We Must Preach the Good News

“And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” Luke 4:42-44 ESV

Jesus Christ had to fulfill the purpose for why he was sent to the earth, and it wasn’t to remain in just one place. For he had to preach the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God to other towns, as well. And when I read this the Lord had me stop here and to think about how that has applied to my own life, but not just to my life but to how this might apply to all of us, in reality. For God didn’t put us on this earth to stay in our own comfort zone or to remain necessarily with the same people all our lives. 

For he sent us out into the world to make disciples of Christ of the people of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded. And under the power of the Holy Spirit we are to be his witnesses in our local area but then extending out into other cities and then extending to the ends of the earth. For God did not put us on this earth for our comfort and for our pleasure and so we can enjoy the comforts of home and of the known, but we are to go out into the unknown.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

For we are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world who do not hide the truth of the gospel of our salvation from the people of the earth, but who are taking the truth of the gospel to the people of the world so that they can come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior and so that they can be free from their slavery to sin, and so that they can walk in obedience to the Lord in holy living, and no longer in sin, so that they can have the hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God. For we are also sent…

“To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:18 ESV)

As followers of Jesus Christ this is our purpose. First of all it is to follow our Lord in obedience and in surrender to his will, to leave our lives of sin behind us, and to walk in obedience to our Lord in holy living. For we can’t preach what we ourselves are not living. But then it is to take the truth of the gospel (make sure it is the whole truth) to the people of this world. And it is to minister to others within the universal body of Christ and within our local fellowships in encouraging and exhorting one another in holy living.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

And what is this gospel message that we are to be sharing with the people of the world? It is that Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands and in holy living. And he died that we might live for him and no longer for ourselves. And he shed his blood to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we will honor him now with our lives. For if sin is what we practice it will end in death, not in life eternal.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. But not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter into the kingdom of heaven but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 10:23-31; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]  

All of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to be living this gospel message and we are to be sharing this gospel message with the people of this world and with the worldly church, too. And right now, at least here in America, the internet is still wide open for us to be sharing the gospel every day on social media and on various Christian discussion sites and on personal blogs and on YouTube and on various other internet locations where we presently have the freedom to share the truth of the gospel.

And where we have opportunity to share the gospel and to encourage the body of Christ in holy living with people in person, we should be doing that, too. For the purpose of the gatherings of the church is not so we can be spectators who sit through a weekly service and then go home and enjoy life to ourselves. We are daily to be encouraging and exhorting one another so that none of us are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness and so that none of us are taken captive by false teachings coming from people who are deceitful.

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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