This morning our local newspaper’s headline was about yet another shooting at a local nightclub, a senseless killing that left one dead and only God knows how many families dealing with more tragedy. As I read it, I reflected about my talk to our kids at Awana last night about the ‘most important and best good news ever.’ Christ was born, lived to show us our Father, died to make peace with God for us, and rose again so that we would know we have eternal life! Wherever that story is told it changes people’s lives. I wondered today, had the men involved in that killing, men out having a ‘good time,’ ever really heard the Story? Had anyone felt compelled to give them the most important and best good news ever?
Twice last week I found myself part of discussions about the future of the church, about the way forward. Some suggest that it’s time to pull back, to focus inward, to conserve resources. That makes me ask if we really believe the Gospel? Are we custodians of the most important and best good news ever or are we just trying to hang on to some feel-good stories that provide a little diversion from the trials of life? Here’s what I know: "I am … eager to preach the gospel … I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:15-17, NIV) The business of the Church is not happy talk, moral tales, or poetry for hard times. Our business is proclamation – in every way possible – of the Truth about life and death.
During a siege in ancient Israel, the famine in the city grew terrible. God intervened during the night frightening off the army that was besieging the city in such a way that they ran off, leaving all their supplies. Four outcasts living outside the city walls concluded that they would starve to death so they decided, not knowing the enemy army had fled, to go to the army camp and look for food in the garbage. If we get killed, they thought, so what? We’re going to die anyway! Imagine their surprise when they came upon the army camp, without a living soul in it! "When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating, drinking wine, and carrying out silver and gold and clothing and hiding it.” They had come upon their own personal bonanza. The story goes one to reveal a change of heart in these men: “ they said to each other, “This is not right. This is wonderful news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some terrible calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace.” (2 Kings 7:8-9, NLT)
We have been given the riches of God in Christ! We have hope, a future, eternal life, forgiveness of sin. Can we, because it is hard, or expensive, or inconvenient, decide to keep the Gospel to ourselves, singing together, enjoying each other’s company, living in splendid isolation while the world around slips into deeper darkness? No way! I cannot contemplate standing before the Lord of Glory at the last judgment telling Him that I decided it was too hard to continue to reach out to the world around me. What would He say? Would He admire my purity, my adoration? No, I know He would ask, ‘but what did you do for the lost, the least, the lonely, the sin-harassed, the hopeless?’
The American Church faces difficult times. The culture is hostile to our message. Many Christians are self-absorbed, hearing only part of the Gospel that promises them great blessings, but ignoring the call to go and make disciples. Sunday morning in many local churches is a gathering of the few for a ‘bless-me’ session, an exercise disconnected from the streets of city, “This is not right. We have wonderful news.”
Here’s the word from the Word. It is Jesus’ final word. I take seriously, how about you? "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT)
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