Thursday, November 10, 2005

I Need Good News

Could you use some good news? Is your life more filled with bad news sticky notes than good news. We were given an assignment to explain the gospel to an inquiring friend in only a few minutes. Here was my take on good news. I would add that it is the best news on the planet!

The gospel is a slippery term because everyone assumes they know its many contents. It is treated like box into which people try to shove a library.

So, here goes. The gospel is the good news story of what God does for humans that humans cannot do for themselves. This good news has been around since the beginning of time. God created us (people) as a reflection of his image. To look at a human being is like looking in the mirror of God's love. Most people do not even realize they are part of this story - the gift of living to reflect God.

The cliff notes version of this story of can be found from John’s (one of Jesus’ friends) experience of Jesus. We were loved and so we love (1 John 4:19). God love humans first. God's love enables me to love.

Yet good news existed long before Jesus’ arrival in the world. Isaiah speaks about good news as God creating peace, healing and freedom from oppression (Isaiah 52 & 61).

People like me, who are caught up in this story, declare God. We are to show how God rules in love. That God’s invisible reign has been made visible in Jesus (Mark 1:1). That by God’s Spirit (Acts 2) we make the invisible God visible. In essence, we were loved by God and so we give our lives in love to others.

Maybe you could use some good news today. Does this work for you?

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A challenge that we have in spreading good news is that we do not understand the breath of the good news. In Luke chapter 4 Jesus quotes Isaiah in bringing good news to the poor, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed. Luke closes the chapter with Jesus saying that He must preach the good news to the other towns also. But it is interesting He has only healed the sick and thrown out demons, while He did not want others to tell who He was - it was obvious to many that He was God's son. The good news is that God loves us and wants us to join Him in loving those that are in need. The good news is that the same time He draws us to Him and that His grace and salvation is given to those that seek to be like Him. This good news is good news to the poor, the hungry, those in prison (including prisoners we think may be terrorists - that we will treat them with dignity), etc. The good news is good news to most that the world considers to be nobodies, but maybe bad news to those that think they are somebody. This good news to us also calls us to be like God in that we do not take everything we can grasp, but gives this to others in need. The good news is that the Kingdom of God is here and is within us. As we follow God and are obedient we will be drawn to Him, this will be good news to the world.

9:31 AM
Brady Bryce said...

Good news indeed. Thank you for making it plan. May you and I BECOME living breathing bodies of what you write.

11:46 PM

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