Do as Jesus Did — Participate in Jesus' mission by helping others encounter Him, grow in His likeness, and become mature disciples who help others flourish and be formed in Him.
Following Jesus means more than imitating His activities. It means increasingly becoming the kind of people who can participate in His work with His character, His love, and His heart for others. Jesus welcomed people, proclaimed the kingdom, healed the sick, and demonstrated the compassion and power of God. He also invested deeply in His disciples, patiently forming them into people who could carry His mission forward.
Our calling is to participate in this continuing work, not through self-generated ambition or religious obligation, but as the overflow of communion with Jesus and transformation into His likeness. God is forming us to become mature participants in His purposes — a calling that begins here on earth and extends into eternity with Him. This is a much larger vision than simply becoming more effective at ministry. God is forming people who increasingly share His heart, reflect His character, and participate faithfully in His purposes.
We do not wait until we become mature to begin. We learn to become like Jesus partly through participating in His work while remaining dependent upon Him. Participation begins early; capacity grows with maturity. As we follow Jesus, we develop the love, character, and wisdom needed to care for others well. And through that participation, He continues forming us.
Understanding the fullness of the gospel shapes how we understand the scope of doing as Jesus did. Sometimes the gospel is presented primarily as the answer to the question, How can I be saved? That is an essential question, but the good news Jesus proclaimed reaches further. Jesus announced the arrival of God's kingdom and called people to repent, believe, and follow Him. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He reconciles us to God and opens the way into a new life under His loving reign.
The gospel therefore does not merely invite us to receive forgiveness and begin a relationship with Jesus. It brings us into a lifelong journey of knowing Him, becoming like Him, and participating in His purposes. The gospel does not end at conversion. We do not graduate from it as we mature; we grow deeper into its transforming reality.
Paul confronted this very issue when he asked the Galatians why, having begun by the Spirit, they were now attempting to reach their goal through human effort (Galatians 3:1–3). The grace that brought them into Christ was not something they were meant to leave behind. Their continued transformation depended upon that same grace and the ongoing work of the Spirit.
But the gospel's horizon extends even beyond our present transformation. It includes the promise of resurrection, renewed creation, and everlasting life in God's presence. Scripture portrays God's people not merely existing forever, but serving Him and sharing in His reign (Revelation 21:1–5; 22:3–5).
God is not simply saving us from something. He is saving us into an everlasting life with Him, in which His purposes are fully realized. This understanding profoundly shapes our mission. If the gospel is understood mainly as a message for conversion, hospitality, proclamation, and demonstration may appear to be activities designed primarily to bring people to an initial decision for Christ.
But Jesus' mission includes much more. The Great Commission calls us to make disciples, teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18–20). Our calling is therefore to participate in the whole journey of disciple-making — from someone's first encounter with Jesus to their growing maturity and capacity to help others follow Him.This journey involves reconciliation with God, transformation into Christ's likeness, and participation in His continuing work. And it unfolds within the greater hope of eternal life with Him.
These are not separate gospels or achievements through which we earn salvation. They are interconnected dimensions of the new life God's grace opens to us in Christ:
We are not simply inviting people to begin a relationship with Jesus. We are inviting them into an entirely new way of life with Him — a life that begins now, transforms us, and extends into eternity.
Three practices help us understand how we participate in His mission:
Open your life to others with the welcoming love of Jesus. Cultivate genuine relationships and shared-life environments where people can encounter Christ, experience His love, and receive encouragement and care throughout their journey of growth.
Scripture:
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” — Luke 14:12–14 NIV
Jesus made room for people. He shared meals, welcomed outsiders, and engaged those who were overlooked. He entered the ordinary spaces of people's lives. His hospitality was more than social kindness. It created opportunities for people to encounter the love, truth, and transforming reality of God's kingdom.
We follow His example by opening our lives to others. This includes welcoming people who do not yet know Jesus, but it extends far beyond an initial encounter. We also make room for fellow believers to be known, encouraged, and challenged. We support them as they grow toward maturity. Hospitality is therefore not simply inviting someone into our home. It is making room in our lives for meaningful relationships through which God's love can be experienced and His transforming work can be supported.
In these relationships, we learn to share life rather than merely attend events together. We begin to understand one another's struggles, recognize opportunities for encouragement, and offer care that responds to real needs. And as we share life, something important becomes possible: people can see Christlike maturity embodied before them. They do not merely hear what patience, humility, forgiveness, and faithfulness should look like. They have opportunities to experience these qualities through relationships with people who are learning to live as Jesus lived.
Community is not only where people help us change. It is where mature Christlike life becomes visible enough for us to see what we are becoming.
Our hospitality also points toward the eternal welcome of God's kingdom. Jesus often described the kingdom through the imagery of a feast, where people are gathered into fellowship with God. Our present hospitality offers a small but meaningful witness to the greater welcome He extends to humanity (Luke 14:15–24). Hospitality, then, is not simply an evangelistic doorway. It is a lifelong expression of Christlike love that creates space for the flourishing and formation of others, while bearing witness to the everlasting community God is bringing together in Christ.
Communicate the good news of Jesus and His kingdom with clarity, love, and courage. Help people discover who Jesus is, trust in His saving work, and increasingly understand and live according to His truth throughout their discipleship journey.
Scripture:
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” — Mark 1:14–15 NIV
"He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me." — Colossians 1:28–29 NIV
Jesus proclaimed the good news of God's kingdom, calling people to repentance, faith, and a new way of life under God's reign. We continue His work by sharing this good news with those who do not yet know Him. We announce who Jesus is, what He has accomplished, and the invitation to be reconciled to God through Him.
But proclamation does not end when someone becomes a Christian. Believers continually need to hear, understand, and apply the gospel as they grow. We need its truth to correct distorted perceptions, expose misplaced confidence, and reorder our priorities. It continually reminds us that our life remains rooted in the grace of Christ.
This is why proclaiming the gospel also includes teaching, encouraging, and correcting one another. We help each other interpret life through the truth of Jesus. Paul describes this broader ministry beautifully:
"He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ." — Colossians 1:28 NIV
Notice the goal. Paul is not merely seeking initial responses to the gospel. He labors toward maturity in Christ. This means proclamation serves people at every stage of their journey. For someone who does not know Jesus, it may involve explaining the good news and inviting a response of faith. For a young believer, it may mean helping them understand how grace reshapes their identity, choices, and relationships. For a mature disciple, it may involve bringing the truth of Christ to bear upon increasingly complex responsibilities and helping them grow in their ability to guide others.
And all of this takes place within the larger story of God's kingdom. We proclaim not merely a message about how individuals can escape judgment, but the good news of Jesus Christ, through whom God is reconciling all things to Himself (Colossians 1:19–20). Our proclamation includes the hope of Christ's return, the resurrection of the dead, and the renewal of creation.
The gospel is not simply the message that brings us to Jesus. It is the truth we continually return to as we learn to think, love, and live like Him — and the good news of the everlasting kingdom into which He is bringing us.
Make the reality of God's kingdom visible through Christlike character, compassionate service, and acts of mercy and justice. Demonstrate His love and power through healing and the work of the Holy Spirit. Embody His love in ways that help others experience His goodness, flourish, and grow toward maturity.
Scripture:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." — Luke 4:18–19 NIV
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. " — Matthew 9:35–36 NIV
Jesus did more than announce the kingdom of God. He demonstrated its reality. He healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, showed mercy to the suffering, and responded with compassion to people who were like sheep without a shepherd. His works made visible the goodness and power of the kingdom He proclaimed.
We are invited to participate in this same mission through the Holy Spirit. We pray for healing, care for those in need, stand with the vulnerable, serve sacrificially, and remain open to the Spirit's power and leading.
Yet demonstrating the gospel also includes something we must not overlook: the transforming power of Christ becoming visible in our everyday lives. We demonstrate the gospel when we forgive those who hurt us, love difficult people, respond with patience under pressure, and practice generosity when it costs us something. We demonstrate it through integrity, humility, faithfulness, and the way we carry responsibility for the good of others.
These ordinary expressions of Christlike character are not secondary to ministry. They are essential expressions of the kingdom life Jesus came to make possible:
We demonstrate the gospel not only through what God does through us, but also through who we are becoming in Christ and how His life is expressed through ours.
This also means that demonstrating the gospel includes helping others experience the patient, personal love of Jesus as they grow. A sermon may communicate the truth of God's love, but people also need to experience that love through relationships. Jesus embodied the Father's love among people. Likewise, His followers are called to make that love tangible through the way they treat, serve, and care for others.
As we increasingly embody Christlike love, others can begin to recognize what life under His reign looks like. And as they mature, they become increasingly capable of expressing that same love toward others.
Demonstrating the Kingdom That Is Coming
There is another important dimension to demonstrating the gospel. When Jesus healed the sick, restored the broken, and confronted the powers of evil, His actions were signs of the kingdom He proclaimed. They revealed what God's reign brings into the world. In the same way, our Spirit-empowered works of mercy, justice, healing, and reconciliation bear witness to the restoration God has promised.
They do not establish the fullness of God's kingdom through our efforts. Nor do they eliminate suffering and injustice from the present age. Rather, they point toward the future God has promised — a renewed creation in which death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more (Revelation 21:4).
We demonstrate the gospel by making something of God's coming kingdom visible in the present.
Our acts of love are therefore meaningful beyond their immediate results. They bear witness to the character of the King and the kind of world He is bringing into being.
These three practices are distinct but closely connected expressions of participation in Jesus' mission:
Make Space for the Gospel creates relational room for people to encounter Jesus and experience His love.
Proclaim the Gospel helps people discover, understand, and increasingly live in the truth of Jesus and His kingdom.
Demonstrate the Gospel makes that good news visible through Christlike character, compassionate action, and the power of the Spirit.
Together, they express participation in Jesus' mission through our presence, words, and actions. They are not three sequential steps, nor are they merely methods of evangelism. We practice all three with people who do not yet know Jesus and with fellow believers at every stage of maturity. We welcome one another into relationships where growth can happen. We continually speak the truth of Christ into one another's lives. And we seek to make His love and kingdom visible through how we live and care for others.
All three serve the same larger purpose: helping people encounter Jesus, mature in His likeness, and become capable of helping others flourish and be formed in Him. And beyond this present age, they bear witness to the everlasting kingdom in which God's people will dwell with Him.
Doing as Jesus did is inseparable from becoming like Jesus. Someone can practice hospitality without genuinely loving people. We can proclaim truth without humility or compassion. We can even engage in impressive ministry while lacking the character necessary to care wisely for others. Jesus calls us to something deeper.
The goal is not simply to become more productive for Jesus, but to become increasingly like Him in the way we love and care for people.
This does not mean we must reach a certain level of maturity before participating in His mission. Jesus entrusted His disciples with real responsibility while they were still learning. Their attempts to serve exposed pride, impatience, and misplaced ambition. They also revealed areas where their faith needed to grow. Yet those experiences became opportunities for further formation. Participation begins early; capacity grows with maturity.
As we follow Jesus, we progressively develop the wisdom, love, and faithfulness needed to carry greater responsibility for the well-being and formation of others. This growth is not merely about acquiring ministry skills. It involves learning to recognize what people need, respond with genuine compassion, and help them take increasing responsibility for their own growth. Sometimes loving someone means offering practical assistance. At other times, it means telling the truth, setting wise boundaries, or patiently walking with them through difficulty.
As we mature, we learn to care for others in ways that genuinely help them flourish rather than merely responding to immediate needs or attempting to solve every problem for them. Our goal is not to make people dependent upon us. It is to help them increasingly learn to trust Jesus, follow His leadership, and grow in their own capacity to care for others. This is how Christlike love becomes progressively responsible and reproducible.
The full journey of discipleship includes a growing capacity to participate in the formation of others. We begin as people who need to be welcomed, taught, and encouraged. We also need others to care for us as we grow. And throughout our lives, we continue needing these things.
Yet as we mature, we also become increasingly capable of offering them to others. We learn to make room for people who need community, speak the truth of Christ into their lives, and demonstrate His love through faithful action. Eventually, those we care for begin doing the same for others. This is not simply the multiplication of ministry activity. It is the multiplication of Christlike life through relationships.
Mature disciples are not merely people who know more about Jesus or accomplish more for Him. They are people whose growing character, love, and wisdom enable them to carry responsibility for the good of others. And the people they help are learning to grow into that same kind of maturity. This is the vision of disciples who make disciples, and communities that increasingly reproduce the life and love of Jesus.
Our present participation in God's purposes is profoundly meaningful, but it is not the entirety of our calling. Scripture speaks of a coming renewal of all things, when God will dwell with His people and His reign will be fully manifested (Revelation 21:1–5). It also describes His servants worshiping and serving Him, and reigning forever and ever (Revelation 22:3–5).
The Bible does not explain every responsibility we will carry in eternity, but it gives us a remarkable picture: everlasting life with God includes meaningful participation in His reign and purposes. We are therefore not merely being prepared to accomplish temporary assignments before leaving this world. We are being formed for an eternal future with Jesus.
There is continuity between the life we begin with Him now and the everlasting life He promises. The relationship we cultivate, the love we learn to embody, and the faithfulness He forms within us all belong to His greater work of preparing a people for Himself.
Yet there is also a glorious difference. Our present participation takes place amid weakness, sin, suffering, and incomplete understanding. Our eternal life with Christ will not be marked by these limitations in the same way. One day, the formation God has begun in us will reach its promised fulfillment. We will be made like Christ and share in His everlasting kingdom.
God is not simply training us for a few decades of earthly usefulness. He is preparing us for the fullness of life with Him forever.
This eternal perspective gives our present discipleship both urgency and hope. What we do now matters. How we love people matters. Our growth in faithfulness matters. Not because we earn our place in eternity through these things, but because God is already drawing us into the life and purposes that will find their ultimate fulfillment in Him.
Participating in Jesus' mission does not require a public platform or an extraordinary ministry assignment. Our ordinary lives are filled with opportunities to make His love visible. In our families, workplaces, and churches, we encounter people who need encouragement, truth, and practical care. The same is true in our neighborhoods, where faithful relationships can make Christ’s love visible.
The question is not simply, What ministry activity should I do? We learn to ask: Jesus, where are You at work, and how are You inviting me to participate?
Sometimes the response will be to welcome someone into our lives. Sometimes to speak a needed word of truth. Sometimes to pray, serve, or patiently walk alongside someone. We learn to pay attention to the people before us rather than becoming consumed with our own plans or ambitions. Mission becomes participation with Jesus rather than a project carried out independently from Him. And through these experiences, we continue being formed.
Consider the people and places God has already put around you. Ask:
Who is Jesus inviting me to notice and care for?
What might this person need to encounter, understand, or grow in?
How can I participate faithfully in their flourishing and formation?
Take one intentional step. Perhaps it means opening your life to someone, sharing a truth from Scripture, or offering practical help. It may also mean walking alongside a fellow believer through a difficult season. Pay attention to what happens within you as you respond. Notice where your own character, love, or wisdom may still need to grow. Allow participation in Jesus' work to become another opportunity for His Spirit to form you.
Doing as Jesus did is not the final stage of discipleship. It is one of three lifelong pursuits that continually inform one another. We remain with Jesus as our source. We yield to His Spirit as He forms His character within us. And we participate in His purposes, learning to love and care for others as He does.
As we participate, we discover new areas where we need His transforming work, drawing us back into deeper communion and continued formation. The goal is not simply to reproduce Jesus' activities, but to increasingly embody His life and love. God is forming us to become mature participants in His purposes — a calling that begins here on earth and extends into eternity with Him.
We are learning to live as Jesus lived, so that His life increasingly takes shape in us and, through us, helps others grow into that same life. This is how discipleship moves beyond conversion into lifelong transformation, multiplication, and the hope of everlasting life with Christ.
Return to the main guide: Practicing the Way of Jesus — A Guide to Transformation