A review by Canon Phil Ashey of Archbishop Ben Kwashi’s book Evangelism and Mission: Biblical and Strategic Insights for the Church today 

In his new work on evangelism and mission, Archbishop of Jos (Nigeria) Ben Kwashi paints a compelling picture of what we as Christians should look like as we pursue and fulfill Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20):

“…when a person is zealous for the LORD, obstacles become a battle, excuses become an enemy, complaints become idolatrous and procrastinations become chaff until such a person, consumed by zeal for the will of God, accomplished the task.  Zeal is the propeller that brings joy in accomplishing the will of the Lord!” (at p. 66)
 

Archbishop Ben goes on to unpack that God given task before the Church: to make evangelism and mission the number one priority in all we do, to focus on reaching children, youth and students with the Gospel, to pave the way with intercession (especially for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to divinely empower evangelism and mission), and with Biblical teaching that forms a community of faith—the Church—around the proclamation of the Gospel.  As Justyn Terry rightly observes in his commendation of this book, Archbishop Ben calls us to a fundamental shift in our thinking:  “it is not the Church of God that has a mission in the world, but the God of mission who has a church in the world.”

This book is a must read for all Christians, but especially for Anglicans.  As the new General Secretary for GAFCON, we may expect to see in Archbishop Ben’s leadership in GAFCON the same emphases that we find in his handbook on mission and evangelism.

This handbook is prophetic because it challenges the apathy that we find too often in our own congregations towards lost people.  It is powerful because it bears witness to the Biblical and experiential link between the person and work of the Holy Spirit and the work of evangelism and mission.  It is practical because it outlines both the content and the methods for effective evangelism and mission.

Several weeks ago I had an opportunity to meet in person with Archbishop Ben and interview him by video about his new book, to dig a little deeper as we think about the challenges here in North America reaching lost people with the transforming love of Jesus Christ.  Over the next few weeks we will be sharing those questions and his answers in our Weekly Updates.

I highly recommend this book for all of our readers.  It would be a wonderful conversation starter on evangelism and mission in your small group, Bible study or local church leadership team. It’s short but powerful, and not expensive!  You can find it here and order it from Amazon.com.