Becoming Good News预览

Living the Good News

Okay, so you’re starting to understand what the Good News is, why you need it, and even how to pray it. What’s next? Buckle up, because this is for sure the hardest part: living it out. Like, daily. It’s really simple, but it’s just not always easy. 

So, how do we live out the Good News? We have to become Good News—just like Jesus was for us. (Simple.) But it requires us to live our everyday lives shaped by the Gospel of Jesus. (But not easy!)

One reason it’s not so easy is because we’ve forgotten what it truly means to be a Christian. So, what does it mean to be a Christian? Many might think that believing in Jesus is the answer. But, that’s not really it. Don’t miss this next part:

Believing in God does not make you a Christian. Following Jesus does. 

Lots of people believe in God. Christianity is defined by belief in a very specific God—the God revealed through Jesus. When Jesus called His disciples, He didn’t just say, “Believe in me!” He told them, “Follow me.” And they dropped everything to follow Him. Jesus said that anyone who wants to be His follower must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. 

To be clear, we are made right with God through faith in Jesus. Salvation is a gift of grace. We cannot earn God's approval. That’s why it’s called grace. And we will never get following Jesus “100% correct!” In response to this grace, though, we put in the effort to love our neighbors diligently and follow Jesus faithfully. 

"Grace is opposed to earning, not effort." - Dallas Willard

Being a Christian is not a saying one-time prayer of belief; it’s an ongoing process. The process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others. 

If your faith in Jesus has not radically changed your life, then your faith is probably dead. 

Don’t get mad at that statement! It for sure stings! But it was Jesus’ brother, James, who first wrote those words in his letter to the early church. He wrote, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” 

In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5, Jesus told us our good actions, not our good intentions are what will cause people to glorify our Father in Heaven. 

At the Last Supper, the last meal Jesus ate with His disciples before He was crucified, Jesus gave a new command: Love one another the same way that He has loved us. He went on to say that our love is what will show the world we are His followers. Did you catch that? The world will know who He is by the way we love. 

The apostle Paul taught, “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.” So, the question then becomes, what does love require of me? With this person? In this situation? 

Believing the Good News is just the beginning. We are called to become Good News. Becoming Good News is a process of dying to ourselves for the sake of others. And that takes work.