Do your friends and family really know you are Christian? If they were asked to write ten descriptive words about you, would Christian be at the top of the list, or would it even be on the list at all? Now that I think about it, I’m not really sure where some of my friends and family would include Christian on my list, if at all. And that thought makes me sad.

If people around me don’t perceive me as a Christian, then it means I am doing a very bad job at sharing Jesus our savior, The One who will save them from condemnation. And sharing the gospel is what the Bible instructs us to do:

Mark 16:15-16 He [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Just being kind, polite, donating to the poor, donating your time, not swearing or stealing, that isn’t owning your Christianity—even atheists, Muslims and Jews will do that! No, to own our Christianity we Christians must exemplify activities which other religious affiliations would not deem appropriate for themselves.

There must be actions to demonstrate you are a believer who lives out your faith!

So, let us each own our faith by utilizing these five simple tasks:

1.Let people know you go to church. If someone asks you to meet them for breakfast Sunday morning, simply answer “Sorry, I go to church every Sunday morning. But I’d be happy to meet you for lunch!” Or, if you’re a Saturday church goer like my husband and I and you’re invited to a concert that night, let the inviter know—“I’d love to hear that band, but my husband and I go to church every Saturday night. But we’re free on Fridays.”

By openly providing the information that you regularly prefer attending church over what others may view as more fun activities, you sent an example that you and your family are committed to worshiping Christ and hold Him in higher esteem than those social events.

2.Invite People To Church. The two examples I give above provide a perfect opportunity to invite someone new to your church. Initially they may not give a “yes” response but you can tell them the invitation is always open. And/or, invite them again in a few weeks. Data reveals the best way to get people to church: Invite Them. Especially during a holiday season.

No matter how big or small your church building is, when you personally invite someone to a church, they feel more comfortable because you can explain to them what is happening. Songs aren’t for our enjoyment, they are praises to God. Scripture isn’t rhetoric, it’s God’s word and we stand firm on it. And the spoken message is given not to accuse, but for we sinners to learn and make life changes.

3.Bring Up Jesus, God, The Bible. Interject something you learned at church into a conversation that will catch people off guard. If a storm comes through your neighborhood and downs some trees, you can bring up how powerful the storm must have been in Noah’s time. Or if you are visiting the zoo, you can inform your friends that it was Adam who was charged with giving names to each and every animal.

Genesis 2:19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

Introducing biblical information, God’s word, into everyday conversations shows you have trust in what is written and you believe it as truth. (You can also quote scripture, but I did that in a social setting with bad results. I believe I came off as pushy.)

4.Pray. I don’t care what any non-believer says about thoughts and prayers! Prayer works and Christians know and acknowledge this fact. If someone is in trouble, I pray for them. If someone needs healing, I pray for them. If there is a mass shooting, Christian beheading, terrorist attack, bomb threat or Amber Alert, I pray.

As humans, through prayer we acknowledge our powerlessness and turn it all over to God. We live in a sinful world and we are all sinful in nature because of the fall. Evil is attacking our wombs, our children, our families, our government and our church. So all those who believe must call on the Lord for our country to be saved.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Never stop praying, and be bold enough to tell someone in need that you will pray for them.

5.Get Baptized. Knowing you are a Christian also means you accept you are a sinner. I was baptized as a baby, however, according to the Bible baptism requires placing my faith in Christ. As a baby I could not fulfill that requirement. So as an adult I proclaimed my faith publicly on 04/06/14 and was fully water baptized.

Water baptism by immersion is a step of obedience after faith in Christ. It is a proclamation of faith in Christ, a statement of submission to Him, and an identification with His death, burial, and resurrection. I encourage you to publicly own your faith in Jesus Christ and get full-water baptized.

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To learn and share the importance of keeping God’s name holy, order copies of my book, LIFT HIM UP DON’T PULL HIM DOWN, @ LULU.COM or AMAZON.COM for your next Bible study.