The Great Commission starts with a story

International (MNN) — The Great Commission: Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Sometimes, this can be a tough one to follow, especially in certain countries or cultures. For people who are soft-spoken or less gifted in leadership, a directive to teach and lead others can seem practically impossible.

But when you take the right approach, the Great Commission seems less intimidating.

“People don’t necessarily right away want to hear about your belief, but they’ll listen to your story,” observes Ron Hutchcraft of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries (RHM).

“Jesus was the master storyteller. He engaged people with otherwise hard-to-understand concepts–lofty, cosmic ideas, [by telling] plain old stories.”

A Word With You: Mandarin

“A Word With You” is a 4 1/2 minute inspirational program with captivating illustrations and Biblical insights for daily life. Hutchcraft says each broadcast follows this formula: a story, a Scripture, and a “so what?”

Last spring, RHM partnered with Trans-World Radio (TWR) to put “A Word With You” into Chinese Mandarin, the world’s most-spoken language with nearly two billion speakers. By combining stories with Scripture, many Chinese people are being introduced to Christ.

“China, we are told, is a storytelling culture. People pass on truth and tradition by stories,” Hutchcraft notes.

According to TWR, a lot of people are interacting with the program on social media sites and sharing it with their unreached friends. Chinese believers are fulfilling the Great Commission using the Mandarin version of “A Word With You.”

Because of its success, RHM wants to bring the program to another story-rich culture.

“We want to go into the second most-spoken language on earth, which is Spanish,” shares Hutchcraft.

A Word With You: Spanish

The decision to start broadcasting “A Word With You” in Spanish came just a few days ago, so details are few and forthcoming. The Great Commission potential of this development is promising, though: approximately 406 million Spanish-speakers could start learning about Christ through “A Word With You.”

“What engages people is a story they can relate to. If we package the Gospel and the Good News of Jesus with a story as our point of entry, I believe we’ve got a key to reach around the world,” says Hutchcraft.

Will you keep this project in your prayers? Pray for RHM and TWR leadership as they outline the scope and scale of this outreach. Pray for the funding and resources needed to make this program happen.