Proclaim that you've been changed!

Mark 1:40-45 - A man with leprosy came to Him and begged Him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go and show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to Him from everywhere. (NIV)

Have you ever eaten powdered donuts? My daughter brings them over when I babysit so the grandsons can eat them in the morning. As the boys enjoy their treat, the powder gets on their fingers and hands, their clothes, the furniture. Unless I contain the boys and quickly clean them off, the evidence of their morning treat is everywhere! As soon as the boys are done, they attempt to scurry off to their next activity. As I attempt to clean them, they are struggling and squirming. Many times they are too excited to sit still long enough to clean them up and send them on their way.

Looking at the boys covered in white powder reminds me of the story of when Jesus healed the leprous man. I could wipe the powder off the boys and furniture, or change their shirts. I could “clean the boys up.” But the leprous man wasn’t as fortunate.

When Jesus walked the earth, leprosy was a disease akin to AIDS of today. If you had leprosy, you were a social outcast. You were believed to have committed some sin that caused the disease. You were unclean (see Lev 13:45-45 and 14:2-32). Your skin would turn white and eventually body parts would fall off. The man with leprosy in the above scripture was a social outcast. He wore the sign of his sin on his body every day. He couldn’t get rid of it. He couldn’t hide it from anyone.

But when Jesus healed the leper and healed him from this disfiguring, uncurable disease, the leper couldn’t contain his joy! And who could blames him. Jesus warned the man to show himself to the priest and go through the normal cleansing process. But that would take 8 days! Who could wait that long? The former leper was so excited; he had to share the news NOW! He needed to tell others what Jesus had done. He could not keep this to himself! The result of the former leper sharing his testimony of how Jesus changed his life caused people to seek the Lord so much that Jesus had to stay outside the city. The city couldn’t contain the people who wanted to meet Jesus.

What would happen if every one of us who’s been touched by the Lord went out and EXCITEDLY told others? I doubt the churches could contain the people who would want to know more about Jesus. Psalm 107:2 says “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.” What does this say to you? To me, it shouts when someone’s life has been changed, they cannot hide it!

Are you telling others what Jesus has done for you? Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! If you tell just one other person what Jesus has done for you, you will impact the Kingdom. Let us all proclaim that we’ve been changed!