Marks of the Messenger: Knowing, Living and Speaking the Gospel

by J. Mack Stiles, Mark Dever (Foreword by)

Overview

Many think evangelism is rooted in a method. It is rooted in something much deeper. It is found in what makes us whole and healthy messengers of God's truth about Jesus.Mack Stiles has lived the life of the healthy evangelist in homes and coffee shops, at universities and farms. He has lived out and spoken about the gospel to Kenyans, Koreans, Arabs and North Americans. What he has learned around the world and at home is summarized here in a few basic truths that can shape any of us into faithful people who bring good news to needy and hurting friends.The whole gospel changes much more than our relationship with God. Stiles shows how it changes all of who we are and what we do. It means learning the whole gospel without shaping its message to meet our tastes. It means not just going through the motions of accepted behaviors. It means showing the unity of witness and justice. It means love. It means community.Join Mack Stiles in a life-giving adventure of boldly knowing, living and speaking the gospel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830833504
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	03/26/2010
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

J. Mack Stiles is CEO of Gulf Digital Solutions and general secretary for the Fellowship of Christian UAE Students (FOCUS) in the United Arab Emirates. He worked for many years with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the United States. He is the author of Speaking of Jesus and coauthor with his wife of Mack and Leeann's Guide to Short-Term Missions.

Table of Contents

Foreword Mark Dever 9

Acknowledgments 13

1 Roger's Question: Don't Peddle the Gospel 15

2 Students of the Message: Don't Add or Subtract from the Gospel 25

3 On Your Guard: Don't Assume the Gospel 37

4 Does the Message We Share Look Like the Message We Bear?: Living the implications of the Gospel 49

5 Messengers in a Troubled World: The Gospel and Social Change 61

6 Waving the Flag: Understanding True Biblical Conversion 71

7 Be Bold: Slaying the Fear Factor When Sharing Our Faith 81

8 Worldly Love and Its Fruits: Mistaking the World's Love for God's Love 91

9 The Gospel Made Visible: The Church 101

10 A Manifesto for Healthy Evangelism: Taking Action 111

Notes 124

What People are Saying About This

Lindsay Brown

"A fresh and refreshing encouragement from a gifted evangelist. Mack Stiles has lived out what he teaches, both in North America and in the Middle East. His material has been field-tested in two completely different parts of the world! So the principles you find in this book will be transcultural and applicable to believers seeking to bear witness to Christ wherever they are located in the world."
— Lindsay Brown, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization

"I do not think I have ever read a book on evangelism that makes me more eager to pass it on than this one—better, that makes me more eager to evangelize than this one. Like its author, the book is irrepressible. Better yet, it is faithful to Scripture while overflowing with that least common gift, common sense. Read it, practice it, then buy some more and pass them out."

Thabiti Anyabwile

"Most of what we read about evangelism puts heavy emphasis on evangelistic methods--'how to' evangelism. When's the last time you read a book that focused attention on the evangelists themselves--their hearts, their minds, their lives and, most of all, their message? This is such a book, and it's explosive. Marks of the Messenger challenges and encourages us, and makes us laugh and weep along the way. Mack Stiles is the most gifted evangelist I know. And this book is saturated with biblical truth and personal wisdom."
— Thabiti Anyabwile, First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman

D. A. Carson

"I do not think I have ever read a book on evangelism that makes me more eager to pass it on than this one--better, that makes me more eager to evangelize than this one. Like its author, the book is irrepressible. Better yet, it is faithful to Scripture while overflowing with that least common gift, common sense. Read it, practice it, then buy some more and pass them out."
— D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

C. J. Mahaney

"Perhaps no part of the Christian life and ministry is easier to neglect, postpone or just plain ignore than evangelism. And this is why I love reading books on evangelism by true practitioners, who love the lost and consistently live out this burden. Mack Stiles is one of those guys! Mack loves people who need the gospel. If you, like me, want to grow in evangelism, I highly recommend Mack's book."
— C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

Editorial Reviews

"Perhaps no part of the Christian life and ministry is easier to neglect, postpone or just plain ignore than evangelism. And this is why I love reading books on evangelism by true practitioners, who love the lost and consistently live out this burden. Mack Stiles is one of those guys! Mack loves people who need the gospel. If you, like me, want to grow in evangelism, I highly recommend Mack's book."

C. J. Mahaney

"All Christians could benefit from reading this book. It is easy to understand but still retains a solid amount of information.... A useful training book for Christians of all ages and backgrounds."

Church Libraries

"Overall, Marks of the Messenger is an important reminder that before we share our faith we must make sure our lives exemplify a faith worth sharing."

Josh Mann

"A fresh and refreshing encouragement from a gifted evangelist. Mack Stiles has lived out what he teaches, both in North America and in the Middle East. His material has been field-tested in two completely different parts of the world! So the principles you find in this book will be transcultural and applicable to believers seeking to bear witness to Christ wherever they are located in the world."

"Most of what we read about evangelism puts heavy emphasis on evangelistic methods—'how to' evangelism. When's the last time you read a book that focused attention on the evangelists themselves—their hearts, their minds, their lives and, most of all, their message? This is such a book, and it's explosive. Marks of the Messenger challenges and encourages us, and makes us laugh and weep along the way. Mack Stiles is the most gifted evangelist I know. And this book is saturated with biblical truth and personal wisdom."

Thabiti Anyabwile

"I do not think I have ever read a book on evangelism that makes me more eager to pass it on than this one--better, that makes me more eager to evangelize than this one. Like its author, the book is irrepressible. Better yet, it is faithful to Scripture while overflowing with that least common gift, common sense. Read it, practice it, then buy some more and pass them out."

D. A. Carson

"A fresh and refreshing encouragement from a gifted evangelist. Mack Stiles has lived out what he teaches, both in North America and in the Middle East. His material has been field-tested in two completely different parts of the world! So the principles you find in this book will be transcultural and applicable to believers seeking to bear witness to Christ wherever they are located in the world."

Lindsay Brown

"I do not think I have ever read a book on evangelism that makes me more eager to pass it on than this one—better, that makes me more eager to evangelize than this one. Like its author, the book is irrepressible. Better yet, it is faithful to Scripture while overflowing with that least common gift, common sense. Read it, practice it, then buy some more and pass them out."

D.A. Carson

"Perhaps no part of the Christian life and ministry is easier to neglect, postpone or just plain ignore than evangelism. And this is why I love reading books on evangelism by true practitioners, who love the lost and consistently live out this burden. Mack Stiles is one of those guys! Mack loves people who need the gospel. If you, like me, want to grow in evangelism, I highly recommend Mack's book."

C.J. Mahaney