The Good News

This is another edit from "The Open Table" releasing in August...


In the early church, the story of Jesus’ love was known as “the good news,” or “the Gospel.” And in Romans 1:16, Paul says about this gospel that it is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” There was a wonderful thing happening in those early days- still is happening today in fact. The love of God was and is being experienced first hand. The distant God found through religion was suddenly a close
God found in relationship. It is called salvation. Its a beautiful word - salvation.

It is also a word that has been used so often by believers that I think much of its wonder sometimes gets lost. Salvation or “saved” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word sozo, which means, delivered, restored, healed and made whole. Think about it for a moment. When we asked Jesus to be our best friend, when we invited him into our hearts and made him Lord of our life we got saved. Right? And it was an all-encompassing life changing event – this salvation we are talking about.

And the word we use for this decision, for this experience is saved. It’s a good word and true. We once were lost, now we are found. We once were dead and now we are raised with Christ, we are alive. We once were destined to a life of empty striving and now we are promised a day in day out love story where grace and mercy color a purpose filled life adventure.

But how many of us have simply applied the word saved to mean, we no longer are going to hell when we die? That’s not the only power of the gospel. What Paul was saying is that healing, deliverance, restoration; these are all available to those who believe. That’s pretty good news if you ask me.

Its the believing that Jesus loves us that leads us to salvation and this salvation releases us to the power that is the love of God - His goodness, grace, mercy, hope, peace and joy – its all available to us regardless of life’s circumstances. That’s good news! Good news for me and for you, for your friend and their friends and their friends friends…