Applying Mission

You’re not alone in this mission. Jesus is with you, and he promises to make you a missional disciple: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). By walking closely with his disciples, teaching them his ways, and empowering them with his Spirit, Jesus used twelve ordinary men to change the world. If you love Jesus but think you’re too weak to tell others about him, you’re in the perfect position to become a fisher of people. Jesus uses weak but willing people to advance his mission.

Start obeying the mission of God by using the acronym F.I.S.H. It’s a simple but effective way to help you get started in making disciples of Jesus.

BUILD FRIENDSHIPS INTENTIONALLY

Evangelism begins by simply loving God and loving people. The best way to start sharing the gospel with lost people is by befriending them. While there are times when God will call you to share the gospel with a stranger (see Acts 16:14), evangelism happens most often in the context of relationships. When you know others’ background, passions, interests, and questions, you can speak the gospel in a way they will understand. When people know you genuinely care for them, they will have an open ear to hear what you have to say.

Building friendships with lost people requires intentionality. Most Christians find it more comfortable to be around fellow Christians. However, Jesus himself was a “friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19) and reminds us of what the mission requires: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick … For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13).

Start building intentional friendships with lost people by identifying a few people who are far from God but near to you. Think of ways that you can spend more time with them: ask them out to lunch, join them in an activity that they enjoy, or invite them into an activity that you enjoy. With just a little bit of planning, you can begin spending more time with those far from God.

Write down the names of three people who are far from God but near to you: one family member, one friend, and one co-worker.

How can you take a step this week to spend time with them and grow your friendship with them?

INITIATE SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS

To build a genuine friendship, you need to share what matters most to you. As a follower of Jesus, this means you will initiate spiritual conversations. A spiritual conversation is simply telling your friend about Jesus and his impact on your life and asking people about Jesus.

It may seem intimidating to talk about spiritual things. Small talk is easy, spiritual conversations are hard. But remember that if you’re to build real friendships, they should know about your Lord and Savior. Also, remember that Jesus’ mission is urgent. When you think of the eternal torment your friend could experience in hell, and the eternal joy your friend could experience with Jesus, your temporary discomfort is a small price to pay.

When you spend time with lost people, do you talk about Jesus’ impact on your life?

If not, bring up Jesus the next time you are with your friend. Talk about something Jesus is teaching you in the Word, something you’re thankful for, or something you are convicted about.
If so, think about ways to go deeper in spiritual conversations. Instead of just talking about Jesus’ impact on your life with your friends, ask good questions to discover what they think about Jesus.

Think of good spiritual questions that you can ask your friend the next time you talk:

What was your church background like?
What do you believe about God?
Would you say you are far from God or close to God?

SHARE THE GOSPEL

At some point in your friendship, you need to share the gospel with your friend and clearly communicate the message of salvation. Because of the urgency of the gospel, you should be on the lookout for open doors to share from the beginning of your friendship. Sharing the gospel isn’t a one-time event from which you move on. Conversations about the gospel should continue throughout your friendship.

Sometimes you can simply weave the gospel into conversation with your friends. If they are sharing about suffering, you can share the gospel and talk about how Jesus suffered on the cross to bring them to God. There are times when you will need to be bold and simply say: “I really care about you. Can I share with you the message that changed my life?” Yes, being forthright with the gospel can be uncomfortable, but your goal is not comfort but obedience to Jesus.

There are many ways to share the gospel. The important thing is that the message of the gospel is communicated to your friend. Your friends need to know that although they have sinned against God and are deserving of eternal wrath, God has sent his Son to live a perfect life of obedience in their place, die the death that they deserved, and raise from the dead, paving the way for them to have eternal life. If they will repent (turn from their sin), trust in Christ for salvation, and follow him as Lord, they will be saved.

To share this message, you can walk through the three components of the gospel: payment, perfection, and power. If your friend is a visual learner, you can use the three-circles method or the bridge diagram.

If you’ve had spiritual conversations with a friend but have not shared the gospel, ask God to open a door and look for an opportunity to share the gospel the next time you have a conversation.

HELP FRIENDS MAKE A DECISION

Don’t stop at just sharing the gospel. Like Paul, plead with your friends to receive the gospel, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Show them how to begin following Jesus by making a decision. They need to turn away from their sins, believe that Jesus has done everything necessary to save them, and trust in him as Lord of their life.

If your friends do not receive the gospel, don’t get discouraged. The goal is to communicate the gospel so that your friends can be saved. You cannot control their response. Continue to walk alongside them, be patient, and look for opportunities down the road to revisit your gospel conversation. Pray every day that God would draw him or her to himself.

If your friends trust in Christ for salvation, praise God! He is the one who saved them, and he graciously allowed you to be the messenger of salvation. Now that they have believed in Jesus, they need to be taught how to follow Jesus. You can begin by walking them through The Gospel Wheel, covering one part each week in a five-week study.