Tag Archives: good news

How much room is there for bad news in the good news?

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Question markI’ve been thinking about the gospel. The good news of Jesus. I’m wondering how much bad news is an inherent part of the good news.

There has to be some. For Jesus to be the answer, there has to be a problem that needs a solution. But what is the problem?

Is it sin? Is it personal sin or universal sin?

Is it the powers of evil? Is that the problem? Satan and his minions that have rebelled against God, deceived mankind, and sown seeds of death and destruction; is that what Jesus came to fix?

Why did Jesus have to die? Is his death part of the good news or the bad news? Some would argue that his death is the bad news and his resurrection the good. Is that it?

Why do people need to be Christians? To be saved from eternal damnation? To be part of God’s Kingdom? To find purpose and community? What’s the point?

I guess here’s what I’d like to hear your thoughts on:

  • What did Jesus accomplish with his death that couldn’t be accomplished any other way?
  • If Jesus is our Savior, what is he saving us from?
  • What do we gain by becoming a Christian that we couldn’t have otherwise?

How would you answer?

People need the good news

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Yesterday’s post spurred some interesting conversation about just what it is we teach people as they are coming to God. Let me state plainly that I believe that people need to hear the good news about Jesus. I prefer to begin a study by going through one of the gospels, just to make sure that the person knows the good news. If the person is not a Christian, there will come a “what shall I do” moment, and then I might use a presentation like that of Acts 2.

People need to be converted to a relationship with God. They need “doctrine,” but doctrine won’t save them. They need to become part of the church, but teaching about the church won’t save them. Salvation is about being in a right relationship with God. People need Jesus Christ.

In Argentina, we once examined the different tracts that we had brought with us from the States. Out of about 15-20 tracts that we had, only one was about Jesus. We realized that those pamphlets didn’t represent what it was we wanted to teach people.

People need the good news about Jesus Christ. That’s what we need to teach them.

Sharing the good news

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cristohavanaAs we talk to people about the good news of salvation, it’s important that we remember what we have to share. What we have that our world needs is the good news about Jesus. It’s easy to get distracted with other things. We can be tempted to go out preaching the church, preaching a certain doctrine, preaching a certain form of morality. All of those things are important, but they must take second place. People must be converted to God, then other things will be taken care of. God will add them to the church. They will learn doctrine and morality from studying God’s Word. If we convert people to the Lord, making disciples, they will change their lives as they learn to follow him. If we focus on the behavior and the doctrinal understanding, they may never understand the need to be under the Lordship of Jesus.

As we go out to share the gospel, we must do just that: share the gospel, the good news of salvation, the news that Jesus came to this earth, lived among us, died, was buried, rose again, ascended to his father and will one day come again to judge the living and the dead. That’s the message the world needs to hear. That’s the unique message we have to share. That’s the gospel of Jesus Christ.