Answer: We should all declare the praises of Him Who
called us out of darkness into His wonderful light, (verse
9).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
When Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, Paul
later described Christ's appearance as "a light from
heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my
companions" (Acts 26:13). In that light
(or BEING the light), Jesus declared that He would send Saul/Paul
to the Jews and Gentiles, the purpose being that by the
preaching/teaching of Christ's Word, Saul/Paul was "to
open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me"
(Acts 26:17-18). Paul declared that he was not
disobedient to the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he
went "First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem
and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they
should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their
deeds" (Acts 26:20).
The Greek word for "declare" (translated
"show forth" in the KJV) means "to publish, to
celebrate." We are formed FOR God that we may PROCLAIM
HIS PRAISE, (Isaiah 43:20-21). On the day of
Pentecost, people from all over the world who had gathered in
Jerusalem were privileged to hear the apostles "DECLARING the
wonders of God in our own tongues!" (Acts
2:11). What else can God's children do but
publish abroad, celebrate openly, declare with boldness, show forth
in our teaching and lives the wondrous Good News that we have been
called out of darkness and into His wonderful light?!?
Psalm 18:28: "You, O Lord, keep my
lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."
Psalm 96:1-2: "Sing to the Lord a
new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord,
praise His Name; proclaim His salvation day after
day."
Psalm 112:4: "Even in darkness
light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and
righteous man."
Isaiah 5:20: "Woe to those who call
evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for
darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter."
Isaiah 9:2: "The people walking in
darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of
the shadow of death a light has dawned."
Isaiah 42:16: [God said,] "I
will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar
paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before
them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I
will do; I will not forsake them."
Daniel 2:19b-22: "Then Daniel
praised the God of heaven and said: 'Praise be to the Name of
God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes
times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He
gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He
reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and
light dwells with Him.'"
Micah 7:8-9: "Do not gloat over me,
my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I
sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Because I have
sinned against Him, I will bear the Lord's wrath, until He pleads
my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into
the light; I will see His righteousness."
Matthew 4:16: "the people living in
darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of
the shadow of death a light has dawned." [Said of
Jesus, fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah
9:2.)
Matthew 5:14-16: [Jesus said,] "You
are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be
hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a
bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your
Father in heaven."
John 1:1-14: "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were
made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him
was life, and that life was the light of men. The light
shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood
it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was
John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light,
so that through Him all men might believe. He himself was not
the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true
light that gives light to every man was coming into the
world. He was in the world, and though the world was made
through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that
which was His Own, but His Own did not receive Him. Yet to
all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave
the right to become children of God--children born not of
natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but
born of God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling
among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only,
Who came from the Father, full of grace and Truth."
John 3:19-21: "This is the verdict:
Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of
light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil
hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his
deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the Truth comes
into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has
done has been done through God."
John 8:12: "When Jesus spoke again
to the people, He said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life.'"
John 12:35-36: "Then Jesus told
them, 'You are going to have the light just a little while
longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes
you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is
going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that
you may become sons of light.'"
John 12:44-46: "Then Jesus cried
out, 'When a man believes in Me, he does not believe in Me
only, but in the One Who sent Me. When he looks at Me, he
sees the One Who sent Me. I have come into the world as a
light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in
darkness.'"
2 Corinthians 4:1-6: "Therefore,
since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose
heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we
do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God. On the
contrary, by setting forth the Truth plainly we commend ourselves
to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if
our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are
perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of
unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the
glory of Christ, Who is the image of God. For we do not
preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your
servants for Jesus' sake. For God, Who said, "Let light
shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to
give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Christ."
Ephesians 5:8-17: "For you were
once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children
of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness and Truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather
expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the
disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light
becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.
This is why it is said: 'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from
the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Be very
careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making
the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's Will
is."
1 Thessalonians 5:5: "You are all
sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the
night or to the darkness."
1 John 1:5-7: "This is the message
we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him
there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship
with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the
Truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son,
purifies us from all sin."
