Coming to Jesus: Giving a Good Invitation

In his cogent book, Coming to Jesus: Giving a Good Invitation, evangelism professor and spiritual awakenings historian Roy Fish presents the biblical and historical justification for the invitation—the public appeal to respond to the gospel—and counsels preachers in giving effective invitations. Fish demonstrates the biblical nature and history of the invitation by exploring public appeals that occur in the Old and New Testament and that took place during the spiritual awakenings of modern history.  Fish also champions the public nature of the invitation with examples of Jesus’ emphasis on public confession and explains how preachers of the gospel may appeal in sensitive and rhetorically sound ways for their hearers to become followers of Jesus.

Roy J. Fish was Professor of Evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he taught from 1965 until 2012, having earned his ThD there in 1963. He inspired thousands of students with his passion for evangelism and his scholarship on the history of spiritual awakenings. He traveled to nearly every continent speaking and preaching in hundreds of churches and authored numerous books and articles about evangelism and about the scope and impact of spiritual awakenings of the last three centuries. He served as interim president of the North American Mission Board (NAMB), also receiving the Charles G. Finney Award for Evangelism in Theological Education. Established in his name are the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Seminary, the Roy Fish Evangelism Award by Southern Baptists of Texas, and the NAMB Roy Fish Excellence in Evangelism Award. He is remembered as much for engaging people in conversations about new life in Jesus as he is for his passionate preaching on behalf of the gospel.