Key Bible Text: Acts 2:7-8—Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?” (NKJV)
Communication 1 Fruitful workers use culturally appropriate Bible passages to communicate God’s message.
The Bible is central in the communication of God’s message, but using it effectively requires cultural insight. Fruitful workers help seekers find the passages that address the issues most relevant to them. The ability to effectively apply biblical truth to the issues of life requires a thorough knowledge of God’s word and an ongoing dependence on wisdom from God.
Communication 2 Fruitful workers communicate the gospel using the heart language, except in situations where it is not appropriate.
In most situations, the heart language is undoubtedly the best way to meaningfully communicate the gospel. However, in areas where more than one language is in common use, established patterns often dictate when one language should be used as opposed to another. Fruitful workers seek to understand local patterns of language use and plan their communication strategies accordingly.
Communication 3 Fruitful workers use a variety of approaches in sharing the gospel.
No one method of gospel communication covers every need and will always be the most effective. Often the best approach to sharing the gospel depends on the audience and the situation in question. Fruitful workers learn to use a variety of different approaches and apply them as appropriate to the setting.
Communication 4 Fruitful workers share the gospel using tools or methods that can be locally reproduced.
In order for faith communities to grow without hindrance, the members of the communities must have access to all the tools they need in their local context. For this reason, fruitful workers focus on methods for sharing the gospel that require only tools and resources that are readily available in the local community.
To assess your team on these Fruitful Practices, we encourage you to use our team assessment tool.