Scripture to Read: John 1:6–8
God uses all of us, as Christians, to proclaim our Lord Jesus Christ to this lost world and each other as we walk with Him each day. God used John the Baptist to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the One prophesied about throughout the Old Testament. God had John write in John 1:6–8, “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.” The man John (who God led to write the Book of John) and John the Baptist are two different Johns. John the Baptist was anointed by God the Father to proclaim Christ’s arrival. God had John clarify that John the Baptist was not the Light, but that John the Baptist came to proclaim about the Light. As Christians, we have Christ through His Holy Spirit living in us. Christ has made us Light. Therefore, we must proclaim Christ since He Shines through us. As God led Paul to share his testimony in Acts 26, Paul shared that when Christ spoke to him, Christ told him that He would use Paul to proclaim Him to the Gentiles, “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me’” (Acts 26:18). Christ used John the Baptist and Paul as He uses us today.
Challenge & Application
• What was John the Baptist’s responsibility, and how does our responsibility as Christians compare?
• How are you doing in fulfilling your responsibility as a Christian to proclaim your King to others in darkness?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!