GOOD NEWS!

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The headlines are bleak today: US Passes 10,000 Deaths; World Passes 1 million Corona Cases; Mortgage Industry on Brink of Complete Chaos; Global Earnings May Fall 50%; etc. The bad news seems to never end. More than a few friends have said they have quit watching or reading the news because it is depressing. Is there any good news?

Yes! Jesus is alive! The Lord of glory is very much in control and on His throne. There is no crisis in heaven.

The disciples of Jesus hid fearfully in the upper room behind locked doors, afraid for their lives. They had watched Jesus beaten, whipped and crucified. There was no way anyone could survive that. He hung on the cross from 9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. After He was dead, a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear. His lifeless body was placed in a tomb.

Then Jesus appeared! The first words out of His mouth were, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). The One who laid in the tomb for nearly three days stood before them alive! They touched His flesh. They watched Him eat. They heard Him speak. He was not a ghost, but alive from the dead!

The word, “gospel,” means, “good news.” The good news is that God loves you. The good news is that Jesus Christ died for your sins. The good news is that Christ rose again from the dead! The good news is that the tomb is empty but our faith is full! The good news is that we can be forgiven of every sin and have eternal life. The good news is that this is a gift from God! The Bible declares, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Regardless of how bleak the news is in the world, the gospel of Jesus Christ is always good news. Jesus came to share good news. He told His disciples, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43, NIV). In a world of bad news, what a privilege to be bearers of good news.

Remember, Church, you have been saved by the good news. You have been born again because of the good news. You are now holy and your name is written in heaven because of the good news. Others need the good news that God has entrusted to you. Paul declared, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,…” (Romans 1:16, NKJ).

Like the rising of the sun to begin a new day, let the good news of Jesus Christ brighten your life and dispel any darkness. May that light also reflect from your life to the world around you as you share the good news!