Proclaiming the Good News

Jerry Seinfeld makes this observation:

According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that seem right? That means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy (goodreads.com).

Public speaking has not always been my favorite thing to do, either. And yet, I ended up being called to have the responsibility of speaking publicly at least three times a week, often more than that.

I remember my first sermon. I don’t have a clue of what I said, though it was probably not worth remembering anyway. But, I do remember the days leading up to it. I was scheduled to preach at a Sunday evening service at the church where I was serving as Youth Pastor at the time. I was nervous. I wondered if I could fill 10 minutes, much less the 25 minutes of a short typical sermon.

When I stood to preach, I was standing behind a stately wooden pulpit. I grabbed hold tightly of that pulpit when I started and did not let go. The sanctuary was narrow and long. The carpet was the 1970’s gold. The crowd was a 1990’s Sunday evening service crowd…not Sunday morning but a healthy crowd. They were gracious and patient.

Somehow, we made it through together. On that night, I started what would grow to be a passion for me. I had the privilege and the responsibility to proclaim the truth of God. I still carry that responsibility on a regular basis.

But, so do you, if you are a follower of Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians 11:26, the Apostle Paul writes you “proclaim the Lord’s death” every time you participate in the Lord’s Supper as an act of worship. You are making a statement of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done through His death. You are speaking forth the news of the crucifixion of Christ. You are proclaiming Him.

But, it’s not only when we participate in the Lord’s supper. We also proclaim Christ when we worship at church, when we minister to someone in need, when we give to help another, when we say a kind word. Every time we honor God through our words or deeds, we proclaim the gospel of Christ.

That should create in you an excitement and also make you stop and think.

The excitement grows in the fact that you have the joy of proclaiming the truth of Christ through your actions and worship. The pause should come as we consider the importance of what we must proclaim. The gospel needs to be heard throughout the world and throughout our community. It can be heard when we use words. It will also be heard when we use our actions.

Christians, let’s proclaim Christ with our words and our deeds.

(Response? Questions? E-mail: jeff.perkins@mbclife.org)