However, despite my best efforts, I constantly encountered obstacles, like disinterest and busy schedules. After a full semester of striving to create opportunities to share Christ, I felt discouraged. I decided to shift my approach.

I chose instead to commit to prayer. I wrote three students’ names on a 3×5” notecard and dedicated myself to praying for them. What happened next was truly remarkable! 

Within one week of praying, each of those women independently knocked on my door seeking help. Emily needed advice after failing a class. Audrey was in tears because she missed her family. Ashley surprisingly confessed, “I heard you were a Christian, and I want to get back into my faith this semester.” 

From those interactions, we started a Bible study for our hallway. God brought each freshman woman to my room for that meeting at least once. I had a chance to talk to each one about my faith.

It was clear God was at work. The moment I stopped striving in my own strength and started inviting God to move, He responded powerfully. 

This taught me a profound lesson about sharing my faith with others. It isn’t about our efforts but rather the Holy Spirit moving in the hearts of people around us. We should be willing to recognize that and boldly share Christ in God’s strength. That starts with being open to a form of evangelism that’s based on prayer and radically personal.

What is Personal Evangelism?

Have you ever wondered what personal evangelism means? Maybe you’ve heard it mentioned in church or in conversations among Christian friends. But you’ve never quite grasped its full significance. 

Barna Group states that over half of Christians in the United States feel they are called (that is, that it is their responsibility) to share their faith with others. Given this widespread conviction, Christians like you and me need to become equipped with effective and practical approaches. Why? This type of preparation transforms the desire to share Jesus into action.

At its core, personal evangelism is about sharing your Christian faith through personal interactions as you foster genuine connections with others. Consider this blog post a guide––a walkthrough that will equip you with insights and methods for sharing the gospel with others. For a general definition of evangelism (what it means and what it is), read this.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to enhance your approach, in this blog post you’ll find valuable strategies to help you engage in effective personal evangelism. These strategies will help you nurture relationships that could lead to spiritual transformation in the lives of the people around you.

Understanding Personal Evangelism

Let’s dive into what this is all about.

Personal evangelism is essentially sharing your faith in Jesus Christ through one-on-one interactions. Unlike large-scale evangelistic events, personal conversations allow for the development of deep, meaningful relationships.

We all treasure authentic connections. It’s what makes the personal evangelism method so powerful. 

Biblical examples of personal evangelism

The New Testament consistently lays the biblical foundation for evangelism. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 challenges every believer to “go and make disciples.” Acts 1:8 reminds us that we “will be His witnesses.” Romans 10:15 powerfully asks, “how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” The call to reach others with the gospel is clear, motivating all believers to share their faith. 

The Bible also offers numerous examples of personal evangelism. Consider Jesus’ conversations with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-26) and the story of Zacchaeus––the man who climbed a tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:1-9). 

These instances illustrate why it’s important to distinguish the individual contexts and needs of the people we’re trying to reach with the gospel. 

For Jesus, evangelism was personal. There’s value there. Your personal story plays a pivotal role in sharing Christ. Sharing how your faith in Jesus has brought you peace and hope can resonate deeply with others. That’s why taking the time to prepare to share it with others is so important.

You can find a solid list of evangelism Bible verses here.

Preparing for Effective Personal Evangelism

Preparation is key for effective one-on-one evangelism. It starts with aligning your heart with God through prayer. Seek guidance from the Holy Spirit, both for yourself and for those you hope to reach. Remember, personal evangelism is about more than sharing information; it’s about fostering a relationship with God. 

Understanding your audience in advance is crucial. 

• Be prepared to ask open-ended questions to invite dialogue and deepen the connection. 
• Be ready to listen to their stories and perspectives and tailor your message to make it relatable. 

• Equip yourself with the right resources. It can make all the difference. Pull up tools like the Jesus Film Project^® app so you have quick access to clips of the JESUS film or short films to enhance your message. These materials have the potential to capture people’s attention and spark conversations. They bridge the gap between your message and your audience’s understanding. 

As you prepare, focus on spiritual readiness, understanding your audience, and prepare to use effective tools for personal evangelism. Also look into effective methods for personal evangelism (I’ll share some below). Having done this, you can approach any situation with a readiness to share the gospel both confidently and compassionately.

Engaging in Personal Evangelism

To engage in personal evangelism, you’ll want to build authentic relationships first. They set the stage for meaningful conversations. 

You can start by trying to understand the person you’re sharing the gospel with and show them genuine care. In this way, you open the door to spiritual discussions. When people feel valued, they are more receptive to discussing their faith. 

Initiating these conversations doesn’t have to be daunting. As you build a friendship, over time try for deeper conversations. Ask open-ended questions like, “What do you think about the role of faith in our lives today?” This will invite dialogue and help you connect with others on a personal level.

Make it a common practice to invite this kind of dialogue. When you arrive at the gospel, it will feel like a natural extension of the conversations you’ve already been having.

Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful tool in personal evangelism. In this case, you are telling your story––the experiences in your life that have drawn you to Christ.

Share personal experiences during which your faith comforted you or led to transformative moments. Your stories can serve to illustrate the impact of faith and invite others to explore their own beliefs about their experiences with faith. 

I’ve had the opportunity to share stories of trusting God in the midst of hardship and grief. 

When I lost my dad, God deepened my compassion for others walking through difficult seasons. That experience became a bridge to share the gospel with friends and family. God can use even our most painful moments to shine His light through us to those around us.

By prioritizing relationships, thoughtfully initiating conversations, and using storytelling, you create a welcoming environment for spiritual discussions. This will make your personal witnessing more effective.

Methods of personal evangelism

Three powerful methods for personal evangelism are lifestyle evangelism, friendship evangelism, and initiative evangelism. 

Lifestyle evangelism involves intentionally living out your faith through your daily activities, hobbies, and community involvement. This naturally opens doors for deeper spiritual conversations. 

When my kids were young, I volunteered my time at a preschool in New Zealand. I wasn’t doing anything extraordinary—just living out my faith in everyday moments. One day, when my friend Lucy’s daughter had a sudden seizure, she called me from the emergency room to ask me if I would come to pray for her daughter. 

I was deeply moved. The way she had seen my faith lived out made a real impact. We prayed together at her daughter’s bedside, and in those sacred moments, our friendship deepened in a powerful and lasting way.

Friendship evangelism focuses on building genuine relationships with people over time. Mutual care and shared experiences create a foundation for discussing matters of faith. 

I had a neighbor who shared that she would like to go back to church. Something was holding her back. I opened my home and my ears to listen and let her tell me the story. After our conversation, she felt free to come back to church with me. She has been coming to church with us for a few months now and we have continued the faith conversations.

Initiative evangelism is about being prepared to share the gospel with those you might not know personally, like a stranger you encounter on any given day. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading when someone appears open to hearing about Jesus. 

God can speak to you through your conscience. If you notice someone near you who might need practical help, take a step to help them. You can then transition into a spiritual conversation.

I’ve had several meaningful conversations with strangers on airplanes. Many times, they’ve shared their stories with me. It’s opened the door to talking about spiritual things. 

I haven’t always been able to fully share the gospel, but I’ve been able to plant seeds of faith. In 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul says, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” Just by being available and dependent on God, He has used me in those moments. 

Be yourself

God has uniquely gifted each of us. For that reason, our evangelism styles will vary. Some may share their faith through service, while others may do so by sharing their testimonies. Regardless of your method, always be authentic.

Overcoming Challenges in Personal Evangelism

While sharing Christ with others can be deeply rewarding, it also comes with challenges. There are times I have feared how I might be perceived. I have also feared rejection and judgment. 

There’s often a misconception that you need extensive theological knowledge or exceptional speaking skills to evangelize. Remember that sharing the gospel is about genuine relationships and heartfelt conversations, not scripted presentations. Sharing your own faith journey can resonate deeply with others and break down barriers. People might challenge your beliefs, but no one can take away your story.

When faced with objections or questions, approach the conversation with empathy and an open heart. Listen actively and engage thoughtfully. Sometimes asking questions that encourage reflection can lead to meaningful discussions. Building a supportive community with like-minded believers can also enhance your confidence and effectiveness in personal evangelism.

Overcoming obstacles

Overcoming challenges in personal evangelism requires addressing common fears, understanding how to navigate objections, and cultivating a strong, supportive community. 

To conquer fears, begin with earnest prayer, asking God for boldness, open doors, wisdom, and grace. Reflect on the source of your anxieties and memorize Scriptures like 2 Timothy 1:7. Choose to shift your focus away from fear. 

When faced with a question you can’t answer, it’s acceptable and even wise to admit, “I don’t know. Let me find out and get back to you.” This actually allows you to find the answer, and bring the conversation back up with your friend.

Cultivate a community of others who are engaged in evangelism. You can share stories with one another and encourage each other to stay the course. It’s exciting to hear what fellow Christians are experiencing.

Embracing these practical steps will significantly boost your confidence in sharing your faith, enabling you to create a positive and lasting impact on those you encounter.

3 Practical Tips for Personal Evangelism

Opportunities to share Jesus often happen in the everyday moments of our lives. Whether you’re chatting with coworkers, friends, or even strangers, there are countless opportunities to share your faith. 

2. Ask questions

Start with questions to kickstart meaningful conversations. I have used these questions to transition into a spiritual conversation:

• What are your thoughts on faith?
• What gives you hope when things get tough?
• Do you believe everything happens for a reason? 
• Did you grow up in a particular faith tradition? 
• How have your views on God changed over the years?

3. Share online

In today’s digital age, social media and technology offer avenues for being a witness for Christ. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow you to share your faith with a broader audience. Post personal testimonies, inspirational quotes, or links to content like the JESUS film to engage your friends in conversation about the movie. Invite them to share their thoughts about the film and foster meaningful discussions. 

Following up with friends after a social media post about your faith is crucial. If someone shows interest, reach out with a message. Invite them to explore faith further, perhaps over a coffee or by attending church together. Follow up with them regularly. Consistent follow-up shows genuine care for their spiritual journey.

Be consistent

Remember, engaging in effective personal evangelism is about building relationships and sharing your own faith journey. Use the available resources and be patient, as not everyone responds immediately. Your consistent efforts and genuine care will guide others in exploring their faith more deeply.

Resources and Next Steps

To excel in personal evangelism, having the right resources is essential. There are many helpful resources you can find to help you share the Gospel. Combining these tools with your personal testimony can make a significant impact as you share with others. This invites your friends and family to explore the hope and salvation Jesus offers.

• Four Spiritual Laws by Cru^®
• Romans Road from For the Gospel
• Steps to Peace with God by Billy Graham
• GodTools App from Cru
• The JESUS Film 

For insights into the power of film in sharing Christ, read more here. Consider participating in training programs and workshops designed to enhance your evangelism skills. These structured courses teach practical skills, like understanding cultural contexts and mastering the art of storytelling in outreach. Hands-on experiences, role-playing, and group discussions will allow you to practice in a supportive environment. 

Look for local or online opportunities to fit your schedule. Invest time in becoming more effective in sharing Jesus with others.

Building connections with local churches and evangelism groups can provide essential support and resources. Many congregations have outreach ministries where you can collaborate with others passionate about sharing the gospel. Joining these groups offers mentorship and encouragement, helping you grow in your faith-sharing journey. 

Remember, this is all about genuine relationships. Each conversation you have is an opportunity to reflect Christ’s love and grace. This makes a lasting impact on those you encounter. 

Dive into the available resources, connect with your community, and watch your evangelism efforts unfold. This will bring transformative experiences to you and to those you reach.

Ready to start?

I have many stories I could share in regard to one-on-one evangelism. There have been times when the transition from a casual conversation to the gospel has been seamless. There have been times when I’ve tried to share the message but haven’t been able to. 

I have seen strangers pray to receive Christ with me on the spot. I have seen friends pray to receive Christ after years of conversations and debates. All of those experiences have one thing in common: trusting God. Only the Holy Spirit can move in the hearts of people.

This week, commit to taking a courageous step of faith. Maybe you could start with a 3×5” prayer card in your pocket with some names on it. 

Let God work. 

Choose one barrier that has held you back from sharing your faith and intentionally move beyond it. Trust God to work through you.

“As Christians, we must be evangelizing to our friends, neighbors and co-workers,” I’d hear the pastor or evangelist say. And I would usually nod in agreement, along with much of the congregation. But, honestly, if asked, I couldn’t give you the definition of “evangelism.”

Was my pastor challenging us to travel from city to city, preaching the Word of God? Was he saying we needed to be calling people to repentance on street corners or handing out gospel tracts wherever we went? 

Although the word itself has a somewhat simple definition, what it means for Christians like us to understand and apply it involves much more. 

What is evangelism?

There are many definitions of the word “evangelism” out there, and most of them sound similar to one another. Personally, I like how simply Christianity.com puts it in this article: 

Before diving deeper into the definition of evangelism, it’s important to understand what the gospel is. The word “gospel” means “good news,” and that’s what we’re sharing when we evangelize—the good news that Jesus came to the world to restore our relationship with God. 

Like many words common to the Christian faith, the root of the word “evangelism” comes from the Greek language. An article by Ligonier sums it up well: “[Evangelism] comes from the same Greek word for gospel (euangelion) and means, literally, ‘gospeling.’ When we evangelize, we are ‘gospeling’—we are spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

This video sums up the topic of evangelism very well:

What does the Bible say about evangelism? 

Naturally, God’s Word has a lot to say about evangelism. From the beginning, the Bible paints a clear picture: God is on a mission to redeem the world, and He invites His people to participate. Evangelism is not a modern church invention—it was rooted in God’s plan from the start. 

God’s Word is full of examples of people sharing the message of hope in Jesus. The Old Testament contains many biblical prophecies announcing the coming of the Messiah, the One who would restore mankind’s relationship with God after sin entered the world. And when this Messiah, Jesus, does come to the world, people proclaim Him throughout the New Testament. 

Here are just a few places in the New Testament where the Bible talks about evangelism: 

• John 4:28-42 – After her life-changing encounter with Jesus at the well, the Samaritan woman rushes back to her village to tell others. Her testimony leads many to believe in Him, and to seek Him out themselves. She models a natural, heartfelt response to encountering Christ: “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did.”

• Acts 1:8 – Before ascending to heaven, Jesus commissions His disciples with these words: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem… and to the ends of the earth.” This verse encourages and inspires Christians towards global evangelism. 

• 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 – The apostle Paul shares the method he adopted in order to  reach as many as possible. “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” His approach to sharing the gospel was to be as relatable as he could to those he was preaching to so that he could reach them. Paul’s example reminds us that evangelism may take different forms, but the goal remains the same—pointing people to Jesus.

Three modes of evangelism: 

Not all evangelism looks the same. Sometimes we share our faith with someone close to us. Other times, we have the chance to share the gospel with strangers. And often, the way we live in Christian community can speak volumes. 

In Modes of Evangelism, an evangelism resource from Cru, Keith Davy shares three ways Christians can be witnesses of Christ’s love. These are not step-by-step methods, but perspectives that help us see how God works through us to reach the world with His good news. 

Whichever mode of evangelism you find yourself participating in, God can use you to bring the hope of Jesus to others. These modes are not stand-alone—they often overlap with each other. The key is to be available to share the gospel and to trust that God can and will work through you to draw people to Himself. 

Who should evangelize?

The church I attended as a child and into young adulthood placed a strong emphasis on missions, particularly foreign missions. I recall joyfully participating in several giving campaigns every year to support missionaries and mission projects in countries with limited access to the gospel. I would listen to these missionaries with a sense of wonder. I remember thinking how special they must be for God to have chosen them to preach His Word across the world. 

In that setting, it’s easy to assume that evangelizing is for “those people”—the ones God calls to evangelism through some significant or miraculous experience. But evangelism is not just for those who have had a special or unique “calling” experience. Evangelism is something every follower of Jesus is called to. 

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives one last commandment to His followers, urging them to “go and make disciples of all nations…” This command, often called the Great Commission, was a command to those who heard it for themselves and to those of us who read His words centuries later. 

If we call ourselves Christians, we must follow Jesus’ commands, and that includes His command to make more Jesus-followers. That means you and I, and everyone else who calls Jesus Lord, are called to actively evangelize.

How do I evangelize?

Now that we understand that it is our mission to evangelize, what comes next? Do we head to the nearest street corner and begin loudly proclaiming the gospel? Do we buy a pack of gospel tracts and begin leaving them around for people to find? Do we hold a prayer meeting with a call to repentance in our office breakrooms? 

There are a few ways you can begin to engage in evangelism if you have never done it before. My advice? Start small. While you may find the courage to preach to a large crowd about Jesus right now, it’s more likely—and more realistic—to begin with those around you. Let’s take a look at some ways you can start evangelizing now: 

No matter how we choose to begin, whether it’s with a friend, an invitation to church or through a post online, what matters most is our willingness to share. At the heart of evangelism is our love for Jesus and a desire for others to know Him too. 

Why is it hard to evangelize? 

Evangelism can be challenging for several reasons. Opening up about our faith can feel deeply personal, and introducing such a vulnerable topic can be hard even with trusted friends. Fear of rejection is also a big reason many Christians do not open up about their faith. 

There are also outside factors that make evangelism difficult, such as language barriers, cultural differences, and in some places, even laws against sharing the gospel. 

If you find it difficult to evangelize, you are not alone. Many people find the idea of sharing their faith in Jesus pretty nerve-wracking, while others have no problem doing so. I tend to find myself in the first category, nervous even at the thought of talking to someone about Jesus. 

When I experience this, I have to remind myself that God does not ask me to be eloquent or to speak perfectly. I don’t need to be well-versed in theological debate. It’s not up to me to change anyone’s heart, and I couldn’t do that if I tried. My job is simply to be open about my faith, to start the conversation and to share about what Jesus means to me. 

Like anything worth doing well, evangelism takes practice. 

And thankfully, God does not leave us to figure it out on our own. When we find evangelism hard, we can ask Him to reveal ways we can share His love with others. 

There are a number of ways to overcome barriers to the gospel. We can navigate language barriers by using gospel-sharing resources in multiple languages, such as the JESUS film or shorts on the Jesus Film Project app (there is also a helpful video series on how to use the app here). Resources like Cru’s Soularium and the GodTools app are also great tools to naturally start conversations about the gospel. 

This video also gives us another practical approach to sharing the gospel with anyone, anywhere: 

Although it can be challenging, as Christians, we must always be ready to share with someone the reason for the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15) and to point to Jesus when the opportunity arises. 

Evangelism: starting where you are  

When you think of the word “evangelism,” what comes to mind? 

Maybe you think of noteworthy evangelists like Billy Graham or Bill Bright, the founder of Cru. And names like these do fit the image of an evangelist. But they aren’t the only ones. 

Personally, when I think of someone who evangelizes well, the first person who comes to mind is my grandmother—I called her Guela. As a hair stylist, my Guela Elsie considered the clients she served to be her congregation. As she snipped and trimmed, she shared the hope of Jesus to every person who sat in her swivel chair. She would listen to their stories, share her testimony and pray with them. And when she retired, she spent her days walking the streets of Orlando, sometimes over seven miles a day in the summer heat, sharing the gospel and praying for anyone willing to take her up on it. 

My point is that it doesn’t take a three-point sermon or a well-rehearsed speech to share your faith. Start small. Invite someone you know who doesn’t follow Jesus out to coffee or lunch and share your story. 

If you can talk about how Jesus has changed your life, then you are ready to evangelize. 

If you found this post helpful and would like to dive deeper into the topic of evangelism, take a look at these Jesus Film Project blogs: 

• Equipping Yourself for Evangelism 
• What is Digital or Online Evangelism
• Sharing the Gospel: 7 Tips and Tactics

Soon after, I began to hear “missional community” more and more often in Christian circles. There’s nothing new under the sun, and trends come and go, sadly even in the Christian church. But missional community, I’ve found over time, is not a new trend and it’s not a buzzword. 

Missional community––or living missionally in community––is Biblical. And God wants us to live our lives within missional communities for one important reason: through them, we strive together to be living examples of His love and share the gospel. In community, we are spiritually strengthened for the mission of being light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16).

I can now understand why my friend was so saddened that those in her church weren’t making an effort to live missionally together. But in the absence of a church body to align with this passion for missional community, I believe we can and should invite others to live missionally with us and in this way build missional communities of our own.

Understanding Missional Community

What is a missional community?

I’ve observed that many people in the church (myself included) are almost always crying out for community. We want to gather with other Christians who share similar interests and with whom our lives coincide. That’s not always possible. We live far from church, our schedules don’t line up, or when they do, we realize we don’t have anything in common––at least with those in the Bible study located closest to us. 

We seek community for a mutual building up of our faith, and rightly so. We’re looking for Godly friendships, accountability, a place to grow and “do life together.” As good as these things are, when we talk about missional community, these benefits are not the driving force. They’re not supposed to be.

A missional community is a group of Christians who does life together, but do so with the intent to share Jesus. A missional community enriches our desire for community, turning that desire outward for the sake of the world.

Our alignment centers around our mutual inclination to help others experience the love of Jesus. 

Missional communities in the Bible

The Acts 2 church

John Frederick David, of The Lausanne Movement, has this to say about the apparent newness of missional communities: 

“Missional communities aren’t a new program or strategy, but a return to how the early church lived out their faith, as described in Acts 2:42-47, where their communal life and devotion to God attracted others to the faith.” 

In his article on missional communities, David calls it crucial to the spread of the gospel. And indeed, as we see it in Acts 2:42-47, we owe the growth of the early church and those being saved to missional communities. 

What were the earliest Christian communities like? They were both extremely communal and missional at once. The early church sought one another out at every turn, for encouragement during persecution, for a place to gather and discuss Jesus. They shared meals, met needs, worshiped and prayed side by side. They sustained each other physically and spiritually.

The early church thrived because they lived out their faith together in community. But it was their penchant for gathering together “with glad and sincere hearts” as they praised God that made all the difference. I can only imagine it promoted an environment that drew people in and nurtured their first steps of faith in Christ. 

They shared the gospel, the good news of Jesus, with their lives.

The joy of missional community living

Missional community not only enriches our lives but also serves as a powerful form of Christian witness. It’s the love of the gospel modeled between Christians for the world to see. 

One of our writers, Alexandra Rodriguez, sums it up well in this blog post:

I’m reminded of one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Psalm 133, where the psalmist reflects:

A missional community is a picture of the gospel to a world that yearns for true community––love, forgiveness, peace and unity through Christ. The reason for our displays of humility, gentleness and unity? To live worthy of the calling to which we have been called––the mission of the gospel (Ephesians 4:1-6). But also as proof that we are truly Jesus followers.

Jesus said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).” 

Missional community—what it’s not

It seems to me that in order to have impact, missional communities don’t operate in exclusivity and don’t meet only to serve their members. Their love for each other and the genesis of that love––a Godly pursuit of Jesus––is visible and palpable to the world around them. That being said, there are a few important things to note that missional community is not.

A Bible study

Is a missional community the same as a Bible study? If our sole purpose is to read the Bible with other Christians and discuss it, then no, we’re not quite being a missional community. We’re learning and growing together, for sure, but it’s when we apply what we’re learning beyond the walls of our meeting room that we begin living missionally together. 

This means we regularly talk to others (and not just believers) about the truths we find in Scripture and how they’re changing us with the help of the Holy Spirit. We pray together for those unreached with the gospel, at home and abroad. 

A regular church event

As a community of believers dedicated to glorifying God and making disciples, missional community gatherings are not simply weekly events to attend. 

I’m not rejecting the church’s participation in missional community or our participation in church events that are community-focused. We should definitely attend community outreaches hosted by our church. Our churches should be missional churches––and many are. 

But a missional community church sees its greatest missional activity outside of church walls and beyond church programs, because those who benefit from it can’t or won’t come to church. 

Surely you and I both know people who cannot or will not participate in a “church event.” Now imagine your group of friends, largely believers, deciding to meet up once a week at a local coffee shop and you invite anyone to join, including your friends who don’t know Jesus. It’s not an event. It’s life. That’s a missional community.

It’s not another item on the social calendar, a responsibility to tick off the list or somewhere to go on a weeknight or a weekend. This perspective shifts our focus from treating church as a place we attend to being the church out in the world. 

Small groups and life groups

It’s great to find common ground and attend weekly gatherings where we make lifelong friends. However, often for these groups the purpose is to find community only with each other. And life groups that solely aim for the feeling of community can fizzle out for lack of stronger motivation.

In this article from The Gospel Coalition, Pastor Todd Engstrom puts it this way: 

This doesn’t mean that small groups and life groups can’t evolve into missional communities. 

I’m in awe of a family of four in my church that has done this well. Although he is an elder and she is heavily involved in church, every second and fourth Sunday of the month they open up their home for lunch and fellowship. Their goal? To discuss and plan ways everyone in the group can reach out to their neighbors with the message of the gospel. This includes inviting their neighbors for dinner, checking in on them and welcoming them to church any given Sunday. 

In seeing the need to reach out to their own neighbors, this family made their life group about everyone reaching out to their neighbors! And they include their two children. More importantly, the purpose of the life group extends beyond those who attend it. Its purpose lives on as long as those who attend it have neighbors who need to know Jesus.

An irregular gathering of strangers

A missional community functions like an extended family who regularly prays, engages in Bible study, shares meals, has fun, supports each other, but above all is dedicated to reaching their friends and neighbors with the love of Jesus. We’re talking about a collection of missional Christians with a vision and mission of community.

Missional communities:

• have family-like bonds, sharing their lives, resources and responsibilities.
• actively participate in God’s mission; they both proclaim the gospel and demonstrate it with their lives.
• are focused on a specific context, with many serving a particular neighborhood or a network of relationships.
• are held together by their commitment to each other and the mission.
• are empowered by the Holy Spirit; they rely on God’s guidance and strength in everything.

Missional community and discipleship

In this Desiring God article, writer Jeff Vandestelt centers on this idea of family or missional families over life groups or Bible study groups. “A missional community is a family of missionary servants who make disciples who make disciples. … The missional community is the best context in which this can happen.”

It’s not lost on me that, through their missional community, the family at my church is discipling other families as well as modeling how to share the gospel and disciple others. Their lives are not hidden away. They share it all, the good and the bad. They make their need for Jesus evident and long for others in their community to realize their need for Him as well. 

We live missionally in our communities when we share every part of us, including our ever-evolving walk with Christ and how He changed us and continues to change us to be more like Him, often through trials and challenging relationships. 

Missional communities are the foundation of missions abroad. In fact, one Jesus Film Project^® resource, Knowing Jesus, relies on missional communities to multiply the gospel. People in unreached places gather in small groups to go through this curriculum. As they grow in Jesus through the material, they also learn to build new missional communities where they can lead others in knowing Jesus. In this way, the gospel spreads in community, as it did in Acts 2. 

Who should take part in missional community? 

Everyone––all of us––every single Christian, from oldest to youngest. Sometimes the busyness of work and home, of raising a family, can make it seem like missional living is not for us. 

Missional community is for singles, spouses, friends and families. 

For many single people, making new friends, maintaining friendships and finding one’s spouse can take top priority in where we commit the most energy. But I believe Christians can find these blessings in missional communities as well, all the while living out the Great Commission together.

Missional community living is meant to happen at home too. Here’s a great insight from John Fredrick David’s article on missional communities on The Lausanne Movement website.

“In 1 Corinthians 7:12-16, Paul highlights how a believer’s faithful conduct can have a sanctifying influence on their unbelieving spouse, potentially leading to their salvation. This demonstrates that the proclamation of the gospel’s power should not be confined to verbal proclamation, but must also be manifested in the daily lives and loving interactions of believers.”

Our families are the perfect nucleus for missional living and the best starting line for a missional community. For a great way to start conversations with your family about what it means to live on mission, download and explore our free resource Life on a Mission: A Family Devotional. This five-day devotional for families includes a coloring page, discussion questions and tips for living on mission.

Participating in Missional Community

How to build missional communities

Serve together

One of the most impactful and simplest ways to begin to practice missional community with others is to serve together. This could involve:

• Organizing or participating in local outreach events. Partner with schools, shelters or food banks to coordinate fundraising or community drives. Sign up for a Saturday shift. I guarantee you other families or groups of friends will show up as well. Model the love of Jesus and engage in conversation while you serve. Consider collecting supplies for Unto, Cru’s humanitarian ministry. 

• Hosting community meals or block parties. Your home may not be large enough for hosting meals or a barbecue, but maybe the community center is, or your neighborhood pool. A block party can be complicated if your neighborhood requires permits, but instead of blocking the street, you could suggest a set of street “open houses” in which several neighbors open up their homes for the afternoon, one for lunch and another for dessert. Invite friends from church to bring a dish to share and introduce them to your neighbors. Have them return the favor next month when you get to meet their neighbors.
  
• Offering tutoring or mentorship programs. Many students do poorly in school and their parents cannot afford to provide them with a tutor. Could you step in and help someone you know? Other children just need a place to wait after the bell rings while their parents finish their work. Can you and your children model what a Christian family looks like to those children a couple of hours a week? 
  
  I once volunteered for a literacy program and became fast friends with the older gentleman I read alongside every week at the library. We certainly visited the same local library, but if not for the literacy program wouldn’t have met. Even though I attended the program by myself, it was a great opportunity for me to live missionally by tapping into my community. 

These practical acts of love unite us around a common goal as well as meet tangible needs. Events and programs within the community are ideal soil for initiating new relationships, and these relationships may one day present an open door to sharing the gospel. Until then, it allows us to live according to Ephesians 5:8-10, as children of light, showing goodness, righteousness and truth.

More missional community ideas

Consider these three missional community ideas that others have found effective: 

1. Neighborhood prayer walks – praying for your community while walking through it.
2. Cultural events – celebrating local festivals of holidays and finding ways to point back to the message of the gospel.
3. Book clubs – gathering to read books that spur on thoughtful discussion and allow people to connect on a deeper level as they share their experiences, hopes and struggles.

Do these spark any ideas? Can you do something similar in your community? 

In this article from The Gospel Coalition, Pastor Engstrom defines a missional community this way: “A community of Christians, on mission with God, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, who demonstrate the gospel tangibly and declare the gospel creatively to a pocket of people.”

Look for promising pockets of people who not only need to hear about God’s love but need to experience it firsthand through your kindness and investment in their lives.

If I’ve successfully thought of pockets of people who need Jesus, I’ve already done half the work. Now I can look for promising pockets of time, energy, creativity and skill unique to me, me and my spouse, or to me and my family and friends, that could help me love others well and draw them to Jesus. And if there’s at least one other person who might be passionate about doing it with me, I can bring them along.

Overcoming challenges to missional community

We can expect regular challenges to living in missional community, from lack of transportation to lack of interest from our friends, and sometimes even from our church family. Even if everything lines up, the people and the means, living missionally in community will require extra creativity on our part. Sometimes it will require planning, pre-planning and rescheduling, as well as an intentional effort to make it happen regularly. 

Busy lives

The regular rhythms of our lives are typically the biggest challenges to our spiritual pursuits.  We’ll encounter conflicting schedules, limited resources and even waning enthusiasm. Maybe in this season of life, you’re caught up in caring for young children or aging parents. You may be starting a business or be absorbed in keeping one afloat. 

Expect the distractions and the obstacles and try for it anyway. 

Inconsistency and Inconvenience 

Consistency has always been my greatest challenge. As I pursue missional community, I don’t mind gathering two weeks in a row, but three times feels like too much for this introvert. It’s easier to skip and revisit in a few weeks. But by then, I have to work up the nerve to participate again. What opportunities to share the gospel will I have missed by that point?

Sometimes it’s just inconvenient. Handing out waters and giving out gospel tracts downtown with my friend was easy to do when the weather was cooler. But now it’s about to be summer in Florida and I’d rather not sweat through my clothes.

My friend has also invited me and a few others to drive around to locations of little free libraries (large mailboxes that function as tiny community libraries) to place Bibles and gospel tracts inside them. I have not said “yes” as much as I probably should have. But I have determined to say “yes” next time, because the spiritual investment has too high a return.

When I’m consistent in pursuing missional community with like-minded believers, despite the inconvenience, I find spiritual strength and motivation to do it for myself when the moment arises. I also receive more opportunities to be Christlike in both word and action, which is eternally fulfilling.

Inviting Your Christian Community Into Missional Living With You

Am I practicing missional community?

These days, after many failed attempts at consistent missional community, I’m still a firm believer in taking the first step––however big or small. And the first step doesn’t always have to be an action; it can be an initial thought or asking and answering a set of questions to get you closer to doing. 

Consider your life and your family’s life as it stands right now. 

• Do I regularly go to any places where I have the opportunity to share Jesus and model Jesus? What are they? List them out. Who can do this with me?
• Do I have a solid Christian friend, or know of an older Christian with whom I can meet to learn how to share my faith? Who else can we add to our gathering? 
• Where can my family integrate the message of Jesus into our existing social calendar? (Think of regular activities you do with your spouse, children or other family members in which you can plan to be examples of a God-surrendered life.)

I hope you were able to think of places where you can plant the seed of missional living and see it grow. More importantly, were you able to think of someone who can do it with you? The fruit it bears will be your example of Christlike faith, consistency and love for wherever and whoever you consider your community.

A life lived in a missional community

To learn more about missional communities and for more ideas on how to build them, review these great missional community resources.

• What is a “Missional Community”?
• How to Build a Missional Community
• Rethink the Ideal Missional Community

Now that you’re well-versed in the concept of missional community, my prayer is that it’s more than just a concept or an idea. I pray missional living is not just a term we understand, but that as Christians we naturally find ourselves in environments with people also dedicated to sharing Christ. 

I pray you invite your Christian community into missional living with you. Don’t do it alone. You were never meant to. Share this blog with a friend. Then, go in prayer before the God who rejoices in small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10) and thank Him for your next opportunity to show and tell someone in your world about His love.

These small, everyday moments remind me that missional living isn’t about going overseas—it’s about being present and intentional wherever we are. As Christians, our neighbors, coworkers, and even strangers we encounter in our daily routines are part of our mission field. Wherever you are, whoever you’re with, you are on mission. The Great Commission calls you to that mission. 

The following 10 Scriptures are intended to help Christians like us live missionally.  My hope is that these Bible verses on missional living will equip and inspire you to walk boldly in that calling. Feel free to bookmark them, highlight them or tuck them away to reflect on later.

1. Ephesians 2:10 – Know Your Purpose

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10, New International Version

This verse demonstrates three truths about our life’s purpose as Christ followers: 

1. We were made on purpose. No matter the circumstances into which we were born, God handcrafted each of us with love and intention, and He had our purpose in mind when He did so. 
2. He prepared meaningful work for us to do before we were even born. Another verse in the book of Psalms says that God ordained our days before one of them came to be. 
3. The work God has for us to do is good, leading us to serve others practically out of love for them. It reflects God’s kingdom and His heart, and it comes as a result of our walking with Jesus.
   

Missional living begins with this understanding––that we are not here by accident. God made you and me for a purpose. And part of that purpose is to be His hands and feet in the world. When we see our neighbors, coworkers and baristas as part of that purpose, we begin to understand what it means to live missionally.

2. Matthew 28:18–20 – Embrace the Great Commission

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'” — Matthew 28:18–20, NIV

This passage, often called the Great Commission, is Jesus’ final command before He returned to heaven. It’s a charge to every believer: Go. Make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them.

Missional living means we don’t keep Jesus to ourselves. It means stepping out and sharing the love we’ve received. Whether we fly across the globe or step across the street, we as Christians are called to participate in the mission of sharing His message of hope and love. 

3. Colossians 4:2–3 – Start With Prayer

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” — Colossians 4:2–3, NIV

The apostle Paul knew the importance of prayer in living a Christ-centered life. In his letter to the Colossian church, he encouraged them to devote themselves to prayer for themselves and for him and his ministry, even through the persecution he suffered. 

When we pray, we partner with God in the mission. We can ask Him to prepare hearts, open doors for us to share the gospel and to give us boldness. And He is faithful to answer prayers. 

Don’t underestimate the power of your prayers for the people around you. Even silent or whispered prayers can impact someone’s eternity.

4. Acts 2:42–47 – Live in Community

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” — Acts 2:42–47, NIV

The early church thrived because they lived out their faith together in community. They shared meals, met needs, worshiped and prayed side by side.

You don’t have to live missionally alone. In fact, you’re not meant to. True community—genuine, Christ-centered relationships—is one of the most compelling witnesses to a watching world. When those outside of a relationship with Jesus see how we as Christians live our lives alongside one another, serving each other out of genuine love and care, it shows them a picture of what life looks like as a part of God’s Kingdom, as part of His family. This picture of love in action shines a light in a world longing for connection, revealing the gospel in a practical and tangible way. 

Your church community is a great place to start. And if you’re looking for a way to challenge your congregation to live on mission, this resource by Pastor Tim Keller gives a great picture of what a missional church looks like. 

5. 1 Corinthians 9:22–23 – Be Relevant

“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” — 1 Corinthians 9:22–23, NIV

Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church challenges them to understand that living a holy life does not mean acting so differently from the rest of the world that they no longer relate to those around them. Paul wasn’t about putting on a religious mask. His ministry brought him face to face with people, and he served them and taught them, caring for them and showing them how Jesus changed his life. 

Living missionally means being approachable. It means caring about what others care about, learning their language and stepping into their world—not to become like those who don’t know Jesus, but to bring Jesus to them.

6. 1 Peter 3:15 – Always Be Ready

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV)

The gospel is personal, but it’s not private. We’re called to be ready—to explain, to testify, to share why Jesus gives us hope.

Sometimes those opportunities come when we least expect them––in a classroom, at a soccer game, over coffee, or waiting in line at the store. This verse challenges us to always be ready to share the hope we have in Christ. That could mean sharing the story of how you started following Jesus, or using a ministry tool or resource to help you dive into a gospel-centered conversation. And when the door opens, speak with gentleness and respect. 

7. Acts 8:34–35 – Seize the Opportunity

“The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” — Acts 8:34–35, NIV 

Philip didn’t plan that encounter. The Holy Spirit led him there. But because he was ready and willing, he was able to seize the moment and lead someone to Jesus. He was even able to baptize the man when they came upon a body of water on their journey. 

Living missionally means sharing the gospel at any time, in any situation. As Christians, it’s not enough for us to have the hope of Jesus within us. We are charged with sharing that hope with the world, just as Jesus and His disciples did.

I once taught English in a country where sharing the gospel was restricted. During a tutoring session, a student showed me an English book she was reading: The Chronicles of Narnia. I took that moment to show her parallels between the story and the Bible, and that conversation turned into a chance to share the gospel and pray with her. By God’s grace, I was able to recognize that opportunity and take action. This passage challenges all Christians to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead and share the gospel when possible. 

8. Colossians 4:5–6 – Speak with Grace

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” — Colossians 4:5–6, NIV 

How we speak matters. In a world full of noise, missional living means choosing our words carefully. When we speak with grace and wisdom—online or in person—we reflect Jesus. That might mean responding with kindness when others don’t. And sometimes, that grace opens doors for deeper conversations about faith.

We represent Christ. Every word counts. You never know when a gentle answer might soften a heart or spark curiosity about your hope.

9. Luke 10:30–35 – Be a Neighbor

 “Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”‘” — Luke 10:30–35, NIV

Jesus told this story to redefine what it means to be a neighbor. The Samaritan showed love even though it went against the cultural norms of the day. His actions demonstrated that his concern and care for this man went beyond customs and expectations.

How often do we go out of our way to serve someone who cannot repay us, or who might even consider us their enemy? Living this way pulls us out of our comfort zones, requiring us to love our neighbors in practical, sacrificial ways. Jesus modeled this for us throughout His earthly ministry, and He calls us to follow His example. 

10. 1 Thessalonians 2:7–8 – Share Your Life

“Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” — 1 Thessalonians 2:8, NIV

Missional living is not just about proclaiming the gospel—it’s about being present. It’s not enough to tell others about Jesus, but we’re called to go further, walking with them, loving them and inviting them into our lives. 

It’s easy to tell someone in need that we are praying for them or to offer encouragement when someone is struggling. But missional living goes beyond words—it challenges us to be involved in the lives of those God has placed around us, to invest our time and energy in these relationships and to meet the needs we see when we can. It means sharing our lives with others as well, allowing others to serve and care for us when we need it. 

In this verse, Paul models this way of living for the Thessalonian church. Paul and his companions Silas and Timothy invested in people beyond preaching by sharing their lives. They cared for them and allowed themselves to receive care in return. We’re called to do the same.

Living out the mission

While there are many ways to express the gospel message, living a missional life takes intentionality—careful thought and focused action. It means understanding that Jesus changed us and sent us to the world to proclaim His love to everyone still waiting to encounter Him. And it means living in a way that shows Jesus to others even when we aren’t speaking. 

Fulfilling the Great Commission is the mission of every believer. And living missionally doesn’t always require you to jump on a plane to a least-reached country or preach from behind a pulpit on Sunday morning. What it does require is a willing heart and a daily commitment to love people like Jesus. 

I hope these Bible verses on missional living helped encourage and equip you to walk out that calling. Looking for more inspiration? We wrote this blog all about how to live missionally just for you.

The onboarding packet or video typically helps you understand your new employer’s mission, vision, and values––what the company stands for and why they exist. 

Now, imagine you went through the full onboarding process and were shown to your desk. But, there was just one problem: no one had shared a job description with you. In the interview and onboarding process, everyone talked freely about the company’s purpose, culture and dress code (casual, but no t-shirts, please!). 

You were told what the company is best known for, what they aim to achieve in the coming years, and whether or not your Labradoodle can come to the office on Fridays. But when it came right down to what you were actually going to do in this new role, your understanding was pretty hazy.

This, friends, is the condition of the church. 

Jesus followers have a pretty firm understanding of what their church stands for, why it exists, and whether it’s raising money to rebuild an orphanage in Haiti or add a community gym in its back parking lot. Because of that, we are able to show up every Sunday, chat with our peers, give to causes, and try––to the best of our ability––to love God and our neighbors. 

Friends, here is the VERY good news. When you said yes to following Jesus, that was the moment you opted in to His mission. Followers follow their leader, and our leader has a mission. 

Stop thinking about being called as an “if” question, and start thinking of it as a “how” question. 

You’re in! Now What?

Jesus’ message more than 2,000 years ago is the ultimate corporate values statement for the church:

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40, New International Version).

Jesus’ words are crystal clear. We exist to worship God with every part of ourselves––to the core of our beings––and we are to afford all the kindness, grace, respect and love to our neighbors as we would hope to receive.

These words from Jesus, known as the Great Commandment, are very instructive to us as His followers. Thanks to Him, we know how to approach God and the world. But this is only part of the story. What’s missing is our marching orders––our actual job description. 

At a practical, tangible level, what does the Christian life look like? What are we actually supposed to do every day? What does our role entail as God’s representatives here on Earth?

If you’ve attended church for any stretch of time, you might be thinking now about your various volunteer roles within your church’s ministries. Whether you’ve folded programs or played with babies in the nursery, collected food supplies for the church pantry, or served as a parking lot attendant on Sundays, you’ve intentionally played a part in the operation of your church. 

You’ve embraced a role––probably multiple roles. And you know what? Your effort matters. 

Every single one of those volunteer activities is important, both for the health of the church and for the people it serves. Your willingness to serve is one way you are honoring the Great Commandment, by loving God and others. 

However, the Great Commandment is just part of the story. 

Next Step? The Great Commission

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV). 

Let’s all pause now for a moment of silence. Because that’s a lot to take in. In fact, you might be thinking about inching your way toward the nearest church exit right now. 

If you’re thinking, “Whoa. Wait!  That sounds like a job for missionaries and church leaders. That’s not a task for regular people like me,” then I’m here to assure you, gently, that it is for regular people like you and me. I’ll also tell you that it is normal for you to have this reaction.

To be sure, if you’re like most Christians, this moment in Scripture can feel incredibly overwhelming, which makes it enticing to skim over or point a finger elsewhere. In fact, I think it would be abnormal if you were to read Matthew 28:19-20, sit with it for a while, and feel overwhelmingly confident. I mean, it’s loaded with elements that would make anyone in their right mind uncomfortable. 

I’m supposed to go? Where? And make disciples? “Make” sounds a little coercive. And I need to do this across all nations? Even the dangerous ones? And baptize people? I’m definitely not qualified for that. And this whole “teach them to obey” thing––I can’t even get my dog to stop jumping up on the furniture! How can I teach another human to surrender to you, God? 

The barrage of self-doubt, negativity, and feelings of being ill-equipped for the task has the potential to snowball, creating a mountain of perceived incompetence so high, it seems insurmountable. You might even throw your hands up and say something like “I did not sign up for this!”

But guess what? You did!

When you entered into a relationship with Jesus and chose to follow Him, that meant you did indeed sign up for this important role. You opted to join the company. You embraced the mission, vision, and values. And now it’s time to get comfortable with your job description.

The Great Commission and the Church

Still uncomfortable or unclear about your part in the Great Commission? You’re not alone. A few years ago, Barna Group, a nonprofit research firm in California, published a study on the U.S. church’s ideas about missions, social justice, the Bible and sharing the gospel. 

According to their research, 51% of U.S. churchgoers are unaware of the Great Commission, and an additional 25% of Christians are aware of it but can’t recall what it means. To say this is shocking is an understatement. It reveals a sad state of affairs for the American Church! 

Why we’re not moved to participate

There are a lot of potential reasons for Christians being unaware or seemingly unaffected by the call of the Great Commission, but from my perspective, a few reasons rise to the top. 

1. If churches talk about the Great Commission but do not pair it with action, it becomes just another concept that’s discussed but not practiced. 
   
   Churches have to commit to making disciples who make disciples! And this involves more than talk; it requires teaching people how to serve the nations, otherwise messages or sermons on the Great Commission will fall on deaf ears.
   
2. People need on-the-job training. They need to see Great Commission practices role-modeled. Have you seen the Great Commission play out in the life of someone you know in the church?

3. For Jesus’ mandate to be effective, the Great Commission must be an integral part of the church’s identity. Most importantly, we need disciples who make disciples, who make disciples, and so on. This is not a one-and-done idea. 

We all play a part (the problem with labels)

You might be thinking, “But we have a global missions ministry!” Yeah, but when we delegate God’s mission to people who are labeled “missionaries” or “global mission leaders,” we can accidentally send a message that releases everyone else from the duty. The Bible is so very clear; this is not God’s intention! 

He wants every single one of us to play a part in bringing His compassion, hope and light to all the people of the world. We all have been created and instructed to serve; this work is not for a chosen few, and it doesn’t require an elevated degree or certification. Anyone, anywhere, with any personal history can do it. 

There are literally no prerequisites other than following Jesus. 

A change of heart

This incredibly exciting job description has been given to us. We were literally made for it by the creator of the universe! But most of us are leaving it on the table. To remedy this, it’s going to require significant changes within God’s global church. 

It’s also going to require changes within the hearts and minds of Jesus followers, too, because the problem goes much deeper than just a lack of understanding about the Great Commission. It’s not simply a problem of education, it’s also the breeding ground for a very special type of fear, and an opportunity for each of us to exercise a deeper level of trust in our Creator.

What Can You and I Do Today?

I invite you to consider your own inner dialogue. Take a moment to reflect on the Great Commission and the meaning it carries. 

• When you hear Jesus’ words, do you feel inspired and ready to partner with Him by living it out? Or does your head fill with all the competing reasons you are not equipped for the mission? 

• Try to identify the root cause of your reaction, not just the reaction itself. Having clarity about the reasons behind your automatic responses will help you learn how to recognize and counter the voices in your head with the real truth, the voice of God. 

Knowing who you are today and how your hopes and fears impact your choices can help you see more clearly all the possibilities that are ahead when you embrace the person God actually made you to be.

Most importantly, like with any job, you just need to start. We all get better with practice.

I’m not a singer, but I do enjoy singing with family and friends occasionally. When my brother-in-law, Nick, has a guitar handy, our singing sessions tend to go more smoothly. A few subtle bumps on the wooden surface of the guitar, and Nick softly uttering “1, 2, 3…” clue me in to the start of the song and when I need to jump in. 

When we’re recording to share with others later, that’s often flipped to Nick’s bumps on the guitar and a “3, 2, 1…” The numbers keep me focused and centered, unaware of the unnerving presence of those watching and not singing with me. We tap record and after being “counted in,” we are off to the races. The song begins.

If we look closely, we’ll find that the Bible, people around us and God Himself (through the Holy Spirit) can “count us in” to living missionally. We can know where to start and where to find inspiration when it feels like the whole world––or at least our world––is watching. 

The History of Missional Living 

To understand “missional living,” we have to start with the word “missions.” 

According to David Bosch’s Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, we owe the popularity of the word “missions” to missio dei, a term that took off like wildfire in the 1950s. In Latin, missio dei is “the sending of God,” referring to how God sends His people out to share the gospel. The term existed before the 1950s but took on new meaning after this decade.

You may have heard of famous missionaries like Jim Elliot and his wife Elisabeth Elliot, who helped evangelize the Waorani tribe in Ecuador. Though there were hundreds, if not thousands, of missionaries before them, the Elliots and their tragic story of martyrdom kicked off a new passion for taking the gospel beyond America’s borders to places it had never been before. 

Missions was the term coined, particularly in the United States and the West, for any effort made toward fervently spreading the gospel abroad, whether that effort was carried out by believers called to far-off lands or the local church giving to a missionary cause. 

That wave marked the start of a movement that would persist into the 1980s. Soon after came the concept of short-term mission trips. You and I could embark on brief experiences to help spread the gospel somewhere else in the world, but be back home in a matter of days or weeks. 

Short-term mission trips split my world in two: the one where I lived my life (at work or school) and the one where I went to church, talked about Jesus and shone the light of the gospel. These worlds would likely never collide unless I intentionally brought them together. 

For many church leaders, that separation between our everyday life and sharing our faith presented a detrimental barrier. How would the people in the places where we spent most of our time get to know Jesus when it seemed sharing the message of the gospel was reserved for missions trips and missionaries?

The Difference Between Missions and Missional Living

When it sprang up in 1998, the missional church movement––which had advocates like prominent American pastor Tim Keller––challenged the idea that missions was something we traveled to do, or that it required that we leave the rhythms of our lives for it to make its maximum impact. 

Missions had historically been the work of a professional missionary or something Christians set out to do in a carefully selected place. Missional living invites all Christians to be involved in Jesus’ Great Commission wherever they find themselves, regardless of their chosen profession. 

What Is Missional Living?

At its core, missional living challenges us to represent the gospel in the places we regularly frequent––work, school, the coffee shop, the supermarket, our child’s daycare program, the homes of our family and friends. 

Simply put, if missions is about proclaiming the kingdom of God throughout the world, missional living takes proclaiming the gospel into our own worlds––into our communities. We carry the mission into our spheres of life and into our spheres of influence. We model Christlikeness there and share the gospel there. 

Missional living and the Great Commission

Missional living makes the call of the Great Commission a lifestyle because it means Jesus’ mandate applies to our whole life as believers. 

When I reexamine the Great Commission through this different lens, who I think of when I read the words “all nations” and where I think of when I read “go” radically changes. It becomes local as well as global.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. …” (Matthew 28:19-20).

To be clear, missions, mission trips and giving to missionaries on the mission field are surefire ways to be aligned to the work God is doing in hearts everywhere. We shouldn’t abandon these practices! Most giving opportunities at Jesus Film Project^® fuel the work of missionaries globally. 

Missional living is merely another way we worship God with our lives and participate in His mission without limitation.

How to Live Missionally

Missional living and discipleship

Notice I haven’t used the word evangelism here. That’s because when we focus on making disciples in our daily walk, not on evangelism, we more organically begin to demonstrate what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. 

Thought leader Alan Hirsch says, “Evangelism can’t be our focus! We must not stop sharing the good news, but here’s the deal, here’s the wonderful thing, it gets done along the way as you do discipleship.” 

Discipleship in our missional living means allowing God to visibly transform us so that we bear good fruit before others. In other words, we disciple well by bearing fruit and taking the time to express not just the message of Jesus but how it translates to a changed life, starting with ours. 

Consider this: “In John 15, Jesus talks about producing fruit that remains. What is this type of ‘fruit’ that Jesus is referring to? Spiritually fruitful people are fully surrendered to Christ and express love for Him over a lifetime by making disciples” (Missional Living).

See John 15:7-8: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Jesus said that to produce fruit we must remain in Him. To this end, we cannot live missionally without time in the presence of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit, which must be at work in our lives and in our hearts. 

How do we live missionally? We live missionally when we share every part of us, including our ever-evolving walk with Christ and how He changed us and continues to change us to be more like Him through trials and challenging relationships. 

According to theologian Darrell Guder, “We experience the transforming truth of Christ and bring it to everything we do. The Great Commission is not merely about spreading the gospel in words, it is about embodying the gospel message—its hope for transformational renewal.” 

Why do we need to live missionally?

The purpose of living missionally is to be extensions of Jesus’ life-changing love, mercy, grace and forgiveness toward others. And this modeling of Jesus is the very keystone of missional living. 

But at the end of the day, our greatest desire should be to express the message of salvation through Christ alone. Eventually, the Holy Spirit grants us opportunities to talk about Jesus with those with whom we’ve modeled His example. We should take advantage of these opportunities.

The purpose of missional living is to share the message of the gospel in both action and speech. We communicate what we believe and why. We demonstrate these beliefs with our lives. We are vocal witnesses to Jesus’ timeless message. 

Missional living and sharing your faith

If the idea of talking to others about Jesus scares you, know that you’re not alone. 

We asked more than 1,600 Christians why they don’t share Jesus with others. Approximately 22% of people said fear keeps them from sharing their faith. Studies found that most Christians don’t start spiritual conversations because they are afraid of making Christianity look bad or because they lack the faith to do it.

It’s completely normal to be fearful about taking this next step. Jumping into anything that seems to involve our entire lives is sure to give us pause. But the truth is, because of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, all we need is a nudge of inspiration, a “3, 2, 1…”

3 Mindset Shifts to Help Encourage Missional Living

If missional living seems like a lot to take on and you’re feeling the pressure, here’s some encouragement: Adapting a mindset of missional living takes time. 

We can start taking steps toward living missionally by changing our mindset in three ways.

2 Quotes About Living Missionally 

Missional living is a joy, not a burden

In his book, The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society, British theologian Lesslie Newbigin made this insightful observation:

Did you catch that? Missional living begins with an explosion of joy! Living life on a mission isn’t a burden because it allows us to express the victory of Jesus on the cross with our very lives. And this expression of joy about our salvation is life-giving.

What is truly necessary

Missional thought leader Alan Hirsch has this to say about the one thing it takes to live missionally. 

A passionate faith and pursuit of Jesus sets us ablaze and helps us burn for missional living.

1 Small Step Toward Missional Living

We can reframe our disposition toward missional living.

As I serve at Jesus Film Project, I often have the opportunity to hear team members talk about their fresh opportunities to equip believers with ministry resources. Many of my team members start these conversations with the words, “We get to participate with God in…” 

Their perspective regularly reminds me that God invites us to take part in the Great Commission, and it’s no small invitation. We get to participate with God as he carries out His mission! 

We are His chosen ambassadors. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Paul tells the Corinthian church––our models for modern churchhood––to act as Christ’s ambassadors and share His message of reconciliation. If God deems me appropriate for the task, I have no choice but to believe Him and participate in what He’s doing by offering my life. 

3 Stories To Inspire a Missional Life

Believers around the world are living a missional life. We are so honored they chose to share their stories with us. As you watch the videos, be sure to reflect on how these believers heard about Jesus or shared Jesus in spaces that easily integrated into their daily lives, using the tools already at their disposal.

Malee’s Story

Malee discovered Jesus online. She was scrolling through Facebook when she spotted a video someone had posted of Jesus speaking her language. That prompted questions in Malee’s heart that Din was willing to answer.

Notice the simple question Malee answers at the beginning to kick off her sharing her story: “What has Jesus done in your life?” Imagine answering that question in the company of someone who doesn’t know Jesus yet. It could make an enormous difference. That alone can be the spark to a deep conversation. 

Jacob’s Story

In this quick story, Jacob talks about how sharing a video from the Jesus Film Project app, which he often does, caused an Iraqi man he had only briefly crossed paths with to eventually come to faith in Christ. Jacob’s simple act of love toward a stranger drew that man closer to God. All Jacob had to do was be willing to share a piece of Christ’s message in a way that was natural to him––an app on his phone.

Amir’s Story

Amir’s story highlights the power of Christian community in public spaces and in using contextualized media resources to share the message of the gospel wherever you find yourself. Jesus Film Project short films and tools, which are available in several languages, are a great way to share your faith. 

2 Bible Passages to Inspire a Life on Mission

Colossians 4:2-6: Pray, Live, Speak 

Are the words “missional living” in the Bible? No, they’re not. But check out the three directives the apostle Paul shares in Colossians 4:2-6. They are remarkably missional.

You can dive deeper into this three-part passage in Colossians in What is the Missional Life?  from the church-planting ministry 9Marks. 

1 Thessalonians 2:8: Love in Everything

Paul and other great church fathers operated in love. Take a look at his words to the Thessalonians: “…Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well” (1 Thessalonians 2:8, NIV).

They were delighted to share the gospel and their lives! Note that the motivator of this response wasn’t guilt. Like Paul, we are compelled to share the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16), but we should let it stem from love, because of the love Jesus showed us (John 3:16).

Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees also comes to mind. They ask him, “‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replies: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:36-39, NIV).

If you need fresh reminders of why to live missionally, look no further than Scripture. The Bible is full of Bible verses that can empower you for missional living. There are also plenty of passages about missions and missionary work. 

1 Leap to Living Missionally Every Day

Wondering whether you’re living missionally? Think about acquaintances, your closest friends, or family members who don’t know Jesus. Do they know what you believe and how that belief informs and inspires how you live your life?

If the answer is no, you may be missing out on valuable opportunities to live missionally.

Opportunities to live missionally are all around us. We just need to allow our lives to serve as doorways to others meeting Jesus. We need to be open to jumping into every opportunity and let the songs of our lives play freely.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20).

This passage from the Book of Matthew has come to be known as the Great Commission. Both of these passages drive home the importance of telling people about what Jesus has done. Mark communicates this command very succinctly. He wants us to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

But what does that mean? What do we need to understand about the gospel in order to communicate it effectively? 

What exactly is the gospel? 

There will always be those attempting to preach a different gospel from Christ’s simple message. We need to be educated on what the true gospel is, lest we be distracted or deceived into championing a useless, watered down gospel. 

The word “gospel” (euangelion in the Greek) literally means “good news.” And it appears more than 70 times in the Bible. Let’s look at a couple of examples: 

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people (Matthew 4:23, emphasis added). 

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God (Mark 1:1, emphasis added).

After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe” (Acts 15:7, emphasis added).

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16).

The word gospel isn’t unique to Christians. Throughout the ancient world, any positive announcement would be considered gospel. For instance, Rome might issue a gospel proclamation with the installation of a new Caesar. Or a young couple’s birth announcement might be considered gospel. When Jesus begins His ministry, Matthew tells us that he was announcing the good news of the kingdom of God. Mark starts his account of Jesus’s ministry by calling it the gospel. 

But it’s Paul that really cemented the term gospel as a way of explaining what Christ’s death and resurrection achieved to reconcile lost and wayward humanity with God. To adequately understand the gospel, we need to be able to answer a couple of essential questions:

1. Why are we here?
2. What is humanity’s problem?
3. How did God solve our problem? 
4. How can I be reconciled with God? 

Let’s look at each of these questions in turn. 

Why are we here?

When it comes to how the world and everything in it came to be, there are a lot of conflicting reports. Some ancient religions attribute the world’s creation to a huge cosmic battle between powerful deities that resulted in the accidental creation of galaxies and planets. On the other hand, many scientific explanations reduce the world’s origin to a one-in-a-bajillion cosmic accident. 

The Book of Genesis tells us that God intentionally created the world. And at every point throughout the process, the author wants us to know that God’s creation was good (Genesis 1:4, 10,18, 21, 25). In fact, when God finishes with His creation, He reflects on it again and is satisfied that it is “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

The creation of humanity

The formation of men and women featured as a central part of God’s creation. Mankind wasn’t simply a sub-species in the animal kingdom. They were unique:

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

While there is some room for debate over what it means to be made in God’s image, the clear, uncontested point is that humanity was special. We were created with attributes not found in the rest of God’s world. 

In this ideal state, humanity was prepared to fulfill its role in creation. Genesis tells us what that role looked like. Humans were to:

• Be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28)
• Rule over the earth as stewards of God’s creation (Genesis 1:28)
• Tend to the garden and care for it (Genesis 2:15)

These responsibilities were to be carried within a loving relationship with God—but then things went sour. 

What is humanity’s problem? 

Genesis tells us of an act of disobedience so catastrophic that it threw all of creation out of alignment (Genesis 3). By disobeying God, Adam and Eve undermined their fellowship with their Creator and death entered the picture. 

Mankind was thrown out of the garden and the seeds of rebellion were sewn into the fabric of humanity. It only took the space of one generation for murder to be introduced into the world (Genesis 4).  And yet, we didn’t lose that element that set us apart. We still carried God’s image within us. 

Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind (Genesis 9:6).

This infection spread throughout humanity. In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul says, “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). 

This rebellious sin that infects all of humanity dethrones God. It causes humans to reject God’s authority—even though they have no power to consistently choose goodness. When we’re being honest, all people will admit that they know both the unhealthy behaviors and choices they need to stop and the positive things they need to start doing, but they feel powerless to do so. 

Humanity’s rebellious and sinful state was not a condition that God could simply ignore. Not only does God’s anger burn against sin and the damage it does, but His enemy, the devil, exploits mankind’s weakness to sow more misery and grief.

Mankind’s problem is not social injustice, racism, or political issues and how we can help deliver its victims out of oppression. Rather, these are only symptoms of the deeper problem of sin. The condition of one’s soul is the important issue and we must not get sidetracked by current events that might distract from the real gospel message—Christ’s work on the cross.   

How did God solve our problem?  

Our problem is severe. We’re not just talking about sin as some bad behavior that we could potentially amend. We’re talking about “Sin,” a spiritual malaise that infected us down to our very core. The prophet, Jeremiah, summed up the situation well: 

Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil (Jeremiah 13:23).

And as Paul described it to the Roman Christians, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). The only possible outcome for a humanity mired in sin was physical death, spiritual death, and complete separation from God. How could God ever solve this problem?

Thankfully, God has never stopped being faithful to His creation (2 Timothy 2:13). He loves us with a never-ending and unmatchable passion and zeal. So even though our condition was beyond our scope or ability to rectify, God had a plan that would allow humanity to experience forgiveness and eternal life. 

Jesus: Savior of all mankind 

At just the right time, Jesus came to solve humanity’s biggest dilemma. He came into the world as a man—but He was so much more than a man. He was a teacher—but He was so much more than a teacher. He was a religious leader—but He was so much more than a religious leader. 

John’s Gospel explains His significance right from the jump:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:1–5).

When John talks about the Word, he is talking about Jesus. Here are a few things we learn from this powerful passage:

• Jesus is eternal. John’s words are intended to remind us of the opening words of Genesis, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
• Jesus is the perfect expression of God. Just like we use words to communicate thoughts, Jesus reveals what God is like (John 1:18). 
• Jesus is God. 
• Jesus played a part in the creation of everything. 
• Jesus is a light that no darkness of sin can overcome. 

Jesus accomplished what we were unable to achieve. He lived a completely sinless life. And as the writer of Hebrews tells us, that’s exactly the kind of mediator we needed:

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens (Hebrews 7:26).

Paul tells us this was significant because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus’s sinless life made it possible for Him to absorb the penalty for our sin. This is what Christians mean when they say, “Jesus died for your sins.”

As we look back over the Old Testament, we discover that the cross was God’s plan from the beginning. The Hebrew Bible is full of very specific prophecies about Jesus, and among those prophecies, God told us how He would reconcile the world to Himself:

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6, emphasis added).

But the story doesn’t end there. Three days after dying on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead, confirming to the world that He was precisely who He claimed to be—our Messiah and Savior. Through Jesus’s death and resurrection, God has instituted his plan to make all things new (Revelation 21:5). Not only does Jesus facilitate our peace with God, but in Jesus, God is redeeming all things:

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Colossians 1:19–20).

This is why Jesus could so definitively say, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). 

How Can I be reconciled with God? 

The gift of forgiveness that is found in Christ is completely free. We don’t have to work for it or earn it—we simply need to accept it:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8–9). 

One of the most enduring pictures of God’s salvation comes from Jesus’s own words in Revelation, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Being reconciled with God requires nothing more than receiving the gift Jesus provided. Paul puts it simply, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). 

And once we accept Jesus’s sacrifice and become reconciled with God, we learn what it means to lay aside our rebellion and start living as friends of God:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6-7).

The gospel in a nutshell

It’s important to understand the gospel so that you can respond to questions. The gospel can be summed up quite easily, as Paul does with the Corinthian church: 

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). 

What Jesus did for us is truly remarkable, and that’s why the apostle Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes …” (Romans 1:16). Once we truly grasp what has been achieved on our behalf, you just want to invite everyone into God’s kingdom. 

How do I share the gospel?

If you want to share your faith, you need to be able to communicate the gospel. You might worry that you’ll somehow get the message wrong. But take heart! Understanding and sharing the gospel isn’t as difficult as you may think, and once you feel equipped to engage in discussions about it, you’ll discover it’s pretty easy—and rewarding. 

There are many places in the New Testament to look at that communicate the message of the gospel, but we’re going to focus on 1 Corinthians 15:3–4. I’d recommend committing these two verses to memory. They will definitely help you remember all of the necessary components of the gospel message.

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4, New International Version).

“For what I received I passed on to you”

Those of us who follow Jesus can trace that decision back to someone who shared the gospel with us. We might have heard the message from our parents, a friend, a pastor, or an impassioned stranger, but at some point we heard it and believed. 

Jesus commands His followers to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). This means that the gospel message doesn’t stop with us. We need to ensure that it touches more lives. As Paul says, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

“As of first importance:”

Once we make a decision to follow Christ, the gospel becomes the lens through which we see our entire world. The fact that Christ would lay aside His divinity so that He may walk among us and ultimately reconcile us to God (Philippians 2:6–8) is the most important message anyone could hear. 

“That Christ died for our sins”

In Revelation, Jesus tells us that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). He wasn’t simply a man; He is God and His passion to be reconciled with His creation led Him here to die on our behalf.

Mankind lives in outright rebellion against our Creator. There isn’t one of us who who could approach God based on our own righteousness (Romans 3:10, 23). We fall short in our actions, intentions, and thoughts—and the natural tragic outcome of our sins is death and separation from God (Romans 6:23).

Jesus became a man and lived a perfect sinless life, was arrested and sentenced to death. And like Isaiah prophesied, our sins were laid upon Him (Isaiah 53:6). The man who knew no sin took on our sin so that we could inherit the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

“According to the Scriptures,”

As we look back at the Old Testament in the light of the gospel, we recognize how clearly the Bible predicted every aspect of Jesus’ ministry in hundreds of prophecies:

1. He would be born in Bethlehem.
   “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

    though you are small among the clans of Judah,

out of you will come for me

   one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

  from ancient times” (Micah 5:2, NIV).

2. He would be born of a virgin.
   “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel”(Isaiah 7:14, NIV).
3. He would be executed as a criminal.
   “Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great,
       and He will divide the spoils with the strong,
   because He poured out His life unto death,
       and was numbered with the transgressors.
   For He bore the sin of many,
       and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12, NIV).
4. He would be resurrected.
   “…because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
   nor will you let your faithful one see decay”(Psalm 16:10, NIV).
5. He would be the sacrifice for our sin.
   “But He was pierced for our transgressions,
       He was crushed for our iniquities;
   the punishment that brought us peace was on Him,
       and by His wounds we are healed.
   We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
       each of us has turned to our own way;
   and the Lord has laid on Him
       the iniquity of us all”. (Isaiah 53:5–6, NIV).

“That He was buried,”

“The gospel writers go out of their way to make sure that readers understand that Jesus died on the cross. John tells us that a Roman soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear to ensure he was dead (John 19:31–34).

His body was placed in a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57–61). It’s important to note that the gospel writers made sure readers understood this wasn’t some anonymous tomb. It belonged to a real, verifiable person. And Roman guards were placed around this tomb to secure the scene (Matthew 27:66).

“That He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”

The gospel isn’t simply about Jesus’s death on our behalf. If Jesus hasn’t been raised from the dead, we’re all in big trouble. The Resurrection is proof that sin and death have truly been conquered. As Paul puts it, “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17, NIV).

It’s interesting to note that as a first-century movement started growing based on Christ’s resurrection, all Rome had to do was produce a body. Proof that Jesus was still dead would have stopped Christianity in its tracks. But they had no proof that he was dead.

The Resurrection is the gospel’s exclamation point. Christ died for our sin, but more than that, he “…was appointed the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). In His resurrection, we experience the promise and empowerment of new, eternal lives. 

“You can share your faith”

Once you familiarize yourself with these points, sharing your faith stops being such a frightening prospect. Remember, you don’t have to have an answer for every question or a response for every objection. You only need to be able to communicate these core truths. 

If you’re interested in a resource to help you better understand Jesus and the gospel, check out the Jesus Film Project® app. It includes a digital library of more than 200 full-length movies, miniseries, and short films that all share the common goal of helping the world know Jesus better. Not only will these videos encourage and inspire you, but they also make ideal tools for generating discussions with your family, friends, and others with whom you might want to share the life-changing message of Jesus.

You don’t have to commit to being a full-time evangelist to get comfortable sharing your faith. We’ve put together some tips to give you some confidence in telling others about Jesus.

1. Focus on your passion for Jesus

The key to being zealous about sharing your faith isn’t to try and work up a passion for evangelism. It’s about stimulating our affection for the Lord. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we want to tell others about His goodness and love.

2. Reaffirm people’s need for Jesus

Jesus told His disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6b). And while we might know that intellectually, it’s easy to slide into a “to each his own” mindset. But the more that we maintain a point of view that people need Jesus to be reconciled to God, the more likely we are to recognize the critical role we play in telling others about Him.

3. Give yourself permission to share your faith poorly

Too many people wait until they feel confident to share the gospel-and so they never really do. Telling others about our faith is something you learn by doing. This means that you’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to stumble over your words. You’re going to feel awkward. You might even feel silly. The only way you will get past those feelings is to allow yourself to stumble through them. The more you do it, the better you get at it-which means to be comfortable, you need to push through uncomfortable experiences.

The good news is that the Holy Spirit is at work, too. And God can use our most embarrassing attempts to communicate His love.

4. Become a good listener

Sometimes we can get too focused on preparing for specific arguments or questions. But those discussions don’t always occur naturally, so we end up steering conversations in the direction we’d feel most comfortable and prepared. That can make people feel like we’re trying to sell them something.

Ideally, we become good listeners and learn to recognize people’s needs and how Jesus can meet them. When people feel heard and addressed where they are, they’re a lot more open to spiritual discussion.

5. Recognize that God is always at work

You haven’t met a person that God isn’t trying to reach. When you share your testimony and talk about your faith, you’re joining work that’s already in process. It’s helpful to remember that because it takes the pressure off of you. It’s not your job to convince them or save them. Even if your conversation doesn’t produce immediate fruit, it doesn’t mean it was fruitless. No matter how the conversation goes in the moment, the Holy Spirit will still use it to court them.

Taking the pressure off

Learning to enjoy sharing your faith is about releasing yourself from the expectation to be good at it. The more you love Jesus, the more you want to talk about Him. The better you are at listening, the easier it is to speak in a way that connects. But in the end, appreciating the fact that God’s the one doing the work takes the pressure off.

Once we see it that way, it rescues us from the performance-anxiety aspects of evangelism. We can share God’s love without fretting over how it’s received. We can simply enjoy telling others about what gives our life meaning.

Don’t forget, the Jesus Film Project® app (available for Apple or Android) is a helpful tool for sharing the life and ministry of Jesus. If you’re interested in learning more about how it can help, these videos can show you how to get the most out of it.

Did you know approximately 7,000 languages exist around the world? And even more intriguing is this fact: according to Ethnologue, “just 23 languages account for more than half the world’s population.”

Around the globe people use and adapt to common local trade languages in their day-to-day life-in school, at work or for other purposes. Even though it may not be their own, many can easily gather information and perform transactions in a regional trade language. And from a practical standpoint, speaking a well-known trade language allows people to connect in ways they otherwise wouldn’t.

Even so, we believe that it’s the heart language-the language learned at home from the earliest age-that holds the key to a person’s heart.

At Jesus Film Project we’re committed to reaching everyone, everywhere in their heart language, so people can have the opportunity to embrace Jesus as they hear Him speak their own language. That’s why since 1979 we’ve dubbed the JESUS film into more than 1,900 languages.

It’s why we’ve also gone to places like the mountain villages of Guatemala to record a heart-language version of Magdalena: Released From Shame for Kekchi language speakers. During the recording, a few villagers stopped our recording technicians to say “thank you for taking us into account.” Of course, we know it’s God who first “takes them into account.”

Our mission to reach people in their heart language brings us into partnership with the First Nations Version of the New Testament. Together we’ve produced a short series of films that we believe will reach North American Native People.

The heart language of North American Native People is a dialect of English that has evolved over many years. From roughly the 1880s to the 1970s the government and religious education institutions actively suppressed tribal languages, so many North American tribal languages were lost. It’s estimated that fewer than 10% of Native American people speak their tribal language.

In place of those languages, the Native American English dialect developed-particularly around storytelling and oral histories. This dialect uses specific phrases, naming conventions, tones and cadences that echo the tribal languages, but in English.

Author Terry M. Wildman translated the First Nations Version of the New Testament with the help of a council of First Nation believers. Crafted under the guidance of OneBook of Canada, a member of the Wycliffe Global Alliance, this translation will provide North American Native People with a Bible in the dialect of English that has become their heart language. This New Testament will be available in August 2021.

When Jesus Film® heard about this new translation, we wanted to give Native Americans a visual tool in their heart language too. In collaboration with our Native American partners, we created a collection of powerful short animated films called Retelling the Good Story, which shares the biblical accounts of Jesus feeding the five thousand and walking on water.

The series is directed by Dominic Corolla and features captivating animation inspired by Native American art.

When my husband and I served in Central Asia, we encountered local people who thought of Jesus as “the Russian God.” But when we brought them a film about Jesus in their local language, many of them began to realize that Jesus was not Russian, but that he spoke Uzbek or Kazakh or Tajik. To them, Russia had been the oppressor. Jesus–who they considered the God of the oppressor–held no appeal for them. They had never been curious or had any interest in Him until they heard Him speaking their language.

In much the same way, Jesus can seem like the “white man’s God” to many Native American people. But in prayerfully creating this animated short about Jesus using the First Nations Version of the Gospels, we are presenting Jesus as the God of all Nations-a God who knows these people intimately and even speaks their heart language.

We hope and pray many will embrace Jesus and His love through these animated films, and as a result, will become His followers.

Terry M. Wildman, who also serves as narrator and singer in the films, is of Ojibwe (Chippewa) and Yaqui ancestry. Terry is a published author, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, a songwriter, storyteller and public speaker. He has pastored churches in Michigan and Arizona. Terry previously served on Youth With a Mission (YWAM) staff and is now director of Spiritual Growth and Leadership Development for Native InterVarsity.

You can watch and share Retelling the Good Story on our YouTube channel and right here on jesusfilm.org. Plus, keep a look out for the First Nations Version of the New Testament, available on August 31.

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

Paul wanted to make Jesus known to everyone around him. After all, it’s what Jesus called us to do in the Great Commission.

But what Paul recognized is that the people around him may connect with the gospel in different ways. Considering the variety of life experiences and cultural perspectives that surrounded him, Paul worked to move towards people, relating to them as much as possible – but not sacrificing the gospel message – so that more people could be won for the kingdom.

This is the very heart behind the contextualization of the gospel.

When we make an effort to put the gospel into someone’s own context, we break barriers, close cultural gaps, increase accessibility and in turn, give more people the opportunity to know Jesus.

Contextualization is a critical part of sharing the gospel cross-culturally. And thankfully, it’s been modeled to us throughout Scripture and throughout the history of the church.

Elizabeth Schenkel, an executive film producer with Jesus Film Project®, says that in her opinion, the first example of Christian contextualization we can look to is Jesus Himself.

“He came from heaven to earth – the largest cultural gap ever. He skillfully utilized familiar themes: agricultural themes, fishing themes, military themes. He studied His context for 30 years before opening His mouth. And then He had it. He knocked it out of the park.”

In fact, those who study Scripture nowadays often must work to understand the context Jesus was speaking in. From speaking about fishing to mustard seeds to wineskins, Jesus often taught using topics that were familiar to the people around Him and the context in which they lived.

Later on, Paul used a similar strategy in his own ministry, leaning on the contexts of the people around him. He referenced local architecture and even quotes from ungodly Greek poets (Acts 17:28), making connections that would help others relate to what he was sharing.

The examples of Jesus and Paul show us how to be learners of the world around us so we can be more effective ministers to the world around us.

Missionary Hudson Taylor lived by these examples in his work overseas in the 1800s. He entered into a new context with a true spirit of learning, even adopting the traditional style of clothing worn in the region and studying the local language. His heart for contextualization and thoughtful care for the culture of East Asia propelled ministry forward in the years thereafter.

Schenkel says, “On missions, we have to go as students. As listeners. We humble ourselves and we ask for help. We don’t go charging in thinking we have all the answers because we don’t.”

This mindset is critical to remember, as there are so many ways we may unknowingly bring our own cultural backgrounds and assumptions as we minister in other cultures. And as Christians, it can be especially challenging when we know we have a life-altering message to share. But we can’t skip the step of learning about the people we’re attempting to reach, people with unique experiences and cultural backgrounds, people made and loved by God.

Josh Newell, executive director of Jesus Film Project, says this:

“The global mission field is full of audiences that have distinct cares and beliefs – and global proclaimers of Jesus need to not only understand those cares and beliefs but speak in such a way that introduces the King in ways audiences can hear.”

Today, as we reach people in new, digital ways, the work of contextualization is as important as ever. At Jesus Film Project, we continue to use film to reach people with the story of Jesus in a medium they’re familiar with. Our work to meet people in the context of their heart language continues on too, with almost 1,900 language versions of the JESUS film now available.

Over our 40 years of ministry, we’ve seen millions touched as they hear the words of Jesus in the language they think, dream, and pray in. It’s the power of contextualization observed that motivates us to keep finding new and relevant ways to share the gospel.

Some of our newest efforts include animated films to connect with the next generation, films designed to show Christ’s care for women, short films made friendly for social media, and films that answer key questions about Christianity from other religious backgrounds.

We’ve also embraced outreach strategies that allow our staff to do ministry in familiar, comfortable environments for the people we’re building relationships with.

One of our mission trip leaders recalls a time she was visiting a country with a highly atheist spiritual climate. People were uninterested in hearing about the gospel, and certainly wouldn’t attend an outreach in a church building. So alongside local ministers, the team hosted an event in a local coffee shop, a space that felt like neutral ground.

The team was able to make meaningful connections and even meet up with some of the attendees in the days following the event for spiritual conversations. Strategies like these can seem out of the box but have proven effective in places around the globe.

Of course, partnership will continue to be central to the work of contextualization as well, relying on the knowledge and instincts of those who know a culture better than we do. It’s through trusting relationships within the body of Christ and a dependence on God that we can strive to see every tribe, tongue, and nation reached with the gospel message.

At the heart of it all, Schenkel describes the importance of asking the simple question, “What would serve this person who doesn’t yet know Christ?”

Newell says, “It takes time and discernment, but the love demonstrated by understanding an audience and speaking directly to them is the way of Jesus.”

The work of contextualization continues. As we follow in this way of Jesus, we remember the words He spoke in the Great Commission: “Go into all the earth and preach the gospel to all creation.” These words drive us forward, so that everyone, everywhere, has the opportunity to know Jesus.