One of the best days in recent world history was 8th May 1945. On VE Day there were huge celebrations to mark the end of nearly six years of World War in Europe. Today, as we face a war of a different kind, people all over the world are hoping and praying for an end to this global pandemic. There is a great need to discover good news when there is so much bad news.
The best news that we could ever find in life is that there really is a God and that Jesus, God in human form, came to this world to show us God’s love and to help us in all circumstances. When Jesus started his ministry, he announced in Luke 4:18-19 that “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’. Today, this very day, is a day of God’s favour. Today God can bless you. Just as Jesus' first followers experienced, you can personally know that today is a day of good news.
1. They discovered the good news for themselves (Acts 5:30-32, 2 Peter 1:16)
You can be:
• Forgiven (Psalm 103:3, 1 Corinthians 6:11)
• Freed (John 8:36)
• Full of life and fulfilled in life (John 10:10)
2. They shared the good news (Luke 14:21-23, Mark 16:15)
• They went everywhere (Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth)
• They went to everyone (Acts 11:20- 21)
• They never stopped (Acts 5:40-42)
3. They changed the world with the good news (Acts 5:28, 2 Kings 7:9)
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Have you personally discovered the good news of Jesus in your own life? It comes as a surprise to many that Christianity is all about good news, because so many people have only experienced religion. Just like the first followers of Jesus, we need to have our own firsthand encounter with the risen Jesus (even 'doubting' Thomas had that experience). The disciples understood that the good news was all about Jesus Himself. He was and is the promised Messiah, and the only one who can save the world from evil. Jesus' birth was marked by the words ‘I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord’. Today, no matter what your life has been like, you can be Forgiven and washed clean. You can be Freed from all evil power, destructive habits and addictions (John 8:36 ‘if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed'). From today you can be Full of life and fulfilled in life (John 10:10 ‘I have come that they might have life and have it to the full’). Today pray and ask God to give you a firsthand experience of Jesus through the presence of His Holy Spirit.
Have you shared the good news of Jesus with others you know? Do you live a lifestyle of sharing your faith? Jesus loves all people and wants everyone to spend eternity with Him. Before he returned to heaven, He told his followers in Mark 16:15 to ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation'. The early disciples were ordinary people who went everywhere and to everyone regardless of cultural and racial barriers. They never stopped sharing the good news, even in the face of physical violence. Throughout history it has been movements of ordinary Christian people that have taken the good news of Jesus to the masses (e.g. the disciples to the Roman empire, John Wesley and the Methodists, William and Catherine Booth and the Salvation Army, and many gospel churches around the world today). The lepers in 2 Kings 7 realised that it was not right to keep the good news of their salvation to themselves (2 Kings 7:9), and – despite people at first being cynical about what they said – the whole city was saved.
Today it is the responsibility and privilege of every person who knows Jesus to be an ambassador of hope and report the good news. If you have been keeping the good news to yourself, or feel embarrassed to share your faith with others, take time to pray and ask the Lord to help you to share the hope of Jesus with everyone you meet. If you don’t know Jesus, then you can receive the good news of forgiveness, freedom and fullness of a new life. You can pray and invite him into your life right now. When you do this: start a daily habit of praying and asking God for a daily encounter with His presence; start to learn more about Jesus by reading the Bible; tell someone you’ve become a Christian; and connect with other Christians through joining a church (you can visit kcionline.org/connect).
