A number of years ago, I was having tea with a good friend of mine who was visiting from India. My friend had decades of testimonies from the front lines of missions in India and beyond. I was captivated by his stories and his lessons on evangelism, disciple making, and house church movements. His stories included first-hand testimonies of multitudes surrendering their lives to Jesus and experiencing radical freedom in their lives. 

As I hungrily consumed all that he had to share, I was struck by a question: Why don’t we experience more of those things here in North America? His answer hit me hard. He said, “In North America, there is much talk about the Gospel. You have a deep understanding of what the Gospel is and you highly value it. You discuss it regularly and put it in your statements of faith. But it is rare to hear a North American boldly proclaiming the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom.” I didn’t necessarily disagree with him, but I also didn’t love his answer. It poked at something deep inside me. 

I struggled to see how boldly proclaiming the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom could be reconciled with the Way of Jesus and His Kingdom.

The image that the phrase brought to mind was of an aggressive street preacher harassing people and forcing tracts into the hands of disinterested bystanders. Given that the word “proclamation” is unmistakably scriptural, somehow it was still hard to imagine how to do it without being rude and hurtful. I could feel the protest from within me: “What about the fruit of the Spirit? What about gentleness and patience and kindness?” On a gut level I struggled to see how boldly proclaiming the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom could be reconciled with the Way of Jesus and His Kingdom. But Jesus clearly didn’t see a contradiction between these things, so why did I?

My friend’s words caused me to reassess what I understood and imagined proclamation to be. My internal sense of conflict was clearly hindering me. When it comes to the Good News we can share it, explain it, and preach it. These are all good things. But what does it mean to proclaim it?

In Luke chapter 4, Jesus begins His public ministry with a statement of purpose:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” ~ Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)

The Good News is beautiful, vast, and deep. We will mine its depths for eternity. But notice what Jesus does with it here. He proclaims it. In a Spirit-empowered, royal declaration of reality, He announces that freedom has come. Proclamation is not about persuasion. Its focus is not extensive teaching. It does not need to be loud or formal. Rather, it is a clear and authoritative announcement about the present reality of mercy and freedom that flows from Jesus’ reign and kingdom.

The posture of proclamation is an ideal pairing for the message of the Gospel. It highlights the very nature of the most important announcement ever made in history. Notice how Jesus was anointed and sent to proclaim this message. Proclamation positions us as royal messengers entrusted with a critically important announcement that has profound implications for everyone who hears it. The message is not oppressive, nor is it a suggestion. It is a liberating reality that mercifully demands a response: repentance, belief, surrender. 

This way of communicating the Good News is not only liberating for the hearer but also for the speaker.  A royal messenger does not carry the weight of having to convince anyone. Rather, they can rest in the knowledge that they have been sent by the King with an incredibly good and critically important announcement. How wonderful it is to be entrusted with a declaration of forgiveness, healing, and freedom by the King of Kings!

Proclamation positions us as royal messengers entrusted with a critically important announcement that has profound implications for everyone who hears it.

This brings us to something at the very root of proclamation: our identity as “sent ones.” One of the great mysteries of our faith is that not only was Jesus sent to proclaim the Good News of His Kingdom to this world, but that He likewise says to His followers, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” ~ John 20:21 (ESV). If we truly believe this, our understanding and practice of evangelism will change significantly. It will flow from our identity in Christ and will be empowered by the Spirit. It will be characterized by the fruit of the Spirit, because that is the nature of the one who sends us. It will be joyful and restful, because our responsibility is not to produce a response in someone else, but to live in our God-given identity as ambassadors of the Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul says, ‘But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”’ ~ Romans 10:14-15 (NLT).

This passage has such a beautiful flow, like a mighty river. At its source is our commissioning as sent ones. It flows outwards as we live out our calling to go and proclaim Jesus and His Kingdom, reaching thirsty souls awaiting the freedom that only Jesus brings. Recovering biblical proclamation is not just great news for the believer who has been weighed down with false expectations. It is uniquely great news for our neighbours and for the nations. We do not need to carry the burden of producing a response. Rather we need to faithfully proclaim the Good News we have been entrusted with. 

Our Lord has heard the cries of the oppressed and He has sent you!

GO

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