If a person truly has faith in something, that person has to proclaim it out loud. Otherwise, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church said it is nothing but "shallow faith."
"Go public with your goals in life! Announce your intention, the change you want to make in your life, what you're asking God to do. Clarify what you really want, and then state it publicly. You need to tell everybody, because a secret faith is a shallow faith," he wrote on his website.
Warren cited the Bible verse Mark 10:51, in which Jesus told the blind beggar Bartimaeus to state his desire out loud. In response, the man answered, "Teacher, I want to see." While it's true that Jesus already knew what the blind man needed, Warren said there was a pretty good reason why Jesus made the beggar state his intention out loud.
"He was doing it for Bartimaeus' benefit. By asking that question, he allowed Bartimaeus to publicly announce his faith. Bartimaeus said, 'I want you to heal me!' You don't ask a guy to heal you unless you believe and have faith that he can do it," Warren explained. "Bartimaeus was saying that he believed Jesus was who he said he was, that Jesus had the power to change him, and that Jesus would do just that. It was a statement of faith."
The pastor said that Jesus is asking every believer the very same question right now: "What do you want me to do for you?" God is ready to shower people with blessings, but they have to profess their faith first. And they have to add the phrase, "if it is God's will" because they have no guarantee of the future.
Meanwhile, Warren added that there are several other ways people can demonstrate their faith. They can point non-believers to Jesus and show them love just like Jesus did. They can also live a life of obedience so they can show to the world what being a true Christian means.
"It's a choice that will bring eternal joy - to you, and to the people you helped bring to Christ," he said.
