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Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People
Christianity is a surprising religion. It has changed the world in remarkable ways throughout history simply through Christians living out their faith. More recently, we've become afraid of a habituated Christianity, thinking that routines will rob our faith of its vitality. The net effect is that we've replaced the habits that surprise the world with habits that mimic the world―and both we and the world suffer for it.Integrating the five habits in the BELLS model―Bless others, Eat together, Listen to the Spirit, Learn Christ, and understand yourself as Sent by God into others' lives―will help you spread the gospel organically, graciously, and surprisingly.Michael Frost, a world-renowned expert on evangelism and discipleship, makes evangelism a lifestyle that is fulfilling, exciting, effective, and easy to live out!
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2014
308 people are currently reading
1149 people want to read
About the author
Michael Frost
61 books100 followersMichael Frost is the founding director of the Tinsley Institute at Morling College. He is an internationally recognised Australian missiologist and one of the leading voices in the missional church movement. His books are required reading in colleges and seminaries around the world and he is much sought after as an international conference speaker. Michael Frost blogs at mikefrost.net
See also other Michael Frosts.
See also other Michael Frosts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
October 14, 2023
Thought provoking! I feel that I’ll never be entirely convinced when someone proposes an all new way of Christian habits but I did enjoy reading his habits and would implement some of his suggestions.
February 22, 2023
"Surprise the World" is a nice and quick read that proposes an interesting concept of how to live "highly missional" in the day to day. I read it with a friend to get her started on reading a little more but I think everyone could talk something from it.
The concept is built around the acronym "BELLS" wich stands for:
Bless (3 people this week in a way or another)
Eat (with 3 people, at least one who doesn't know Christ)
Listen (to the Holy Spirit intentionally)
Learn (about Christ in order to be able to act right and answer questions)
Sent (keep in mind that you are "on a mission", journal about it)
All of these are surely good things to do as a Christian and Frost arguments their importance well in the light of Scripture and history.
All in all it is a good, ordinary christian book.
So, may our lives be more surprising than this book :)
The concept is built around the acronym "BELLS" wich stands for:
Bless (3 people this week in a way or another)
Eat (with 3 people, at least one who doesn't know Christ)
Listen (to the Holy Spirit intentionally)
Learn (about Christ in order to be able to act right and answer questions)
Sent (keep in mind that you are "on a mission", journal about it)
All of these are surely good things to do as a Christian and Frost arguments their importance well in the light of Scripture and history.
All in all it is a good, ordinary christian book.
So, may our lives be more surprising than this book :)
June 26, 2018
Michael Frost’s book Surprise the World presents missional living in an easy-to-consume way. I read this book with two main questions in mind - “What does mission mean for those who aren’t overseas missionaries?” And “What does missional living mean for our communications as an agency?”
Below are some thoughts:
I particularly appreciated the distinction between evangelists and evangelistic behaviors. In speaking about Paul’s teachings, the author writes “But it doesn’t appear that he believes that all Christians bear the responsibility for the kind of bold proclamation to which he is called.” He later goes on to say, “That is why those of us who are not gifted evangelists need to foster habits in our lives that draw us out into the lives of unbelievers and invite the kinds of questions that lead to evangelistic sharing.”
For congregations, I think it is important to draw the distinction that only some are called to be evangelists. We should make it a point to remind them of Paul’s example that Frost describes:
For the CRC agencies, we should make it a point that most of our ministry staff are the evangelists, and all of our supporters are to pray and support them, but also be willing to adopt evangelistic habits as well.
For North-American churches, our task is to help them see that being a “missionary” does not always equal being an evangelist. It most oven means living evangelistically. Our job as the mission agency of the CRC is to help churches navigate this shift of thinking. When our churches (and their members) reflect the authentic habits of blessing, eating, listening, learning, and sending, our communities and denomination will be transformed.
I appreciated the tone that this book took toward living a questionable life and discerning what that looks like in our respective contexts. It shows that a life that reflects our faith is not one that is full of sermons and altar-calls but blooming with kindness, hospitality, and humility.
I do wonder how some of these habits would be embodied by introverts. The author names that blessing and eating are something that may come easily to extroverts and names that listening and learning may be more difficult but does not explore the concepts from the flip side of those who find building relationships to be a much bigger obstacle than contemplation and introspection.
Something that is probably one of the larger hurdles in these habits is to do them all authentically. We can use these methods as a way to achieve what we want, but that will end up in failure. We need to bless others because we authentically want to bless them, not because we want them to join our church. We need to have meals because empathy, hospitality, and listening to each other are inherently good things. They are part of the life we are called to live.
Below are some thoughts:
I particularly appreciated the distinction between evangelists and evangelistic behaviors. In speaking about Paul’s teachings, the author writes “But it doesn’t appear that he believes that all Christians bear the responsibility for the kind of bold proclamation to which he is called.” He later goes on to say, “That is why those of us who are not gifted evangelists need to foster habits in our lives that draw us out into the lives of unbelievers and invite the kinds of questions that lead to evangelistic sharing.”
For congregations, I think it is important to draw the distinction that only some are called to be evangelists. We should make it a point to remind them of Paul’s example that Frost describes:
“For Evangelists, Paul asks for opportunities to share Christ and the courage to proclaim the gospel clearly. But he doesn’t suggest the Colossians pray as much for themselves. Rather, evangelistic believers are to pray for the evangelists’ ministry, to be wise in their conduct towards outsiders, and to look for opportunities to answer outsider’s questions when they arise. When it comes to the spoken aspect of their ministries, evangelists are to proclaim, and believers are to give answers.”
For the CRC agencies, we should make it a point that most of our ministry staff are the evangelists, and all of our supporters are to pray and support them, but also be willing to adopt evangelistic habits as well.
For North-American churches, our task is to help them see that being a “missionary” does not always equal being an evangelist. It most oven means living evangelistically. Our job as the mission agency of the CRC is to help churches navigate this shift of thinking. When our churches (and their members) reflect the authentic habits of blessing, eating, listening, learning, and sending, our communities and denomination will be transformed.
I appreciated the tone that this book took toward living a questionable life and discerning what that looks like in our respective contexts. It shows that a life that reflects our faith is not one that is full of sermons and altar-calls but blooming with kindness, hospitality, and humility.
I do wonder how some of these habits would be embodied by introverts. The author names that blessing and eating are something that may come easily to extroverts and names that listening and learning may be more difficult but does not explore the concepts from the flip side of those who find building relationships to be a much bigger obstacle than contemplation and introspection.
Something that is probably one of the larger hurdles in these habits is to do them all authentically. We can use these methods as a way to achieve what we want, but that will end up in failure. We need to bless others because we authentically want to bless them, not because we want them to join our church. We need to have meals because empathy, hospitality, and listening to each other are inherently good things. They are part of the life we are called to live.
May 21, 2024
Live a Questionable Life.
This is the challenge Michael Frost immediatly lays down in this little book suggesting five steps to bringing people to the point of following Jesus themselves.
He centers his challenge in Col 4:6 in which Paul says we should know how to answer everyone.
If we need to give an answer to unbelievers, Frost points out that means those around us must be questioning us 'Why in the world are you doing this?'. And the context of the Colossians questionable lives, the thing that make unbelievers curious is the lives of genersity and graceiousness that they see.
Frost then proceeds to lay out five practices that will cause others to question us about our faith.
..Blessing others - bless three people each week, one of whom is not a part of my church
..Eat with others - eat with three people each week, one of who is not a part of my church
..Listen to the Holy Spirit - spend a period of twenty minutes each week in quiet, with the goal of hearing God's Spirit give direction
..Learn Jesus - spend a significatn amount of time each week reading and re-reading the gospels.
..See myself as a sent one - spend time each week journaling the ways I have made others aware of Jesus reign in my life.
The acronym is 'BELLS'. He never gives any reason to use BELLS as the acronym. It just is a tool to use. I guess I'll think of it as everytime a bell rings an angel has gotten their wings.
I like this book because it takes the burden out of evangelism with practical steps that spread out of a life lived with Jesus love for others.
The chapter about learning Jesus so that my life reflects His stuck with me the most. The idea of saturating my mind with the gospels, so that I understand how Jesus acts and thinks so I know how He would have me act in any situation. He suggests that we should be saturated with knowing the gospels by re-reading them constantly, reading books about Jesus, and watching films about Jesus so I am intimatedly familiar with Jesus.
Frost points out that the question is not "What would Jesus do?", but "How does Jesus want me to act in this situation?". They are not the same question.
I would highly recommend grabbing two other friends as Frost suggests, and reading this book to practice living a questionable life.
This is the challenge Michael Frost immediatly lays down in this little book suggesting five steps to bringing people to the point of following Jesus themselves.
He centers his challenge in Col 4:6 in which Paul says we should know how to answer everyone.
If we need to give an answer to unbelievers, Frost points out that means those around us must be questioning us 'Why in the world are you doing this?'. And the context of the Colossians questionable lives, the thing that make unbelievers curious is the lives of genersity and graceiousness that they see.
Frost then proceeds to lay out five practices that will cause others to question us about our faith.
..Blessing others - bless three people each week, one of whom is not a part of my church
..Eat with others - eat with three people each week, one of who is not a part of my church
..Listen to the Holy Spirit - spend a period of twenty minutes each week in quiet, with the goal of hearing God's Spirit give direction
..Learn Jesus - spend a significatn amount of time each week reading and re-reading the gospels.
..See myself as a sent one - spend time each week journaling the ways I have made others aware of Jesus reign in my life.
The acronym is 'BELLS'. He never gives any reason to use BELLS as the acronym. It just is a tool to use. I guess I'll think of it as everytime a bell rings an angel has gotten their wings.
I like this book because it takes the burden out of evangelism with practical steps that spread out of a life lived with Jesus love for others.
The chapter about learning Jesus so that my life reflects His stuck with me the most. The idea of saturating my mind with the gospels, so that I understand how Jesus acts and thinks so I know how He would have me act in any situation. He suggests that we should be saturated with knowing the gospels by re-reading them constantly, reading books about Jesus, and watching films about Jesus so I am intimatedly familiar with Jesus.
Frost points out that the question is not "What would Jesus do?", but "How does Jesus want me to act in this situation?". They are not the same question.
I would highly recommend grabbing two other friends as Frost suggests, and reading this book to practice living a questionable life.
September 27, 2016
Very little "fluff" here. This is just a really good, concise handbook for missional living. It doesn't get bogged down, but suggests 5 simple and very helpful practices for becoming "highly missional" people.
I think there are more complexities to truly living missionally. I'd want to make sure we aren't just spending time with people who, whether part of my church or not, are "like me," and would eventually want to ask several questions of people in pursuit of these habits:
who do we choose to bless or eat with? Why them?
how does this connect to our implicit biases? Why does that matter?
But I think the essential practices outlined here can get us on the right track, and I'm delighted to have found such a concise resource toward that end.
I think there are more complexities to truly living missionally. I'd want to make sure we aren't just spending time with people who, whether part of my church or not, are "like me," and would eventually want to ask several questions of people in pursuit of these habits:
who do we choose to bless or eat with? Why them?
how does this connect to our implicit biases? Why does that matter?
But I think the essential practices outlined here can get us on the right track, and I'm delighted to have found such a concise resource toward that end.
February 4, 2022
Kinda want to run through a brick wall for Jesus
February 8, 2022
Best Michael Frost book I’ve engaged with. I suspect we’d have some underlying differences in opinion on the nature of the kingdom as well as mysticism, but not so many that I couldn’t glean some good points from this book.
June 25, 2018
Easy to read and grasp yet this book gives you a clear way to think about your life in relationship with your faith.
June 1, 2022
Short read, but full of wisdom and knowledge on living a missional life. I’m a big fan of books that provide practical solutions / suggestions and this book provided plenty!
June 11, 2025
I don’t love that he calls all Christians missionaries; I think there is wisdom in the distinction but this is a great, short read for people who want to be challenged to live a life more like Jesus — more in the communities they find themselves in. very practical
July 13, 2025
Strap in, this is going to be a long one. Please enjoy my rather scattered thoughts on this book which I unfortunately had the pleasure of reading.
The opening I found to be rather self-righteous as the author talks about how he really didn’t intend to write the book, but his friend and a church plant really encouraged him to, so, quote; “I figured it was time to abandon my diffidence and go ahead and fly the flag.” In general, I found the wording of the introduction to be ostentatious and left me with a bit of a bad feeling about what the remainder of the book may be like. Unfortunately, my hunch turned out to be correct.
In general, the book prompts individuals to adopt a “BELLS” lifestyle: Bless, Eat, Listen, Learn, Sent. Each chapter goes more in-depth on what these terms mean, which is where I began to see some questionable advice given.
Bless: In this chapter the author dictates that “to bless” someone is to “build them up, to fill them with encouragement for them to increase in strength and prosperity.” No mention of using the Bible to uplift, or the words of Christ to offer comfort and strength. No mention of the use of prayer in blessing others either. Rather, the author suggests words of affirmation, acts of kindness and gifts to bless others. These things in themselves are good of course, but I find the description of true, biblical blessing to be lacking. To bless someone (scripturally) is far more than simply wishing/helping someone become prosperous.
Eat: This chapter was fine for the most part, just that I was uncomfortable with the phraseology of some of the passages. Particularly, “We can literally eat our way into the kingdom of God”, which was in the context of inviting others into your home with the intention of spreading the love of God and creating evangelistic opportunities. The aforementioned quote is frankly perplexing and in my opinion, inappropriate.
Listen: This chapter was the most overtly erroneous part of the book in my opinion. It began with the phrase, “The third habit I want you to foster is that of listening for the Spirit’s voice” and then continued by comparing our inability to hear the Holy Spirit as being akin to us unable to distinguish the radio in a busy coffee shop. “The goal is simply to permit the Holy Spirit to activate the life-giving Word of God.” The book continued by outlining the importance of hearing the voice of God, and then launched into their suggested method, being, “centring prayer”. A brief summary of centring prayer is to find an isolated, quiet, and dark room, sit in a comfortable pose, and just “let God in” for 20+ minutes. How? They recommend repeating a single word over and over “gently and slowly”. Some words they recommend using are… “Maranatha, amen, grace, love, peace, let go, stillness, (or) Jesus”. In this “centring prayer” the “key” is to “resist no thought; retain no thought; react no thought.” Essentially, you may not engage your thoughts. The author says “After a period of time of centring prayer, you’ll find your thoughts slowing down, becoming more captive to the object of your worship, more shaped by the Holy Spirit. After time you’ll learn to read which thoughts are God’s thoughts.” Uhm. No.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”!!
Additionally, a quote I also found highly suspicious was also found in this chapter, “If you are willing to bear serenely the trial of being displeasing to yourself, then you will be for Jesus a pleasant place of shelter.” Is this insinuating Jesus needs a place to shelter away from God?
Apparently, the object of this prayer method is that we will “sense his presence in our hearts” and that this presence will fill us with rewards, mainly, the fruits of the Spirit. In my opinion, the very nature of this prayer practice is highly problematic but I digress. I will step off my soap box and move onto the next point.
Learn: This chapter dives into the well-known phrase “What would Jesus do?” and argues that this question along with “What did Jesus say?” are the wrong questions to be asking and that we should rather focus on “What would Jesus want me or us to think, be, and do, here and now.” I personally think that we should be focusing on the work Christ has already accomplished and look into scripture to draw on examples of how to handle specific situations that may arise in our own lives. I don’t think it’s best for us to judge or guess what Jesus might want us to think or do, when we have the Bible to use as a guide. Psalm 25:4-5 “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”
Further, this chapter presses the important of knowing the Gospels very well, which I think is good advice in general. The first method the author recommends is to truly study the Gospels repeatedly, using different methods (reading them in 1 sitting, using devotionals or commentaries etc) which is all great. The second method they recommend is to find books about Jesus specifically, and well, the author first and foremost recommends *his own* books for doing so. Welp. He does go on to mention other authors’ books, but it just feels icky for him to promote his own first.
The final method though, is the most concerning. The author recommends “further viewing” of the Gospels by watching Jesus’ life on film, (eg; movies and shows). He even goes as far as to say no one film can “do him justice” (that is, Jesus) so he recommends you watch a variety. One film he recommends is quite literally a stop-motion puppet show of Jesus’ daily life. Absolutely not. Exodus 20:4, Deut 5:8-10. By this point, I was highly disappointed in the book and frankly found myself just sad at some of the recommendations. This leads us to the final chapter, “Sent”.
Sent: The opening of the chapter says it all. “The final habit is to begin identifying yourself as a missionary - a sent one - by journalling the ways you’re alerting others to God’s reign.” I don’t know if I need to say much here. Just that, this is not the way to become a missionary and certainly following a journalling protocol will not equip you for that ministry.
Overall, I would definitely *not* recommend this book and frankly, I will be disposing of it shortly. Thank you to everyone who stuck out this review, I hope it was enlightening. 0/5 stars.
The opening I found to be rather self-righteous as the author talks about how he really didn’t intend to write the book, but his friend and a church plant really encouraged him to, so, quote; “I figured it was time to abandon my diffidence and go ahead and fly the flag.” In general, I found the wording of the introduction to be ostentatious and left me with a bit of a bad feeling about what the remainder of the book may be like. Unfortunately, my hunch turned out to be correct.
In general, the book prompts individuals to adopt a “BELLS” lifestyle: Bless, Eat, Listen, Learn, Sent. Each chapter goes more in-depth on what these terms mean, which is where I began to see some questionable advice given.
Bless: In this chapter the author dictates that “to bless” someone is to “build them up, to fill them with encouragement for them to increase in strength and prosperity.” No mention of using the Bible to uplift, or the words of Christ to offer comfort and strength. No mention of the use of prayer in blessing others either. Rather, the author suggests words of affirmation, acts of kindness and gifts to bless others. These things in themselves are good of course, but I find the description of true, biblical blessing to be lacking. To bless someone (scripturally) is far more than simply wishing/helping someone become prosperous.
Eat: This chapter was fine for the most part, just that I was uncomfortable with the phraseology of some of the passages. Particularly, “We can literally eat our way into the kingdom of God”, which was in the context of inviting others into your home with the intention of spreading the love of God and creating evangelistic opportunities. The aforementioned quote is frankly perplexing and in my opinion, inappropriate.
Listen: This chapter was the most overtly erroneous part of the book in my opinion. It began with the phrase, “The third habit I want you to foster is that of listening for the Spirit’s voice” and then continued by comparing our inability to hear the Holy Spirit as being akin to us unable to distinguish the radio in a busy coffee shop. “The goal is simply to permit the Holy Spirit to activate the life-giving Word of God.” The book continued by outlining the importance of hearing the voice of God, and then launched into their suggested method, being, “centring prayer”. A brief summary of centring prayer is to find an isolated, quiet, and dark room, sit in a comfortable pose, and just “let God in” for 20+ minutes. How? They recommend repeating a single word over and over “gently and slowly”. Some words they recommend using are… “Maranatha, amen, grace, love, peace, let go, stillness, (or) Jesus”. In this “centring prayer” the “key” is to “resist no thought; retain no thought; react no thought.” Essentially, you may not engage your thoughts. The author says “After a period of time of centring prayer, you’ll find your thoughts slowing down, becoming more captive to the object of your worship, more shaped by the Holy Spirit. After time you’ll learn to read which thoughts are God’s thoughts.” Uhm. No.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”!!
Additionally, a quote I also found highly suspicious was also found in this chapter, “If you are willing to bear serenely the trial of being displeasing to yourself, then you will be for Jesus a pleasant place of shelter.” Is this insinuating Jesus needs a place to shelter away from God?
Apparently, the object of this prayer method is that we will “sense his presence in our hearts” and that this presence will fill us with rewards, mainly, the fruits of the Spirit. In my opinion, the very nature of this prayer practice is highly problematic but I digress. I will step off my soap box and move onto the next point.
Learn: This chapter dives into the well-known phrase “What would Jesus do?” and argues that this question along with “What did Jesus say?” are the wrong questions to be asking and that we should rather focus on “What would Jesus want me or us to think, be, and do, here and now.” I personally think that we should be focusing on the work Christ has already accomplished and look into scripture to draw on examples of how to handle specific situations that may arise in our own lives. I don’t think it’s best for us to judge or guess what Jesus might want us to think or do, when we have the Bible to use as a guide. Psalm 25:4-5 “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”
Further, this chapter presses the important of knowing the Gospels very well, which I think is good advice in general. The first method the author recommends is to truly study the Gospels repeatedly, using different methods (reading them in 1 sitting, using devotionals or commentaries etc) which is all great. The second method they recommend is to find books about Jesus specifically, and well, the author first and foremost recommends *his own* books for doing so. Welp. He does go on to mention other authors’ books, but it just feels icky for him to promote his own first.
The final method though, is the most concerning. The author recommends “further viewing” of the Gospels by watching Jesus’ life on film, (eg; movies and shows). He even goes as far as to say no one film can “do him justice” (that is, Jesus) so he recommends you watch a variety. One film he recommends is quite literally a stop-motion puppet show of Jesus’ daily life. Absolutely not. Exodus 20:4, Deut 5:8-10. By this point, I was highly disappointed in the book and frankly found myself just sad at some of the recommendations. This leads us to the final chapter, “Sent”.
Sent: The opening of the chapter says it all. “The final habit is to begin identifying yourself as a missionary - a sent one - by journalling the ways you’re alerting others to God’s reign.” I don’t know if I need to say much here. Just that, this is not the way to become a missionary and certainly following a journalling protocol will not equip you for that ministry.
Overall, I would definitely *not* recommend this book and frankly, I will be disposing of it shortly. Thank you to everyone who stuck out this review, I hope it was enlightening. 0/5 stars.
February 24, 2016
This is a brief (125 pgs.) little book that provides a rationale and plan for living a "questionable life." A questionable life is one that provokes inquiry on the part of the onlooking world as to the motivation and intentions of the provocateur. A questionable life is one seen as "good news" to those in its wake. The author rings a bell for five habits of highly missional people. B is for Bless. E is for Eat. L is for Listen. L is for Learn (Jesus). S is for Send. Do these, as explained in the book, and keep doing them until they become habit, a part of who you are and not a mere strategy. DNA (discipleship, nurture, accountability) triads are suggested as a social structure to provide support in the process of developing the habits. I like the simplicity and straightforward nature of BELLS. It's easily understood, it's doable, and seems to hold real promise for impact. I also like the fact that the author has no intention of BELLS becoming just another of a long line of 40 day programs. I recommend this book for anyone looking for ideas as to how to begin living a missional life. Many missionaries I know would do well to take a look.
April 7, 2021
If the result of reading this book is for churches to become more missional, then I will be extremely happy. I believe this is one of the greatest problems the modern church faces. I also really like the application of this book, to go out and be blessers in the world and I think if more people, including myself, applied this book then the church would be radically different!
However, this book was not my favorite. At times it was too simplistic in it's theological and strategic claims. It was also very practical (which I like) but didn't have much heart (which I don't like).
Other people love this book though so don't let me be a naysayer, I hope you read this and it helps you become more missional in your life.
However, this book was not my favorite. At times it was too simplistic in it's theological and strategic claims. It was also very practical (which I like) but didn't have much heart (which I don't like).
Other people love this book though so don't let me be a naysayer, I hope you read this and it helps you become more missional in your life.
September 7, 2018
Author Frost says, “I want you to inculcate these habits as a central rhythm in your life.” Why are these the right 5 habits, and why should they be a central rhythm (whatever that means)?
Of the five habits discussed, two are clearly not drawn from the Bible (sitting in a dark room repeating “maranatha” and journaling one’s accomplishments). The others are derived primarily by reference to books other than the Bible. While there may be some benefit to these habits, they are just one man’s ideas.
Finally the book is flawed by abuse of the English language. For example, “habitus” is a medical term having nothing to do with habits.
Of the five habits discussed, two are clearly not drawn from the Bible (sitting in a dark room repeating “maranatha” and journaling one’s accomplishments). The others are derived primarily by reference to books other than the Bible. While there may be some benefit to these habits, they are just one man’s ideas.
Finally the book is flawed by abuse of the English language. For example, “habitus” is a medical term having nothing to do with habits.
September 26, 2020
This little book was a surprise in itself. I stumbled across it online and decided to read it in part because it would only take about two hours to do so. The author offers up 5 simple habits to develop “questionable” lives. These habits include random acts of kindness, sharing meals, meditation and journaling. There’s a lot here to chew over and there is practically no barrier to get started. So here I go!
July 18, 2017
Useful little book. Not quite transcendent, but I thought his point about how Christians need to be surprising (and we're not) was well taken.
February 5, 2025
Application Report
Surprise the World by Michael Frost
2-5-25
CBCL Shepherd’s Fellowship
Chapter One- Living “Questionable Lives”
The chapter made a distinction between those who are gifted evangelists and those who aren’t.
He recommends equipping those who are gifted to proclaim boldly the gospel and those who aren’t to be a good person and, if someone asks, to point them to God. (pg. 4).
Chapter Two- New Set of Habits
It outlines general guidelines for how our habits drive our beliefs and actions.
Chapter Three- Bless: The First Habit
Bless three people each week. One of whom isn’t a believer. (pg. 29).
Bless through words of affirmation, acts of kindness, and gifts. (pg.31-34).
Don’t bless just to convert. (pg.36).
Chapter Four- Eat: The Second Habit
Eat with three people each week. One of whom isn’t a believer. (pg. 41).
Argues that eating with people is intimate and that Jesus ate with people before they were converted.
Chapter Five- Listen: The Third Habit
Listen for the Spirit’s voice for a period of time each week. (pg. 57).
Just clear your mind and allow the Spirit to speak. Try chanting a Christian one-word prayer like peace, let go, Abba, stillness, or Jesus.
Chapter Six- Learn: the Fourth Habit
Spend one period of the week learning Christ. (pg. 71).
It talks about learning Christ from the Four Gospels but not just learning about Christ in isolation from the rest of scripture because the entire Bible is about God.
Learn about Christ from books and watching shows/movies about the gospels. (pg.78-79).
Chapter Seven- Sent: the Fifth Habit
Journal throughout the week all the ways you alerted others to the universal reign of God through Christ. (pg.85).
By journaling, you can track how you’ve pointed other people to God each week.
The chapter talks about how journaling can give you the identity of a sent one.
Chapter Eight- Discipleship, Nurture, and Accountability
There’s a form and encouragement to make this a part of your daily life.
Group accountability.
Additional Personal Thoughts/Reflections
There are a lot of claims on history that don’t sound right, or I’ve never heard of. It makes me suspicious of their authenticity.
The verses used to prove his points aren’t proving his points. There is some slight scripture bending.
Listen for the Spirit is an Eastern religion entering Christianity.
What’s said in this book could have been told in a paragraph. I’ll do so in the next point with any valuable information.
Be kind to others, read your Bible, and meet with others for encouragement.
Argues for sharing the gospel, use words if necessary, type of “evangelism.”
This book wasn’t well put together; I’m not convinced the author is Christian.
Surprise the World by Michael Frost
2-5-25
CBCL Shepherd’s Fellowship
Chapter One- Living “Questionable Lives”
The chapter made a distinction between those who are gifted evangelists and those who aren’t.
He recommends equipping those who are gifted to proclaim boldly the gospel and those who aren’t to be a good person and, if someone asks, to point them to God. (pg. 4).
Chapter Two- New Set of Habits
It outlines general guidelines for how our habits drive our beliefs and actions.
Chapter Three- Bless: The First Habit
Bless three people each week. One of whom isn’t a believer. (pg. 29).
Bless through words of affirmation, acts of kindness, and gifts. (pg.31-34).
Don’t bless just to convert. (pg.36).
Chapter Four- Eat: The Second Habit
Eat with three people each week. One of whom isn’t a believer. (pg. 41).
Argues that eating with people is intimate and that Jesus ate with people before they were converted.
Chapter Five- Listen: The Third Habit
Listen for the Spirit’s voice for a period of time each week. (pg. 57).
Just clear your mind and allow the Spirit to speak. Try chanting a Christian one-word prayer like peace, let go, Abba, stillness, or Jesus.
Chapter Six- Learn: the Fourth Habit
Spend one period of the week learning Christ. (pg. 71).
It talks about learning Christ from the Four Gospels but not just learning about Christ in isolation from the rest of scripture because the entire Bible is about God.
Learn about Christ from books and watching shows/movies about the gospels. (pg.78-79).
Chapter Seven- Sent: the Fifth Habit
Journal throughout the week all the ways you alerted others to the universal reign of God through Christ. (pg.85).
By journaling, you can track how you’ve pointed other people to God each week.
The chapter talks about how journaling can give you the identity of a sent one.
Chapter Eight- Discipleship, Nurture, and Accountability
There’s a form and encouragement to make this a part of your daily life.
Group accountability.
Additional Personal Thoughts/Reflections
There are a lot of claims on history that don’t sound right, or I’ve never heard of. It makes me suspicious of their authenticity.
The verses used to prove his points aren’t proving his points. There is some slight scripture bending.
Listen for the Spirit is an Eastern religion entering Christianity.
What’s said in this book could have been told in a paragraph. I’ll do so in the next point with any valuable information.
Be kind to others, read your Bible, and meet with others for encouragement.
Argues for sharing the gospel, use words if necessary, type of “evangelism.”
This book wasn’t well put together; I’m not convinced the author is Christian.
January 1, 2018
This little book is simply excellent. Michael Frost clearly marks the ways to make a difference in the world around us - to surprise them - which opens doors for us to talk about Jesus naturally. I think the "Five Habits of Highly Missional People" are habits every Christian should develop - and many of them we may already do in one form or another. I taught this to our adult class at church and feel it was so beneficial. Will return to this book for reference again and again I'm sure.
It's not a very big book, but it does contain a very big message. The memorable BELLS model will help to make awareness of the world around us and how God is reaching out through us a ready reference.
It's not a very big book, but it does contain a very big message. The memorable BELLS model will help to make awareness of the world around us and how God is reaching out through us a ready reference.
July 31, 2018
This was a helpful little book. It jolted me into thinking more strategically about evangelism - personally and for my church. The first chapter especially. I expect to return to it often. Not every Christian has the gift of evangelism. But every Christian is to "conduct themselves, in word and deed, in such a way as to provoke unbelievers to question their beliefs and enter into an evangelistic dialogue.” Frost calls this a “questionable life.” In order to be effective in evangelism, Christians need to first be surprising - arousing curiosity among unbelievers, leading to questions and faith sharing. We must also be intentional. For both of these we need a new set of missional practices with which to engage the world. Michael Frost suggests five: Bless - Eat - Listen - Learn - Send.
April 6, 2019
This book was simple, practical, and inspirational. If you are a Christian and desire to live missionally, then this book is a one-stop-shop. It is a quick read, so I recommend reading it through once yourself, then getting a group of friends together and putting it in action. The author breaks down these 5 habits but not to the degree they become overly detailed or difficult to grasp. I think of this book as a missional version of Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline, but more consumable.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
February 22, 2022
A nice little book with tangible steps and examples to help you live with a more missional mindset. The weekly "homework" is a LOT to do every single week, though, so I'll probably be thinking through these things on a more "rolling" timetable, but overall this was a good read with some practical advice and references.
April 22, 2024
A very quick read that had a lot to offer. I think this would be a great read for people wanting to grow deeper in their leadership abilities or for anyone that wants to learn how to grow more confident in sharing their faith. I love how practical this book is and that it provides so many opportunities to challenge yourself.
January 4, 2026
“While blessing others will certainly provide opportunities to share your faith with them, we need to be watchful that we're not being generous friends merely in order to convert them. We are called to bless in order to bless, because we were made to bless the nations.
No doubt those fourth-century Christians that Emperor Julian was complaining about were feeding the poor, ministering to the dying, and practicing benevolence toward plenty of strangers who didn't convert. It wasn't an evangelistic strategy, as such. It was simply their guileless lifestyle. And it was habitual.”- Michael Frost
No doubt those fourth-century Christians that Emperor Julian was complaining about were feeding the poor, ministering to the dying, and practicing benevolence toward plenty of strangers who didn't convert. It wasn't an evangelistic strategy, as such. It was simply their guileless lifestyle. And it was habitual.”- Michael Frost
March 26, 2023
I really liked how short and sweet this book was and how it gives small things you can do in your every day life to shift your heart & mindset a little more to be different from the rest of the world!
September 16, 2023
Dacă mereu ai crezut că doar unii oameni pot împărtăși viața cu Dumnezeu și că nu toți sunt potriviți pentru asta, această carte îți poate schimba perspectiva.
Aici nu este vorba dacă poți, ci dacă dorești să înveți cum.
Aici nu este vorba dacă poți, ci dacă dorești să înveți cum.
September 1, 2019
Simple read but well written concepts for how to engage a lost world intentionally and incarnationally.
April 25, 2020
Great and practical examples of how to lead a missional life. Trying to work through if I believe everything that was declared imperative and of most importance or not. Thought provoking though.
July 21, 2022
Helpful acronym, the whole book is in the table of contents.
May 30, 2019
A great book about living an ordinary but highly missional life to tell others about Jesus. My dad recommended it, but halfway through I realized our church small groups are built on a very similar model, so this was a good supplement to dig into more of the “why”. Short and to the point, very challenging but not guilt inducing in any way.
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