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Just Walk Across the Room Participant's Guide: Four Sessions on Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith (Zondervangroupware)

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The most valuable part of this book is not that it teaches something new about evangelism, which essential it doesn't. In fact, it really dresses up some basic and obvious ideas about evangelism that have been stated elsewhere, but with the catchy new slogan, that one needs only "walk across the room" to affect someone else. What is most valuable is that it lets the church-world in on the heartbeat of Willow Creek, the uber-mega-church outside of Chicago. Hybels, their lead pastor, here spells out his passion for sharing his faith and calling others to faith, the one thing that defines Willow Creek.

The book is filled with stories of the experiences of Hybels in others in making that effort to talk to someone about the Christian faith. He recommends three important steps in doing so: developing friendships, discovering stories (meaning discover the other person's background), and discern next steps (such as offering resources for them to read or planning further times to meet them). He also recommends having a before-and-after story of your own coming to faith, and in fact had his congregation write out their own stories and email them in to the church for an editorial review. He discourages us from being "avoiders" who are not persistent with evangelism or "erupters" who impatiently over-share stories of faith to people who aren't interested. And he cautions that personal, mystical experience are not primary material for evangelism. As for theology to be shared in evangelism, he reproduced what is basically the Four Spiritual Laws tract.

All of this is very practical for someone learning the value of evangelism and the importance of sharing their faith. That's a necessary part of the life of faith. However, there is a dramatic and overlooked drawback to the book. The book is really a purpose-driven book, but "driven" should be in all caps. Hybels does not seem to rest peacefully in God's sovereignty. He does say early on in the book that calling people to faith is the Holy Spirit's work, but he also says that our choosing to share our faith affects someone else's eternity. Hybels does not sound like a rested man. In the opening story, he describes a day in which he was on a boat and his heart "was in a posture of worship." Then he realizes he is near the campground where he became a Christian and decides to spend the day taking a cab to go see this spot. I get the sense he was too restless to stay in the posture of worship. While learning to articulate the faith is an important part of spiritual growth, learning how to enjoy God and creation without the necessity of production is perhaps more so.

Nonetheless, as a stepping stone along the way, I would recommend this book, especially for discussion among church small groups.

What's good about the book:

- Hybels encourages people to have more concern for the lost (though he calls them merely the "unconvinced").

- He rightly points out that the time is very short and the need is urgent.

- He suggests relying on the Holy Spirit in our witnessing.

What's bad about the book:

He follows through on none of this advice.

I was shocked that he was content to "be friendly" to those who are headed for hell, usually for 5 or 10 years, before "feeling the freedom" to invite them, not to the Savior, but to church! In example after example, he tells of people who ask directly about God, admit they are confused about spiritual matters, are dealing with death, etc., and still he fails to utter the gospel message--the only thing that is the power of God to salvation.

The only message he shares with the lost (after several years, if at all) is merely one of life enhancement--come to church/Jesus for a better life--rather than the biblical gospel of repentance and faith.

In one shockingly frank example, Hybels tells of a man who's been attending his church since its beginning. After attending Willow Creek FOR A COUPLE DECADES, the faithful member "met Christ." The man says, "I probably would have accepted Jesus Christ much sooner if someone had explained the gospel to me" (p. 129). Amen! Amazingly, this example is given as a success story of the "friendship evangelism" promoted by the book. What a sad admission. May our churches not be filled for decades with false converts, but with born-again believers who faithfully share the biblical gospel!

Yes, we do need to be kind and loving toward all people, but this is not evangelism; this is just obedience in living a holy, God-honoring life.

Yes, we must rely on the Holy Spirit in our witnessing--that's why we are given the Holy Spirit in the first place: we receive power to obey the commands to "be witnesses to Me...to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8) and to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). If we're relying on the Holy Spirit, this is what we'll be doing.

Hybels not only consistently fails to get any kind of soul-saving, eternity-changing message into people's hands, but much worse, he never misses a chance to mock and belittle those who have enough compassion for the lost to actually verbalize the gospel message.

In addition, the book is littered with biblical errors: Hybels states "Jesus left his bodily form on earth and ascended to heaven" (p. 36); His death "declared amnesty for everyone" (p. 24); after seeing the blinding light, Paul mystically "sensed Jesus Christ in the brilliant blaze" (p. 68; Scripture says Paul asked who it was and Jesus identified Himself); he repeatedly calls the lost "God's kids" (the Bible calls them "children of the devil" and "children of wrath"); etc.

In conclusion, I agree wholeheartedly with Hybels' statement in the book: "When eternity is at stake for our listeners, I argue that we must do a better job of telling them." Please, if you truly love the lost and want to reach them, don't waste your time reading this book. Learn to share the gospel simply, inoffensively, effectively, and biblically--invest your time in reading "The Way of the Master" by Ray Comfort, and reap eternal results.

The Way of the Master

I have just read this book at my Pastor's encouragement. He bought a large box of them and passed them out after church. The book is easy to read and shares many "salvation" experiences which are exciting to read. The book does encourage us Christians (Christ followers in the book) to get out of our comfort zones and build relationships with others with the purpose of sharing Jesus with them and this is something we as the body of Christ need to do.

My problem with the book is this, there is no stressing a repentance from sin. Just basically, believe in Jesus. This is a half a gospel. You must believe in Jesus, but you must be born again, ie, you must repent from your sin. The theme of repentance is throughout the Bible. John the Baptist proclaimed it and there was none greater amoung men. It is one of the last things told us in the end of Revelation. Repent for I am coming quickly.

This book is a soft sell of the gospel so people can avoid the old fashioned truth that they are a sinner in need of a saviour. And sins need to be repented of. To really believe in Jesus is to take the whole Bible and believe it and do it. Hell is real and the unrepentant will go there.

Folks, there is something wrong if a hell bent sinner can attend church week after week and feel comfortable. I'd say the pastor is not doing his job. The great commission is about making disciples not "casual believers." The martyrs of our faith didn't die so we could cop out teaching a "Jesus" that is not the real Jesus of the Bible.

While you are out walking across the room, remember the lost are going to hell and need not only to believe on Jesus but repent of their sins. Lets not neglect such a great truth as this.

Some of the things I appreciate about Bill Hybels are his ability to communicate, an infectious passion, a relational style, and to make a subject like this so relevant and practical. Ever since I became a follower of Christ (32 years ago) I have struggled to live and help others to embrace a healthy view/practice of communicating the liberating truth of the Gospel. For some reason it has long been an uncomfortable, and often awkward experience for both communicator and listener.

Since I have now worked in the public education system for about 10 years, I have increasingly improved in communicating with the unchurched. I had to find myself in a setting outside of the security of the walls of the church in order to see how much we have mis-understood, mis-communicated, and too often alienated the unchurched. What I have encountered and learned (I am still learning) through this experience is stated in these pages with genuine insight. This is one of the reasons I now highly recommend this book. The truth and simplicity of what is outlined here works. That doesn't mean we will see people beating down our doors, but, we will be so much better at planting, watering, and harvesting. We can improve in being God honoring and people honoring as we become more effective in really loving people as revealed by the lessons in this book.

What Pastor Hybels teaches in this book is so needed right now if we are to see the chasm being bridged. We can be bridge-builders into the lives of others with what the authors shares with us. The stories he shares about his conversations are so enlightening and helpful, you will find yourself learning about being a conduit of God's Grace instead of the usual judgement/condemnation type speech.

Thank you Mr. Hybels for being so candid, passionate, and relevent in helping the people of God take another step in reaching the people that God loves and longs for. You are definitely gifted and helpful, I continue to learn from your writings. I know I haven't yet arrived, but with God's help and excellent resources like this one I will continue to improve. Let's keep the discussion and equipping of Christ followers in motion.

Throughout his book, Just Walk Across the Room, Mega-church pastor Bill Hybels stays on his message that all Christians, labeled "Christ-followers" by Hybels, are "called, equipped, and expected to share the gospel." Sharing the gospel, according to Hybels, is as simple as walking across the room and is powerful enough to impact eternity for those living far away from God. Hybels shares this message throughout his book that targets all Christians in hopes of motivating readers to take in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. In keeping with his informal style, Hybels shares his convictions through bullet points, stories, anecdotes, paraphrased stories from Scripture and simple teachings. Underscoring all of his writing is his firm belief that all people need Jesus Christ for salvation, and God is counting on all Christians to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to bring others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Hybels assures his readers that anyone can do the work of an evangelist for Jesus; while, he also reminds readers of the eternal consequences or benefits that are at stake in the transaction. Christians are never alone in the work of sharing the gospel. Hybels writes,

"One thing I've learned is that life's great moments evolve from simple acts of cooperation with God's mysterious promptings -- nudges that always lean toward finding what's been lost and freeing what's been enslaved. The adventure of collaborating with God involves bestowing the greatest gift a person can receive -- the gift of amazing grace -- on undeserving (and often unsuspecting) people like you and me."

Part of Hybels message is for people to become aware of the "nudges" from the Holy Spirit to share the gift of God with people. Hybels frames this collaboration as an adventure to see what God is going to do next to transform people's lives.

It all starts for Hybels in Jesus' being willing to leave heaven to give his life for sinners who were doomed to death and hell forever. Jesus Christ left the glories of heaven and "wrapped himself in human flesh, and he walked across the cosmos in order to stretch out a hand to people like you and me." Hybels believes this message of grace and salvation through and through. He preaches it and shares his conviction that every person in the world would live a "vastly better life if God's love, grace, and redemption were operating in their lives." For this reason, he feels compelled to approach all sorts of people in hopes of being able to point them to Jesus.

Hybels writes that evangelism is work, hard work that involves putting your heart on the line to offer grace and acceptance and love to people, some who are far from God. Hybels summarizes the dynamics involved in personal evangelism with the Holy Spirit as "Living in 3D." This is the method for interacting with others to facilitate leading them to Jesus:

1. Develop Friendships by engaging in the lives of people around them.

2. Discover stories before sharing their own story and God's redemptive story

3. Discern next steps by following the Holy Spirit's direction.

Living in 3D begins and ends with love.

Hybels concentrates on Jesus' evangelistic encounter with the woman at the well in the 4th chapter of the Gospel of John. Jesus exemplifies the keys to successful personal evangelism for Hybels. His method includes the following:

* Bridge the chasm between you and another

* Ask a question

* Practice patience

* Beware of rabbit trails

* Give hope to the hopeless

* Tell people with confidence the promises of God!

In the encounter, Jesus demonstrates his passion for the "Grander Vision" of the kingdom of heaven. Hybels encourages readers to nurture their passion for this Grander Vision that will keep their eyes on the eternal prize of saving souls.

Christians cannot help but to be inspired at least to begin thinking and praying about sharing Jesus with neighbors. Hybels articulates the eternal importance of people committing their lives to Jesus and how all Christians are responsible for helping to lead others to that momentous decision. The message boils down to telling others "God loves you," "Jesus chose to pay for you," and "The choice is now yours."

Readers may become distracted by the many stories of Hybels' own exploits and the promotion of Willow Creek. Hybels includes more than a few stories of himself on sailing adventures, flying airplanes, globetrotting to conferences and throwing parties. I think the lowest point of the book is when he seriously counsels Christians on proper tipping habits as being integral to successful evangelism. The author seems to shine the light on himself a bit too much in the book, and that can be a negative with readers who have a less than favorable view of mega-churches and celebrity pastors.

I have definitely been thinking more about personal evangelism since reading Just Walk Across the Room. I have asked the Holy Spirit to lead me to people and facilitate conversation about Jesus. Many of Hybels' examples are about long-term relationships that eventually bore fruit as trust and friendship laid the foundation for the sharing of the gospel. This is a process anyone can engage in with people non-Christians. I think Hybels' overall brings a fresh reminder to do the work of an evangelist as we proclaim the good news of God's grace in Jesus Christ.

It seems fair to say that most Christians feel bad about their ineffectiveness or complete avoidance of evangelism. Many books have been written to motivate Christians to have a heart for people far from God, and some have provided helpful tools. But I think that Bill Hybels has offered the most practical and accessible evangelism book that I've read for quite some time.

If you've ever heard Hybels speak, you know that he is burning with a passion to bring Jesus into the lives of those who do not yet know Him. One of the first things that this book does is translate that passion for the reader. I think that anyone who reads his call to evangelism will be drawn into the game.

Having convinced the reader that evangelism is worth pursuing and actually essential for Christians of every personality type, Hybels then spends the rest of the book describing what that can look like. What I most appreciate is the breadth of acceptable evangelism that he describes. Without ever letting us off the hook, Hybels is careful to explain that door-to-door witnessing or tract distribution are not the only ways to share Jesus with the world. In fact, those standard approaches are usually less effective than simply walking across the room and entering into the life and world of hurting, lost individuals who need to know God.

What Hybels does best is tell stories. As he shares example after example, mainly from his own life, the reader is drawn into the excitement of seeing God at work. Yet, there's never a sense of watching a super-Christian at work. Instead, we are left with the assurance that we can do this, we can partner with God, in response to the promptings of the Spirit, to draw people to Himself.

There were a few instances when I felt that Hybels was unnecessarily harsh and even mean-spirited towards certain types of well-intentioned, if evangelistically ineffective Christians. I also felt like a few chapters were less engaging than others, giving the entire book a rather uneven feel. And there are some theological assumptions in this book that will make a Calvinist's skin crawl, but that's not unexpected from Hybels.

Nonetheless, I give this book a high recommendation. I'm glad that I've been challenged to step up my own evangelism efforts. I'm glad that I've written my 100-word story. I'm glad that I've been inspired to just walk across the room and look forward to watching God honor those steps of obedience.

This is a great book for Christians who want to share the message of Jesus but are hesitant to get into evangelism. This book contains many practical, yet inspirational ideas to help guide you as you take the message of Jesus to your friends, relatives, associates and neighbors.

I am 66 years old and have been in the church all of my life (well, that is I've been a member since I was 10, but I've been IN the church since the first Sunday I was alive). At this late date THIS book is changing my life. It is very well written, easy to read, and the concepts are amazing! I am buying more copies and giving them away.

David MayA Call to Arms! Out of the Pews and Into the Streets

The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church

All of Hybels writing speaks to me, but this book moved me deeply. With each turn of the page, I felt my passion to share God's love growing. The stories were moving, but more importantly, God's truth shines through the words on the pages. If you haven't shared Christ with someone in a long time, or you're a little intimidated, read this book. Thanks Bill for your example and ministry!

Bill Hybels shows us through example that evangelism isn't only for evangelists; that evangelism isn't especially talking on a megaphone on a street corner; but that it is living your life, listening to God's promptings; and gently taking advantage of these life encounters to share your faith in Christ. This can be done at different levels; having faith that God will provide another to complete the growth in the seeds that you have planted. I am an introvert, and I discovered that God can use me powerfully to show others that following Christ is the Way! Great reading,(& listening with the audiobook)! He leads by example. It is a blessing to see how dynamic Bill Hybels is, by allowing God to work through him.