I was listening to an old Billy Graham message the other night and found myself mesmerized by it. The message was speaking about the only hope that not just we as individuals have but the only hope that this world has. Sometimes I think we Christians just get it wrong when we try to share Jesus Christ with people. Think about it, how many times do you hear a Christian trying to share the gospel with someone and what you hear isn't really such good news. Now, what do I mean by that? This was something that was brought to my attention in some studies I have been doing on grace. It seems that I have been going about this in a backward sort of way, I have to many times been sharing the bad news of what happens if one does not turn to Christ.
The world is full of bad news, such as wars, rumors of wars, financial worries, immorality issues, family hating family, unrest in our communities, confusion of what is right and wrong, drugs and alcohol enslaving people, killings at random, civil unrest and the list just goes on. Then someone wants to point you in the right direction intending to turn you towards God, but, instead turns you off because all you hear is more bad news. I am sure you have had someone try to tell you about the kingdom of God and how to get into it but all you heard was "if you don't repent your are going to hell." Now that is just bad news is it not? This is where the church has gone wrong so many times, they speak the truth of course, if you don't repent of your sins and turn to Christ you have no hope, this is true. But wouldn't you rather hear the GOOD NEWS!
So, what is the good news if it isn't about repenting and not to going to hell? You see, people don't want their sins pointed out to them and then be told you cannot get into heaven because you are a sinner. They already know they fall short of what is needed to enter heaven. Most live good lives and do good things believing that this will help them get past the pearly gates. The problem with this thinking is how many good things does one need to do in order to be accepted into heaven? How good does one have to be for God to say "well done good and faithful servant, enter in to my heaven?" Most people live under this delusion of working their way to heaven. All religions promote this type of belief, even religious Christianity. Christianity in its original form was not about doing good works or obeying every creed and law laid down by the church. Jesus simply stated; "I am the way, and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me," John 14:6. The Gospel or the Good News is just that, there is no other way into God's Kingdom except through Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. In other words there is absolutely nothing you can do to earn your way to heaven, there is no amount of money you can give to enter through the so called pearly gates. It doesn't matter how many good things you do for others or how many hours you work to care for your family or give to the poor, Christ said there is only one way to the Father (God) and that is through Him. The Good news is that you don't have to do but one thing in order to enter the Kingdom of God and that is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and allow Him to be the Lord of your life. You must believe that He gave His life for your sins, was crucified on the cross, died, was buried and on the third day rose again from the grave. If you come to Him and ask God to forgive your sins, repent of them and you truly believe this then you are saved, period. From this point on you develop a relationship not with a religion or a church, you develop a relationship with the very person of Jesus Christ, God's Son.
Now pay attention here, once you are saved through God's Son, you are no longer living under the law, you do not live by some form of religion or by some set rules or regulations, you are living under God's Grace. God has forgiven you of your sins and does not remember them anymore. To be free from your bondage of sin is Good News, to have a personal relationship with the Son of God is Good News, to be free from trying to earn your way to heaven and please God is Good News. You see, God loves you and He has been trying for a long time now to convey that to you but you keep running from His love and try to gain His love through people or drugs, sex, success, work, family, having nice things, etc. None of these things will satisfy your craving for the kind of love that God has for you. Yes, you must repent of your sins, which means to turn around and go in a different direction, but honestly, is that so bad when you can be at peace with not only yourself but with God? Under God's Grace you are no longer in bondage to those things that kept you bound up and enslaved, you have been set free. God's Grace is something you do not deserve, it is unmerited favor, it is God's love for you being brought to you by His Son Jesus Christ. This is Good News! All you have to do is reach out and receive it.
Here's something that everyone needs to realize; God has loved you from the very beginning, He has loved you throughout your life no matter how long you have been on this earth. He will always love you no matter what you have done with your life. Yes, there is a penalty for anyone's disobedience to God, but that is not His desire. God's desire is to bring you back into relationship with Him, He doesn't want you to end up in hell, and He proved that by sending His only Son to this earth and offered Him as the only sacrifice that would bring you and I back into a relationship with Him.
You may be reading this and wondering if God loves you. How could God love a person like me who has been doing drugs, or living with someone out of wedlock? Someone like me couldn't be loved being a prostitute, having several abortions, fighting and angry all the time. How could God love me who has dealt in pornography and sleeps with every girl available? How could God love someone who has committed murder, or raped women? How could God love someone who has destroyed their life with hatred, sex, drugs and living the most immoral life there is? The one thing we all must understand is that God created everything good, even you and me. God does not hate His creation, He loves everything in His creation, and that means you. John 3:16 says that; "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." This is how much God loves you. Romans 5:8 relates how God demonstrates His love, "but God demonstrates His own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Then in 1 John 3:1 "see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him." Here we see that God loves you unconditionally, there are no strings attached, there are no steps to take except one and that is to believe in God's only Son. To believe that He gave His life for you and for me. That His shed blood was the ultimate sacrifice. Yes, even you who thinks God doesn't love you for how you have lived, He gave His life for even you. Here's what everyone coming to God through His Son must not only realize but must accept, there is absolutely nothing you can do to earn your way back into God's presence, it doesn't matter how many good deeds you have done, they won't gain you an inch onto the grounds of heaven. It doesn't matter how rich or how poor you are, it doesn't matter how much money or time you give to charity, you won't get any gold stars that will help you enter into the kingdom of God. John 14:6 says it very plainly, only through Christ can one gain a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father. God doesn't pick and chose who gets into heaven, we decide whether we go to heaven or stand before God in judgement of hell, it's our decision.
So back to the beginning, the GOOD NEWS is God loves you and me unconditionally. Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son came to give each one of us a way into His Kingdom. The GOOD NEWS is God's unmerited favor or His Grace is available for everyone and there are NO strings attached. The GOOD NEWS is you can leave behind all that burdens you, all that has you enslaved and bound up. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus Christ came to set you free and break the shackles of drugs, sex, alcohol, material things or just the worldly way of living from your heart, He has lifted the heavy burden that has you smothered. The GOOD NEWS is Jesus Christ came to offer you a new life in Him. Now isn't that the best news you have heard, isn't better than the bad news you have been hearing? Read the following scriptures in the order they are listed, they will lead you to a better understanding of God's plan for all of us, (just hold your cursor over the scripture reference). Romans 3:23, Romans 3:10-18 (what sin looks like in our lives), Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Romans 10:13, Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1. These scriptures are referred to as the Romans road to salvation. You can have this new life by coming to Christ and let Him be the Lord of your life. You do this by saying a simple prayer of faith. If you truly want this and want Christ to be your savior just pray this prayer: Father God, I know I am a sinner and have lived in rebellion of your word. I ask you to forgive me of my sinful ways and I believe Jesus Christ is your Son that came to give His life for me. I receive Christ as my Lord and Savior, I want Him to rule over my life. I repent of my sins. Please help me to live a life that pleases you Father. Jesus come into my heart and life and cleanse me of my sins, past, present and future. In Jesus name, Amen.
Now that you have become an adopted child of God you are one of His son's or daughter's. You are now in a very big family and have the full attention of your Heavenly Father, He wants to bless you and give your life purpose. If you have a Bible, God's Word to us, start reading it, the book of John is a good place to start. If you don't have one, get one, if you can't afford to get one go to a local church that believes in Jesus Christ as God's only begotten Son and ask them if they could help you get one. Tell your family and friends that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, this is your confession that He is the Lord of your life. Find a church or another Christian and study the Word of God together. May your life be blessed of God and may it be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
