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Good News | St. Marks UMC

How it matters: Jesus challenges us to not get wrapped up in all “stuff” that keeps us from fulfilling His mission for us. He sent His 12 disciples out to proclaim the good news of God’s World (Kingdom). He told them to not take any equipment with them. The challenge from Jesus is radical. Jesus sent His disciples out to do miracles.

The way I see it: In God’s World, we are the equipment that He uses to reach others. He is radically transforming our lives and that is what people see. People are longing to see the power of God, not the paltry equipment of the failed churches that we build.

We must keep it simple and not forget what transforms us all. It is Jesus not the buildings.

Take nothing for the road,” he told them, “no staff, no traveling bag, no bread, no money; and don’t take an extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they went out and traveled from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere. | Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Lk 9:3–6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

I love it: God sent His Son Yeshua [Jesus] to bring us good news. God is in a good mood and so it stands that His Son is all about good news. I love it! It gives me great joy. Let’s shout it out!

We get confused: We hear about the good news [Gospel] all the time. We say it ourselves over and over. I think we need to stop using the word “Gospel”. Seriously. People understand what good news means. They don’t have a clue what the Gospel means and it makes us sound like religious elites to use it. Okay, rant over.

The word gospel literally means “good news” and occurs 93 times in the Bible, exclusively in the New Testament. In Greek, it is the word euaggelion, from which we get our English words evangelist, evangel, and evangelical. The gospel is, broadly speaking, the whole of Scripture; more narrowly, the gospel is the good news concerning the Messiah and the way of salvation.

Good News (Gospel) — As good and joyful news: The good news (aka gospel) involves Jesus’ death on the cross as the sin offering to fulfill the Law’s righteous requirement (Romans 8:3–4; Hebrews 10:5–10). Under the Law, animal sacrifices were offered year after year as a reminder of sin and a symbol of the coming sacrifice of the Messiah (Hebrews 10:3–4). When the Messiah offered Himself at Calvary, that symbol became a reality for all who would believe (Hebrews 10:11–18). The work of atonement is finished now, and that’s good news.

  • Matthew 4:23  — Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.
  • Mark 1:14  — Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the good news of God.
  • Mark 16:15  — And He said to the disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.“
  • Luke 2:10–11  — But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is the Messiah the Master.”
  • The good news [gospel] also involves Jesus’ resurrection on the third day.
    • “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
    • The fact that Jesus conquered sin and death (sin’s penalty) is good news, indeed.
    • The fact that He offers to share that victory with us is the greatest news of all (John 14:19).