Proclamation – Essential for Spiritual Renewal
One of the surest ways of experiencing spiritual renewal is to proclaim what God has done. Proclamation empowers the Spirit of God to speak through us – sparking a spiritual resurgence in our own lives and in the lives of others.
Proclamation is our witness. Spreading the news about what we have seen and experienced God doing!
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 (ESV)
The early apostles were witnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus – a life transforming reality. They were to be witnesses not biblical scholars. That is important to understand because we, too, have something life transforming to witness to and proclaim.
My life as witness
Many times, I have heard another sentiment about being a witness – my life is a witness. This is thoroughly biblical.
And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
They said, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you. Genesis 26:24–25, 28 (ESV)
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12 (ESV)
A life well lived is an important witness but not a complete witness. No one will enter heaven because they have seen your holy life!
I have heard the sentiment that ‘you may be the only Jesus they ever see.’ That is a sad thought. But unless someone declares the way to see the real Jesus it may be true! I pray that my life and yours may instead be the first Jesus they ever see!
Foundational thought
Before we go on, let’s be sure we know how to live a life of the follower of Jesus – to have something truly transformational to share as a witness.
Without being overly theological, there are four distinct things we must do: accept the gift of salvation, consecrate our lives to God, experience or realize the baptism of the Holy Spirit and daily die to self and live for God, in full obedience.
This puts us in possession of abundant, eternal life, the full experience of God’s mercy, grace and love, profound peace and joy. This is good news!
Then we are ready to respond to the call to be witnesses – to verbally share the gospel – the good news!
What if we do not share the good news?
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel. Judges 2:10 (ESV)
Here is the danger! No one had effectively witnessed to the next generation. It is the very similar to the situation we find ourselves in today! The book of Judges is an ongoing chronicle of personal and corporate spiritual failure among God’s people!
Our failure to proclaim our witness will bring on a season or a generation of spiritual destitution!
Proclamation questions
Were you taught the importance of questions to aid learning? What, where, when, why, who, how? Let’s ask these questions about the proclamation of our witness.
What?
When we proclaim our witness, we experience the power of God working through us, people are encouraged, our faith grows stronger and people are saved (eventually)!
Remember what we have witnessed. This is what we are proclaiming: God’s mercy in forgiveness of sin, God’s grace in new life – eternal life – adoption as sons and daughters. We experience his sanctifying power, being filled with God’s love in total transformation. And even though we are thousands of years removed, we continue to bear witness to the teaching of Jesus and the continual teaching of the Holy Spirit.
But we should want to bear witness to even more as we experience spiritual renewal. These include: God’s presence and power, genuine worship, words of prophecy, strong discipleship, answers to prayer and perseverance through every trial.
Where?
We proclaim our witness wherever God prompts us, especially in worship and fellowship. The proclamation of good news makes a difference that lasts eternally. Follow the prompts of God and the opportunities he gives.
Who?
To whom do we witness? We all have our own corner of the world – that is our mission field. So we share what God has done with our neighbors, friends, family, co-workers, fellow students and our church.
When?
We ask God for discernment as we answer this question. First, we witness when God prompts us to. Second, we don’t witness when it would be obnoxious, rude or disrespectful. Third, we witness when we realize that those around us need hope or love or peace.
Why?
There are at least five good reasons to share our witness. Doing so keeps hope alive. God’s message to all of us is a message of hope – and certainty realized by faith.
Witness is essential to spread the power of the gospel. We also witness to glorify God and see lives transformed. Finally, we witness because Jesus commands us to – and because we love him, we obey his commands.
How?
At this point, it is important to remember that our witness is not about us being biblical scholars. It is about reporting what we’ve seen and heard. Our personal story of how God is working in our lives is essential for a credible witness. So, how do we witness? By the proclamation of what we have seen and heard and experienced.
Another important how question: how can we improve our witness? Here are seven ways to improve our witness: prayer, full surrender, consistent bible reading and study, focused listening to God, completely relying on the Holy Spirit, committing to it and being patient – we often do not see the fruit of our labors!
Finally, how can we start?
Three straightforward things you should do to start: pray for those in your life who need Jesus (or more of Jesus), invite them to church either a worship service or fellowship event, and, so important, attend: regularly meet with God’s people to worship, pray, fellowship and be discipled, in order to keep your spiritual life fervent and strong!