Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World: Evangelism as a Way of Life

by Rebecca Manley Pippert, Mark Mittelberg (Foreword by)

Overview

• In 2006, Christianity Today voted this title to be one of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals
• Over 800,000 Sold

Jesus says his followers are the salt of the earth. But many Christians struggle with this call to be active in the world as witnesses to Christ. The word evangelism often carries negative connotations. How do we cut through fear and guilt to communicate our faith freely and effectively?

In this bestselling classic, Rebecca Manley Pippert offers a refreshing view of evangelism as a lifestyle. For over forty years, Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World has equipped believers of different backgrounds around the world. Using memorable stories, biblical insight, and practical communication techniques, Pippert points to Jesus as our model and helps us feel relaxed and enthusiastic about sharing the good news.

This landmark work is now available as part of the IVP Signature Collection, which features special editions of iconic books in celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of InterVarsity Press.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830848621
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	01/19/2021
Series:	The IVP Signature Collection
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Rebecca Manley Pippert is an internationally known author and speaker who inspires and equips Christians for personal evangelism at conferences and training events around the world. Her books include A Heart for God, Hope Has Its Reasons, Stay Salt, and the Empowered curriculum.

Read an Excerpt

"I once asked a woman if she felt comfortable about evangelism. 'Oh yes!' she responded. 'I do it twice a week.' (Somehow it sounded more like taking multiple vitamins.) Evangelism isn't just something you 'do' - out there - and then get back to normal living. Evangelism involves taking people seriously, getting across to their island of concerns and needs, and then sharing Christ as Lord in the context of our natural living situations.

The problem stems from our great difficulty in believing that God is glorified in our utter humanity rather than in our spiritually programmed responses. Most of us fear that who we are inside just isn't enough. So we cover up our honest questions and doubts, thinking we won't sound spiritual. But in doing this we forfeit our most important asset in evangelism - our real person. Not to accept our humanness means we lose our point of authentic contact with the world. We, of all people, should be offering the world a picture of what it means to be truly human. Yet it is often Christians who fear their humanity more than anyone else. When we get a good look at Jesus, we will see that it is not our humanity we need to fear."

Table of Contents

Foreword to the Signature Edition by Mark Mittelberg
Introduction to the Second Edition

1. Sleepless in Spain
2. Jesus—the Most Human of Us All
3. Jesus—the Lord of All
4. A Question of Love: Being Radically Identified with the World
5. A Question of Holiness: Being Radically Different from the World
6. A Question of Obedience: Another Way of Knowing God
7. Christ with Us
8. Practicing the Presence of Christ
9. Developing Conversational Skills
10. Three Ways to Witness
11. Cultivating the Soil
12. Planting the Seed
13. Reaping the Harvest in God’s Truth and Love
14. Reaping the Harvest in God’s Power
15. Revealing Truth Through Reason
16. Revealing Truth Through Stories
17. Revealing Truth Through the Power of the Spirit
18. The Witness of Community
19. Without a Vision the People Will Perish
Appendix 1: Gospel Outlines
Appendix 2: Books for Evangelism
Appendix 3: Study Guide for Individuals or Groups

Notes

What People are Saying About This

"Becky Manley Pippert has given her life to giving people the confidence to speak about Jesus. How does she do it? First and foremost, she's absolutely thrilled about Jesus, and he is the message. Then she models the fact that the sovereign Lord loves to organize encounters with lost people, and the Spirit loves to illumine their hearts . . . wonderful! But Becky is not naive; she understands our guilty silence and helps us practice the presence of Christ as we seek to overcome our fears and discover what it means to live and speak for Jesus."

Christianity Today

"Out of the Saltshaker helped generations of fearful students (and other would-be evangelists) to loosen up."

Andrew Palau

"We evangelists spend the majority of our lives passionately sharing the good news. Yet also, as part of God's calling, we spend a significant amount of time urging God's people to faith and action in the work of soul winning—compelling others to know their calling as a follower of Christ and to testify to his goodness, just as an evangelist's job is described in Ephesians 4. And still, as saturated as I am in this joyful work, I am refreshed and inspired by the clarifying and compelling way in which Rebecca Manley Pippert shares about the importance and practicality of evangelism as a way of life. It's like a fresh start for me, a new motivation, an energy reset. She is preparing all of us for our works of service. To have this important resource updated and enhanced, as it is now, will be an encouragement and blessing, helping each one carry on with the good news in this generation for which we are responsible."

Sam Chan

"As Christians, every Christmas we happily buy devotional books. Why? Because devotional books are safe. We read them in private for our own edification. But Christians don't buy as many books on evangelism. Why? Because books on evangelism are dangerous. They're only going to ask us to be public about our faith. And there's nothing scarier than that! But fear no more. Because this wonderful new edition of Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World will inspire you. It will get you excited about the good news of Jesus. It will get you relying on God's power—especially through the Holy Spirit—and not yours to tell your friends about Jesus. And most importantly, you will realize that it's more about being evangelistic than a method of evangelism."

Rico Tice

"Becky Manley Pippert has given her life to giving people the confidence to speak about Jesus. How does she do it? First and foremost, she's absolutely thrilled about Jesus, and he is the message. Then she models the fact that the sovereign Lord loves to organize encounters with lost people, and the Spirit loves to illumine their hearts . . . wonderful! But Becky is not naive; she understands our guilty silence and helps us practice the presence of Christ as we seek to overcome our fears and discover what it means to live and speak for Jesus."

R. York Moore

"Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World is a timeless classic and one of the very few books that have energized me personally toward evangelism. Becky's joyous and determined persona comes through on every page of this celebrated book, a book that should be read and reread by those investing in spreading the love of Christ through personal witness."

Editorial Reviews

"As Christians, every Christmas we happily buy devotional books. Why? Because devotional books are safe. We read them in private for our own edification. But Christians don't buy as many books on evangelism. Why? Because books on evangelism are dangerous. They're only going to ask us to be public about our faith. And there's nothing scarier than that! But fear no more. Because this wonderful new edition of Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World will inspire you. It will get you excited about the good news of Jesus. It will get you relying on God's power—especially through the Holy Spirit—and not yours to tell your friends about Jesus. And most importantly, you will realize that it's more about being evangelistic than a method of evangelism."

Sam Chan

"Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World is a timeless classic and one of the very few books that have energized me personally toward evangelism. Becky's joyous and determined persona comes through on every page of this celebrated book, a book that should be read and reread by those investing in spreading the love of Christ through personal witness."

R. York Moore

"Out of the Saltshaker helped generations of fearful students (and other would-be evangelists) to loosen up."

Christianity Today

"Becky Manley Pippert has given her life to giving people the confidence to speak about Jesus. How does she do it? First and foremost, she's absolutely thrilled about Jesus, and he is the message. Then she models the fact that the sovereign Lord loves to organize encounters with lost people, and the Spirit loves to illumine their hearts . . . wonderful! But Becky is not naive; she understands our guilty silence and helps us practice the presence of Christ as we seek to overcome our fears and discover what it means to live and speak for Jesus."

"We evangelists spend the majority of our lives passionately sharing the good news. Yet also, as part of God's calling, we spend a significant amount of time urging God's people to faith and action in the work of soul winning—compelling others to know their calling as a follower of Christ and to testify to his goodness, just as an evangelist's job is described in Ephesians 4. And still, as saturated as I am in this joyful work, I am refreshed and inspired by the clarifying and compelling way in which Rebecca Manley Pippert shares about the importance and practicality of evangelism as a way of life. It's like a fresh start for me, a new motivation, an energy reset. She is preparing all of us for our works of service. To have this important resource updated and enhanced, as it is now, will be an encouragement and blessing, helping each one carry on with the good news in this generation for which we are responsible."

Andrew Palau

"Becky Manley Pippert has given her life to giving people the confidence to speak about Jesus. How does she do it? First and foremost, she's absolutely thrilled about Jesus, and he is the message. Then she models the fact that the sovereign Lord loves to organize encounters with lost people, and the Spirit loves to illumine their hearts . . . wonderful! But Becky is not naive; she understands our guilty silence and helps us practice the presence of Christ as we seek to overcome our fears and discover what it means to live and speak for Jesus."

Rico Tice