This post is the voice of Michael Frost, author of several books including Surprise the World, Keep Christianity Weird, and Hide This In Your Heart. Here, Frost encourages those of us who, well, aren’t running out the door with our megaphones to share the gospel (even though we love Jesus).
You don’t need to preach on a street corner in order to evangelize. You don’t have to become an extrovert before you begin evangelism. Now consider this question:
What might so surprise our friends that they would question our motivations and provide us opportunities to talk with them about Jesus?
The answer is missional habits. They are habits we foster in our lives that, in turn, shape our missional outlook.
By missional, I mean all that we do and say that alerts others to the reign of God.
In other words, mission derives from the reign of God. In that respect, the ideas of our mission and God’s kingdom are irrevocably linked. Mission is both the announcement and the demonstration of the reign of God through Christ.
Watch and listen to Australian spoken word artist Will Small deliver his message on the BELLS method. Check out more of his great work at willsmall.com.au.
Mission is not primarily concerned with church growth. It is primarily concerned with the reign and rule of the Triune God. That is why those of us who are not gifted evangelists need to foster habits in our lives that draw us out into the lives of unbelievers and invite us to proclaim the reign of God.
Missional habits aren’t just just strategic, they’re consequential: Because of the universal reign of God through Christ, we bless, we open our tables, we listen for the Spirit, we learn Christ, and we are sent out on this evangelistic task. That being said, if our only habits as Christians are going to church and attending meetings, they’re not going to connect us with unbelievers and it won’t invite their curiosity about our faith. The trick is to develop habits that unite us together as believers, while also propelling us into the lives of others. We also need habitual practices that don’t deplete our energy and burn us out, but rather reenergize us, replenishing our reserves and connecting us more deeply to Jesus.
There are five missional habits that do just that. They form what’s called the BELLS method.
- Bless
- Eat
- Listen
- Learn
- Sent
Dive into Surprise the World by Michael Frost to learn more about the BELLS method. It is a valuable resource for discipleship and evangelism and how to develop habits that don’t necessitate you becoming an extrovert or a preacher.
Michael Frost
Mike Frost is the author of numerous books including Surprise the World, Keep Christianity Weird, Hide This In Your Heart, and (with Alan Hirsch) The Shaping of Things to Come. He is the founding director of the Tinsley Institute at Morling College and cofounder of the worldwide Forge Mission Training Network.