How To Live, Speak, and Act Missionally

This lesson is designed to be completed alongside the teaching video, but you may choose how you engage with it. It is self-paced—you can pause to reflect or take notes at anytime. Here are the three ways to participate in this lesson:

You can:

Watch and read. Follow along with the video walkthrough as the instructor highlights and explains the curriculum, then scroll back through the written lesson to review or take notes.
Read first, then watch. Read the lesson at your own pace, then watch the video for clarification, emphasis, and practical application.
Pause and reflect as prompted. At certain points, you will be invited to pause the video for up to five minutes to reflect or write brief responses. These pauses are intentional and especially useful in group settings.

What You Will Need: 12 4×6 or 5×8 index cards

Let’s Begin!

What Does It Mean To Live Missionally?

Evangelism is not merely something we do in isolated moments—it is something we embody consistently. Before a gospel conversation ever takes place, people are already forming conclusions about Christ based on what they observe in us.

To live missionally means to intentionally represent Jesus in everyday life. It means recognizing that your home, workplace, friendships, hobbies, and routines are not random—they are your mission field. Many people call this “LifeStyle Witnessing”. Lifestyle witnessing is the practice of consistently reflecting Christian faith through daily actions, attitudes, and relationsips. It involves intentional, spirit-led living that demonstrates Christ’s love through kindness, integrity, and service making the gospel visible to family, neighbors, coworkers, and community.

The best way to promote the life giving Gospel is to let people see how it gives life to us

“Lifestyle Witnessing,” or living missionally, is best understood as pre-evangelism. It prepares the soil of the heart. It sets the stage. It loosens the hinges of the door before the Gospel is clearly spoken.

Lifestyle Witnessing & Verbal Proclamation

Lifestyle Witness (What They See)	Verbal Witness (What They Hear)
Matthew 5:16 – Let your light shine through good works.	Colossians 4:6 – Let your speech be gracious and wise.
1 Peter 2:12 – Live honorably before unbelievers.	1 Peter 3:15 – Always be prepared to give a defense.
John 13:35 – Love identifies you as Christ’s disciple.	Romans 10:14 – How can they believe unless they hear?
Titus 2:7–8 – Be a model of good works and integrity.	Acts 1:8 – You will be My witnesses.
Philippians 2:15 – Shine as lights in a dark world.	2 Timothy 4:2 – Preach the Word; be ready in season and out.
2 Corinthians 3:2–3 – Your life is a living letter.	1 Corinthians 15:3–4 – Proclaim the Gospel clearly and faithfully.

A consistent, Christlike life builds credibility, softens resistance, and creates relational trust. It demonstrates that the message we proclaim has truly transformed us. Yet Scripture never presents lifestyle and proclamation as competitors. The Bible affirms both—visible faithfulness and verbal clarity—and never elevates one at the expense of the other. We are called to live in a way that adorns the Gospel and to speak in a way that explains the Gospel.

A faithful witness does both.

Steps To Living Missionally

Live Missionally
Demonstrate integrity, humility, kindness, and faithfulness in ordinary interactions. Let your character validate your message long before you verbalize it. Authentic Christianity builds credibility.

Speak Missionally
Look for natural opportunities to introduce spiritual themes into conversation. Share how your faith shapes your decisions, comforts you in trials, or gives you hope. Avoid forcing conversations; instead, speak naturally and confidently when doors open.

Act Missionally
Serve sacrificially. Show hospitality. Step toward people in moments of need. Be present in suffering and generous in joy. Actions often soften hearts long before arguments persuade minds.

Remember:
Consistency over time creates openness.
Presence builds trust.
Trust creates permission.
Permission opens the door for proclamation.

Live in such a way that when you do get the opportunity to speak about Christ, it will feel like a natural extension of the life people have already witnessed.

Now We Begin To CrossOver

We have explored the importance of living missionally before the eyes and hearts of the people God has placed around us. We pray for them by name. We show kindness and consideration. We model integrity, humility, and a strong work ethic. But at some point, we must move from passive presence to intentional engagement. How do we initiate, develop, or deepen relationships in a way that creates natural pathways for spiritual conversation?

There are two primary types of relational promoters:

1. General Relational Promoters

These are everyday expressions of Christlike love that build goodwill and trust over time.

These actions soften hearts and demonstrate the Gospel before it is spoken.

2. Specific and Strategic Relational Promoters

These are intentional steps taken to move a relationship forward.

Inviting someone to lunch or coffee
Finding ways to collaborate on a project
Offering help during a stressful season
Asking deeper questions about life and faith
Creating shared experiences

Strategic does not mean manipulative. It means purposeful. We are not engineering conversations; we are creating space for them. Missionally minded believers understand that relationships rarely deepen by accident. They grow through initiative, intentionality, and prayerful discernment. As trust increases, so does openness. And as openness grows, spiritual conversations become natural rather than forced.

Tracking Our Progress

The next step in becoming a fully committed CrossOver Missionary is to take 12 index cards—one for each person God has led you to focus on from the various spheres of your everyday life—and develop your personal Monthly Progress Plan.

Each card will help you pray intentionally, act purposefully, and evaluate your growth.

What to include on each card:

Front of Card

Top Line: Write the person’s name and the date you began praying for them.

General Promotion Strategy: List small, consistent actions that demonstrate kindness, friendship, and genuine concern (e.g., encouragement, service, remembering important dates).

Strategic Promotion Strategy: Write specific, intentional steps to deepen the relationship (e.g., invite them to lunch or coffee once a month, plan a shared activity, collaborate on a project).

Back Of Card:

Have I consistently prayed for them?
Have I modeled Christ well in my words and actions?
Have I taken small, meaningful steps to show kindness and friendship?
Have I intentionally created opportunities to connect (coffee, lunch, shared activities)?
If a spiritual conversation occurred, how did I handle it? Was I confident, hesitant, natural, or forced?
What specific help do I need from God as I continue reaching this person?

This is not about completing a checklist. It is about cultivating faithfulness, awareness, and spiritual intentionality over time.

Living and planning in a way that intentionally creates opportunities to share Christ brings a renewed sense of heavenly purpose to our own lives and honors the One who said, “As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.” When we refuse to treat the Great Commission casually—when we approach it with discipline, creativity, prayer, and expectancy—we align ourselves with the heart of Christ. Intentional faithfulness invites divine participation.

God delights in using believers who are prepared, available, and obedient. And when we commit ourselves to living missionally, He often works in ways far beyond what we could plan, orchestrate, or imagine.

Supplemental Resources: Monthly Progress Insructions PDF

Thank You for Taking This Course

We hope you have enjoyed this course and found it beneficial in growing your confidence and readiness to share your faith.

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