A couple of weeks ago, as I was gearing up for the children’s performance down in Bend, I had a conversation with one of the dads of the kids in the theater group. He is a film-maker and he and I started up this conversation about potential collaborations. And in the course of the conversation it was brought up that he was a Jew - but he was quick to point out he wasn’t a “practicing Jew.” Now, I THINK I know what he meant. But it got me to thinking about the first part of Hebrews 13, and the practicality of how the Author of Hebrews is ending his letter.

Remember the letter is about encouraging the Hebrew believers to stay the course and to not go back to an inferior system of being made right with God. It’s a giant commercial for Jesus, if you recall. There hasn’t been a lot of practical application - more just teaching about correct doctrine and God’s plan for salvation. But now we are heading into this passage that is VERY practical. And connecting it with the conversation I had with this Jewish man who was not a “practicing Jew,” I look at today’s passage as a way to help us determine what is a “practicing Christian.”

And to be honest, I have come to a strong belief that true believers can ONLY describe themselves as “practicing Christians,” or in other words, Christians who put their faith into practice; not just leaving it as abstract theological thoughts and discussions. But truly life-changing faith that HAS to be put into practice in order to grasp faith that God has called us into...living your faith out loud.

In today’s passage, we have a good list — it’s definitely not the exhaustive complete list, but a good list nonetheless about what living out loud looks like for a Christian. Let’s read the passage and then talk about five pieces of evidence that would convict us if being a Christian were outlawed. These are some of the main marks of living our faith out loud.