Overview
The message of Power Evangelism has been embraced around the world, and the book that started it all has become a classic, with more than one million sold. In
2006, Christianity Today named it one of the 50 most significant Christian books to be published in the last 50 years. This revised and updated edition describes the releasing of God’s power through signs and wonders to refresh, renew, heal and equip His people. Drawing from the teaching of the New Testament and with illustrations from his own experience, Vineyard leader John Wimber persuades the reader to “yield control of our lives to the Holy Spirit.” Though Wimber died in 1997, his teaching continues to spread throughout the Vineyard movement, through the broader renewal movement and to Christians across the globe, even those who do not consider themselves Charismatic. Co-author Kevin Springer—also a Vineyard pastor—has found that in the years since its first publication, Power Evangelism has only grown, and the results continue to be explosive. This edition includes a chapter-by-chapter study guide and reflects changes Springer and other power evangelism practitioners have made in presentation—not in content—for readers in the new millennium.
JOHN WIMBER (1934 -1997) was a charismatic pastor and one of the founding leaders of the Vineyard Movement. He pastored Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship from 1977 to 1994, where he emphasized intimacy with God, authenticity in worship, and church planting, which he called “the best form of evangelism.” Wimber became a well-known speaker at international charismatic conferences, focusing on what he called “power evangelism” and healing through the power of the Holy Spirit. His bestselling books Power Evangelism and Power Healing continue to be widely read and to influence the next generation of ministry leaders.
Synopsis
Since its publication in 1986, the message of Power Evangelism has been embraced around the world. Terms such as "power encounter," "divine appointment" and "signs and wonders" are now common among Christians form a variety of different traditions. Countless books and review have been written defending or attacking its concepts, and seminaries have held theological symposiums to debate the pros and cons of power evangelism, which Wimber defined as "a presentation of the gospel that is rational but that also transcends the rational... a spontaneous, Spirit-inspired, empowered presentation of the gospel [that is] preceded and undergirded by demonstrations of God's presence."
John Wimber believed that God called rank-and-file believers to a powerful influence on the world, and in this revised and udpated version, he and Kevin Springer describe the releasing of God's power through signs and wonders to refresh, renew, heal and equip His people. Drawing from the teaching of the New Testament, and with illustrations from his own experience, Wimber demonstrates how the incredible power of God can manifest in our world when we submit control of our lives to the Holy Spirit. This new edition also includes chapter-by-chapter study guides for group and individual use and updates on how power evangelism is being used in the Church today.