Does your non-Christian friend know you are a Christian?

Would you agree or disagree with the question?

“Many people who know me are not aware that I am a Christian.”

You might be really private about your faith. I have had people tell me, “I’ve always believed in Jesus, I just didn’t talk about it.”

You might be really open about your faith, where your relationship with Christ is a normal topic of conversation with your non-Christian friends.

I currently exercise several times a week with a non-Christian friend. My faith is regularly a conversation topic. He knows I’m a Christian, and I’ve invited him to spend time reading the gospel of John with me so that he can learn more about Jesus. He’s not yet started, but I know that opportunity with come.

Lifeway Research has released some new finding about evangelism habits of American church goers. From the release:

According to the survey, 66 percent of American churchgoers agree Christians should seek out honest feedback about their spiritual life from other Christians.
Churchgoers also seem to think they live out their faith in a manner that is evident to others. Just 14 percent of churchgoers agree with the statement: “Many people who know me are not aware I am a Christian,” while 72 percent disagree with the statement.
However, the survey also shows churchgoers often leave important elements of faith unspoken. Nearly a third (29 percent) agree “Spiritual matters do not tend to come up as a normal part of my daily conversations with other Christians,” while 50 percent disagree this is the case.
Still, the survey reveals 57 percent of churchgoers agree they openly share about difficulties they are experiencing when they talk with Christian friends, while 1 in 4 do not.

What’s missing?

If church goers are often leaving important elements out, it seems we may be hoping that our good behavior might lead to spiritual curiosity.

We hope that people will interpret our works, as in the mythical and urban legend quote:

Preach the gospel at all times and
when necessary use words.”

One of the things I like to say is that St. Francis of Assisi got it wrong.

In our culture today, meaning is determined by the meaning maker. In other words, meaning is implied in how I interpret your actions, unless you interpret your actions for me.

If none is given (just being silent), what separates one’s actions from that of a moral kind and loving atheist?

I think of art in a museum. I look at it but apparently I’m supposed to figure out what it means.

I wish someone would tell me what those splotchs of seemingly random color smears are supposed to mean.

I wrote about this idea at “Is your outreach the same as evangelism?”

Coaching Corner

When has a non-Christian asked you why your behavior is different?

How did you answer that question?

What can you do to make sure your life is interpreted in light of the gospel?

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