Resources for Following Jesus
Resources gathered to help us know God’s Word, follow Jesus, grow in faith, serve His Church, and share the Gospel. We offer these resources with the conviction that Scripture is our foundation, Christ is our Lord, and the Holy Spirit leads us into truth.
Scripture First
God’s Word is our first and most important resource. Other books, commentaries, Bible studies, teaching ministries, and practical tools can help us understand Scripture more clearly and apply its truth to our lives, but they remain resources to be tested by the Word of God.
Bible Study and Commentaries
The Bible is meant to be read, understood, and lived. Trusted study Bibles, commentaries, Bible dictionaries, historical resources, and other tools can help us understand the meaning and setting of Scripture. They also help us recognize that faithful Christians may approach a passage from different perspectives.
These resources are most helpful when they lead us back to the text itself. We encourage careful reading, prayer, and humble discernment—testing what we hear against Scripture and asking the Holy Spirit to help us understand and apply God’s truth.
Bible Gateway
Bible Gateway offers a helpful collection of Bible study resources, including reading plans, audio Bibles, commentaries, dictionaries, and other tools for exploring Scripture. It is a good place to begin when you want to read the Bible, compare translations, or look more deeply into a passage.
Explore Bible Gateway Resources →
Bible Project
Bible Project is especially helpful for seeing the larger story of Scripture. Its visual overviews, Bible book studies, themes, podcasts, classes, and other resources can help us see how the 66 books of the Bible fit together and point us toward God’s redemptive purposes in Christ.
Bible Hub
Bible Hub offers parallel translations, cross-references, concordances, Greek and Hebrew tools, commentaries, dictionaries, maps, and other study aids.
Prayer and Discipleship
Following Jesus is more than gaining knowledge. We grow as we pray, listen to God’s Word, obey His leading, and learn to live together as His people. These resources can help individuals and churches develop a deeper life of prayer, discipleship, spiritual formation, and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
The Navigators
The Navigators have a long-standing emphasis on helping people grow in their relationship with God through Bible study, prayer, discipleship, and evangelism. Their current resource collection includes Bible-reading plans, discipleship materials, prayer tools, and resources for helping others follow Christ.
Multiply Movement
Multiply provides a particularly practical approach to making disciples who make disciples. Its 24-session material can be used individually or in groups, and the digital book and videos are available as free resources.
The Gathering Well
The Gathering Well offers free resources for individuals, churches, and ministry leaders focused on prayer, Bible study, community, and disciple-making. I especially like its emphasis on helping ordinary Christians learn to follow Jesus and help others do the same.
Evangelism and Gospel Outreach
Jesus calls His Church to make disciples and bear witness to the Gospel. These resources can help individuals and churches become more confident in sharing the good news of Jesus, beginning spiritual conversations, giving their testimony, and reaching the people God has placed around them.
Jesus calls His people to make disciples and to bear witness to His grace wherever He has placed us. These resources can help you grow in confidence, compassion, and wisdom as you share the good news of Jesus Christ with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others who may be searching for hope.
Whether you are just beginning to learn how to share your faith or have been doing it for years, these resources are intended to help you keep the Gospel clear, Christ-centered, and personal.
To Witness or Not to Witness: Will We Speak?
Paul reminds us, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). Peter tells us to “be ready always to give an answer… for the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Yet at the moment when an opportunity comes, fear of rejection, uncertainty about what to say, or the temptation to avoid an argument can become the tipping point. Will we speak? We don’t need to have every answer or win every debate. We can simply listen, speak honestly about the hope we have in Christ, and trust God to use His Gospel as we share it with humility and love.
How Do We Give Due Diligence to Planting and Watering Gospel Seeds?
1. Notice the people God has placed before us.
Our opportunities often begin with the people already around us—family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, fellow believers, and others we encounter in everyday life. We don’t have to manufacture opportunities; we can simply become more attentive to the ones God gives us.
2. Cultivate genuine relationships.
People are more than evangelistic opportunities. We listen, care, serve, and share life with them. Genuine love builds trust and gives the Gospel a natural place in our conversations.
3. Look for openings to speak about Christ.
Questions about life, suffering, hope, guilt, death, purpose, or the future can open a door. When someone shares a concern or asks a spiritual question, we can listen carefully and be ready to point them toward Christ.
4. Keep the Gospel clear.
Our witness should lead beyond simply saying that Jesus makes our lives better. The Gospel tells who Christ is, what He has done for sinners through His death and resurrection, and calls us to repent, believe, and follow Him.
5. Don’t give up too quickly.
A seed may lie unseen in the soil for a long time. A person’s first response may not be their final response. We can continue to pray, care, and remain ready when another opportunity comes.
6. Let persistence be patient, not pressuring.
Faithful witness does not mean forcing a conversation or demanding a response. We can speak truthfully, listen respectfully, and leave room for God to work. Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is keep loving someone while waiting for another open door.
7. Trust God with the harvest.
We cannot make a Gospel seed grow. Paul reminds us that one plants and another waters, “but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Our responsibility is to plant faithfully, water patiently, and trust God for the harvest.
3 Stages of Growth in Witnessing — Resources for Every Believer
You don’t have to be an evangelist to become a faithful witness. “Evangelism is not my gift” can sometimes become a way of saying, “Therefore, I don’t need to witness.” But Scripture’s call to bear witness is broader than the particular spiritual gift of evangelism. Some may be especially gifted at evangelism, but every Christian can grow in being a faithful witness. Whether you are just beginning to speak about your faith or have been doing it for years, there is always room to grow.
1. Become Ready
How do I become more confident and prepared to speak? I want to be better prepared when an opportunity comes. Learning to explain the Gospel clearly and naturally.
Becoming Ready — Evangelism in a Skeptical World –The Gospel Coalition
This is a course by Sam Chan specifically designed to equip Christians with principles and skills for communicating the Gospel to friends in a skeptical culture. The Gospel Coalition currently lists it as its featured evangelism course.
Explore Evangelism in a Skeptical World
2. Learning to Engage
Learning to listen, ask questions, and have meaningful Gospel conversations.
Learning to Engage — Questioning Evangelism
There was something different about the way Jesus communicated with the lost: He didn’t force answers upon people; He asked questions. So why don’t we?
Campus ministry veteran Randy Newman has been using a questioning style of evangelism for years. In this thought-provoking book, he provides practical insights to help Christians engage others in meaningful spiritual conversations. To Newman, asking questions challenges how we think about unbelievers, their questions, and our message, instead of telling unbelievers what to think.
A perennial best-seller, this third edition includes both revisions of current chapters, such as an expanded discussion on LGBTQ+ issues and the debate on transgenderism, and new chapters that ponder issues such as science and suffering.
“Distilled out of twenty years of personal evangelism, this book reflects both a deep grasp of biblical theology and a penetrating compassion for people–and finds a way forward in wise, probing questions. How very much like the Master Himself!” – D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
3. Learning to Walk Alongside
Learning how to continue with someone after the first conversation. What can I offer someone who wants to explore Jesus further?
Walking Alongside — Christianity Explored
When someone is willing to explore Jesus more deeply, we don’t have to feel that we suddenly need to become a Bible teacher. Christianity Explored gives us a simple way to walk alongside someone as they encounter Jesus through Mark’s Gospel. Over seven conversations, participants explore who Jesus is, why He came, His death and resurrection, and what it means to follow Him. The course is designed around Scripture, short films, honest discussion, and questions, making it suitable for people with little or no Bible background. It can also be used one-to-one, making it a natural next step when someone is willing to keep exploring.
Explore Mark’s Gospel – Christianity Explored
Your Witness Is Uniquely Yours.
Christ is Lord, the Gospel is central, and ordinary believers are invited to follow Him faithfully—not perform for Him. Each witness is unique because each person has been met by Christ in a different place and through a different story. We don’t need someone else’s testimony, personality, or way of speaking to be effective. We simply need to be honest about what we have seen and experienced of God’s grace, faithful to the truth of the Gospel, and willing to speak when God opens a door. When a life increasingly reflects the hope we have in Christ, that witness can shine in ways words alone cannot—and people have good reason to ask about the hope they see in us.