It’s a stunning shift, and for many believers, it feels like a national unraveling.

Brad Hutchcraft of Hutchcraft Ministries says, “When we see reports like this that come out, we do see…that this looks like a crisis moment. And it is, in some ways…. The fact is, with the declining number of people who identify as religious, it’s actually more important than ever that individuals encounter a relationship with Jesus.”

(Photo courtesy of Jon Tyson/Unsplash)

Beneath the trends, he sees something deeper going on culturally as people crave more relationship and authenticity.

“People sometimes are turned off to religion because they view it as rules [and] regulations…. What they need first is to know what this relationship with Jesus is all about.”

Even though the national trend looks bleak, Hutchcraft says another dataset from Barna tells a surprising story. Young adults in America are leading a resurgence in church attendance.

“These young people are interested in, evidently, knowing more about Jesus. So we need to show up where they are showing up and be able to say, Hey, we are here to help walk you through knowing who Jesus is and what it means to be a follower of Christ.”

It’s a reminder for believers to always be mission-minded as we engage with neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones.

“Every place a follower of Christ goes, they should ask Jesus to help them see people the way He sees them.”

(Photo courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash)

Hutchcraft points out that “2 Corinthians 5:20 says, ‘We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.’ So as we look around us, it’s important that those who say, ‘Well, I’m not very religious,’ encounter someone who can show them what a relationship [with Jesus] really is like.”

This challenge may seem intimidating, but it starts with prayer. Hutchcraft offers a simple framework in praying for Gospel opportunities.

“We…refer to it as the ‘three open prayer’ in our ministry. It is simply, ‘Lord, open the door. Lord, open their heart. And Lord, open my mouth.'”

Pray that God would open doors for genuine Gospel conversations, especially with spiritually guarded friends and family. Pray for courage, gentleness, and a renewed burden for those who don’t yet know Jesus.

To explore tools for sharing your hope story, visit yourhopestory.com and learn more about Hutchcraft Ministries.

Header photo courtesy of Tucker Good/Unsplash.

“The story of Esther is one woman standing up to reconcile the Persians to their own laws, their own values, as well as to help the Persians and the Jewish people come back together. So telling that to the actors has brought tears on set, and discussions that are just amazing,” says Denise Godwin of International Media Ministries (IMM).

IMM is producing a miniseries about the story of Esther as a message of hope for Iran. The film project includes people from eight different countries and common roots in the Persian culture, but wildly varying backgrounds and challenges. 

“One young man’s brother was killed by the current Iranian regime. A young woman who is Persian but grew up in Israel and feels Israeli in her heart had her friend killed in front of her at an event when a bomb fell,” Godwin says.

(Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries)

“So we’re dealing with people who’ve experienced the opposite of reconciliation, if you will, in real life, and different people who have struggled in rejecting Islam but aren’t sure what they want to embrace.”

In the face of global upheaval involving their countries of origin, the cast of Esther: Queen of Hope is experiencing connection and reconciliation at a personal level, as they hear the biblical story of Esther and the ways it ties into their Persian heritage. 

“When you look at all the personalities and the cultures and also just our own physical challenges to do this, it’s pretty incredible,” Godwin says. “It’s amazing that God can overcome political barriers, even for people. We just have to keep our faith to believe He’s at work.”

Godwin hopes this project will not only help bring about reconciliation for individuals but also entire nations.

“I think this is an opportunity for both Israel and for Iran to reimagine their relationship once we get this done. Clearly, we have to do editing and things after we film, but I really believe this story can reframe how people think about God and the Bible and how their relationship is between these two giant ancient cultures.”

The project began filming a few weeks ago and will continue over the next two months in varying locations and studios. However, they have faced challenges, particularly with funding. 

“We definitely need your prayers for safety, wisdom, and creativity,” Godwin says. “We need your prayers to make sure the gospel is clear to these people who are involved. And we need funding. This is getting tight with the dollar changing and everything. So keep us in your prayers.”

Click to learn more about the upcoming Esther: Queen of Hope miniseries.

Header photo from Esther: Queen of Hope courtesy of International Media Ministries.

Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) explains, “Years ago, Russia established itself really as a country of authority in the Middle East. While the US continues to stand with Israel, Russia was very close in its work with Syria, in fact, supporting the Assad regime that has been a brutal regime for a little more than 50 years.

Flag of Syria (Photo by Linus Schütz from Pixabay)

“Russia established bases there and has been kind of the protectorate for Syria. The relationship between Syria and Russia allowed them to control a portion of the petroleum market.”

In the fall of Syria, Russia failed to hinder rebel advancement like in years past. Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted asylum to Assad and his family.

Now, Moscow is negotiating with Syria’s new government leadership to keep at least two key Russian bases in Syria.

Mock points out the war in Ukraine has weakened Russia’s military strength on multiple fronts.

“For Russia to continue to maintain its aggressive offensive in Ukraine, it really had no capacity to defend Syria when the rebels began to take over. So as much as we’re watching the lightning-fast fall of Syria in the news, what you saw behind the scenes was an utter incapacity of Russia to do anything about it.”

It is a poignant reminder that, ultimately, it is the Lord who raises up and brings down kings and political leaders. Pray God’s will be done in the nations.

“In the middle of trying to decipher world events, I would challenge your listeners to be sure not to lose sight of the calling to advance the Gospel to all people,” Mock encourages.

“It’s very easy for us to be focused on things that are passing away, rather than focused on what God would have us do. So in the middle of all the chaos we see, fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith!”

Learn more about SGA’s ministry in Russia and Ukraine.

Header photo: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015. (By Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44378506)

That’s the principle Heart for Lebanon stands on in the deeply divided Middle East. 

“The question you want to ask (is), ‘How can you get people on a Sunday morning to sit in one room and worship Jesus Christ?’” says says Elio Constantine with Heart for Lebanon. “(Keep) in mind that these people have been programmed and brainwashed for centuries and centuries that from a human perspective, they should be enemies.”

(Photo courtesy Heart for Lebanon)

Heart for Lebanon’s Middle East Center for Justice and Missions advocates for biblical responses to injustice, for the glory of God. They want people to discover how to break these cycles of violence and hatred.

“The answer is easier said than done: It’s through Christ and Christ alone,” Constantine says. “How do we do that? Through unconditional love, patience, grace, and mercy.”

Their team goes out and befriends families from different ethnic backgrounds in Lebanon — whether Syrian, Kurdish, Lebanese and others. They spend countless hours visiting, offering prayer, giving aid and showing true friendship. 

Their love has led to hearts opening to the gospel and two diverse churches gathering. 

These principles of love are Christ-centered. Constantine says they can be applied anywhere in the world.

(Photo courtesy Heart For Lebanon)

“That’s what The Middle East Center for Justice and Missions is here to advocate for. We’re here to show the picture, to show our experience, what we have done in Lebanon, how we — now, God never tells us any indicator of success — but what our hard work has yielded,” Constantine says. 

Would you take this unfolding story into your own heart? Consider who you perceive as an enemy, or who you have been taught is your enemy. Then, commit yourself to obey Christ and show your “enemies” the same love He has given you. (See 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 about this “ministry of reconciliation.”)

“That is the only way to move past and break the cycle of hatred and despair that we’ve been living in globally,” says Constantine.

“Anywhere on planet Earth, the answer is simple. But the work is much harder. We need to have the intention and the discipline to show love unconditionally to anyone we meet along the road.”

Header photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.

“Lebanon and the region is a place where injustice rules, if I may say. It’s been like that for years and decades and centuries. The cycle of violence, the cycle of hatred, the cycle of despair, is never-ending,” says Elio Constantine with Heart for Lebanon.

“The only solution to break the cycle is through Christ, and Christ alone.”

Heart for Lebanon believes that when our relationship with God our Creator is broken, it creates a playground for the devil to bring injustice to the world. But there is a biblical solution. 

“If we want to talk about how to deal with this injustice, and how to approach it from a biblical justice point of view, the simple answer is ‘Restore our relationship with God,’” Constantine says.

Heart for Lebanon builds trusting relationships with families from diverse ethnicities and faiths.

“We work with traditional Christian backgrounds, with Muslim backgrounds, with Lebanese families, with Syrian families, with Kurdish families — all these families that have been preconditioned to hate each other and be scared of each other,” Constantine says. 

Heart for Lebanon’s focus on holistic, relational, and unconditional ministry allows believers to reach and engage Syrian refugees in a relationship.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

The team shows them God’s love, which opens the way for many heart-level questions. 

“When these questions start to be answered from Scripture, it all starts making sense to them that ‘We have been taught that we’re enemies, but really, we’re not. The enemy is making us believe that we’re enemies,’” Constantine says. 

“All that work has led to two beautiful worship gatherings, turned to churches in the south of Lebanon and the Beqaa. On Sunday morning, you will see that mosaic of different people really just being one.”

Praise God for growing unity in these two churches. Would you pray for more heart transformation like this in the Middle East? Pray that God will use Heart for Lebanon to spread His love and reconciliation to many people in the region. 

Header photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.

Steingard joins a growing list of popular ex-Christians with “de-conversion stories.” Others include author and purity advocate Joshua Harris, Hillsong United’s Marty Sampson, and YouTube influencers Rhett & Link.

Hawk Nelson’s Jon Steingard (Photo courtesy of Bo Gordy-Stith via Flickr under Creative Commons: https://bit.ly/3dbh9kQ)

Ron Hutchcraft of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries says declarations like Steingard’s are all missing one thing: Jesus.

“Let’s keep in mind Jesus never said follow my leaders. He never said follow my followers. He never said follow my musicians. He never said follow my preachers. He said, ‘Follow me.’

“So the only reason…to be a part of this whole Christian thing or to leave it is if you’ve got a problem with Jesus. Because it’s all about Jesus.”

In response to Steingard’s Instagram post, other Christian singers and musicians responded to the Hawk Nelson lead who writes he “agonized over whether to say this publicly….” Jeremy Camp, Tenth Avenue North’s Mike Donehey, and Matt Hammitt of Sanctus Real all offered their love and willingness to talk about faith issues with Steingard.

“They’ve modeled Christ by how they have reached out in love and grace to their brother,” Hutchcraft says. “I’m sure that might have been hard to do…but they have simply modeled how real Jesus really is.”

(Photo courtesy of Edwin Andrade via Unsplash)

For all believers — those wrestling with doubt and those who feel firm in their faith — it’s important to examine what exactly our Christian label rests on.

First, Hutchcraft says, “It’s not about Christian activities. [Some individuals stay] very busy with serving Jesus and doing things for Him. It’s not about activities. It’s not about church. It’s not about Christians. The only thing that keeps our faith really strong is our daily, personal experiences with Jesus. Just to have Christian beliefs, go to Christian meetings, or do Christian work is not enough.

“Jesus even said in Matthew 7 that there will come a judgment day when people will say, ‘We cast out demons in your name. We know all the verses. We preached in your name!’ Yet, somehow, they missed the relationship and that’s the only thing that really matters here…. That relationship begins with an act of your heart, not just your head.”

A part of Hutchcraft’s ministry is encouraging believers to look back on their life and learn to share their hope story – how Jesus makes the difference in life’s struggles and painful times.

For Hutchcraft, it’s a practice that hits close to home. “I have to tell you, for all of the questions I might ask over the years, I have seen Jesus work in my life as a result of being in His Word on a daily basis and keeping a journal of that. That makes it impossible to explain my life — literally impossible to explain it — without Jesus. That’s where the reality is. Without daily experiences with Jesus, you have a vulnerable faith.”

(Photo courtesy of Alicia Quan via Unsplash)

He also says for believers wrestling with specific doubts, “Don’t stuff your doubts. It appears from what I have read [from Steingard is] that there were doubts for years. We’re always afraid of what people will think.”

For anyone looking for theological resources, Hutchcraft recommends Josh McDowell and Ravi Zacharias’s ministries.

You can also sign up for daily spiritual encouragement through Ron Hutchcraft Ministries’ five-minute radio program, “A Word With You”. Hutchcraft also has a book called “A Life That Matters” which offers practical guidance on how to talk about your faith with people who don’t know Jesus.

Ultimately, Hutchcraft says, “When a pastor, a musician, an influencer claims that they don’t believe anymore, it doesn’t mean that’s a reason for you not to. It means it’s a reason to make sure that Christ is in your heart — not just in your head — to feed your relationship with Him with daily time with Him, [and] to not stuff your doubts but talk about them. There are answers. But nobody can answer a question you’re not asking. And look at life, look at all of the struggles through the place where God’s Son died for you.

“Keep your eyes on Jesus. It’s all about Him. He is the author and the completer of our faith. Our strength in belief is based on who Jesus is and not on anybody who’s trying to follow Him.”

Header photo courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash.

Everything started in the city of Goiânia, where the couple first began their ministry. How fitting that 100 convention meetings later, believers would meet in that same city to plan their next big project.

Pastors and leaders from all over the country came to Goiânia for a meeting to share ideas and build plans for their May 2020 event. Expecting limited attendance, the meeting’s orchestrators only reserved one convention center. But, as Sammy Tippit of Sammy Tippit Ministries reports, the convention center quickly overflowed, as did backup overflow areas.

Photo courtesy of Sammy Tippit Ministries

What impressed Tippit the most was the lack of showmanship it took for the meeting to drum up so much attention. After a few worship songs and a short sermon by Tippit, believers gathered in droves to worship God and consider their relationship with Him.

“It was absolutely amazing,” Tippit says. “People responded, people came to Christ. It was just a great move of God. And for me, I felt like it was a moment of affirming all that missionaries have done over 100 years in Brazil, and an affirmation that the Brazilians are moving forward and God is blessing and using them in a tremendous way.”

Since that first couple came to Brazil, the local church has grown to include millions of Brazillian Baptists. In fact, Tippit says the Brazillian Baptist convention is the second largest missionary agency in the world, with members taking projects around the globe. This hundredth convention and the thousands that attended were tangible proof of that couple’s long-term influence.

Photo courtesy of Sammy Tippit Ministries

And that was only the planning meeting. In May 2020, Sammy Tippit Ministries plans to help launch a massive missions emphasis with a global perspective.

How big? “We’re trusting that we’re going to reach 10 million people with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Tippit says. “This is all beginning and being initiated inside Brazil, and it’s through discipleship.”

For Tippit and others working on this project, relationships is the name of the game. As Tippit puts it, “If it takes a dog and pony show to get a person into a meeting, it takes a dog and pony show to keep them, so we have none of that.” Instead, they use counselors, networking, and local churches to plug new believers into local Christian communities and give them a chance to experience discipleship from their neighbors and friends.

The project is already starting. Tippit says they helped Brazillian Baptists establish a 31-day prayer program for the event in May 2020. When the event does come to a close, “We’re going to have a great evangelistic event that will be livestreamed and broadcast throughout Brazil, and not just Brazil, but the rest of the world.”

At that point, Sammy Tippit Ministries will help new believers connect with small groups that in turn connect to local churches. In fact, many small groups have already started as local believers prepare to invest in one another and connect with God’s Word.

Consider joining Brazillian believers in prayer for this coming event. Ask God to give you the same passion and joy for Christ so many local believers are experiencing. Thank Him for the incessant excitement of the Brazilian Church.

“What’s exciting for me to see is that it’s not just something that is a program but it’s something where the lives of people are being changed,” Tippit says. “There’s excitement. There’s a joy, a thrill. There’s a young set of leaders who are on fire for the Lord.”

Find out more at Sammy Tippit’s website.

Header photo courtesy of Sammy Tippit Ministries.

Although it’s known as the most wonderful time of the year, Ron Hutchcraft with Ron Hutchcraft Ministries says, “Sometimes it’s the most wounded time of the year because it really surfaces broken relationships and walls between people where there should be bridges.”

(Photo courtesy of Michael Fenton via Unsplash)

If you find yourself dreading family gatherings at Christmastime because of past hurts, this may actually be the best time of the year to find reconciliation.

And if the person you need to reconcile with doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus, this may also be the best time to share the hope you have in Him.

“If I’m the one who knows Christ in this relationship, I need to take advantage of the holiday season,” Hutchcraft says. “Hearts are softer during that time. It’s more natural to bring up Jesus during the Christmas season than any other time of the year.”

So here are a few tips from Hutchcraft on how to rebuild relational bridges this Christmas:

Don’t Try To Win An Argument

When you go into a conversation with someone about Jesus – especially a friend or family member – Hutchcraft advises not making the conversation about winning a debate.

“This is about winning their heart. Too often we may have tried to win an argument over spiritual things or even politics with somebody. My job is [to ask,] ‘What can I do to win their heart? Not win the argument about Jesus or about anything else.’”

(Photo courtesy of Josue Escoto via Unsplash)

Make It About You And Jesus

Next, Hutchcraft says, talk about your own relationship with Jesus.

“Paul said when he came to Corinth, ‘I didn’t know anything except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.’ Please stick to Jesus. Do not get into religion — their religion, your religion. Not the issue. Don’t get into their behavior, their lifestyle. That’s not the issue. The issue is Jesus loved them enough to go to a cross for them.

“You wrap Jesus’s story in your own hope story and when you put His story into your story, it may change their story forever.”

Write A Letter

Finally, maybe a face-to-face conversation isn’t the best approach for your situation. In that case, Hutchcraft suggests writing a letter to share your heart and build a bridge to the other person’s heart.

“When we try to say things, we get diverted by what they say. We never really get it done. And they’re thinking of what they’re going to answer you with,” he says.

“Whereas you put it into a letter and it’s something they may keep and read and re-read. You might even put in there that you would love it if you could later talk about what you have written.”

(Photo courtesy of Green Chameleon via Unsplash)

Hutchcraft suggests four themes to serve as inspiration for your letter:

1. I love you. – “Elaborate on that. Maybe you have for a long time, and maybe you haven’t done the greatest job of showing it, if you do really love them.”
2. Thank you for…. – “Think back over some time in your life when they did something to help you, things that have meant a lot to you, qualities you appreciate about them, experiences that you’ve had together maybe a long time ago. But reminisce about some of those experiences and how that’s a special part of who you are today.”
3. I’m sorry for…. – Hutchcraft suggests to include “if there’s anything you wish you had done less of or more of or differently. This isn’t about things they’ve done wrong. This is only about where you are trying to make right some things that maybe have made it impossible to win their heart.”
4. I wish we could…. – “I don’t know how many years either you or I have left, but here’s how I wish our relationship could be. Maybe not build it all on the past where we’ve had this brokenness. But can we declare a new beginning? I’d love it if we could start here and have a strong relationship for the rest of our years.”

Let’s make this Christmas season one of healing and love, whether that means finding unity with a fellow believer in Christ or finding reconciliation with a loved one as a chance to share Jesus.

Header photo courtesy of Fred Kearney via Unsplash.

Ron Hutchcraft Ministries exists to equip Christians for spiritual rescue, to share Jesus with others. Ron Hutchcraft says our hindrances can be boiled down to one word — fear.

Selfish Silence vs. Witless Witness

“I’ve talked to hundreds if not thousands of people about this,” Hutchcraft reflects, “and always the subject of fear [comes up] — fear of messing it up, fear of not knowing enough, fear of them rejecting me, fear of losing something.

“One thing I’ve noticed about all my fears of not talking to people about Jesus, they’re all about me. All the fears are about me. When will I have a greater fear than any fears about me? If I have all these fears about me trying to tell them about Jesus, how about the fear of what will happen to them if I don’t? That’s a much greater fear.

“I believe this: courage is not the absence of fear. It’s a disregard of it.”

When it comes to spiritual conversations, many Christians are afraid of being perceived as creating tension or advancing a political agenda because of negative experiences.

“We may have seen some people really do this in a way that actually drove people away. They were pushy. They were very religious. They did drag politics into it and a lot of other stuff that isn’t part of the Good News message…. They were the person called a ‘witless witness.’”

Hutchcraft explains, “We rebel against that. We’re like, ‘Man, I don’t want to drag people away. I don’t want to do this.’ Increasingly, as our younger generations are more and more raised in a world where tolerance is the number one value and I don’t want to come across as intolerant.”

This desire not to turn people off to the Gospel with pushy conversations, while positive, can lead to another extreme — silence.

“The pendulum swings the other way and we’re like, ‘Well, these high-pressure, religious, condemning, angry, negative, politicized people who are trying to represent Jesus; man, I sure don’t want to do that with people.’ So we go the other way. We say, ‘Well, I’m going to be very careful about talking. Maybe I won’t talk to anybody. I’ll just live the life.’

“There’s a problem with that. Because, you know, somebody could watch me for the next 50 years and [won’t] say, ‘You know, Ron is a really nice guy. I bet Jesus died on the cross for my sins.’ They’re not going to figure that out just by watching me! I have to tell them that!”

“So it’s show and tell. You can’t tell if you’re not showing it. But if all you’re doing is showing it, they’ll never know what Jesus did for them. You will have to tell them what He did on the cross that made you the kind of person you are that they really have learned to love and respect.”

We don’t have to pick between selfish silence or witless witnessing.

“The tragedy is both of those extremes leave the same outcome — whether you have done it poorly and negatively or whether you have not done it at all, the lost person remains lost.”

We just have to be willing to be used by God, both with our actions and our words. And Hutchcraft has a few tips that can make this easier for Christians.

It’s Not About a Religion

First, Hutchcraft acknowledges it’s not always possible to completely stave off any tension or discomfort when you start talking about Jesus. But one thing that makes a difference is where your focus lies in the conversation.

“We don’t have a religion. We have a relationship. And a lot of times it does come across as a religion because we talk about our church or we talk about our denomination or we talk about the meetings we go to or the beliefs we believe.

“This isn’t about the superiority of one religion over another. This isn’t about ‘would you come to my religion?’ or ‘would you sign up for my belief system?’

He emphasizes, “This is all about a personal love relationship with Jesus. I love to tell people that the Creator of our lives has given us the answer to why we are here…. The answer is in six words in the Bible. It says all things were ‘created by Him and for Him’. You were created by God for a relationship with God.”

A Message that Eternities Depend On

It’s not just good that we share this message of the relationship that’s possible with God through Jesus Christ. Eternities depend on this life-or-death message.

“Let me give you an example,” says Hutchcraft. “Jack Phillips was the radio operator on the Titanic and the night that the ship sank, two hours before they hit the iceberg, he got a message from a ship called the Mesaba. It radioed in that they had identified an iceberg field and they needed to exercise caution and gave them the coordinates of it. It turned out to be exactly the area where the Titanic went down.

“Well, the radio operator got that message and he was really busy with a lot of radio traffic coming and going so he put it on a spindle and he never delivered that message to the captain.

“That one step literally cost him his life and 1,500 other people their lives because he had information upon which lives depended and that message never got delivered.”

When we as Christians refuse to tell people about our relationship with Jesus, we may maintain ignorant comfort in our friendships. But the cost is great.

“We have information upon which eternities depend. If it goes undelivered, then we in a sense have condemned that person by our silence, by not telling them what we know.”

Start By Sharing Your Hope Story

Maybe you’ve never had a faith conversation with a non-Christian before and don’t know where to start. Hutchcraft offers this advice:

“It starts really with looking at three stories. Their story, which is the story of a lost person you may know; your story, which is the story of the difference Jesus is making in your life; and His story, which talks about how what happened on that cross and that empty tomb changed your story and could change their story forever.”

When you think of having a faith conversation as simply sharing your story — or as Hutchcraft calls it, your hope story — it really becomes simple. You just have to be transparent.

“Every believer is living proof of a living Savior. Because there is someone right now who is living proof that a father can change because of Jesus, a mother can change, a husband can change, a wife can change because of Jesus.

“You are living proof that a stressed out person can become a person of peace. Someone is living proof that someone with an out-of-control temper can become someone who is kind and loving and whose temper has been tamed.

“There is someone who is living proof that Jesus is enough even when you lose the most precious person in your life. But you’ve had hope bigger than the hurt. You are living proof.

Hutchcraft says it helps to ask yourself, “How does Jesus make your life different? How are your lonely times different because you’ve got Jesus than they would be if you didn’t? How are your depressed times different because you’ve got Jesus? How is the funeral different because of Jesus?

“How is your life different because of Jesus when you heard the bad news from the doctor? How is being single and wanting to be married but still single, how is that different because of Jesus?”

“There are so many ways that Jesus makes the difference in our life we don’t even realize. If you start to write down the difference Jesus is making, ask the question, ‘If it weren’t for Jesus, what would my life be like?’”

So what’s your hope story? As Hutchcraft points out, the formula is rather straightforward.

“‘I once was blind but now I see.’ Fill in the blank. ‘I once was ___________ but now I __________, and the reason is Jesus.’ I can’t explain it any other way.”

And, he points out, “No one can argue with your hope story. There is nothing religious about your hope story. There is nothing political about your hope story. It’s your story. People want to know your story.”

Preparing to Share

As you read this, you may have a name or even a few names on your mind — friends or family whom you have hoped would know Jesus for a long time now.

If you want to tell them about your relationship with Jesus, Hutchcraft suggests you start by praying what he calls the three-open prayer.

This prayer is inspired by Colossians 4:3-4, when the Apostle Paul says, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”

To start, Hutchcraft says, “The first part of the prayer is this. ‘Lord, open the door.’ Now a door is a natural opportunity to bring up your relationship with Jesus. Not some contrived ‘oh, hi! Speaking of Jesus…’ No, this is probably going to be something going on in your life or their life or something in the news, something going on in the world. One of those three things often opens a door of opportunity and God is really good at doing this.

“Number two is, ‘Lord, open their heart. I understand this is a supernatural thing, God, and I can’t persuade anybody. That’s up to you. So I pray you would just prepare their heart before they even know their heart is prepared.’

“The last part is, ‘Lord, open my mouth.’ That might be the tough part. ‘Give me the words, give me the approach, give me the tone, give me the starting point. Lord, open my mouth.’”

Hutchcraft has prayed this three-open prayer himself many times in the past — and has seen God move.

“I believe you’ll either start to see opportunities that were there all along or you’ll see opportunities that He now opens up because you have said, ‘Lord, I understand that I have been divinely positioned by you to be in certain people’s lives. I don’t know why you thought I would be your best representative but your Word said we are Christ’s ambassador.’”

You are the Key to Your Tribe

Being an ambassador, you are in a unique position to reach certain people with Christ’s message of hope. It’s no accident that you are in your particular family, in your current workplace, or in your specific community.

As Hutchcraft puts it, “Everybody is in a tribe. You’re in an educational tribe or you’re in a recreational tribe or you’re in a generational tribe or you’re in an occupational tribe. Let’s go on and on. There [are] all kinds of tribes we’re in and people listen to somebody from their tribe.

With this in mind, you may be the only person who can reach your sphere of influence with the Gospel.

“You are the key to your tribe and if you remain silent, that is almost like a silent death sentence for that lost person who needs what you know.”

“In our world today, people are very suspicious of what I would call a ‘professional God salesman’. If they perceive you are a ‘professional God salesman’ — you’re a pastor, you’re an evangelist, it’s your job to go around talking about this — they’re not going to probably even want to hear from you. But they listen to somebody who is like them.”

Ultimately, Hutchcraft says, “There are very winsome ways to tell about Jesus. If it’s warm, if it’s transparent, if it’s personal, if it’s about a relationship [and] not a religion, if it’s done with not using all our religious language but as much as possible in non-religious language, and if it’s done within the context of a relationship where you have demonstrated your love and care for that person…I think you could be a part of helping change someone’s eternity.

“Remember, we have life or death information. We’ve got to deliver it to them because lives depend on it.”

If you’d like more resources on this topic from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, click here.

That’s what makes China Partner’s team so effective.

On their most recent trip, their group included Chinese workers, a Christian leader from New Zealand, American believers, and representatives from a new partnership in the Philippines. According to Erik Burklin, that’s exactly the kind of combination China Partner is looking for.

“The more we can bring international pastors with us, we can help the Chinese understand this isn’t just an American Christ we’re bringing with us from the United States,” he says.

They want to show the Chinese Church that they are part of a global body of believers made up of many countries, cultures, and languages. China Partner is serving them, but they’re also serving China Partner.

“We always wanted to come across to them not as people who usurp our authority and our knowledge on to them but that we would be coming in a very neutral and humble way and saying ‘Hey, is there anything we could be learning from you, and from learning from you, maybe we can help each other.’”

Photo and header photo courtesy of China Partner

Take their approach to training young people. To make their work as effective as possible, China Partner has collaborated with local believers to learn what exactly the youth of China are looking for. The answer? Relationship.

“They are aching to be noticed,” Burklin says. “They want to belong. They want to honor their parents and grandparents by getting good grades in school, which is part of the whole mentality of proving your worth to somebody.”

Thanks in part to societal expectations, the influence of the one-child policy, and many other factors, many Chinese young people carry a heavy cultural burden. Burklin says that’s where the Church can step in.

“They’re crying out for relationship… A church can introduce Jesus Christ into that scenario and say ‘The most important relationship you can ever have is with the most-high God.’”

But many Chinese pastors don’t always know what stepping in will actually look like. China Partner’s training hopes to remedy that.

“We know we’re not just there to train pastors just for the sake of training pastors but we’re there to train the next generation of pastors so they can stay passionate for the Lord Jesus and His Word but compassionate for the people who need to know about His Word and need to know about Christ.”

Find out how you can support China Partner’s work by clicking right here.