Is Your Church Making Disciples?

Scripture: “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious, I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.”Revelation 2:7

In many parts of the world, the Name of Jesus is unknown or hated, making it unsafe to share your Christian faith. However, God calls Christians to "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone" (Mark 16:15).

Embedded Missionaries

In obedience to this, my church has formed a team that is ready to follow the example of Jesus' original disciples. Quitting their jobs and leaving their extended families behind, they will rebuild their lives in a place where many people do not know the life-saving power of the Lord that can "truly set us free" (Galatians 5:1). Where they will live, it is dangerous to talk about Christianity; so as our missionaries build their lives there, they will also build relationships with their new neighbors and coworkers, striving to live so that people wonder what's different about them and want to know the Lord. With support from each other -- and other "undercover" Christians in the area -- they will live to share God's love with others.

Reaching Out through Relief

My church also shares God's Word through disaster relief. We send teams to stricken areas, where they serve in Jesus’ name -- cleaning and rebuilding structures, and helping those with medical needs.

The Apostle Paul instructed believers to "use your freedom to serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13). This follows Jesus' example: "the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others" (Mark 10:45). The people from my church can tell those whom they serve that they are helping them because of the Lord.

Online Evangelism

Some Christians don't have the ability or opportunity to leave their homes to minister. Therefore, many people in our church use the Internet to share God's Word. Using email, social media, and sites like this one, everyday Christians can touch the lives of people around the world with God's love -- sharing discipleship tools, prayer, and simple fellowship from a world away. This kind of ministry helps fulfill the promise of Scripture that one day "every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11).

Churches around the world use these methods to share the Gospel where it's needed most. How does your church share God's love with the world?