"I've been in the word longer than you've been alive, but that was good"
This was the reaction of a lady that was in the congregation while I was preaching last Sunday. She made the effort to find me after the service was done and after introducing herself she promptly told me the line that I quoted above. She must have been in her mid-sixties, old enough to be my grandmother (theoretically of course), but her eyes had a sharpness and a keenness that held my attention for the few minutes that we spoke. I didn't just listen, but I heard her.
After this encounter it got me thinking: what was it that got her excited, why did she need to come and tell me these things, barely being able to contain her enthusiasm at the same time; did I say something right? It didn't take me long (four to five seconds) to know that it had nothing to do with me, rather it had everything to do with the message I was delivering. You see, good news does that to people. It helps people to see who they are, to realize their purpose, to encourage them to breakthrough and to know that none of it has to be done out of their own efforts.
The 'gospel', as Paul calls it is the very embodiment of good news. It carries with it a relevance that transcends context, a power that breaks open the hardest of hearts and a truth that sets people free. You see, we can be in church our whole lives, read the bible every day and still have no idea what the gospel really is. We look at Christianity like a religion instead of seeing it for what it is: becoming one with Jesus and enjoying the benefits of this union.
Paul is quoted in Romans 1:16 as saying, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes ..." The Apostle Paul had tasted and seen the effectiveness of the good news, so much so that he put it in writing, saying that there was nothing to persuade him otherwise. He'd seen the results of the gospel being preached with undiluted accuracy, the miracles that followed (Mark 16:17), the healings that took place and the freedom that was part and parcel. It made him come alive.
I don't know whether that lady had ever heard the gospel presented to her as it was that morning. All I know is that it changed her, it made her come alive. On your quest for truth, if the gospel of Jesus Christ does not sound like good news it probably isn't. If it hasn't got life, it can't make you come alive. Don't settle for an inferior gospel, pursue the real gospel of truth and power.
