For years, I used a small gospel tract when telling people about what King Jesus did for them on the cross. If you’ve never read a tract, it is that little booklet left in the bathroom stalls in truck stops all across the United states.
Typically, these gospel booklets were only a few pages long and small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Because of their short length and size, the booklet contained only the minimum amount of information about Jesus, sin and salvation.
Don’t misunderstand me; I am still a big fan of handing somebody a resource when explaining the gospel. The best resource to hand somebody is, of course, the Bible!
However, many people have Bibles on their shelves that have never been read. Therefore, I am still in favor of handing people a small gospel resource that will take them only a few minutes to read. It is why my personal testimony was turned into a gospel tract more than 20 years ago with more than 500,000 copies in print!
Obviously, I’m very proud of that booklet. However, because that booklet is so small, many very important details of the gospel story are not included in it. I have spent decades reading most of the gospel booklets produced in the English language and have found almost every booklet so short that it cannot be used as a tool to walk some through a full explanation of the gospel.
As I surveyed the gospel literature, it became obvious that something was missing. I have recently produced a new book to fill that gap. Here are five reasons for this new book, Start Here:
1. A map for people far from Jesus
When you’re lost, you need a map. Most people who are far from Jesus don’t feel lost. Typically, they feel like they know where they are and where they are going. Perhaps, this is why the majority of people surveyed in the United states consider themselves spiritual according to the Pew Research Group.[1] Being spiritual is a great start. However, it cannot give you a roadmap to get you to a specific destination with God.
Ultimately, everyone who has ever come to faith in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior has had someone directing their steps. Perhaps it was a family member or friend who shared the good news with you. Perhaps it was the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit while reading the Scriptures or a vision from God that helped you step across the line of faith.
Everyone needs a few simple directions to guide them toward new life in Christ. This book was designed to be a road map for men and women who are far from Jesus.
2. A guide for Christians
Most Christians are not in the habit of sharing their faith regularly. Many people would love to be more vocal about their faith, but they just don’t know where to start. This is precisely why this book is entitled Start Here. This book is the starting point for Christians to develop a relationship with somebody outside the faith.
If you are one of the more than 55% of Christians in America who have not shared your faith with someone in the past six months, use Start Here to begin a conversation with somebody who is far from Jesus.[2]
3. A relationship tool
Let’s just be honest; it can be hard to develop a relationship with somebody who doesn’t share your faith or your values. For this reason, many Christians don’t have any significant relationships with people outside the faith. Many Christians don’t know what to say or how to start the conversation with someone far from Jesus.
This book was formatted to be a conversation tool. The chapters are designed so that a Christian can sit down with someone outside their faith and explain the basics of Christianity in terms that are easy to understand. Use each chapter of this book as a separate conversation with somebody who doesn’t see the importance of following Jesus.
4. Answers to hard questions
A lot of work went into the Q and A section at the end of this book originally called AMA (Ask Me Anything). This bonus section alone is worth getting the book. Inevitably, when you start to share what you believe with someone outside your faith, there will be questions. In fact, we included 33 of the top most asked questions in this bonus section of the book.
There is no need to memorize pre-formatted answers or have only a list of Scripture verses on hand when someone asks a question about the Christian faith. This section of the book was designed to be a reference for which a Christian can turn when confronted with difficult questions.
5. For the glory of God
Finally, and most important, I wrote this book for the glory of God. My hope is that every page of this book exalts Jesus, my King, and I pray that many people will be drawn into a relationship with him because of this book.
I firmly believe Jesus’s statement in Luke 15:7, “I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.”[3] I believe God chooses to receive the most glory when a man or woman transitions from dead in sin to alive in Christ for the first time.
For God’s sake, I am praying for thousands of Christians to use this book as a relationship resource with friends and neighbors. I am also praying that many who are far from Jesus will find eternal life while reading this book.
Because this book was written for the glory of God, we made it as affordable as possible. I tried to give this book away free. However, the publishing company wouldn’t allow it. Therefore, we made this book as affordable as possible.
Pick up a copy of Start Here today and begin the conversation with one person far from Jesus.
[1] https://www.pewforum.org/2009/04/02/not-all-nonbelievers-call-themselves-atheists/
[2] https://lifewayresearch.com/2019/04/23/evangelism-more-prayed-for-than-practiced-by-churchgoers/
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Lk 15:7.
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