SUMMARY: Out of the Salt-Shaker and into the World

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Book Summary: Out of the Salt-Shaker and into the World
by Rebecca Manley Pippert

Book Summary:
Out of the Salt-Shaker and into the World
By Rebecca Manley Pippert
Publisher: InterVarsity Press Downers (Grove, IL)
Copyright 1980
Book Summary by Bonnie Taylor

This book - while written many years ago - is relevant today. The author encourages all Christians to live a life of evangelism. She doesn’t just tell you to do this and give a theoretical framework for it, but she also gives good examples of how to meet people where they are and to turn them towards Christ.

Pippert shows how the Pharisees thought they were good because they had knowledge. They valued knowledge, but not being Christ-like. They missed the point of the gospel and became more focused on following human interpretation, rather than on doing what God asked them.

Overall, the book moves from personal responsibility for evangelism to community responsibility for evangelism. God saved each one of us for a purpose and together we can reach our community for Christ. We need to live everyday as a child of a holy God who has changed our lives through the generous gift of His Son on the cross. He has called us to be salt and light in our world. To truly do that the author suggests we must get out of the salt-shaker and do our work.

There is great content in this book. Each chapter presents a challenge for both living and learning. The author also gives a bibliography of helpful resources for people to use in their own personal study of evangelism and preparing to become a ‘workman that needs not be ashamed of the Word of truth.’


Chapter 1 - Uptight in Barcelona
In this chapter the author shares her feelings and emotions about evangelism - about the tension of sharing Christ with friends and family. Does evangelism involve memorizing a gospel outline and verses to go with each point or could it be that evangelism involves getting into a friend’s life and really getting to know him or her and vice versa?

We often feel clumsy when it comes to sharing the gospel. Admitting mistakes, taking responsibility for our actions and looking to God for answers can have a dramatic impact on those around us.

If we were willing to develop an integrated Christian worldview of life then evangelism would take on a whole new focus for us. It would be an everyday thing. It would permeate our conversations as we shared God as a natural part of movies, classes, exams or boyfriends.

The author states: “Evangelism involves taking people seriously; getting across to their island of concerns and needs and then sharing Christ as Lord in the context of our natural living situations.” (Pg. 30)

Chapter 2 - Jesus the Evangelist
The author brings the absolute deity of Jesus to light as well as his humanity in this chapter. She shows how Jesus was a model for how we are to relate to the world.

It is a model of openness and identification. It is a model where you open your life enough to let people see you laugh and hurt and cry.

Jesus is presented as both delightful and exasperating. Gene Thomas is fond of saying, “Jesus is not your idle Rotarian.” He compelled people to make a decision. He made unabashed claims about who he was and what was truth.

The Pharisees, after seeing Jesus heal on the Sabbath, asked, “Who do you think you are - healing on the Sabbath? And Jesus answered, ‘The Lord of the Sabbath’” There were no more questions. (Pg. 43)

Chapter 3 - Jesus is Lord
“Becoming a Christian isn’t merely fire insurance, it’s a relationship that affects every aspect of our lives; values, lifestyle, sexuality ....” (pg.46) Becoming a Christian requires that change takes place in our life. Making Jesus Lord will be one of those changes. Whatever controls us is our Lord.

As we become more and more like Christ, it will be obvious who or what controls us. If we want people to see Christ in our daily lives, then we must let him be Lord of our life.

Many people tried to control and tempt Christ, but he never allowed them access into that area of his life. He said that what controlled him was his Father’s will and that he always obeyed Him. Therefore, people never were allowed to control his character or message.

Chapter 4 - A Question of Priority: Jesus and the Pharisees
This chapter deals with attitudes towards people, rules and spiritual things. It gives a picture of the Pharisees and the value they placed on the Tradition of the Elders - or the oral law. It shows how the Pharisees loved to debate and study and that they found the greatest value in knowledge - compared to Jesus - who loved the people and stated that the first and greatest commandment was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. And to love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Pharisees saw the unlearned as the most despised and accursed. To Jesus everyone is someone ... no little people, no hierarchy, just prodigal sons.

When we accept Christ as our Savior He dresses us in royal robes of righteousness—we are royalty walking on earth! As we engage in evangelism, we need to see those around us as potential royalty!

As you deal in the arena of evangelism, is it a religious activity or an activity of profound love?


“When we develop a way of living that places a special emphasis on people, that demonstrates holiness and a dedicated obedience to God, we can’t help but be an effective witness. Evangelism will flow from our lives instead of from memorized techniques.” (Pg. 65-66)

Chapter 5 - A Question of Holiness: Jesus and the Pharisees
How can we as Christians be involved in a non-believer's life? How are we to be different? Do you have a clear understanding of what holiness is?

The Pharisees drew on their understanding of holiness mainly from the Levetical Laws and the Tradition of the Elders. It was defined almost exclusively in terms of separation and purification.

This chapter deals with the conflict over the of definition and behavior of holiness. The Pharisees believed evil was essentially external in nature, not deriving from within as God states. Therefore, they believed holiness was demonstrated externally.

The Pharisees were unable to look inside and see lust, greed, jealousy, etc., as anything to keep them from being holy—as long as they didn’t act on their sinful, they felt they were okay. Associating with non-believers/sinners was an external thing, so people could be seen as ‘unholy’ if they associated with a sinner.

John Stott - in his treatment of the Sermon on the Mount - defines the difference in how Christians versus non-Christians act:


“A Christian’s character (for example, we thirst for righteousness, we are peacemakers, we are pure in heart); a Christian’s influence (we are salt and light in our communities); a Christian’s righteousness (we are conformed to God’s moral teaching); a Christian’s piety (which is marked by our sincerity of devotion); a Christian’s ambitions (we seek first the glory of God instead of self-centered material wealth and possessions); a Christian’s relationships (we do not judge others but we serve them, etc.,) and a Christian’s commitment (we obey Christ as Lord).” (Pg. 89)


What is holiness? How is it lived out?


“That is holiness. It never abandons; it identifies deeply with individual people. But it also brings the reality of God’s presence, the purity of his holiness. It is not intimidated by, nor does it flee from crisis; neither does it deny the reality of existence.” author, pg. 90

Chapter 6 - A Question of Obedience: Jesus and the Pharisees
Believing, deciding, accepting are all essential to making a decision for Christ. But, how often do we also note we are to be obedience to Christ - as our Lord is?

The Pharisees studied God. They valued knowledge above all else. They devised games and contests to see who had the most knowledge. The Pharisees did not understand two things: (1) Knowledge is not enough for salvation, (2) to know is not only to verbalize, it is to act as well.


What does it mean to obey? What do we obey? Why must we obey? How broad is the scope of our obedience?

Absolute and universal - we are called to obey the whole revelation of God.

Jim Wallis says this of the conversion experience:

“To convert means far more than to experience the psychological, emotional aspects of change through an inner experience. The biblical accent is clearly on a reversal of direction, a transfer of loyalties, a change in commitment leading to the creation of a new community .... It is a radical change in the whole of one’s life and in all of one’s relationships to the world ... we have forgotten that a relationship to Christ means a relationship to the purposes of Christ in history.” (Pg. 96)

Chapter 7 - Christ with Us
Once we have become a child of God we have Christ with us no matter where we go or what we do. Since God created man in his own image, we also can find Christ in others.

We must get to the place where we can go beyond our comfort zone and act as children of a great God. The presence of God brings us his power and ability to use our limited resources in his limitless ways. We need to really know God and how to be Christ-like in order to do his work.

We are dependent on the Holy Spirit to do Christ’s work. We need to be fed by the Word and let God bring the results. We do not simply give the gospel—we are the gospel.

Mother Teresa asks, “Do we know the poor in our family? Maybe the members of our family (or church, or college fellowship) are not hungry for a piece of bread, maybe they’re not naked or homeless, but do any of them feel unwanted or unloved ... the Missionaries of Charity care for the crippled and the unwanted, the dying and the hungry, the lepers and the alcoholics. But the poor come to all of us in many forms. Let us be sure that we never turn our backs on them—wherever we may find them. For when we turn our backs on the poor, we turn them on Jesus Christ.” (Pg. 112)

Chapter 8 - Practicing the Presence of Christ
We are to get out into the world - to be salt and light. God has made all of us unique. Our differences allow us to impact all kinds of people. Stepping out of our cocoon and into a world of sadness, hurts, cynicism and rejection can be tough. But God asks us to do so.

He wants us to get out of our Christian circles and meet our neighbors, co-workers and family members who don’t know Christ. We are to be salt and light to them.

The author summarizes these thoughts with this statement: “We know, in short, that Christ desires to have a radicalizing impact upon us and our relationships. But that impact is greatly aided when we live as we are called to live; no longer regarding anyone from a human point of view but desiring to see beneath the crust, to love people as they are with the gifts they have to bring and to care in ways that correspond to who we are as well. We are not insulated and isolated from the world but neither are we complacent and blind to its agonies and sorrows and the darkness of its heart. We are salt and light. We make a difference because we are different. And when we live before God as we truly are, he will change the world in which we live.” (Pg. 126)

Chapter 9 - Developing Conversational Style
How we respond and even approach others in conversation can open or close them to what we have to say. The author presents five principles critical to us becoming better communicators of our faith:


Exposing and Imposing - expose your faith, don’t impose it.
Taking it easy - we need to relax in our presentation.
Getting rid of ‘God talk’- learn to share the Christian message in plain language.
Asking leading questions - direct the conversation by asking questions, don’t be the person on the defense all the time.
Help people see holes in their own system - stimulate interest in the gospel by making them see that their current view of life has weaknesses (we must discover where people are and then take them seriously if we want them to hear us)


There are so many ways we can learn to share Christ’s love with those around us. We don’t have to change who we are to talk to others. We might have to work on reaching out, but we can learn to share the love of Christ and evangelize those around us in a very natural way.

God planned that all of us be salt and light in the world. We need to move out of a Christians Only life style and be part of the world we live in so that the lost can see Christ in us. Our conversation can be something that leads the lost to Christ. Our love and honor of them as ‘potential royalty’ will be surprising to them. God will use us in the everyday situations of life if we allow him to.

Chapter 10 - Three Conversational Models
In this chapter the author presents three different ways to get to the core of presenting the gospel. She ends the chapter with two examples of “closing the deal”—asking people if they are ready to make a decision for Christ.

Also presented is a suggestion that we tell people why they should not become a Christian. Don’t be afraid to tell them the cost of making Jesus Lord of their life. Life conversion requires something of us. It’s not just a “feel good” thing for that one time. It takes time to learn to live in God’s world in God’s way. The Holy Spirit leads not only to conversion but also on to holy living.


We need to begin asking God, “Is this the one? Is she the one you are seeking?”

God is waiting to use us to bring another to himself. We need to be prepared and ready to follow His leadership. Once we are ready to follow God’s prompting, one of the three conversational models might be helpful.

The models are:


Investigate, Stimulate, Relate - Discover who the person is. Ask questions, draw people out.


Concentric Circles - Donald Smith designed this model saying that during conversation it can be like peeling the layers of an onion away, this allows us to go deeper in to the mindset of a person. The layers are: general interest, specific interest, abstract or philosophical interest, theological layer.


Relationships, beliefs, epistemology - in this model you move again from an area of general interest to beliefs and then to the basis for our beliefs. In this final step, we can often prove that a person's opinion is just that, there is no substance to the reality of the point of discussion. We must be able to support the Gospel as we use it for our authority.

Chapter 11 - Giving Reasons for our Faith
Three areas of discussion are presented for thoughtful use in declaring our faith:


Historical evidence - People want to have evidence for what they believe. We need to have answers ready for some basic questions (Perhaps a 3x5 card with a question on the front and the proof-answer on the back would be helpful).

Philosophical evidence: Once again we need to able to answer some of the questions such as ‘How could a good God allow such evil in the world?' 'How can God allow children to be abused?' We need to have answers so that those we talk with can see God in our worldview (The author lists a number of books people can get to help them study and work out their answers.)

Personal evidence: You need to be able to share how God made a difference in your own life. People need to be able to see His work and you need to be able to verbalize it, always with the emphasis on what God has done.


All of our discussion must bring attention to Jesus. We want to move people to examine Him and His claims. The author calls this a head-and-heart Christianity.

Chapter 12 - The Witness of Community
God has created us for relationships. Only in community can we become fully alive, fully human, finding rest and completeness in the context of others; we learn who we are and can exercise the gifts God has given us.

What is the role of Christian community in evangelism? The author states the following, “Communities of Christians who practice what they preach arouse and stimulate curiosity in Jesus. When the teaching of Jesus is heard and demonstrated there will be impact.” (Pg. 166)

We need to have solid intellectual content in our communities, or we will be building on shifting sand. People need to hear and see God’s love, but they also need to hear God’s truth. As the author discusses throughout the book, we must develop a Christian worldview if we are to effectively evangelize our world for Christ.

If we think that God is relevant only in Bible study - and that is the only involvement we have with a seeker - then our witness will have little impact. Our Christianity must be a vital, all encompassing thing. Something that is the whole of our life—not just a piece of it.

The author states: “The ultimate aim, of course, is for our evangelism to flow naturally from our lives and thus reflect a style that is truly consistent with who they are.”


Churches can spend a great deal of time and money on evangelistic programs, but getting the members to live out their Christian lives in their neighborhoods and workplaces and leading people to Christ through, not only their lifestyle and love for them, but through their conversations and finally through asking them what they will do with the proof of who Jesus is - all this can have a great impact on a community, especially if it is a community of Christians doing this together!

Walter Trobisch says, “Evangelism might become your way of life.”

What I got most from this book:
So often we look at evangelism as a program, something we are to learn about and do for a certain period of time. This book really made me realize how important it is to live a Christ-like life.

We are created in God’s image. Once we become His child, we must display character traits of Him. People are looking for genuine love and friendship. Being a child of God allows - and demands - that we live that kind of life.

In thinking about a family member or co-worker and seeing them as ‘potential royalty’ was an eye opener for me. Everyone wants to be valued and have worth. If we begin treating those around us as either royalty - or potential royalty - people will see Christ.

We need to study and have answers for our beliefs, but we also need to meet people where they are. Value them, work with them from their belief systems and then lead them to Christ. Evangelism isn’t a program—it is a lifestyle!