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In This Issue:
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Our Lord Jesus, having completed His earthly mission to provide for the salvation of the whole world, instructed His followers to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15 NKJV) Yet today as the good news is shared it is often seen as bad news! Why is this? Let's look at a few reasons why this might be so. The "good news of great joy" will seem like bad news if the messenger does not have that joy himself. What do people see when they look at our lives? Is the joy of knowing Jesus seen clearly in my face and actions or am I like the elder brother serving my Father but seeing it as drudgery? The good news of "God so loved the world" will not be seen as such if that love is not evident in the bearer of that news. As we share the Gospel is it clear to others that we love them enough to talk to them but also to listen to them? The good news of "a Saviour has been born to you" will not seem like good news unless the person realizes his need for a Saviour. If you break into a home in the middle of the night and drag the homeowner out into the bitter cold in his pajamas, it will not seem like "good news" to him. If, however, the house is going up in flames and the homeowner is trapped inside and you then rescue him, it will be good news indeed. Salvation is only seen as something wonderful by the person who knows he is lost. A Christian placed a sign in a public place proclaiming "Christ is the Answer." Someone else had scribbled on the sign "So what is the question?" Good news is only seen as good news if the bad news is clearly comprehended. Pray with us that the many messages of good news that go out this year in person, by mail or on the internet may be good news leading to great joy as people come to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. |