Good News

"Gospel" Why does that word not ring 'good news' in everyone's ear that hears it? Why are there so many ideas of what it is? In our evangelism class we are supposed to do some thinking about the Good News of the Gospel (good news of the good...news..).

What is it?

What does it consist of?

What are the core elements?

Here are my thoughts. The Gospel huge. It's not simply heaven after earth. It's not simply a personal relationship with God. It's not just peace in our lives. It's not just justice. It's not simply payment for my sins. It is ALL of that and MUCH more. And thus the reason for my struggle to put it into a neat, compact, explainable package.

Here's what I've been taught the gospel is. In a simple 4 point presentation:
1. God has a plan for my life, a great plan. That's great news!
2. The bad news is that I like all mankind have sinned and fallen short of God's perfection.
3. But Jesus who was God and sinLESS took my penalty, physical and spiritual death, spiritual being life w/o a relationship with God, upon himself thus opening the way to relationship with God and this great plan he has for my life.
4. Although Jesus died for the whole world, we must each accept it personally, individually by turning from our previous way of sin and toward God who now is empowering us by his grace for a new life.

Man just writing that makes me feel refreshed. I thought I was going to use this section to bash how incomplete it is and self serving and individualistic but that's not how I understand it now. But don't many of those who live in a self serving, individualistic culture see this presentation in such a way that it feeds that mentality? Probably so. Anyhow, that is a good skeleton of the gospel, or maybe it's an appetizer. You know, it's a part of the whole meal but only giving you a taste of the goodness and quality of the whole thing. So what would I add?

1. God has a plan for my life and it includes becoming what I was always meant to be. It's like the mountain bike that's always sat in the shop or been ridden to class, chained up outside, then ridden home. Sure it's a mt. bike but it's not fully alive until it flies on the single track! The best part about this plan it that it has always included RELATIONSHIP with GOD. As a car only sits and rolls w/o gas, so we only live in part until we are filled with God's presents in our lives. We were made to reflect the greatness of God!
2. I think the reality of the KINGDOM OF GOD, or maybe better understood as the Rule of God, or Government of God or Way of God is a huge part of the gospel. When Jesus sent the disciples out two by two he told them to "go and preach the kingdom of God". In the kingdom of God there is plenty for everyone. We have all we need. Therefore, we can live selflessly in love toward all peoples when before we could only have coveted and lied and stolen and harmed them! God is now President of the World, well he always has been but the good news is that you didn't know He was and in fact you were on his list of enemies and were not receiving the benefits of his governing. Man I could go on about his protection and how he has our best interests in mind and tells us about how to live in the Bible and through Jesus...
3. Guilt, Shame, Punishment, Hopelessness can be all gone because of Jesus. Just that alone is good news! God holds nothing against you. Forgiveness has been given. Jesus took your punishment on the Cross. You are not what you've done. You can now be the person you always knew you should be but never could become on your own!!
4. PLEASURE! PLEASURE! PLEASURE! PLEASURE! AND MORE....YOU GOT IT, PLEASURE! How this can be missed in the gospel. Joy is now available with out constraint. We've been going to the wrong places for joy and pleasure. We've been digging empty wells do drink from and now a well that never runs dry is now inside of us. No longer are we enslaved to hurting others so that we can find pleasure or trapped by buying things to bring us joy just to find that that very thing causes us more hopelessness when it finally fails us. No, Now we have the most valuable, soul satisfying, pleasure giving being ever among us. And what he has done is brilliant! He has wired us to boast in, brag on, sing about, spend on, dream about, write about, paint about, WORSHIP, that which brings us most pleasure and satisfaction...and that has now become HIM. So the more we find our satisfaction and pleasure in God, naturally, the more we glorify him and thus the more we live into our created purpose and thus the more satisfied we are and thus the more God is glorified and thus the more we live into our created purpose and thus the more God is glorified and thus the more we live into our created purpose and thus... you get the point! Brilliant!
5. And finally, All this with ever increasing intensity for E T E R N I T Y! We don't fear death. We will be raised just like Jesus was and is living forever in the presence of God. What's good about this is that I, again, don't have to selfishly hoard things for myself but can be generous and thus make others glad in God by introducing them to Jesus and this Good News.

Finally, even my little unpacking of the Good News is lacking so much. Just giving it more time I know I've got more I would write. And even in writing out the details I still couldn't capture it all. Maybe that's why Jesus said things like, "The kingdom of God is like a farmer who found a treasure in a field. In his Joy, he sold all he had and bought that field"