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Book Review of Hell's Best Kept Secret

Hell's Best Kept Secret
Mahala avatar reviewed on + 192 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7


This is a great book! I highlighted many passages in my Bible with notes in the margin based on what I read in this book. Ray Comfort hits it right on the head! A must for anyone who cares about lost souls!

Book Description
Evangelical success is at an all-time low. Why are so many unbelievers turning away from the message of the gospel? Doesn't the Bible tell us how to bring sinners to true repentance? Using lively anecdotes from his own experiences, evangelist Ray Comfort presents the key that unlocks the door of men's souls. If you're experiencing evangelical frustration over lost souls, unrepentant sinners, and backslidden "believers," then look no further. This radical approach could be the missing dimension needed to win our generation to Christ. Discover the secret to leading others to genuine repentance, and make each moment of your life count for the kingdom of God!

About the Author
Ray Comfort, a native New Zealander, began his ministry with a burden for his lost friends. After attending the funeral of a fifth friend who had died from a drug overdose, Ray published an eight page pamphlet called "My Friends Are Dying." This pamphlet gained substantial publicity and was later expanded to a paperback book. As a result, Ray received many opportunities to speak to youth about the ultimate answer to the drug problem--Jesus Christ.

Shortly after this, Ray began praying for an opportunity to share his faith publicly. He soon learned his hometown, Christchurch, had recently legalized public speaking in the local square. Ray began preaching the gospel outdoors, and this became the daily focus of his ministry.

Ray has written more than 35 books and spoken at almost 700 churches. His ministry has included pastoring a church, hosting a Christian radio program, writing a newspaper column called Words of Comfort, and serving as a regular platform speaker at Southern Baptist State Conferences.

Ray lives in Bellflower, California, with his wife, Sue, and their three children.
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This little book on evangelism is the best I have ever read! In order for someone to have a genuine conversion to Christ, they must experience an inner conviction of their sin and their need of the Savior. Too many modern gospel presentations are "feel good". Jesus loves you so just come and accept Him! Sin or judgment or Hell is never even mentioned. If it is mentioned, it is only mentioned briefly and vaguely. Thus we have huge numbers of people who supposedly accept Christ, yet very quickly abandon their faith. They repeated words to accept Christ, but never realized WHY they needed Christ in the first place.

Ray Comfort uses the Ten Commandments to show people that they aren't as good as they thought. (Most people seem to think of themselves as basically good.) Ray creatively gets people to realize they have broken many (if not all) of the Ten Commandments. This is the core of the gospel - we are helpless sinners that need a Savior!

Not being able to admit our sinfulness is one of the biggest obstacles to people accepting Christ. "I'm as good as the next guy." "I've done my best. How could God reject me?" "My good outweighs my bad."

The book is very practical! It has usable, down-to-earth ideas for how to start spiritual discussions with people. Horrible at starting a conversation with anyone about anything? Yet alone the spiritual?! Don't despair. The book gives simple ideas for how to get started...

I think the primary reason I agree with this book so much is that it relates to how I became a Christian! I was raised in a very Christian home. Yet I struggled with my salvation for years. I said prayers to accept Christ more than once, yet I knew inside that I was not saved. I was not a new creation in Christ. I was full of fear and doubt. It frustrated me. Why didn't my prayers work?? Then a visiting preacher came to my church, and he emphasized sin and judgment in a way that I had never heard it before. For the VERY FIRST TIME, I felt the CONVICTION of my sin. I prayed to accept Christ and it "worked"! I knew I was saved without a doubt! For years before I had repeated prayers to accept Christ, but I NEVER had any conviction about my sin and my desperate need of salvation. (Even though I knew "all have sinned", I still thought of myself as a "good kid". Not as a sinner.) That is what was missing all those years!

I highly recommend this book. It is a quick, easy read - but both challenging and practical for learning how to share the gospel with people.
~ Amazon.com