One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven

Challenged me to share my faith and than taught me how to practically do so. Highly recommend for anyone who knows they need to evangelize but is frightened of doing so. This is just the help you need to get started.

Mark Cahill has written what I think is an excellent challenge to Christians to tell others about Jesus Christ while they still have time. While there are several exhortations to accept the challenge, Cahill also writes of practical ways to share the gospel with others. The most often method is using the 10 Commandments to show how futile it is to try to earn our way into heaven and instead rely on Jesus Christ's death on the cross for our sins to provide the way for the free gift of salvation.

Among the important points covered in the book include:

1. People are hungrier for the gospel than we realize - Indeed, we seem to hear from the people who don't like Christians sharing the gospel while we miss the many who desparately want someone to talk to them about eternity.

2. Reasons why we don't witness to others - Many reasons have to do with fear of what others think and our own spiritual complacency.

3. Ask God for creative ways to share the gospel - I have done this myself and it works!

4. Don't worry about pleasing others - Jesus Christ was perfect and yet He was still nailed to the cross! How can we expect to escape persecution and hard times when we witness to others?

5. 4 thought provoking questions to ask when witnessing to others - What do you mean by that? How do you know that to be true? Where do you get your information? What if you are wrong?

6. Common questions and objections and how to overcome them - Some questions are honest while others are meant to distract us.

7. Be bold while we still have time - Compared to eternity in heaven, the temporary pain we may feel when rejected pales in comparison!

All in all, an excellent challenge and encouragement to keep witnessing until we either pass from this earth or until Jesus Christ comes back for His children!

Read and enjoy. Highly recommended.

Mark Cahill has a winner of a book on evangelism. Now before that e-word turns you off, he offers easy, practical ways to share the Lord's word. He gives us reasons why we should be out there every day trying to save souls for Christ without coming off as "preachy". In fact, if you are "preachy", you might as well stay home. You will lose more people that way. He gives many practical examples that you can use right now. When you read this book, take a high lighter to it so you can review the best points quickly. Mark Cahill has changed the way of evangelism from the big revivals to the personal one-on-one encounters we have every day.

"Are you ready for eternity? If so, are you helping others get ready for that journey into eternity that each of us must take? As believers, we all know we should tell others about the Lord, but we often don't know how. This practical book will give you ideas for starting conversations, examples of witnessing situations, and answers to common questions, to help encourage, challenge, and equip you to reach both friends and strangers for Jesus the rest of your life!"

I just finished reading the book, One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven by Mark Cahill. I've had this book for about 3 years and just decided to read it. Wow! This is one of the best books I've ever read! If their is one book to read, besides the Bible, this is it. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN! Ray Comfort says Mark Cahill makes him look luke warm. Can you imagine that, someone who makes Ray Comfort look luke warm!? This book will inspire and shame you at the same time. It has done so to me. Please get this book and read it! I'm going to start reading it again!

"Are you ready for eternity? If so, are you helping others get ready for that journey into eternity that each of us must take? As believers, we all know we should tell others about the Lord, but we often don't know how. This practical book will give you ideas for starting conversations, examples of witnessing situations, and answers to common questions, to help encourage, challenge, and equip you to reach both friends and strangers for Jesus the rest of your life!"

I just finished reading the book, One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven by Mark Cahill. I've had this book for about 3 years and just decided to read it. Wow! This is one of the best books I've ever read! If their is one book to read, besides the Bible, this is it. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN! Ray Comfort says Mark Cahill makes him look luke warm. Can you imagine that, someone who makes Ray Comfort look luke warm!? This book will inspire and shame you at the same time. It has done so to me. Please get this book and read it! I'm going to start reading it again!

"Are you ready for eternity? If so, are you helping others get ready for that journey into eternity that each of us must take? As believers, we all know we should tell others about the Lord, but we often don't know how. This practical book will give you ideas for starting conversations, examples of witnessing situations, and answers to common questions, to help encourage, challenge, and equip you to reach both friends and strangers for Jesus the rest of your life!"

I just finished reading the book, One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven by Mark Cahill. I've had this book for about 3 years and just decided to read it. Wow! This is one of the best books I've ever read! If their is one book to read, besides the Bible, this is it. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR EVERY CHRISTIAN! Ray Comfort says Mark Cahill makes him look luke warm. Can you imagine that, someone who makes Ray Comfort look luke warm!? This book will inspire and shame you at the same time. It has done so to me. Please get this book and read it! I'm going to start reading it again!

A youth pastor gave me this witnessing manual 5 years ago, along with a box of tracts from Livingwaters.com

I had absolutely zero experience in street witnessing and it seemed like a terrifying, yet exciting thing to do. I read the book, and decided to try it out.
I went to the flea market with a friend. We brought the tracts along, and just tried out the teachings outlined in this book.

I was amazed at how interested by the conversations people were. I experienced no rejection that day (it helps if you have an engaging smile and cheerful voice), and found my life calling.

Now 5 years later, and over a 1000 people later (yes, you can share the Gospel with over 1000 people without being Billy Graham: just explain the gospel in detail to about 5 people a week, and after a few years you'll have shared the Gospel with over 1000 souls). My friend Josh shares with that many people in a year (see his witnessing encounters at [...]

As trite as it sound, this book changed my life because I put it in practice. The first few times I went out street witnessing, I was nervous, and had to rely on my notes to find questions to ask people, and present the gospel using specific illustrations and analogies. But now with practice, I'm comfortable with it.

The most devoted evangelists seem to be shy, introverted people who decide to obey God in sharing the gospel in spite of their fear of rejection. My favorite evangelists, Mark Cahill and Ray Comfort, are both very shy people in person. If you ever have the chance to meet them at conferences, or evangelism boot camps and talk to them one on one, you will notice how shy they are and not all that comfortable talking to a stranger. They will both admit that they are shy, yet they have shared the Gospel one on one with several 1000 complete strangers by now.

How can they do it, if they are shy? Simple: Love for the Lord, concern for the lost, and a humility that make them willing to risk rejection for the sake of the Gospel.

And the belief that people will be mad at you and reject you if you share the Gospel is a lie from the devil anyway. Out of the 1000 plus people I shared with, only 3, maybe 4 people were mad at me and rejected me. Of course the way you interact with the person, and present the Gospel affect their reaction to you. Basically I use the same approach as Mark Cahill:

I use an ice breaker, and I smile and chat in a very conversational, friendly way, and it shows that I find it fun, which make the other person smile. I build a rapport within a couple of minutes or less (it's all in the book: it will teach you how to make people enjoy talking with you), and swing the conversation toward spiritual things.

I listen to what they believe, ask polite `socratic' questions that challenge their beliefs. And then I share my belief with them by asking socratic questions (basically I make them say the Gospel to me: if they do not answer right, I gently correct their answers until they get it right) and using illustrations and analogies.

Now when my Gospel presentation is complete, I usually make them explain it back to me (to make sure they understood the Gospel). If they fail, I smile, very amused and tell them something like, "let's go through it again. It seemed like you missed the main point I was trying to make." It makes them pay attention.

Basically, once a lost person is able to explain the Gospel back to me, my job is done. The work of an evangelist is to share the Gospel so that the other person understands it, and remembers it. The work of the Holy Spirit is the actual conversion on the person. No evangelist can `make' a person convert. That is God's work.

A few times I had people who wanted to get saved on the spot, and I didn't lead them into the `sinner's prayer'. I just told them to go ahead and pray, and if this is a real conversion, the Holy Spirit will give them the right words to pray that will sound just like the sinner's prayer. That's why I don't do the `repeat after me' thing. If they are soundly saved they will not need to parrot a prayer, they will come up with a heartfelt one of their own , in their own words. And it's much more edifying for both of us than to have them repeat a formula, that's like reducing salvation to a magic incantation.

I learned so much from Mark Cahill. "One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven" was invaluable in making me into the seed sower I am today. Mark's example really was and always is an inspiration to me. I highly recommend his books, and please sign up for his free newsletter at his website for more tips on witnessing [...]

So, just go ahead and get this book, and go out and try it on strangers. You won't regret it.

Veronique

I have been leaving tracts places for years and giving them out with tips but not really giving them to people. I have always enclosed them in mail and Christmas cards. I have witnessed to people in person but I am feeling compelled to be bolder thanks to this book! God can only reach the lost through his body and we can not fail!

Mark Cahill did a great job of reminding the Christians that witnessing is not a option--it's our duty. He shows how to explain your faith in Jesus Christ with love and according to the Bible. I battled with the how-to's and making excuses, but his book made me realize that I can't lose by sharing my faith. It showed that God rewards all effort to win the lost--whether they accept Him right then and there, or not. He also gives some great suggestions for how to answer those tough questions like "HOW CAN THERE BE A GOD WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH EVIL AND SUFFERING IN THE WORLD?". I was really inspired and you will be too!

This book has been life changing for my family and I as well as my Bible study that uses this book as a platform to get people out and sharing the good news. It gets to the heart of why we need to get out there and spread the word as well as giving countless personal examples from the author. This book is a must read for every Christian!

Everywhere we go, from the second that we exit our homes, we walk on to the mission field that God has put us in. This book tells us the practical steps to walking on to that mission field and sharing the Gospel! It is not a theological book so much as it is to give us the tools and encouragement we need to be bold for Christ.

I absolutely loved this book! It is sooo encouraging and helpful for any Christian who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! It talks about how to build and share your faith and for the cheap price it's worth it! I mean com'on we've all spend $20.00 on a bad meal, why not use that for a great book!

I beleive; the hardest thing to do for a Christian; is to witness to others. But as hard as it is sometimes...it is our call as believers. Mark's book is a must have if you ever intend on sharing your faith. I have owned The One Thing...for 4 years. This is not a book to be read once...it is to be read & referred to time & time again as you grow in your boldness to share the Lord Jesus Christ with others....it will encourage, refresh & confirm why we are Christians....this really is Good News!!

This book is just as described. This author is on fire for God! We should all be. He describes some very practical ways to get the Gospel message out to unbelievers. This is a must read for anyone who is having difficulty witnessing to others.

This book is absolutely inspiring. I highly recommend it. Cahill shares many personal experiences that gives the reader ideas on how to share their faith. I plan on reading it over and over to keep the urgency of evangelism fresh in my mind.

Essentially it is an easy-to-read book that contains convicting truths that each of us is commanded to share our faith. It then proceeds to show you how to witness, with numerous examples and a wealth of knowledge that can make you a bold speaker for the Lord. God bless you as you read it.

The Good:

Cahill's passion and focus of winning the lost to Christ is refreshing, inspiring, and sorely needed in a day when Christendom at large appears to be more concerned and preoccupied with less eternally significant matters. Not only does Cahill motivate the reader to get busy winning the lost to Christ, but he also provides many "how to's" (i.e. conversation starters, penetrating questions to ask the lost, etc.) in becoming an effective evangelist. I think these aspects of his book are absolutely wonderful, and to them I found myself frequently saying alound "Amen!".

The Bad:

Unfortunately, Cahill redefines saving repentance (repentance wherein salvation from hell to heaven is the context/consequence) from it's biblical meaning of "change of mind" (Greek word metanoia), to "turning from sin" which is of course a work of man. In effect, Cahill is telling the lost person that in order to be born-again he must first reform his life (i.e. turn from his sins...which means to stop sinning), then place his trust in Christ. It's akin to telling somone to get cleaned up before they take a shower. Foolish. This is NOT a minor error, but rather strikes at the very heart of the Gospel. Cahill's salvation equation, therefore, would look like this:

Works (i.e. "turn from sin") + faith in Christ = salvation.

Such is not the Gospel of the grace of God (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Rom 4:4-5, etc.), but rather a gospel of REFORMATION--"another gospel" which the apostle Paul pronounced anathama upon anyone preaching it (Gal. 1:6-9). Such a gospel attempts to add works to grace for salvation, but God's Word will have none of it. Salvation is either by grace or it is by works, but it can't be by both (Rom. 11:6).

Overall:

Cahill has much good in his book, but tragically undoes all the good by presenting a gospel of reformation (i.e. false gospel by addition) to his readers...hence the one star rating. Those who believe his false gospel, if they've not been born-again prior to, will sadly go to Hell with bible in hand lest they repent of the error (i.e. change their mind), and place their trust alone in Christ and His finished cross-work alone for salvation.

NOTE: As the late Dr. Curtis Hutson stated, "There is no doubt that all men from Adam on have had to repent in order to have a right relationship with God. The importance of repentance is demonstrated by the fact that men of every biblical age preached it (e.g. John the Baptist--Mark 1:15; Apostle Paul--Acts 20:21; Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself--Luke 13:3). The problem is not in preaching saving repentance, but rather in giving the word an unbiblical definition."

There are many good books on salvation and how to share the Gospel. A few I could mention are "Salvation Crystal Clear" by Dr. Curtis Hutson, and "Secure Forever!" by Tom Cucuzza. Both excellent books! As for a biblical understanding of saving repentance, Ron Shea has done the heavy lifting for all of us on this subject. One can read his work on this subject (and many others) at his wonderful site Clear Gospel Campaign.