“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

Robin is an agriculture specialist with Unto, the humanitarian ministry of Cru^®. He works with ministries around the world to research and share farming techniques. By teaching communities how to grow their food and earn income through gardening and agriculture, Robin and his team help provide people with ways to feed their families and communities when food and jobs are scarce.

But there’s a bigger purpose at play here. These gardens and farming techniques are bringing communities worldwide face-to-face with the gospel.  

I got the chance to sit down with Robin and chat about how his work fulfills the Great Commission, and what it means for the everyday Christian to live on mission in community in practical ways. 

Through workshops, mission trips and partnerships worldwide, Robin sees firsthand how practical skills—like composting, raised garden beds or installing irrigation—can open doors to deeper spiritual conversations, and eventually to the gospel. 

Interview With Robin Greaves 

Robin’s unique role gives him a front-row seat to how missional community works in real life, especially on the mission field. And the lessons he’s learning overseas offer powerful examples of what it looks like to live on mission in community, no matter where we are.

What a Garden Can Teach Us About Missional Living

When Robin isn’t traveling the world to teach farming techniques and share the gospel, you’ll find him in Cru’s community garden. This plot not only serves as a research site for his work with Unto, but also as an example of community. 

While a portion of this space is reserved for Robin’s hands-on research, the rest is open for Cru staff to plant and grow whatever they’d like. Through their work in the garden, people find themselves connecting with one another in unexpected ways, each growing their own fruit, vegetables, or herbs, yet all serving one common purpose. 

The Bigger Picture: It’s Not About the Garden

The work that Robin is doing with Unto paints such a beautiful picture of how meeting practical needs can serve the higher calling of fulfilling the Great Commission. In the garden, people connect by working alongside one another, learning ways to meet needs both at home and abroad, and using these as avenues to share Jesus. 

But at the end of the day, it’s not about growing vegetables or gardening; it’s about cultivating something deeper—connection, community, and ultimately, life transformation through the gospel. 

A community garden may be the “thing” that creates a space for one person or group to encounter the gospel through Christian community. But for someone else, it might look entirely different. The heart of missional living in community is simply using what God has given you, where you are, to reach others with the love and hope of Jesus.

What’s Your “Community Garden”

There are many ways you can build a sense of neighborhood, as Robin said. Maybe it’s not a community garden (although it might be). But wherever you are, you can do something to live out your mission in your community. 

• Maybe you’re part of a book club—what would it look like to open it up to someone outside your usual circle?
  
• Are you gifted with your hands—woodworking, sewing or painting? Could you share that skill in a way that invites others in?
  
• Do you love to cook or bake? What if your kitchen became a space for connection or hospitality?
  
• Are you a mom? Could you gather other moms who need community, encouragement or rest?
  
• Do you live in an apartment complex? Maybe your common room becomes a place for ministry, like Apartment Life—an organization that builds community by connecting apartment residents through intentional gatherings and events. 

Maybe you’re already engaged in community through a shared hobby or regular gathering, but it’s exclusive. Could this be a place to invite someone who believes differently than you, or who has yet to meet Jesus? 

When living on mission meets living in community, ordinary things—like a garden—can become extraordinary ways to fulfill the Great Commission. I hope that my chat with Robin helped inspire you to find the way you can live out your mission and invite your community in.

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.

For many, Easter Sunday is a day to get together with family, hunt for Easter eggs and maybe get a visit from the Easter bunny. Your family might share a special meal like roast lamb, or baked treats like hot cross buns. My family celebrates Easter with a lunch where everyone–including my cousins, aunts and uncles–brings a dish to share. For people of different faith backgrounds, Easter is a celebration of springtime. But for Christians like us, the meaning of Easter is much more. 

Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday, is one of the most important holidays in Christianity.  It commemorates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, Easter reminds us of the hope and new life we have in Christ.

Why Does Easter Matter to Christians?

To understand why we celebrate Easter, we have to go back to the beginning. 

Genesis 1 tells us that when God created the world, He made everything good, including the first man and woman. But when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command, they made a way for sin (the breaking of God’s law) and brokenness to enter the world. 

The consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and separation from God, and from that point on, everything and everyone would carry the mark of sin. 

But God, being loving and compassionate towards His creation, provided a way to pay the price for the sins of the world. In His love, He sent His own Son, who had never sinned, to the world. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life, and He showed us the way God wants us to live. 

But Jesus had a mission. He was to be a sacrifice, given in exchange for the sins of mankind. He was crucified–executed on a wooden cross–by the leaders of the day. When Jesus died, He took our sin, and the death that came with it, upon Himself. 

But Jesus did not remain dead. On the third day after His death by crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead and began appearing to His followers. 

This is the reason we celebrate Easter: because of the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection!

This is great news for everyone who believes in Him because those who do believe receive the promise of everlasting life with God. This special holiday symbolizes victory over sin and death and the promise of eternal life through Jesus. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we who believe in Him carry the hope of life with Him. And that’s something worth celebrating! 

Important Days in the Easter Season 

The Easter season isn’t just a single day—it’s a meaningful journey leading up to Resurrection Sunday. The season begins with Ash Wednesday, moves through Lent, and culminates in Holy Week. While not everyone observes every moment of this season, what matters most is keeping our hearts focused on the reason we celebrate: Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection.

Important days leading up to Easter: 

• Ash Wednesday falls 46 days before Easter. It marks the beginning of Lent with a call to repentance, reflection and spiritual renewal.

• Lent (40 Days, not including Sundays) is a season of fasting and prayer that mirrors Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and prepares believers for Easter.

• Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week–the week before Easter–and celebrates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where crowds welcomed Him with palm branches.

• Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and instituted Communion.

• Good Friday is a solemn day when Christians remember Jesus’ crucifixion and His sacrifice for our redemption.

• Holy Saturday falls on the day before Easter Sunday. It is traditionally a quiet day of waiting and reflection, symbolizing the time Jesus lay in the tomb before His resurrection.

• Easter Sunday is the joyful celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, symbolizing victory over sin and the promise of eternal life. 

Common Easter Symbols and Traditions

As with most holidays, people around the world celebrate Easter in different ways. For many, it’s a day to spend with family and participate in unique traditions. 

For Christians like you and me, attending church services on Easter Sunday is the heart of the holiday.  Church services are a time to honor the resurrection of Jesus. Churches celebrate Easter in different ways, from Orthodox traditions to sunrise services and dramatic retellings of the gospel story. During these services, lighting candles is often part of the experience, symbolizing Christ’s triumph over darkness. I remember the church I attended as a child pulled out all the stops on Easter, from special songs to dramatizations of Jesus’ resurrection. 

Beyond the sanctuary, Easter spills over into colorful customs shared with family and friends. Children eagerly take part in Easter egg hunts, searching for hidden treasures like candy, small toys or brightly decorated eggs. Decorating eggs is another favorite tradition, with families gathering to dye or paint them in festive colors. These eggs, ancient symbols of new life, remind us of the Resurrection and the promise of renewal.

Many children wake up to find Easter baskets filled with treats and surprises. Some families also exchange small gifts with loved ones. In some regions, people decorate Easter bonnets with flowers and ribbons.

Families often celebrate the holiday with a special meal, gathering around foods like ham, lamb, or Easter bread, like hot cross buns. Lamb, in particular, carries deep symbolic meaning to those of us who follow Christ, representing Jesus as the Lamb of God.

Some families plant Easter flowers—like lilies, tulips, or daffodils—as a living reminder of life, growth and new beginnings reflected in both springtime and the Easter holiday. 

All of these symbols and traditions remind us that this is truly a day for celebration. They all point to the meaning of Easter.

Celebrating Easter 

Growing up in a church-going family, I look back on my family’s Easter traditions with gratitude. I remember making a mess with my mother and sister at the kitchen table as we dyed and painted hard-boiled eggs. I recall getting lost in pastel fabric as we shopped for new Easter dresses. Some of my favorite memories involve hunting for eggs with my cousins in my grandfather’s yard, each of us vying for the one with the best prize inside. But most of all, I remember attending Easter church services. 

Even my friends who didn’t attend church regularly often came on Easter Sunday. These services are sacred moments to honor the cornerstone of our faith. For those who don’t follow Jesus, it’s a chance to hear the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection—perhaps for the first time.

This is why many Christians use Easter to share the gospel with their friends and loved ones who do not yet follow Jesus–and with good reason! The holiday provides a wonderful opportunity to invite those you know to celebrate and observe Easter traditions while focusing on the true reason behind them. It’s the perfect chance to share the hope we have in Christ with those who still need Him. 

What better time to share our faith than on this day when we remember and celebrate Christ’s resurrection? 

Sharing Your Faith This Easter

The fact that Jesus defeated death and gives us new life in Him is our living hope as Christians. And we are called to proclaim this hope to the world. In fact, the last thing Jesus told His followers before he ascended into heaven was to: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NIV) 

Fulfilling this Great Commission starts with sharing the gospel. While that may sound intimidating if you have never done it, it doesn’t need to be. There are so many incredible resources that can help you get started. 

The True Story of Easter for Kids: Beyond Eggs and Bunnies 

There are countless resources explaining Easter, its meaning, its origins and the ways people celebrate. This video series provides a kid-friendly explanation of Easter that can be shared with anyone. As you watch each of these short videos, consider how they might be helpful to those looking to dive into Easter’s deeper meaning. 

The Origins of Easter 

When we think about the meaning of Easter, our minds may turn to bunnies, eggs and lots of chocolate! But Easter is really a worldwide Christian festival, as important to Christians as Christmas. So what are Christians actually celebrating on Easter? 

This episode explores the origins of Easter by going back to the very beginning and discovering Jesus’ mission in coming to Earth. It illustrates to the true Christian meaning of Easter.

The Story of Good Friday

“It’s not fair!” are words we’re all familiar with. We want fairness and justice. But possibly the most unfair thing ever to have happened took place on the very first Easter. Jesus was innocent; His friends and even His opponents knew that full well. And yet, Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion—a terrible punishment. 

This episode explores Jesus’s trial for crimes He hadn’t committed and how it all ties into God’s plan to rescue the world from sin. 

The Meaning of The Resurrection

Jesus was dead and buried in a tomb. An enormous stone and Roman soldiers guarded the entrance. But when some of His followers visited the tomb one early morning, something astonishing unfolded. The stone was rolled away, the soldiers gone; an earthquake, angels, and an amazing message! Not everyone likes surprises, but for Christians, this surprise at the heart of Easter is the best news the world has ever heard!

This final episode of the series explores the resurrection of Jesus and the hope that it brings Christians today.

Resources to Help You Share Your Faith This Easter

If you aren’t sure where or how to start telling others about Jesus this Easter, I encourage you to begin by reading up on sharing your faith. This blog is a great starting point. 

You can also check out our collection of Easter-themed short films and videos. These videos, many of which are available in different languages, are meant to help you start and guide conversations about your faith and all link back to the topic of Jesus’ resurrection. 

Did Jesus Defeat Death? is one of our newest short video series, and it centers around the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. The three-part series goes hand-in-hand with the Easter holiday and is available in multiple languages, making it easy to share with someone who doesn’t speak English. 

I pray that wherever you are this Easter, your heart will be filled with joy and gratitude. Jesus is alive, and through Him, we are made new. His resurrection gives us hope both in and beyond this life, and that’s worth celebrating.

In a spiritual sense, we are never alone when we pray. So the idea of prayer with others shouldn’t overwhelm us. Yet, for many of us, praying with others in a group is easier said than done.

Have you had the opportunity to pray with family, friends, church members or at a Bible Study? Think back. How did you react? You may have leapt at the chance or chimed in a few minutes after prayer started. Maybe you let the silence wash over you as you waited for someone else to speak up, but you didn’t actually get around to praying. 

For the majority of my life, I was an extreme introvert. That meant that even the thought of praying in a group, especially a group of strangers (and that meant anyone who wasn’t a close friend) scared me. So, I kept silent. 

I’m still an introvert. But over the years the Lord has deepened my understanding of prayer. And he’s deepened my desire to pray and pray for others in public, often through challenging circumstances. 

Since 1981, I have served in various capacities and in several countries with Jesus Film Project’s parent ministry, Cru. Today I lead prayer for Jesus Film Project. I would love to share with you what I’ve learned that has changed how I approach prayer. I hope it helps you too.

What Makes Praying In a Group Difficult

Why is it so hard to pray in a group? Perhaps I should ask this question differently. Why is it so hard to pray out loud? 

Well, we can be concerned about not being loud enough or not saying the right words. We might have forgotten the prayer request the moment it was shared. Many groups are very big or are packed with people we don’t know well enough.

But I believe there’s one major reason it’s hard for us to pray out loud with others: We are thinking more about others around us than who we are praying to. It’s easier, after all. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we need to think of ourselves and others less and more on Him.

We need to remember that prayer is not a performance. 

Jesus says in Matthew 6:5, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” 

He continues: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7).

Here Jesus gives us helpful instructions about how to approach prayer. He makes it clear that it’s not about appearances or big words or seeking others’ approval. Jesus is instructing us to pray for the right reasons. 

The Heart of Prayer

Between these two verses, in Matthew 6:6, Jesus does encourage us to steal away to a private room or a secret place to pray. But does this mean Christians shouldn’t pray in public? Quite a few passages in Scripture, including John 11:41-42, lead me to believe that’s not the case. In this passage, Jesus prays publicly before raising Lazarus from the dead. The Bible says:

“So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:41-42, English Standard Version). 

Whether we are praying by ourselves, with a trusted friend or in a group, above all things God wants to hear from our hearts. Matthew 6:7 tells us that God already knows what you need, and that implies that He also knows what we will pray about. Yet––and I find this so amazing––He still wants us to pray! He wants to hear us.

God wants us to bring our concerns, our needs, our confessions, our thanksgiving and our praise to Him in prayer. I’m not saying that confessions need to be done in a group, but these are all different types of prayers which the Lord wants us to engage in. And we should do it earnestly, with a humble heart. It honors God to hear the prayers on the hearts of His people. 

When we express our need for God and our praises openly and publically, we also set a great example for other believers. In modeling drawing near to God without seeking admiration or validation, we inspire others to draw near to Him in prayer as well.

How We Can Learn to Pray in Groups

So what can we do as we inch our way toward praying out loud? Here are three steps that I recommend to people now that I wish I knew 40 years ago. These are very simple steps you can start applying today.

1. Start Small
   Start by praying out loud when it’s just you and Jesus. Then with close friends. Then, as you get more comfortable, try it in a larger group. Soon, you’ll be praying in a group as if it were just you and Jesus. 
   
   
2. Agree With the Prayers of Others
   After someone prays, simply say out loud, “Lord, I agree with that prayer.” This helps break the ice and it is a prayer. 
   
   
3. Pray for Courage
   Ask the Lord to give you boldness to start praying out loud in a group. He hears us when we pray and He cares––even about your prayer life.

The Power of Prayer Etiquette

Here are a few etiquette tips for prayer. Yes, there are etiquette “rules” you can follow to stay true to the heart of prayer. Following them can really empower your prayer life and help you approach praying in a group confidently.

• Remember that you are speaking to the Lord.  Forget fancy words and speak from the heart. 
• Be mindful not to monopolize the time. Some say sentence prayers, others paragraph prayers and some chapter-length prayers. Most likely, sentence or short paragraph prayers are appropriate for a group setting. You’ll be glad you didn’t have to think of much to say, and the group will appreciate your brevity. You also end up giving others a chance to pray too.
• Be careful about sharing too many personal details.  Of course, what is considered “too many personal details” depends on who you are praying with and how well you know them and trust them. Remember that God already knows everything. You don’t want to devolve into gossip (about others) or regret oversharing (about yourself). 
• Try to include other types of prayer. See if you can include less petitions (asking God for things) when you pray. Take time to praise Him for who He is, thank Him for what He has done, and simply listen. 

The tips I shared can work for you. I encourage you to give them a try soon. I’d love to read a post from you one day about how praying with others became less frightening. I would be delighted to read that, much like it did for me, praying in a group of people became a regular practice that you are now happy to do whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Additional Prayer Resources

If you’re looking for more prayer tips, check out these 5 Tips for Breathing New Life into Your Prayers, a collection of prayer insights from other Jesus Film Project staff members. 

You can learn more about what Jesus had to say about prayer in 3 Lessons on Prayer from the Parables of Jesus. You can also watch a clip of The Lord’s Prayer from our flagship film, JESUS, which is available in more than 2,000 languages. I like to listen to it in a few different languages to remember that God listens to the prayers of every single person in the world, no matter what their language. It fills me with joy!

You can always join us in prayer by using the Jesus Film Project prayer page, which features the prayer needs of some of the world’s nations least reached with the message of the gospel. There you’ll also find our Prayer Experience app. Discover a full list of prayer requests from people all around the world and add your own prayer requests to the board.

Faith is essential to the Christian. Our faith allows us to trust and follow God when times are difficult and we can’t see the road ahead. It gives us purpose, hope and comfort. It’s faith that helps us to believe in God’s goodness and care. 

Faith leads to faithfulness. When we can trust in God’s virtues and love, obedience becomes much easier. This is why the author of Hebrews tell us “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6*). Faith enables us to believe in God’s existence and trust that He will reward the efforts and sacrifices we make to live according to His Word. 

1. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20)

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

2. If you have faith and do not doubt (Matthew 21:18-22)

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

3. Your faith has healed you (Mark 10:51-52)

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

4. Have faith in God (Mark 11:22-24)

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

5. Increase our faith (Luke 17:5-6)

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

6. The righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:16-17)

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. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

7. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17)

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

8. In accordance with the faith God has distributed (Romans 12:3)

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

9. Accept the one whose faith is weak (Romans 14:1)

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.

10. Your faith will not rest on human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

11. And if I have faith that can move mountains (1 Corinthians 13:2)

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

12. Faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

13. Stand firm in the faith (1 Corinthians 16: 13-14)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

14. We live by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:6-9)

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

15. We may be justified by faith (Galatians 2:15-16)

“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

16. By grace you have been saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)

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.

17. Take up the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16)

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

18. I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

19. Faith is confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11:1-2)

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

20. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

21. The pioneer and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

22. You must believe and not doubt (James 1:5-8)

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

23. What good is faith with no deeds? (James 2:14-26)

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

24. The end result of your faith (1 Peter 1:8-9)

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

25. The victory that has overcome the world (1 John 5:3-5)

In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Remember these Bible verses about faith

We hope you are encouraged by this list of Bible verses about faith. Keep them in mind when doubts creep in.

Join us in helping to fulfill the Great Commission 

Jesus Film Project^® and our partners are working hard at creating and translating gospel-centered films and digital tools so that even the least-reached parts of the world can hear the message of Jesus. We’re so grateful for all of you who walk alongside us in prayer. Please pray that God will continue opening doors for new partnerships and ministry opportunities. 

There are numerous ways you can pray with us, become a partner and support us as we help ensure that everyone, everywhere, has an opportunity to hear about Jesus! 

*All Scripture is taken from the New International Version translation. 

And although it’s as easy as speaking, we all must learn how to pray. When Jesus teaches His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, it’s because these men—who have prayed their entire lives—asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1).  

But even after years of consistent and heartfelt prayer, we can go through dry and difficult seasons. Sometimes, we don’t know what to pray or how to pray. We may even struggle to want to pray. And at times like this, it’s helpful to lean on the prayers of others. 

History is full of prayers that can inspire us to deeper and more introspective prayer. They can provide a helpful jumping-off point for our own prayers, or we can even lean on them when we can’t find our own words.

Here are seven prayers you may find meaningful.  

1. The prayer of St. Patrick

Patrick was a fifth-century missionary who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Much of the Western world celebrates St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, considered the day of his death. 

The following prayer, attributed to Patrick, is a beautiful reflection of a heart that wants to be surrounded by Jesus. It asks that Jesus not accompany the person praying but that He also be before them and prepare their path. It’s a prayer that the Lord is there wherever they look and wherever they are. Not only do they ask that Jesus be ever-present to them, but that Jesus makes Himself obvious to others through their lives as well. 

2. The prayer of St. Francis

Born in the late twelfth century to a wealthy Italian silk merchant, Francis had an encounter with Jesus that caused him to abandon worldly wealth. He spent years as a beggar, collecting alms to rebuild collapsing chapels. He eventually started the Franciscan Order. 

Francis’ prayer is a thoughtful example of selflessness. At the top, it asks for the praying person’s life to be a tool God can use to restore faith and hope to others. And it’s in the second part of the prayer where our natural tendencies are redirected. Instead of focusing on many of the requests we tend to ask of Jesus, the prayer asks for an opportunity to do those things for others: console, understand and love. 

3. The prayer of St. Richard of Chichester

Richard was a thirteenth-century bishop of Chichester, England. This prayer is a simple yet powerful expression of thanksgiving for the benefits of knowing and loving Jesus. Praying this prayer can remind us of Jesus’s sacrifices that enabled us to walk in relationship with God. 

4. The prayer of John Calvin 

John Calvin (1509-1564) is the most crucial figure in the second generation of Protestant reformers. He not only dramatically impacted the direction of the church going forward, but it could also be argued that he played a significant role in shaping the modern world. 

In a vibrant devotional life, there are always seasons when you’re competing for your own heart. You want to remain vigilant and awake, and not become insensitive to the things of God. Calvin’s prayer is perfect for those seasons. 

5. The prayer of John Wesley

John Wesley wore many hats. He was an eighteenth-century clergyman, evangelist, revivalist, theologian, and even a hymnist. On top of all that, he started the Methodist movement. 

Wesley prays to be filled and changed. He believed the goal of prayer was not just to receive answers for our petitions but to seek personal transformation. Consistent prayers like this can lead to personal revival and growth. 

6. The prayer of Elisabeth Elliott

Elisabeth Elliott was a missionary who lost her husband, Jim, as he tried to make contact with the Huaorani people of Ecuador. She spent years ministering to the very tribe that killed her husband. She went on to become a very in-demand devotional writer and speaker. 

Her prayer is a perfect daily morning prayer for anyone. You might even want to commit it to memory and pray it before you even get out of bed.

7. The prayer of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

As one of the key leaders in the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. was an influential leader and powerful speaker. He was also a Baptist minister and writer. He led the movement until he was assassinated in 1968. 

King’s prayer is a powerful one that reminds us that we should pray like prayer is the only thing that matters but work as if the answer to those prayers depends on us. Whether we’re praying for human rights or the fulfillment of the Great Commission, we’re not just asking God to do the work but to bless our efforts as we continue to work out His will. 

Pray with Jesus Film ProjectWe’re enthusiastic about ensuring that everyone, everywhere, has the opportunity to experience the life-changing story of Jesus. But we need people like you to participate with us in prayer. Visit the Jesus Film Project prayer page for ways to pray for and with us!

So, what can we learn about prayer from the Lord’s Prayer? Let’s take a look. 

Don’t pray to get attention from others

Jesus gives us the Lord’s Prayer in response to previous teachings about prayer. He starts off this section by offering His listeners a couple of warnings: 

Prayer is a discipline through which we speak directly to God. Jesus warns His followers not to use prayer to demonstrate how spiritual they are to the people around them. The reward of legitimate prayer is communion with God and His attention to our pleas, but when we misuse prayer, the reward becomes the approval and attention of others. 

As twenty-first-century English readers, it can be easy to misunderstand this point. Since we think of babbling as talking too much, we might read Jesus’ words and think He is telling us to keep our prayers short. But the Greek word being used here is βαττολογήσητε (battologēsēte), which means to speak using vain repetitions or to stammer. 

This speaks toward the prayer practice some had of repeating the same words over and over, sometimes working themselves into a frenzy. They believed this behavior would get God’s attention. But Jesus wanted His followers to pray thoughtfully, trusting they already had God’s attention and He knew what they needed. 

Examining the Lord’s Prayer 

Jesus goes into the Lord’s Prayer with these words, “This, then, is how you should pray…” (Matthew 6:9, NIV).

In contrast to the previous bad examples, He gives us a model for prayer. And while we can pray this prayer exactly as He gives it, it’s helpful to think of it as a model with all the elements of powerful prayer. 

Worshipping our Father 

It begins with remembering the object of our prayers. We pray to a God whose name is hallowed, meaning it’s sacred and revered. We come with respect and awe, remembering our place in the grand scheme of things. But He’s also our Father, which signifies that our relationship with God is personal and familial. 

Praying to God means carrying the tension of two (seemingly) opposing ideas. God is powerful and venerated; we don’t come to Him as peers. But He also loves and cares for us individually, and we can trust that we have His attention, care, and concern. 

Aligning with God’s work 

We worship God and acknowledge His character and care, and then we align ourselves with His work. This is important for a couple of reasons:

1. It helps focus the rest of our prayer time
   Instead of focusing on ourselves and our laundry list of desires and wants, we remember what it means to be His followers. Our focus is ultimately on His will, His plan, and the Great Commission. 
2. It reminds us of the scope of the work
   Our goal isn’t just to fill heaven with believers. It’s about carrying God’s will and character into our daily lives so that the earth can look as much like heaven as possible. When we pray, we should ask ourselves, “What would it look like if my area of influence looked a little more like God’s paradise?” 

Praying for our needs 

Many of us don’t understand what it’s like to scramble daily for what we need. We go to the grocery store and shop for a couple of weeks’ worth of food at a time. So it’s easy to misunderstand the idea behind “daily bread.” Our lifestyle can prevent us from really understanding the depth of this prayer.

It’s not just about asking for the food we need today but more about recognizing our dependence on God daily. When we ask God to give us “today” our “daily bread,” we ask for the providence necessary to make it through another day. When we learn to live in that kind of daily reliance, we have a better chance of seeing God’s hand in our lives and recognizing divine opportunities. 

Praying for forgiveness 

Part of a healthy spiritual life is having self-awareness of our failures and a desire to keep an unblemished walk with God. But this section of the Lord’s Prayer makes a point that we can’t afford to miss. 

Jesus links the forgiveness we receive with the forgiveness we extend, and this isn’t the only time He does so. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says, “And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25, NIV). 

In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Jesus uses a story to make this same point. 

When we pray, we need to be sensitive to the things we need forgiveness for, but we need to be just as sensitive to the places where we’re harboring unforgiveness toward others. 

Leaning into God’s protection

This is a prayer for guidance. While God doesn’t tempt us, He guides our steps, and Jesus tells us it’s OK to pray to avoid trials. It doesn’t mean we will, but God wants us to talk to Him about the road we’re on and the temptations we may face. 

He also wants us to recognize our dependence on Him to rescue us from the evil one. It’s not by our own cunning or power that we avoid the devil’s schemes; it’s through God’s sovereign deliverance. We don’t need to get better at wrestling with the enemy; we must draw nearer to our protector. 

Prayer is one of the most significant things we can do to improve our relationship with God and ensure that His will is done in our lives. 

Pray with us for the least-reached nations

We believe prayer is critical to Jesus Film Project’s ministry, ensuring we remain focused on fulfilling the Great Commission and doing it as effectively as possible. In 2025, we’re once again focused on praying for the 12 least-reached nations on Earth. Every month, we choose a new country to focus on. 
If you’re interested in interceding with us for countries that need access to the gospel, visit the prayer page at jesusfilm.org to learn about the specific country we’re praying for each month, download a family prayer packet or an individual prayer guide, and pray for worldwide transformation.

The goals we set for the coming year are known as New Year’s resolutions. Even though these resolutions begin with great intentions, studies have shown that 80 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions give up on them by the second week of February. But the problem isn’t the resolutions. 

The fact is that many people make commitments throughout the year. Many Christians commit to reading their Bibles more or being more generous, and these commitments sometimes don’t come to fruition.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make these kinds of commitments. Making commitments or resolutions is the only way to improve in these areas. It just means we have to be smart about how we do it. 

Setting resolutions to pray

Resolutions for Christians often center around faith. And for those who follow Jesus, the conviction to put more time and effort into our prayer lives is hard to ignore. To help with this, we could make several resolutions to improve our prayer lives. Here are some potential prayer-related resolutions:

1. Praying more consistently
2. Praying for longer time periods
3. Praying more strategically
4. Praying more often with others 
5. Praying scriptures more
6. Praying for others more often 
7. Keeping a prayer journal 
8. Praying for the Great Commission

As you can see, there are many ways we can improve our prayer life. One of the things we can do to ensure that our prayer-oriented resolutions stick is to be very clear about what we want to change. Unclear or overly ambitious goals will negatively affect your follow-through. 

Making prayer resolutions that succeed

For instance, someone might say they resolve to “pray more.” But does that mean they want to pray more frequently or for longer periods of time? It’s essential to know exactly what you’re committing to do when making your resolutions.

Once you decide what changes to make, you must determine how to get there. Let’s say that you want to pray more consistently. First, you need to take stock of where you are now. Do you pray once a week? Less? More? 

If you only pray once a week, deciding to pray twice a week is a 100 percent increase. Too often, we set extremely lofty goals, and that’s why they fail. Going from praying once a week (52 times a year) to every day (365 days a year) is a lot. That might be your long-term goal, but going from an occasional walk to completing a marathon requires some steps in between. 

You can work toward a long-term goal, like praying every day, in smaller steps. For the first quarter of the year, you could commit to praying twice a week for 10 minutes. If you’ve been able to keep that commitment, you might choose to pray four times a week in the second quarter. But if you get to the second quarter and haven’t been able to keep your commitment to praying four times a week, it’s time to figure out what’s holding you back and recommit to praying twice a week again. 

Even if you feel that daily prayer is important (and it is), the aim is a consistent improvement, not just to set big goals you might not reach. Going from occasionally praying to praying every day might be ideal, but the data says the chances of giving up on a goal that’s too ambitious are pretty high. And once you fail in that commitment, it will be harder to make it again.

But if you can stick to a small, achievable commitment, making another attainable goal next year will be easier. That’s how you build up disciplined momentum in your life. 

Pray with and for Jesus Film Project!

Jesus Film Project’s goal for everyone, everywhere, to hear the story of Jesus in their own heart language relies on the faithful prayers of many Christians. If you’d like to support us in prayer, please visit the Jesus Film Project prayer page! 

For more prayer resources, check out the following posts:

• 40 Inspirational Quotes about Prayer
• 5 Tips for Breathing New Life into Your Prayers
• How to Pray for Missionaries: Five Tips for Supportive Prayer
• Why Do We Pray? 10 Bible Passages to Better Understand Prayer
• 5 Ways Luke’s Gospel Focuses on Prayer

Scripture definitely addresses healing. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, we see Him taking part in healing. In fact, He stayed in one town late into the evening, healing everyone who was brought to Him (Luke 4:40).

But the Bible talks about other kinds of healing too. It’s not only about healing from our various diseases and pains. Since the beginning, the Lord has been working on a plan to heal us from our tendency to wander from God and sin. 

In that sense, the whole New Testament is a story of healing, and many ideas and passages in the Bible are about healing, even if they don’t mention the topic explicitly.

Consider Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version):

As the Spirit empowers us to resist sin and imparts these fruits, we are being healed. This is God returning us to our factory settings. 

But Bible verses about healing can be about our circumstances too. In Romans, Paul tells us that all of Creation is crying out to be healed from its bondage (Romans 8:18-21).

The biblical topic of healing is not only about something we hope will happen for some of us immediately. It’s also about something that happened for us on the cross and is still being worked out in the lives of those who trust in Jesus. 

And ultimately, the promise of healing is the knowledge that our Redeemer lives, and in the end, He will stand on the earth (Job 19:25) and eventually the “perishable will clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53, NIV), and we will be healed for all time.

Here are 35 Bible verses about healing: 

1. I have wounded and I will heal — Deuteronomy 32:39

2. I will forgive their sin and heal their land — 2 Chronicles 7:14

3. Heal me, Lord — Psalm 6:2

4. I will fear no evil, for you are with me — Psalm 23:1-4

5. Weeping may last for the night — Psalms 30:4-5

6. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted — Psalm 34:17-18

7. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed — Psalm 41:3

8. Forgives your sins and heals all your diseases — Psalm 103:2-3

9. He heals the brokenhearted — Psalm 147:3

10. They are health to one’s whole body — Proverbs 4:20-22

11. Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones — Proverbs 16:24

12. There is a time for everything — Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

13. The bread of adversity and water of affliction — Isaiah 30:20-21

14. He gives strength to the weary — Isaiah 40:29-31

15. By His wounds, we are healed — Isaiah 53:5

16. Your healing will quickly appear — Isaiah 58:6-9

17. Heal me Lord, and I will be healed —  Jeremiah 17:14

18. I will bring health and healing — Jeremiah 33:6

19. The sun of righteousness will rise with healing — Malachi 4:1-3

20. The year of the Lord’s favor — Luke 4:18-19

21. Take heart! I have overcome the world — John 16:33

22. We also glory in our sufferings — Romans 5:3-5

23. Creation: liberated from its bondage to decay — Romans 8:18-21

24. The Spirit himself, intercedes for us — Romans 8:26

25. All things God works for the good — Romans 8:28

26. He comforts us in all our troubles — 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

27. Inwardly we are being renewed — 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

28. We will reap a harvest if we don’t give up — Galatians 6:9

29. He will guard your hearts and minds — Philippians 4:5-7

30. Let perseverance finish its work — James 1:2-4

31. Receiving the crown of life — James 1:12

32. The Lord will raise them up — James 5:14-15

33. By His wounds, you have been healed – 1 Peter 2:24

34. Christ will restore you and make you strong — 1 Peter 5:8-11

35. Enjoy good health — 3 John 1:2

Use this list of Bible verses on healing to stay encouraged

We hope this list of Bible verses about healing encourages you in your walk with Jesus.

Join us in helping to fulfill the Great Commission 

Jesus Film Project^® and our partners are working hard at creating and translating Jesus-centered films and digital tools to reach the parts of the world without access to Jesus’ message. We’re so grateful for all of you who walk alongside us in prayer. Please pray that God will continue opening doors for new partnerships and ministry opportunities. 

There are numerous ways you can pray with us, become a partner and support us as we help ensure that everyone, everywhere, has an opportunity to hear about Jesus!