"And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, 'He is the Son of God.'"
What follows true conversion is the fruit of true conversion (James 2:18). One of these fruits in a Christian's life is the yearning, or urge, to proclaim his name. To be very specific, Christians don't just "talk" about God. When verse 20 talks about "proclaiming" (or kerusso in Greek), it conveys a sense of authority and gravity when talking about Jesus as the Son of God.
Why is this important?
When one finds a new life in Christ, he/she is fixated on the things of God (Colossians 3:1-2). It's much like playing video games. When you enjoy a game so much, you become entranced with the object of your joy, and even become oblivious to other things. This is the same with other things that you may find entertaining.
But one interesting thing happens when you reflect on the object of your joy... you start talking about it! You start talking about how awesome the game was! Or how thought provoking the book was! Or how amazing the basketball game was!
But one interesting thing happens when you reflect on the object of your joy... you start talking about it! You start talking about how awesome the game was! Or how thought provoking the book was! Or how amazing the basketball game was!
Friends, are you asking yourself: Why don't I feel the urgency to proclaim Jesus' name?
If you want to proclaim Jesus, pray and give thanks because the Holy Spirit is already working you! Your feeble desire is the beginnings of God giving you that ever-increasing yearning to proclaim the gospel!
One other important thing that Pastor Sean brought up was the question of whether you can even articulate the gospel.
Do you even know what the gospel is? If you are a Christian and you can't even give a basic account of the gospel, then you should really check your faith. You need to know and believe the gospel before you can proclaim it.
Tomorrow: True Conversion Produces A New... Story to Tell.
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