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Practical, Christ-centered ways to learn, love, listen, and share the gospel with the unreached people already living around you.
By Aaron Myers
By Aaron Myers
Last week, I introduced Google Maps as a tool for discovering the unreached people living in your city or region. However, finding the unreached around you is just the first step. We need to find ways to engage these communities with love and gospel witness. Today, I’d like to introduce four principles that will lead to loving engagement as you go out into the harvest—the places you’ve discovered using Google Maps.
Four Principles for Gospel Engagement:
Learning
As you go out into the community, be intentional about adopting a posture of learning. One of the greatest kindnesses we can show to new Americans—whether refugees, immigrants, or international students—is to take a genuine interest in their lives and cultures. To do this, you’ll need to reflect on your own preconceived stereotypes and be careful not to make assumptions about the people you meet.
In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul spent time exploring Athens, learning about its people and beliefs. He discovered an altar to the “unknown god” and used that cultural reference as a bridge to share the gospel in a way the Athenians would understand. In the same way, we should become cultural detectives, searching for the fingerprints of God in different cultures to understand the deep beliefs, desires, and needs of those we encounter.
Action Steps for Learning:
Love
As you enter the community, approach every interaction with an attitude of love. Everyone you meet is an image bearer, known by God before they were born. Their differences do not change this truth.
One of the top reasons former Muslims cite for leaving Islam and following Christ is the tangible love of a Christian in their lives. If you are wondering how to love well in cross-cultural relationships, consider 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
This passage serves as a rubric for love. When unsure how to act or think in a relationship, return to this list and ask the Lord to help you embody these attitudes and actions.
Action Steps for Loving:
Four Principles for Gospel Engagement:
- Enter every situation with a posture of learning.
- Approach every interaction with an attitude of love.
- Default to listening first.
- Engage with the gospel through discernment.
Learning
As you go out into the community, be intentional about adopting a posture of learning. One of the greatest kindnesses we can show to new Americans—whether refugees, immigrants, or international students—is to take a genuine interest in their lives and cultures. To do this, you’ll need to reflect on your own preconceived stereotypes and be careful not to make assumptions about the people you meet.
In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul spent time exploring Athens, learning about its people and beliefs. He discovered an altar to the “unknown god” and used that cultural reference as a bridge to share the gospel in a way the Athenians would understand. In the same way, we should become cultural detectives, searching for the fingerprints of God in different cultures to understand the deep beliefs, desires, and needs of those we encounter.
Action Steps for Learning:
- Visit cultural markets, restaurants, and events to build familiarity.
- Learn a few phrases in their language.
- Read books or watch documentaries about their home country and culture.
- Connect with those experienced in cross-cultural engagement.
Love
As you enter the community, approach every interaction with an attitude of love. Everyone you meet is an image bearer, known by God before they were born. Their differences do not change this truth.
One of the top reasons former Muslims cite for leaving Islam and following Christ is the tangible love of a Christian in their lives. If you are wondering how to love well in cross-cultural relationships, consider 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
This passage serves as a rubric for love. When unsure how to act or think in a relationship, return to this list and ask the Lord to help you embody these attitudes and actions.
Action Steps for Loving:
- Regularly support their businesses.
- Offer practical help (transportation, tutoring, navigating life in a new country).
- Celebrate their cultural festivals and important traditions.
Listening
One of the best ways to both learn and love is to listen to people’s stories. Everyone has a story, and most long to be heard.
I remember taking a pastor into a Somali-owned restaurant one day. After a wonderful meal and two cups of Somali tea, I asked the owner how he liked living in America. He lifted his shirt to reveal a scar on his belly—a gunshot wound. He then showed us another scar on his leg. He told us how Al-Shabab soldiers attacked his village, killing the adults and taking the young boys and men. He was shot twice and left for dead. But someone found him, cared for him, and helped him get to the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. Years later, he was granted refugee status and brought to the U.S.
That had happened over twenty years ago. He went on to tell us about his oldest children, twins, who were in university, and about his businesses—a restaurant and a car dealership. With great emphasis, he told us, “I love America.” His story was far more powerful than I had anticipated when I asked, but it was his story to tell, and I was honored to hear it.
Action Steps for Listening:
- Ask open-ended questions:
- What brought you here?
- What do you miss most about home?
- What traditions are important to your family?
- If you hear of a hardship or problem, avoid jumping to solutions. Just listen.
Discernment
I once heard it said that evangelicals are often so eager to share the good news that we rarely take the time to hear a person's bad news first. Yet, when we listen, love well, and learn, we prepare ourselves to partner with the Holy Spirit in discerning how best to plant seeds and share the gospel. When we invest this time, we often find that when a person does come to faith, their discipleship journey has already begun organically.
A friend once told me that in cross-cultural relationships, "It's not until the fifth tea that anything significant happens." He didn’t mean the fifth glass of tea but the fifth occasion of sitting down together over tea and conversation—the fifth time of listening, loving, and learning. The more we listen, love, and learn, the more we will see our prayers answered as natural opportunities to share the gospel arise. If we prayerfully persist in being present, God will show up.
Action Steps for Discernment:
- As you learn, love, and listen, pray daily for the Holy Spirit to reveal what He is already doing in the lives of those you meet.
- Take time to do prayer walks around neighborhoods where you meet the unreached in your city.
- Read the book of Acts, imagining what it would look like in your context.
Crescent Project founder Fouad Masri once said, "90% of Muslim ministry is just showing up." So much of reaching the unreached in our cities is simply a ministry of presence.
Step through the door. Say hello. Ask good questions. And then do it again and again and again.
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I have been enjoying facilitating a Sunday school class at our church, where we are reading through C.S. Lewis’ classic book, Mere Christianity. This week, our chapter ended with a gut-punch quote about generosity:
"I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them."
Lewis' sharp intellect can make one feel as though they’re sitting in a philosophy lecture one moment, and then, with a crystal-clear metaphor or a piercing quote, he drives the point home. The quote above was one of those moments for me.
I truly believe I live in one of the greatest countries in the history of mankind, yet I wonder if we who follow Christ in this modern age have allowed the American Dream to subtly infiltrate our faith in ways we struggle to recognize. When I read the Gospels, the book of Acts, and the epistles, I see radical generosity marking both the teachings of the New Testament and the example of the early believers.
“They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” is not a testimony I’ve ever heard in a North American church (Acts 2:45). Yet, it was a defining characteristic of the early church.
When Paul first met the Apostles in Jerusalem, they extended the right hand of fellowship and emphasized one additional charge, as Paul recalls: “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians 2:10). This was not just a passing statement—Paul actively raised money from the churches he visited to help those suffering from famine in Jerusalem. Writing to the Corinthians, he highlights the extraordinary generosity of the Macedonians:
“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations” (2 Corinthians 8:2-5).
We, too, have brothers and sisters in Christ experiencing severe hardship. We, too, can respond as the early church did to meet their needs. We, too—even those of us who have little—can well up in rich generosity.
Randy Alcorn, in his powerful little book The Treasure Principle, writes: “Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. But God has given us His Word so that we don’t have to wait to die to find out. And He’s given us His Spirit to empower us to live that way now.”
I’ve often thought that the moment I step into heaven, my first word will be “Wow!” and my second will most likely be “Oops,” as I realize all the ways I was so sure of myself but was wrong. One of those, I am increasingly convinced, will be the realization that I kept too much of God’s possessions for myself.
Alcorn’s fifth principle in The Treasure Principle states: “Giving is the only antidote to materialism. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him.”
Today, I want to give you opportunities to give. The organizations below are serving the very least of these—many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Each of these organizations is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, ensuring that your money reaches the intended projects.
May we be a people who live out the radical generosity of the early church, giving beyond what is comfortable, and embracing the joy of surrendering to God’s greater plan
I truly believe I live in one of the greatest countries in the history of mankind, yet I wonder if we who follow Christ in this modern age have allowed the American Dream to subtly infiltrate our faith in ways we struggle to recognize. When I read the Gospels, the book of Acts, and the epistles, I see radical generosity marking both the teachings of the New Testament and the example of the early believers.
“They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” is not a testimony I’ve ever heard in a North American church (Acts 2:45). Yet, it was a defining characteristic of the early church.
When Paul first met the Apostles in Jerusalem, they extended the right hand of fellowship and emphasized one additional charge, as Paul recalls: “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians 2:10). This was not just a passing statement—Paul actively raised money from the churches he visited to help those suffering from famine in Jerusalem. Writing to the Corinthians, he highlights the extraordinary generosity of the Macedonians:
“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations” (2 Corinthians 8:2-5).
We, too, have brothers and sisters in Christ experiencing severe hardship. We, too, can respond as the early church did to meet their needs. We, too—even those of us who have little—can well up in rich generosity.
Randy Alcorn, in his powerful little book The Treasure Principle, writes: “Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. But God has given us His Word so that we don’t have to wait to die to find out. And He’s given us His Spirit to empower us to live that way now.”
I’ve often thought that the moment I step into heaven, my first word will be “Wow!” and my second will most likely be “Oops,” as I realize all the ways I was so sure of myself but was wrong. One of those, I am increasingly convinced, will be the realization that I kept too much of God’s possessions for myself.
Alcorn’s fifth principle in The Treasure Principle states: “Giving is the only antidote to materialism. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him.”
Today, I want to give you opportunities to give. The organizations below are serving the very least of these—many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Each of these organizations is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, ensuring that your money reaches the intended projects.
May we be a people who live out the radical generosity of the early church, giving beyond what is comfortable, and embracing the joy of surrendering to God’s greater plan
Samaritan’s Purse
Compassion International
Blood:Water Mission
Further Reading
- Food for Sudan
- Emergency Field Hospital Sudan
- Food for South Sudan
- Women’s Health in Sudan
- Relief for Ukraine
Compassion International
Blood:Water Mission
Further Reading
- The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
- Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
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share it with your friends.
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When Samuel Zwemer left rural Iowa to sail to Bahrain in 1891 there were few in the Arabian Peninsula who had heard the gospel. His work over the next forty years is seen in many ways as the genesis of missions work among Muslims in the Middle East and Zwemer is now known as the “Apostle to Islam.” He responded to the call of God to take the gospel to the Muslim world by leaving everything in order to live in Bahrain and later, Egypt. He learned the language, he started a literature ministry, he mobilized others to join him and he used every available means to share the gospel with Muslims. At the beginning of the 20th century however, those means were limited to the missionary himself and the printed page.
In Western Christians in Global Missions (2012), Doug Birdsall is quoted saying, “The Great Commission is for every church in every culture in every generation. There are no exclusions. But . . . every church in every culture in every generation must determine the way in which they respond to this responsibility -- in a way that is appropriate to time and context.” Zwemer and his contemporaries were faithful to respond to the great commission in every way they knew how for their time and context. Missionaries like Zwemer have been sent by churches to the unreached places of our world for the last 200 years. They have done and will continue to do amazing work and we see the fruit of their labors all across the globe.
Peggy is another believer from rural Iowa who is sharing the gospel with Muslims. She has not yet learned another language and hasn’t traveled outside the U.S. and yet every Tuesday morning she jumps on a video call with a young university student living in a Muslim majority country. They’ve been reading through a creation to Christ set of stories from the Bible as a way for this young lady to practice English, a language that will open up doors for opportunity for better education and future employment. Peggy is the first true follower of Jesus this young lady has ever met. For the first time in her life she is reading the living and active word of God. For the first time in her life there is a Christian who is praying specifically for her and her family.
Peggy’s ministry, appropriate for her time and context, highlights the increasingly blurred edges of sending versus going. In Zwemer’s day, the missionary went and did their work and their sending churches prayed and supported them but had few other opportunities to connect with the work. Missionary work was literally a world away.
Globalization and innovations in technology have quickly brought our world closer together than ever before. A recent search on a commonly used language exchange app found that over 200 people from Turkey, a country that is 99% Muslim, had logged onto the app in the previous 24 hours looking to connect with a native English speaker. Searches of several other Muslim majority countries resulted in much the same reality. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims are actively looking for friendships with native English speakers online. And indeed, they are finding friends. They are connecting with secular humanists and new age spiritualists, radical atheists and run of the mill hedonists. As I lead Embassy, an online outreach for Crescent Project, the focus of our work is to see that more and more of them connect with true followers of Jesus.
Jesus urged his disciples to pray for harvest workers to be thrust out into the harvest fields (Luke 10:2). The church is a slumbering giant, a harvest force that needs to wake up to the fact that every believer can be a part of completing the great commission among the nations. A love of Jesus and an Internet connection are all that is required. A new day is dawning when those who are sending are also going and the lines between sending and going are increasingly blurring.
In Western Christians in Global Missions (2012), Doug Birdsall is quoted saying, “The Great Commission is for every church in every culture in every generation. There are no exclusions. But . . . every church in every culture in every generation must determine the way in which they respond to this responsibility -- in a way that is appropriate to time and context.” Zwemer and his contemporaries were faithful to respond to the great commission in every way they knew how for their time and context. Missionaries like Zwemer have been sent by churches to the unreached places of our world for the last 200 years. They have done and will continue to do amazing work and we see the fruit of their labors all across the globe.
Peggy is another believer from rural Iowa who is sharing the gospel with Muslims. She has not yet learned another language and hasn’t traveled outside the U.S. and yet every Tuesday morning she jumps on a video call with a young university student living in a Muslim majority country. They’ve been reading through a creation to Christ set of stories from the Bible as a way for this young lady to practice English, a language that will open up doors for opportunity for better education and future employment. Peggy is the first true follower of Jesus this young lady has ever met. For the first time in her life she is reading the living and active word of God. For the first time in her life there is a Christian who is praying specifically for her and her family.
Peggy’s ministry, appropriate for her time and context, highlights the increasingly blurred edges of sending versus going. In Zwemer’s day, the missionary went and did their work and their sending churches prayed and supported them but had few other opportunities to connect with the work. Missionary work was literally a world away.
Globalization and innovations in technology have quickly brought our world closer together than ever before. A recent search on a commonly used language exchange app found that over 200 people from Turkey, a country that is 99% Muslim, had logged onto the app in the previous 24 hours looking to connect with a native English speaker. Searches of several other Muslim majority countries resulted in much the same reality. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims are actively looking for friendships with native English speakers online. And indeed, they are finding friends. They are connecting with secular humanists and new age spiritualists, radical atheists and run of the mill hedonists. As I lead Embassy, an online outreach for Crescent Project, the focus of our work is to see that more and more of them connect with true followers of Jesus.
Jesus urged his disciples to pray for harvest workers to be thrust out into the harvest fields (Luke 10:2). The church is a slumbering giant, a harvest force that needs to wake up to the fact that every believer can be a part of completing the great commission among the nations. A love of Jesus and an Internet connection are all that is required. A new day is dawning when those who are sending are also going and the lines between sending and going are increasingly blurring.
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please share it with your friends.
please share it with your friends.
