Simple Evangelism:  Live Like a Missionary  

Consider for a few seconds this word: missionary. The word missionary likely brings to mind an image of someone who travels to a foreign land, lives among the people, eats with them, plays with them, shops among them, learns their language, understands their culture, and discovers and meets their needs, looking for every opportunity - in mostly unscripted day to day activity - to talk with friends and acquaintances about Jesus. Simple Evangelism focuses on equipping every believer to live just like that! To live as a missionary wherever God has divinely placed each Christian. Those of us in the Church must think about our role of being a witness for Christ as being a missionary for Him. We are all called, yes, even commissioned, by the Lord to live like missionaries with the people in our world of influence, intentionally expanding it at every opportunity.

In May, Mike met with leaders of North Addison Baptist Church in Spokane, WA for a three hour introduction to Simple Evangelism in preparation for church wide training this fall. These leaders discovered that living like a missionary means three key relationships in their lives must be biblically healthy: relationship with God, relationship with other Christians, and relationship with the lost.   Living like a missionary also means being more aware of the people God has already placed in your world of influence and being intentional to see that world of influence expand. Living like a missionary means spending time with those who do not know Jesus: eating with them, discovering their story, meeting their needs, and loving them. Living like a missionary means helping people who do not yet understand who Jesus is or what He came to do gain biblical understanding through consistent, patient, ongoing explanations and instructions about Jesus from the Word. Living like a missionary means staying focused on the mission, explaining Jesus to others, regardless of whether one is working, playing, eating, or shopping. It is a singleness of devotion to no longer live for self but for Christ.