Evangelism Study Bible Teaches Christians How to Share Gospel Clearly, Avoid 'Guilt Trips,' Says Evangelism Ministry CEO
The Evangelism Study Bible, scheduled for release next week, features thousands of notes, devotions, tips and other features that will help believers overcome fear and guilt and make them confident and joyful witnesses for Christ, publishers said.
By publishing the Study Bible, EvanTell, a ministry that trains and equips Christians to share the Gospel, has "brought a fresh perspective to the essential ingredient for evangelism – God's Word."
"Christians need to be taught how to share the Gospel clearly and how to do so with an accurate and careful handling of Scripture," said EvanTell Founder and CEO Dr. R. Larry Moyer, the general editor and primary contributor to the study material in The Evangelism Study Bible.
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"Sometimes, well-meaning Christians put believers on guilt trips and teach things that can be detrimental to their evangelism efforts. The Evangelism Study Bible is our way to give clear and biblical teaching about sharing the Gospel and encourage people to do so out of grace, not guilt."
Last year, a study by The Barna Group showed that although 73 percent of born-again Christians say they had a personal responsibility to share their faith with others, only 52 percent of them said they actually did in the past year. In Moyer's more than 40 years of evangelism experience, he has found that the two biggest challenges Christians face in witnessing are fear and not knowing how to tell the Good News to unbelievers. The Evangelism Study Bible will serve as a resource to help believers overcome fear and learn how to share the Gospel, publishers said.
Reflecting back on the process of producing The Evangelism Study Bible, which took almost six years, Moyer commented, "I was reminded as we worked through the Bible how God's love for the lost is seen throughout the Scriptures. At first, we were going to just do the New Testament, but we decided it was important to focus on the entire Bible because God's heart for those who don't know Him is seen in the Old Testament as well as the New."
Each book begins with an introduction that focuses on its evangelistic themes and includes various features and study notes throughout the New King James text.
Moyer hopes that as Christians read The Evangelism Study Bible, their passion for spreading the Gospel will increase.
"If their skills are enhanced, and believers consistently talk to the lost and not simply about the lost, the purpose of this Study Bible will have been achieved," Moyer said.
EvanTell Vice President David Souther and Communications Coordinator Sarah Bowler served as contributors and associate editors on the project. An outside team reviewed The Evangelism Study Bible for style and accuracy.
It has been endorsed by influential spiritual leaders such as Dr. Tony Evans, president and founder of The Urban Alternative; Dr. Mark Bailey, president of Dallas Theological Seminary; and Dr. J. Paul Nyquist, president of Moody Bible Institute.
EvanTell, founded in 1973 by Moyer, focuses on training Christians to present the Gospel -- clearly and simply – and touches millions of lives each year through a wide variety of programs, materials and training, said publishers. For more information, visit http://www.evantell.org.
