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Spreading the gospel is much more than telling the story of salvation and new life in Christ. There’s a lot of voices in the wind these days and knowing who to believe is not too obvious for people who need the gospel. There is no way to discern who is telling the truth if all you have to go by is what everybody is telling you. Our world does not have a lack of religion or religious zealots who have only one thing in mind and that is to draw as many people as possible into their own brand of religion, often times so that they can have something to feel good about themselves. The question is simply who to believe.
Everybody knows it is hard to win converts to any religion in a materialistic world where selfishness is relentlessly preached through commerce and the media. Hurtful as it is, this is the message that is proclaimed in the wad of flyers that land on your doorstep once a week, a myriad of television ads that interrupt the program that you try to watch (up to ten at a time) with a sudden increase in decibels that forcefully kidnaps your attention (thank God for remote controls and mute buttons!) and the host of talk shows that constantly try to tell you how to make the most of your own carnal needs.
Most of these things are nothing but an external band-aid attempting to fix and internal condition. That is why you have to try this diet and then that one; and this guru’s advice after the other one’s didn’t work for you.
There is only one solution to the deep-seated needs of man, and it is spiritual. Now, most people deny that there even is such a thing as man’s spirit - it is all in the mind; the spiritual world is there for the ignorant. Yet, seeking fulfilment in the area of the intellect doesn’t seem to deliver the desired results on a noticeable scale. The experiment continues.
How do we bring the good news? By being it. A picture is worth a thousand words. Living proof of what you believe and proclaim cannot be denied. You cannot argue with an experience. What you can see requires no faith at all.
Embracing the promises of God by faith and living it out for everybody to see is how you become good news. The goodness of God visibly manifested in your life will speak louder than your voice can about His love for man and His sacrifice that made a new life possible. Jesus came to give us life and that more abundantly (John 10:10). The abundant life is both your privilege and responsibility. If you believe it, live it because it is the truth that everybody is looking for. Here is something that works!
You cannot bring good news while you look like you receive bad news all the time. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden and a lamp is not lit to be put under a bushel. Your testimony must be seen if you want it to have meaning to those around you. In a world that is bent on bad news and negative reporting, a ray of good news will catch everyone’s attention without much effort.
Jesus didn’t die to fix our problems but to give us a brand new life. Don’t hide it behind empty religion or hollow phrases. When the music of shallow religious entertainment fades away, the pain returns. There is no lasting hope outside God. The power is in the real thing - be generous with it!
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