What do you do with good news?
What do you do with good news? I’m an “early adopter.” When I hear about something that I know will benefit others, I tweet it and talk about it.
When something is obviously true, you feel a certain confidence or boldness in talking about it. Some people feel that way about getting out of debt…
By Seth Barnes
What do you do with good news? I’m an “early adopter.” When I hear about something that I know will benefit others, I tweet it and talk about it.
When something is obviously true, you feel a certain confidence or boldness in talking about it. Some people feel that way about getting out of debt or global warming. Dave Ramsey has become a superstar by mixing practical advice with evangelistic conviction.
When the truth you’re talking about is immediately beneficial to others, you feel not only confident, but you also feel a compulsion to talk to them.
Thus in the book of Acts, we repeatedly see the disciples proclaiming* the good news about Jesus. As Peter said, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. (4:20)
The fact that they had seen and heard Jesus change lives made their message irrepressible. They just couldn’t help talking about it.
I’ve been to a few countries where this same dynamic is in full force. In parts of India and China, the disciples there can’t help speaking about what they’ve seen and heard. Like the blind man Jesus healed, they may not know much about him, but they can say, “One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!”
In places like Seattle and New York City, you don’t often hear that kind of conviction. What you hear instead is second-hand, almost apologetic faith. It seems as though a lot of people haven’t seen or hear much of Jesus there. Whatever they’re believing may not really be worth much anyway. And if it isn’t good news, but some stale, religious dogma, maybe it’s not worth hanging onto.
When was the last time you saw someone finding out that what Jesus can do for you is really good news? For most people, seeing is believing.
* Acts 5:42 for example.
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Hmmm… provoke me more! …This reminds me of one of my cousin. He is a big guy who played college football at an Ivy League school and somehow hurt his back seriously during the course of his play. Well, for some reason, Jesus hasn’t set well with him and just before I left for the WR, he would have cursed the name of Jesus as first thought, no matter whether it came in love or religion. When I returned, I saw him at my other cousin’s wedding where he told of how he saw things change (in me) and didn’t understand it; he opened up a bit. Then, he spoke of his returned back issues, which would leave him immobile for a few days at a time. Three doctors told him, ‘fuse lower spine’, ‘titanium rods’ and ‘there is no other option’. Holy Spirit seems to want to show up often in these situations…. HS told me, “Give him another option.” To make a long story short, he begged for this ‘other option’ and when I told him that I would lay my hands on his back and tell it to be healed in Jesus name (and for his girlfriend to do so as well with me) he enthusiastically agreed. After a thrust of spine into my hand during prayer, he was sobbing and moving around telling me how much he loved me and how much better he felt immediately. Within the next few weeks, I found out that he was doing full-body workouts and telling everyone what happened! Ten months later, he still nods and smiles in knowingly experiencing this love of the Father, also sometimes known as ‘radical healing’ and is 100% healed until this day. As me and my friends say often, ‘It only takes one touch!’ …and one touch goes SO FAR!
Great story, Colby.