Engaging Each of the 7 Jesus Moves
by Alan Howell
Director of Church Relations
Participation in God’s mission should follow the pattern of Jesus.
Seems obvious, right?
Unfortunately, though, all too often that simple conviction gets lost or left behind. It may come as a surprise, but that ideal has sometimes seemed unreal, impossible, or impractical.
What would it look like, though, to actually follow a Jesus-centered model of missional engagement? What approach or method could we use that is mindful, manageable, and less mystifying?
At MRN, the “Jesus Moves” (the 7 Movements of Christ) form the backbone of our missions training.
We believe that these seven core elements in Jesus’ story should form the skills and strategy for kingdom workers wherever God calls them.
And we’ve woven the “Jesus Moves” concept and practices into the training we offer for global servants, as well as into our free missions curriculum for children.
So, what are the “Jesus Moves”?
Jesus’ life was marked by seven key movements:
Incarnation – God comes in human form to be with us.
Life & Ministry – Christ’s words and actions show what God’s kingdom is all about.
Crucifixion – Jesus bears sin, suffering, and death on the cross.
Resurrection – Jesus is raised to life & hope exists because death doesn’t have the final word.
Ascension – Jesus is on the throne and rules over all.
Pentecost – The Holy Spirit links God’s people through powerful presence.
Second Coming – Jesus’ future return to make all things new impacts us in the here and now.
So, what does it look like to let these seven movements in Christ’s story impact our own skills and strategy?
One way to picture this is to consider these moves as different gears. Whenever I’m talking with someone or working with a group, I will often pray a silent prayer asking God: How should I be showing up here? What gear do I need to be in? Do I need to focus on being with them through incarnational presence? Is there some pain and suffering that they are bearing that I can join them in through the power of the cross? Could resurrection hope inject some life into what seems like a hopelessly dead and dying system?
Praying about and practicing getting in the proper gear has been a helpful way to center Christ in my own story and seek to respond how Jesus would to those around me. Naturally, there are some moves that come more easily to certain people than others. But practice makes progress. As we continue to practice, it gets easier to shift gears and find the right mode to represent the Messiah to people around us. And while you or I may not choose the “best gear” in a given situation, at least we’re using the best gearbox(!) and we can shift gears as needed.
Each of these movements has both a theological label as well as a short word or cue that has been useful for both kids and adults to consider ways to put these movements into practice.
Let’s think through each of these Jesus Moves with practical examples of what it could look like to put them in gear in terms of skills and strategy:
Incarnation – “With”
Story – God comes in human form to be with us.
Skills – Daniel slows down to truly listen to his neighbors, taking the time to be with them (making sure they both are heard and feel heard).
Strategy – Daniel’s team is committed to learning the language and culture of those they are working with in order meet the people right where they are at - coming alongside them contextually and planting the Gospel by being with them deep in their soil.
Life & Ministry – “Show”
Story – Christ’s words and actions show what God’s kingdom is all about.
Skills – Maria shares one of Christ’s teachings in a conversation and shows what that looks like through an example from her own life.
Strategy – Maria’s church is making disciples through personal involvement in a food ministry that allows them to show Christ’s love and power in multiple ways.
Crucifixion – “Bear”
Story – Jesus bears sin, suffering, and death on the cross.
Skills – Ravi has stepped into a tough situation with a friend and is helping to bear their pain and model forgiveness as well.
Strategy – Ravi's team is willing to risk comfort and some level of safety to offer hospitality to marginalized people in their community, helping them bear the weight of some complicated dynamics together.
Resurrection – “Hope”
Story – Jesus is raised to life & hope exists because death doesn’t have the final word.
Skills – Mei is leaning on resurrection hope to have courage to keep working with an individual whose life is falling apart.
Strategy – Mei’s church is working with leaders in their neighborhood who have mostly given up on the possibility for real change. The church’s hope is giving them energy to breathe life into surrounding systems and institutions that seem dead and dying but could be redeemed through God’s power.
Ascension – “Rule”
Story – Jesus is on the throne and rules over all.
Skills – Luis doesn’t feel like he belongs here. So, as he steps into new places, he intentionally remembers that while he may feel like an imposter, the Lord of Heaven and Earth is both seated on the throne and walking with him. Christ rules over every square inch of Luis' city.
Strategy – Luis' team is serving in a country where the church is underground. While they feel impatient for fruit and results,the truth that Jesus is on the throne and rules for all time allows them to take their time and work with patience.
Pentecost – “Link”
Story – The Holy Spirit links God’s people through powerful presence.
Skills – Oman is in a season of discernment and is committed to listening to what the Spirit of God is saying through those around him.
Strategy – While Oman’s church is in a culture with extreme hierarchies, they talk regularly about how they are linked by the same Spirit and that their identity as siblings sharing the same Spirit puts them at the same level. That matters more than titles, positions, or power.
Second Coming – “Now”
Story – Jesus’ future return to make all things new impacts us in the here and now.
Skills – Anya has been studying the Bible with someone who keeps putting off a commitment to follow Jesus. Anya senses a need for urgency, that it is time to act, and engages some “second coming energy” to ask her friend to make a commitment now.
Strategy – Anya's team is in contact with a community leader who says he is a believer, but tragically he has opened the door to corruption in this part of the city. The team fasted and prayed before going to meet with the leader to remind them that Jesus is coming soon, that Christ is a good judge who cares about justice, and that the time to repent and act in line with the Kingdom is now.
Certainly, each of these Jesus Moves has other skills and strategies associated with them. And there is discernment involved in knowing which one to use in different situations. Whether we need to engage, in a given situation, more patience (Ascension) or urgency (Second Coming), for example. Robust participation in God’s mission means finding ways to get in gear with Christ and his story. And we have found this approach to be a useful one that sets up disciple-makers for sustainability and impact.
May we all become more proficient at putting all the Jesus Moves into practice wherever in the world God takes us.
For more on MRN’s worker training and church equipping and how the 7 Movements of Christ can help you find the right gear(s) in your life and ministry, please reach out to Alan Howell at alan.howell@mrnet.org.