Be The Fruit

Book Recommendation: A Gospel Primer

by Bill Blair on 29/07/08 at 5:45 am

A Gospel Primer, by Milton Vincent, is a little book that I highly recommend to Christians of all levels of maturity.  The author explains the intent of the book, “This book is offered as a handy guide to help Christians experience the gospel more fully by preaching it to themselves each day.”

The beauty of this book is that it is short, easy to read, yet extremely powerful.  Why is it powerful?  It is powerful because it just sticks to the plain and simple message of the gospel which is the most powerful message this world has ever known.  The book is laid out in four sections.  Part 1 gives “Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily.”  This section includes short thoughts on how the gospel should transform our lives on a daily basis.  Each thought exhorts us to keep the gospel front and center in our lives.  Also, the thoughts are laced with many scripture references for further investigation and study.

Part 2 gives “A Gospel Narrative” in a prose version.  Essentially, the author lays out the gospel in very personal terms.  He writes the story using personal pronouns so you will experience it as if you are reading your own story.  You will read of your fallenness and the great gift of God’s grace through the sacrifice of Jesus.  It is a great experience as a personal devotion.

Part 3 is much like the previous section except this section lays out the gospel in a poetic version.  Again, this poetry is written in first-person so it reads as if you are speaking of yourself, which you actually are.

Part 4 recounts the story behind the book.  The author shares how there was a time when he was miserable in his walk.  Although he is a seminary graduate and a pastor, Vincent struggled to live as if God’s grace was real and true in his life.  He began to emphasize the gospel in his daily life and began to connect to God in a new way.  In this process the thoughts, stories, and poetry were developed for his church, and it has now been put together in this publication.

This book has been endorsed by C. J. Mahaney, John Mac Arthur, Jerry Bridges, and others.  Now it has been endorsed by Bill Blair so it is bound to be a best-seller now.

The truth of the gospel is something I never get over.  Every time I hear it or read it I am moved.  A Gospel Primer shows how the gospel can be conveyed simply, accurately, and fully.  I recommend that you pick up this book and read it to preach the good news of Jesus to yourself every day.  You can check it out here.