• Pray

Talk to God about your needs, fears, desires, and hopes. You can also thank him for loving you, giving his son Jesus to die for your sins, and forgiving them.

•Read the Bible

Read the Bible daily and live out what you learn. The Bible is God's letter to you, and he will speak to you through it.

•Join a church

Find a church that teaches the Bible and believes in salvation through faith in Christ. You can meet with other Christians regularly.

•Tell others

Share the invitation from Christ to be forgiven and adopted as a child of God with others. You can also invite people to follow Jesus with you and help them grow by teaching them what you're learning.

•Get baptized

Baptism is a public confession of your faith in Jesus Christ and a commitment to follow him. It's an important foundation for Christian life.

•Develop relationships

Develop relationships with people who can help you spiritually.

At a christening, you give your baby a Christian name. You typically have a christening at your church and invite your child’s godparents, family, and friends. During the ceremony, a minister or priest might read a few selected passages from the Bible and then announce the Christian name you chose for your child. You don’t have to pick out a Christian name for your child to have a christening. During the ceremony, the minister or priest can simply announce your child’s legal name. Godparents are relatives or friends who are baptized and devoted members of your church.

Christenings are typically held for infants. You usually only christen babies because the ceremony is about revealing their Christian name and welcoming the new member of the family into the church. While christenings are usually performed when a child is born into a Christian family, an adult might have one to adopt a Christian name.

Baptism is a religious ceremony that symbolizes the washing away of sins and the rebirth of the person being baptized.

Christenings name a child while baptisms initiate people into the church.

While many Christians use these terms interchangeably, they have slightly different meanings.

A christening is a ceremony in which a child is given their Christian name in the presence of the church, family, and friends.

A baptism is a religious sacrament, or ritual, that initiates someone into Christianity. Typically, a minister or priest uses water to baptize someone in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The water used in baptism symbolizes washing away your sins, which starts your new life as a Christian and follower of Christ.

Many christenings also include a baptism, which is why the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. However, christenings don’t always include a baptism.

Christening comes from the old English word christen, which means “to name.”

Baptism comes from the Greek word baptizō, which means “to dip,” “to immerse,” or “to wash.”

The Great Commission is a Christian teaching that instructs Jesus's disciples to spread the gospel and make disciples of all nations:

Instructions

In Matthew 28:16–20, Jesus tells his disciples to:

• Go to every place and person

• Baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

• Teach people to obey everything Jesus commanded

Meaning

The Great Commission is interpreted to mean spreading the Christian message and converting others to Christianity.

Fulfillment

The Great Commission is fulfilled by:

• Going

• Baptizing

• Teaching

• Prayer

• Volunteering

• Giving

The Great Commission is found in the four Gospels, with some variations:

• Matthew: Matthew 28:16–20

• Mark: Mark 16:15–20

• Luke: Luke 24:13–53, especially verses 44–49

• John: John 20:11–23, especially verses 21–23