proclaim: (verb) – to declare publicly; announce
Will Graham recently spoke to staff at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, as well as the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove and Blue Ridge Broadcasting (The Light FM), about proclamation evangelism. That is, literally telling people about Jesus.
Read part of his message below. You can also get Will Graham’s devotions delivered to your inbox each Wednesday.
When we talk about the power of proclamation evangelism, not only does the power come from God’s Word, but we do it because the Bible says so. It says in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
That’s how people come to know Christ. That’s how they come to know faith in Jesus. How? Through telling people [about Him].
People say, “What’s the best method of evangelism?” The best evangelism is when you open your mouth. You’ve got to tell people about Jesus. They cannot come to know Christ unless they are told about Christ.
You living a good life, lifestyle evangelism, will not get anybody into heaven. You will never live a good enough life to save anybody. You have to tell them about Jesus.
Living a good life for your neighbor to see is wonderful, but it will not lead them to Christ. It may help. When you talk about Jesus, it may help confirm some of those things because they see that consistency in your life, but it will not lead them to Christ. They will not know about Jesus.
They just see you live a good life and they may say, “There’s something different about them,” but they’ll never know what unless you tell them. You have to open [your mouth]—proclaim—the name of Jesus.
Resources for Sharing Your Faith
- Printer-friendly “Steps to Peace With God”
- Share our interactive site PeaceWithGod.net, then talk to the other person about it.
- Consider these questions as you share your brief testimony.
As You Tell People About Jesus, Remember God’s Word Is Powerful
- Devotionals vs. Scripture: Cissie Graham Lynch recently encouraged Christians to rely first on God’s Word
- The tree stump prayer: Will Graham shares the moment his grandfather, Billy Graham, overcame doubt about the authority of the Bible
