Becoming Good NewsSample

Entering the Good News

Fun fact for you: the first four books of the New Testament in our Bibles are called The Gospels. Each Gospel was written by a different first century follower of Jesus who wanted people to know the story of what God had done through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 

The authors of the Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 

Matthew was personally called by Jesus to leave his old life, old job, and even his old name behind. Mark was a traveling companion with the apostle Paul and a student of Peter, another of Jesus’ disciples. Luke was a doctor who investigated the evidence thoroughly so that he could write an accurate account of what had happened. John was one of Jesus’s original disciples who wrote his Gospel account while living in exile at the end of his life. 

Each of these authors had personally experienced the transforming love of Jesus. That experience motivated them to write down the story of Jesus so that others could be introduced to that same transforming love. 

Because Jesus has been Good News for us, we have been called to be Good News for others. 

In order to become Good News people, we have to learn the Good News story. Thankfully, because of these authors, we can do just that. This is what is so beautiful about the Gospel accounts. They aren’t just the sermons Jesus preached, the miracles He performed, or the things He did. They are all of those and so much more. The Gospels are the story of hope and love invading history in the person of Jesus.  

The Gospels are an invitation to not just learn the Good News story, but to enter the Good News story. The Gospels don’t just tell us to pray prayers, go to church, what to believe, or how to be nice to other people. The Gospels teach us how to see ourselves, others, and the world in a new way. 

Becoming Good News people starts with entering the Good News story. This is why, throughout history, Christians have placed so much value on reading the Bible. Because everytime we read the Bible, we open ourselves up to the truth of God and His transforming power. 

In order for us to become Good News people, we must enter the Good News story. There’s no better way to do that than reading the accounts of what God has done through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.