Published by admin on 27 Jun 2014 at 01:11 pm
IS THE GOSPEL YOU PREACH “GOOD NEWS”?
Whether we realize it or not, every Christian is a preacher of the Gospel. Preaching the Gospel is not only done by speaking. Our actions speak much louder than words, and if the life you live before others is not in line with the Word of God, then obviously you are not preaching the same Gospel that Christ Jesus preached.
Mat 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Mat 23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
Mat 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Mat 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
Mat 23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
Mat 23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
Mat 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Mat 23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
Mat 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Note that Jesus told the people to observe and do all the Scribes and Pharisees said for them to do, BUT, not to do after their works. That’s important, because they had the authority from God to preach the laws of Moses, but they didn’t practice what they preached. Much of that goes on yet today; preachers preach but don’t live up to what they preach. Is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Is that an effective way to bring people into the Kingdom of God? You tell me. The question that begs to be asked has to be: is the gospel YOU preach “GOOD NEWS”?
Can someone look at your life and see the Gospel of Jesus Christ at work in your life? Is the life of Jesus so evident in your life that others are compelled to ask Jesus to be their LORD and Savior? You are the one who determines that. You can go to church every time the doors are open and memorize the Bible, but if you aren’t a LIVING Gospel, what you’re preaching is just information, dead, dry information that nobody is really interested in hearing.
I’ve heard sermons giving me 463 boring facts that I’m not really interested in knowing, that may be true information, but if the power of the Gospel is not present to change my life, well, it WON’T change my life, and I will leave the same way I came in. That’s NOT the Gospel that Jesus preached! When the multitudes turned out to hear Him, their lives were impacted with the GOOD NEWS that Jesus was relaying from His heavenly Father. Are YOU relaying the love of the heavenly Father by the gospel you preach? And I’m not just referring to your speech, although that’s a part of it.
Sadly, many Christians don’t realize the word “gospel” means GOOD NEWS. All they know and preach is bad news. You know: Boy, you better repent or you’re going straight to hell. God wants you to suffer like Jesus did. You’ll never have anything, you’ll never be anything but a doormat for the devil, and you’ll die sick and broke. Is THAT good news? Not really.
Now Jesus told His followers to take up their cross and follow Him. Exactly what did He mean by that? Jesus suffered. My goodness, how He suffered, and the devil persecuted all those who followed Jesus, But there’s something that is often overlooked: and that is the tremendous love the disciples had for one another and their fellow man. They willingly laid aside their desires in order to please the heavenly Father, and for that were granted power and authority from on high to triumph over everything the devil threw at them. NOTICE: I said they triumphed over the devil, not the other way around.
Something the disciples did drew multitudes to God. Something was really different about them; they weren’t like the rest of the world, envying, coveting, and extorting goods from people. Instead, they cared about others and their spiritual state. They gave of their time and resources to help others. People followed them like they followed Jesus when He was here. People came to see the same life-changing power coming from the disciples that Jesus wielded. The captives were set free, the sick were healed, the downcast were encouraged, and devils were cast from those who were oppressed or possessed. The power of Jesus was clearly demonstrated by them. Are YOU drawing multitudes to God? If not, WHY NOT?
It may just be they are not seeing the power of God working in you. And how can it be if you are like the rest of the world? Do you talk about how bad things are in your life, how you barely get by, that you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired? That sounds to me that YOU need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, believe on Him, and I mean BELIEVE ON HIM, and let His words change your life just like they changed the lives of the multitudes that followed Him.
You can HEAR the gospel, but not RECEIVE the gospel. You can KNOW the gospel story but not LIVE the gospel. You can look around and see people who NEED the gospel, but if you don’t HAVE the gospel, you can’t GIVE it to anyone because they will look at you and see you are in the same sad state of affairs as they are and they will shut you out. And that means they walk away with their sins, their burdens, and their sicknesses, and yet, if Jesus had been there, that wouldn’t have happened.
You are a gospel. People read you every day, every word you say, everything you do, is like an open book for all to see. So, whether you think so or not, you’re preaching something. If you HAVE JESUS, and JESUS HAS YOU, then you have GOOD NEWS. If you have good news, you just can’t wait to tell someone about it. But if you’re thinking right now, “I don’t seem to be able to preach the Gospel to others”, that means you have come to the correct realization that you can’t give something you don’t have. God doesn’t expect you to give what you don’t have. He wants YOU to hear the good news of how He loves you, and let His love change your life. Then, let the Gospel; the GOOD NEWS that Jesus preached, change YOUR life. When people see that change, they will want Jesus in their lives. And THAT is how you preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ!