When evangelizing, I am often tempted to think that I must fit everything into a single conversation. From experiences with our church’s evangelism group, however, it has quickly become apparent that I have a limited number of words with any given person before the conversation is over.

An evangelistic encounter is a matter of directing a conversation to what is most central, the gospel, and then trusting God to work by his Spirit in the hearts of those with whom we speak.

Being able to leave the tract What Is Truth? with the person I have just spoken to relieves some of the pressure to fill a conversation with too much talk. The tract can be read later, inviting them to search for the truth from the right source. If I sense the conversation is coming to a close, I’ll say something like, “The truth is incredibly important, because if we do not know the truth about God and ourselves, our lives are lived based on a lie. Could I leave this with you for you to read later on?” It is a great opportunity for that person to consider our conversation and read solid content on an introductory level that directs them to Christ and his Word.

During one conversation with a committed Quaker couple, I was left without words by their response to my presentation. After I shared what the Bible teaches concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ, they simply replied, “We’ve heard that before, we understand that is what you believe, but that is not what we believe.” In retrospect, I could have responded in many helpful ways that pointed to the gospel, but in that moment, I was too stunned. I was, however, able to leave them a copy of What Is Truth?

More and more, I encounter similar responses to the gospel, which makes this tract all the more crucial in our evangelistic efforts. In our conversations, people must be confronted with the reality of absolute truth revealed by the absolute God. What Is Truth? is a valuable tool to that end because it addresses where the truth is found. A good tract communicates central gospel content, calls people to turn to Christ in faith, and encourages them to read the Scriptures. But the strength of this tract is that it invites each person to search for the truth in Christ, revealed in his Word, in the context of a faithful church.

Reformed theology rightly emphasizes the importance of preaching the Word of God, which should certainly impact our approach to outreach and evangelism. This tract is consistent with our theology and practice in that it invites the reader to “come and hear,” that they might be welcomed into a church where Christ is faithfully preached from his Word, and the unbeliever is surrounded by those who encourage and nurture him as he seeks the truth.    

The author is pastor of Calvary OPC in Ringoes, New Jersey. A version of this article first appeared on outwardOPC.org. What Is Truth? can be purchased from store.OPC.org. New Horizons, March 2022.