have someone give a clear focus on exactly what the gospel is. Mr. Dickson does not lets us down, as this is the longest of all the chapters. In this chapter, he takes us to various passages of Scripture in order to give a precise presentation of the Gospel message. Studying this chapter will pay huge dividends as you go forth and present the message of salvation. For those who teach and preach, I would recommend looking carefully at how Mr. Dickson uses the expository method in his writing. There is much fruit to be harvested from the example he has set forth here. If for no other reason, all who preach or teach the Word should learn exposition as the author has. What a delight!

This is a fantastic look at what it means to be on mission, to do mission, to live out our mission. Get the book. Read the book. Study it with your Bible in hand, looking up each passage. Pray as you learn what mission is. You will not find a better book on the subject outside of the Scriptures.The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission: Promoting the Gospel with More Than Our Lips Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This book reviewed August 4, 2010

By Steve

Format:Hardcover

I've just read The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission by John Dickson, subtitled Promoting the Gospel with More Than Our Lips. It is not often anymore that I read books on evangelism or mission. I am tired of "how to's" and this book's title smelled like another how to book. Although I must admit that I've never liked sermons giving me 10 ways I can defeat the enemy or 15 ways to act like a Christian, I thought I'd give this book a chance - mostly because it had forewords by one of my favorite authors, Alister McGrath, along with Ravi Zacharias. It also had a nice word written by N.T.Wright on the back of the book jacket along with several others. So, I read it. I'm glad I did!

John Dickson begins with an apology. Not an apologetic, but an apology. Dickson is a self-admitted evangelist. And as such, feels that how evangelism has been taught has oftentimes hurt more than helped. By giving us specific ways to bring someone to the point of a `sale' we have moved away from genuine interchange and into the realm of artifice. Potential `buyers' can smell it and put up their sales resistant shields. Thus fewer and fewer sales are made and a rift is placed between the sellers and `targets'. The joy of sharing the gospel is replaced with self-consciousness and frustration and the world is left without a clear witness to Christ from His people. John hopes to help remedy that situation through this book.

John lists four unhelpful perspectives that have come from how we have been taught. These unhelpful perspectives have undermined our witness to Christ. First, because we have been given what words to say when, we have become self-conscious and contrived. Evangelism has become a special type of behavior that is somehow different than our daily life in Christ.... We go out to witness as an add-on to how we actually live our lives. Thus our witness becomes contextually divorced from life.

Second, since our witness has been divorced from life, when we get an opportunity to say something about our faith in Jesus, we feel the need, nay the requirement, to say everything that we can say about the gospel. Every verse that has a bearing must be said. The `Roman road' has trod over many a weary traveler, to this I can attest.

Third, we reduce the gospel to two simple points. First, we are unworthy of God's acceptance, and second, that to be accepted by God we need only believe. The actual story of Christ Jesus as testified to in the four gospels is never mentioned. It is as if we expect people to already know who Jesus really is and all they need is some guilt and or fear to move them along. `Witnessing' becomes a sales pitch instead of a personal testimony of the living Lord of life. No wonder people often feel like they have been sold a bill of goods. The Jesus that John wrote of who he had seen with his own eyes and his own hands have handled is noticeably absent.

The fourth unhelpful perspective is that we have underestimated the mission we all have in promoting the gospel in this world. We have often thought that the only way to get the message of Jesus out is to preach, or at least give verbal witness (lip service?). Now Dickson assures us that the verbal expression of the gospel is vital. He just wants us to realize that the verbal witness to Christ must come in a context that promotes the acceptance of this verbal witness. We all have a role in promoting the gospel by living a life consistent with the truth of this gospel.

This is where the title of the book comes in. Dickson writes "perhaps the best kept secret of Christian mission is that the Bible lists a whole range of activities that promote Christ to the world and draw others to him. These include prayer, godly behavior, financial assistance, the public praise of God (in church) and, as already mentioned, answering people's questions. All of these are explicitly connected in the Bible with advancing the gospel and winning people to Christ. They are all "mission" activities, and only a couple of them involve the lips at all." The first seven chapters are devoted to filling out what he means by these ways in which we all can promote the gospel.

He makes a helpful distinction between promoting the gospel and declaring the gospel. While we all can promote the gospel by these ways, not everyone is to declare the gospel through preaching. This service is set aside for those whom God has equipped and called to do such things.

This book was both a relief and a challenge to me. A relief in that I do not have to knock on doors or accost people at the mall in order to contribute to the church's witness to Christ. The last vestiges of that leftover guilt was washed from my spirit, of which I am thankful. It is a challenge in that I can see several ways that not only I, but also those I lead, could be more involved in promoting the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This book is an excellent and timely encouragement. In an era where the pressure on Christians to acquiesce before the god of this age is intensifying, squeezing them into a crippled posture of hopelessness and ineffectiveness, the thoughts that John Dickson has shared herein can work as an antidote. I pray for the day when Christians will live their lives in such a way as to adorn the gospel with beauty, presenting Jesus as He is, the gracious and awesome Lord of all. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read; argument against pluralism leaves something to be desired December 22, 2010

By J from NY VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

John Dickson's "Best Kept Secret" is a cold splash of holy water on the heads of so many Christians yearning for a deeper authenticity in Christ. Part biopic, part inspirational, part call to action, Dickson is clearly not a spiritual "rags to riches" figure: he was an evangelist by the age of 15 and never stopped. His stories--some amusing, some sad, some both, are a good reflection of the Born Again world of evangelism. Like all preachers, he comes to the inevitable conclusion that spreading the Word spontaneously is more often than not a tricky business to be done only by those who have a "preacherly" charism. He notes: "It really is best if Christ's message is given in the hustle bustle of the every day world, more by example than anything else." Most of the book is fantastic and reminiscent of Bonhoeffer's "Cost of Discipleship".

The only flaw in this book is his argument against Pluralism, which I found a bit contradictory and close-minded. Citing extremely left of center biblical scholars/theologians like Marcus Borg The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith and John Dominic Crossan's Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, he condemns them and their ilk for promoting the idea. a la Joseph Campbell that all religions are archetypes, or that all reach for the same goal with different images and symbols. His problem with a pluralistic religious worldview is in itself sort of pluralistic: he feels that this kind of approach implies impossible or unfair access to metaphysical reality, as though the "dissident" nature of an ecumenical outlook is itself a kind of arrogance.... In other words: they claim to know what they cannot know. All faith is a claiming of cosmic certitude for which we cannot necessarily give absolute proof. Therefore, the idea that more right wing and dogmatic attitudes toward faith (this is THE one faith, the ONE Church, etc etc) bears the same burden of proof as pluralism.

Aside from this theological disagreement I have with the author, I suspect any contemporary Christian will love the book. Recommended. Read more ›