Who Do People Say You Are?
Jesus once asked that question of his disciples. Jesus wanted to know what people thought of him. Jesus also asked his disciples who they thought he was also. Jesus wanted to know.
Do you want to know what people say about you? Do you wish to know what your closest friends think about who you are? What about Jesus? Would you like to know what he has to say about you?
Discipleship Challenge
Take the following challenges:
Challenge 1: Ask your friends to describe you. Do not prompt their answers by telling them you are taking a discipleship challenge. Do something like asking them how they would describe you to a potential employer or client.
Challenge 2: Ask your spouse how he/she would describe you.
Challenge 3: If you children are old enough, ask them to describe their mommy or daddy.
Challenge 4: If you have a counselor, pastor, someone you confide in, ask them how they would describe you.
Challenge 5: This one takes an accomplice. Have a friend, whom your neighbors do not know, ask your neighbors about you.
What’s The Point?
The point of the challenge is to see how long it takes for people to mention that you are a disciple of Jesus. Maybe they will not use that exact phrase. Maybe they say something about “being a Christian” or “goes to this church.”
The purpose is to see how many descriptions they give before something about your faith is mentioned.
Once you have completed the challenge, you now know how evident your faith is in your life. If it is not evident, you have learned that you need to be more vocal about your faith. You might decide to make your faith more visible by doing things Jesus taught his disciples.
An easy approach is to start inviting others to church. Add a simple invitation at the end of every conversation you have with others.
Invite your neighbors to church. So what if they go to church somewhere else. At least they will know that you go to church.
I had a neighbor that did not go to church anywhere. He was not even a man of faith. One day he hit rock bottom. Who do you think he came to for help? All because he knew who I was.
If faith is one of the first things mentioned while describing you, good on you. Great job. Keep it up. Your faith is doing more than you realize. People notice. Your witness (verbal and non-verbal) is influencing the lives of others.
Not So Fast
Do not just assume what others think. Complete the challenge and know for certain.