Attitude: Youll face all kinds of obstacles as you work to fulfill the Great Commission. Keeping a good attitude can be the difference between having a good missions experience and a bad one.

Bible: The Bible is your essential handbook for missions. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible not only explains why we should be on mission, but youll also findin the New Testamentexamples of time-tested techniques for telling the world about Jesus.

Commitment: Theres nothing easy about obeying the Great Commission. It carries considerable cost, perhaps even your very life. When youre on mission, your commitment to Christ will be tested. 

Dependence: From the day God tells you to follow Him on mission, youll need to depend on Him every step of the way. Ask any missionary!

Enthusiasm: Enthusiasm is contagious, even on mission. As an ambassador for Christ, your enthusiasm for your Savior will go a long way toward showing people that they need a relationship with Him.

Flashlight: A good missionary follows the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. When youre on mission telling people about the Light of the World, bring a portable light source to help you navigate in dark places.

Good health: While on mission, you might find yourself in a very strenuous physical environment. Make sure you understand all of the physical requirements for a trip before you go, and then talk with your doctor about what you need to do in order to be physically prepared for the trip.

Humor: When youre on mission with God, expect anything and everything. As a good missionary, remember to take God seriously while not taking yourself too seriously.

Intentional: Mission trips arent vacations. As a kingdom messenger, focus on your purpose! Be intentional about sharing the gospel.

Jesus: What Would Jesus Do has become a clich, yet thats exactly what you need to be thinking as you share Gods love with hurting people in your community or around the world. You may be the only Jesus some people will ever see.

Kum-by-yah: You will find that some of the most memorable moments in your life will be with the communityor should we say kommunitythat you develop while on mission, particularly among those on mission with you. But a word of warningif you suggest singing Kum-by-yah 50 times in a row, you might find yourself walking back home.

Languages: When you talk about Jesus, it always helps if you can speak in the nativeor heartlanguage of the people you want to reach.  However, when thats not possible, keep in mind that LOVE is a universal language.

Map: Whether youre traveling across an ocean or just across town, it helps to know where youre going. Take the time to find a good mapand use it. 

Nations: Gods concern for the nations goes all the way back to Genesis 12. If God cares about the nations, so should you. Dont limit your missions involvement to people who look like you and talk like you. Step out of your comfort zone and into a whole new culturewhich might be just down the street!

On your knees: Nothing is more essential to being on mission than prayer. Spend a significant amount of time praying for the person or people youll be trying to reach. Youll be amazed at how God answers those prayers!

Passport: Being on mission means you should be prepared to go anywhere. If God sends you overseas, youll definitely need a passport. But, if you go to your Jerusalem, Judea or Samaria (North America) youll only need a passport or birth certificate at the U.S./Canada border.

Quality time with the Lord: Spend quality time with God before you join Him on mission. Let Him tell you how you can be a part of His work and then join Him where He is working.

Real: As you share your faith in Christ, be real and authentic. Nonbelievers can tell when youre insincere or phony, and youll just end up losing credibility in their eyes.

Servants heart: As you go on mission, be willing to do anything God asks. Whether youre leading someone to Christ, making breakfast for the homeless or cleaning toilets, you can be confident that youre making a kingdom difference! The prophet Jeremiah even says its among the mundane matters of life that you will often encounter God (Jeremiah 29).

Toilet paper: We know from firsthand experience that every bathroom in the world does not necessarily come complete with well necessities. Be sure you have a roll of toilet paper stashed someplace you can easily access.

Unity: If you plan to go on mission with a group, creating a sense of unity is very important. You cant expect people to want to enter the Kingdom if there is dissension among the brethren.

Vision: In order to be an on mission Christian, youll need to embrace Gods vision for the world. Once you see missions through Gods eyes, youll never sit on the sidelines again. Youll want to get in the game! Ask God to help you see the world through His eyes.

Willingness: For some awesome reason God chooses to use us to complete His worldwide mission. Your willingness to surrender to Him is an essential part of being on mission.

X-treme: Going on mission with God means living life to the X-treme. And guess what? You were made for this X-treme. From the moment you were conceived, God planned for you to share His message throughout the globe. What a purpose!

Yes! Being on mission starts by saying yes to Gods global plan. Saying yes to God means saying no to a selfish status quo.

Zealousness: Your passion for Christ will make a monumental difference in how effective you are in sharing your faith. Ask God to make you zealous for Jesus and zealous for telling others about Him.

Tobin Perry is a staff writer for Saddleback Community Church and lives in Lake Forest, California. Jon Walker, online editor of Pastors.com and former editor of HomeLife, lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee.