All too often we feel the buzz of a smartphone and see our news feed light up the screen—another shooting, another natural disaster, another crisis. We also see the lavish lifestyles of so many people on social media chasing another adventure, another lover, another outfit. Then we go to the coffee shops and sit with our friends. We use buzzwords like shame, trauma, and abuse. We self-medicate with sex, fame, and food. We look for rescuing from our books, our celebrities, and our vacations. The whirring chaos of false security and empty promises takes its toll, and we keep hitting refresh waiting for tweets and grams to tell us something good. We need something to cut through the noise, something to refresh the soul, something to bring hope to a world marked by despair. We need good news.
We Need Good News
The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.
Watch Session One: Created for this
A Big Enough Gospel
Complain about Uber Eats forgetting your Mexican Coke or dressing on the side, and you know to brace yourself for the snarky “first world problems” rebuttal from a frenemy. While your missing tahini-garlic dressing should not register as a big problem on a human level, these interactions leave us wondering if our problems matter in the face of global epidemics we see on our news feeds. Does it matter that I am heartbroken about my singleness when babies go to bed hungry? Does it matter that I struggle with depression and anxiety when refugees wander this planet looking for a home? Does it matter that I am addicted to my smartphone when women and children endure sex trafficking in staggering numbers? What if God is compassionate and big enough to care for every person hurting? What if God’s gospel is big enough to comfort the lonely, set the captives free, minister to us in our despair, and mobilize a generation to push back against the evil we see in our world? Is the gospel big enough for all of this?
the gospel everyday
The gospel of God—the good news that the kingdom of God has been inaugurated by Jesus— means good news for the world. Rather than thinking of the gospel as a one-time event in the life of the believer, we recognize that the gospel is a worldwide proclamation that Jesus has come to deliver us from our sin, comfort us, strengthen us, and mobilize the cavalry to go into the world “gospel-ing” it through word and deed. The gospel bears witness that we live in a kingdom, we belong to a king, and we have faith, hope and love at our disposal for every moment—big or small.
Daily Question
How can the gospel—the good news of the kingdom of God—be a way for you to bring hope, joy, and peace in your own life and in the lives of others?
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It refreshes me, cools my inner fears and turmoils and gives me the freedom to show people the love of Christ. The good news that a perfect, beautiful Savior has come to us and wants a relationship with us even though we are so messed up breathes life into this weary, sinful soul.
It’s hope! Knowing that this life isn’t the end and when I bring my thoughts back from the brink of anxiety, turmoil of today’s news or my first world problems a peace and calm comes over me knowing He has it. He has us in the palm of his right hand and I am comforted.
The “good news” of Jesus is unlike anything else this side of the kingdom, but it is exactly what we need this side of the kingdom! As Jennie and Jamie mentioned in the video, this world is wrought with ickiness from the enemy on a regular basis. The only saving grace we have from the enemy’s suffocating cloud is to know and proclaim the goodness of God in spite of the enemy.
It brings me peace by knowing that I will be with Jesus in the end. The circumstances right now might not be ideal but there is hope, Joy, and peace in knowing that Jesus won’t fail. I can bring this good news to my friends and family and pray they believe and experience God’s goodness.
It comforts me to know that we get to look forward to eternal life with God. This time of suffering ( which can sometimes feel like eternity) is but a breath. If we follow Jesus we can be with him forever! That brings me joy!
The gospel for me means redemption and forgiveness. I no longer have to carry the shame of my past with me because I am redeemed and forgiven. Not only that, but because Jesus lived the life I could not live and then died and resurrected for me, and then called me to a saving knowledge of Him, I’m set free from my past and have been adopted as part of His family. I am a daughter of the King of Kings!! This good news motivates me to want to see other people set free and adopted. It motivates me to share the gospel.
Yes absolutely. I love that He knows me completely and yet still pursued a saving relationship with me. With me- a sinner. So no one is beyond saving by God. I am so thankful I am included in His family. I pray others would hear this Truth and believe.