Becoming Good NewsНамуна

Becoming Good News 

Over the last several days, we were reminded that the Gospel is more than a ticket to Heaven. The Gospel is the announcement that God has become King, Heaven is coming to Earth, and everyone is invited to be a part of God’s Kingdom. 

We were reminded why we need the Gospel. Sin has infected humanity and corrupted creation. Um, that’s really bad news. But the Gospel is good news for everything and everyone. Through Jesus, we’ve been offered forgiveness of our sins and we’ve been invited to restore creation. 

We discovered the process to become Good News requires us to enter the Good News story by reading the accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. 

We learned that becoming Good News doesn’t come from simply trying harder. It will take prayer. Thankfully, Jesus gave us a prayer to help get the Good News inside of our hearts and minds. 

Lastly, we learned that believing the Good News is only part of the journey. If we really want to become Good News, we have to live it out. Because believing in God isn’t what makes us Christian—following Jesus is. 

Will you choose to become Good News? Our world desperately needs it. More so now than ever. And unfortunately, more so now than ever, people are skeptical of and hostile toward anything to do with God. People aren’t just questioning whether or not Christianity is true; they’re questioning if it’s even good. 

We have an opportunity to show the world that the Gospel of Jesus has always been and will always be good news. 

Micah was a prophet of God who lived in the nation of Israel in the late 8th century BC. During that time, the nation of Israel had lost their way. They were called to be a holy and set apart nation—intended to be a picture of God’s Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. But instead, they became like every other nation. They did what was good in their own eyes. Instead of submitting themselves to God, they seized power for themselves. The problem with power? Power corrupts. More often than not, people use power for their own good instead of the greater good. This is what happened in Israel. The people abandoned their covenant, their deeply binding promises made with God. They adopted the practices of pagan cultures. The rich and powerful exploited the poor. They forgot what was good. 

God called Micah to remind them of their calling as God’s chosen people. So, Micah reminded them of what is good and what God wants from us: to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. 

Working for justice. Loving mercy. Walking humbly. Forgiveness for yourself and others. Choosing grace. Faith expressing itself in love. Loving others. Loving yourself. Loving your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

This is what it means to be Good News. This is what it looks like to follow Jesus.