After Knowing Christ and Growing in Christ, we move on to our 3rd vision statement, which is to Proclaim Christ. We will see this morning that at the end of each gospel and the first chapter of the Book of Acts, the church is given the mandate to preach the gospel. ‘Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.’ We have come to know this mandate as The Great Commission. This Great Commission is not for some select people in the body of Christ like Franklin Graham or Greg Laurie. The Great Commission is for every single person who is a part of the body of Christ. Every Christian is told to put on God’s armor, of which a part is having our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. When Jesus says all the world, He means anywhere and everywhere in the world. That could be across the ocean or across the street. Wherever there are sinners, the gospel is to be proclaimed. The late Keith Green once said, this generation of the church will be held accountable for this generation of souls.
When we talk about evangelism and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is a tendency to emphasize the verbal aspect of proclamation of the gospel. And proclaim Him we must! But what we need to see beloved is that we are also called to proclaim Christ with our lives and good works. It has been said that the lost will not hear what we say unless they see how much we care. ‘Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.’ So proclaiming Christ is a two-edged sword, with our lips and with our lives. Lord willing, the two will be in harmony. The most powerful testimony of Jesus Christ is when our walk and our talk give glory and honor to Christ.
