BEYOND
AWKWARD
When Talking About Jesus
Is Outside Your Comfort Zone
BEAU CROSETTO
Foreword by Dave Ferguson
InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com
Email: email@ivpress.com
©2014 by BeauCrosetto
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.
InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit www.intervarsity.org.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
While all stories in this book are true, some names and identifying information in this book have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.
Cover design: Cindy Kiple
Images:© 3dbobber/iStockphoto
ISBN 978-0-8308-9705-6 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-3688-8 (print)
I dedicate this book to Noah and Sophia, my first two children. May you grow up to be bold and loving witnesses for Christ. I hope you have the opportunity to see many people experience Jesus through your life and testimony.
Contents
5 You Are in a Spiritual Battle
6 Engaging the Spiritual Battle
7 How to Hear God’s Voice in Witness
Interlude: A Powerful Official
11 How Do I Avoid Being Pushy?
12 How to Turn the Conversation to Jesus
Epilogue: Don’t Keep Them Waiting
Appendix 1: Five Guidelines for Hearing God
Appendix 2: GIG Suggestions by Theme
Appendix 3: Conversation Starters
Appendix 4: Writing Your Lordship/Transformational Story
More Titles from InterVarsity Press
Foreword
awk·ward: clumsy, inept, unskillful.
I can’t think of a better word to describe many of my early evangelistic efforts than the word awkward.
Awkward Zealot
I was a freshman in college when Jesus became real to me. I was so blown away by God’s grace and its power to change my past, present and future that I couldn’t imagine keeping it to myself any more than I could imagine keeping the cure to cancer to myself. I had to get the good news out there so it could help the people who needed it!
With that unbridled motivation—and having recently been through an evangelism training program—I canvassed the University of Missouri campus. I stopped complete strangers ...
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About Beyond Awkward: When Talking About Jesus Is Outside Your Comfort ZoneSpoiler alert: Talking about Jesus is awkward.We love to share good news with the world. We tweet about a great new restaurant, we share pictures of our newborn child and we celebrate about receiving that sought-after promotion. We are evangelists for many great things. So why don't we do the same with Jesus?It's not hard to see that we bring our own anxieties and awkwardness into every evangelistic conversation. Not to mention the often vast differences between our experiences of God and religion and those of the people around us. And then there's the inner awkwardness of our conversation partners, who are actively contending, even unconsciously, with the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.Evangelism is awkward, yes. But on the other side of that awkwardness is something amazing: transformed lives, healed relationships, new vision, eternal life.After spending years working with college students and churchgoers, Beau Crosetto hasn't solved the problem of awkwardness in evangelism. But he's learned how to push through it and how we can set ourselves and those we love at ease as we enter into conversations of eternal consequence. Read this book and move beyond awkward into the most awesome privilege of God's people: proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. |
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