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How Do You Receive the News?

  Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word, I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. (1Co 15:1 NIV)

  It has been a while since we lived in a place that had a newspaper dedicated to one specific community. With the information age came many changes. The practice of reading a weekly paper had dissipated from my routine.  

  I now find myself excited for Thursdays because I know the ‘Muth News will be in our mailbox. Perhaps I’m “old school” but I really enjoy holding the newspaper in my hand. Much of the same information is available online but I like to hold it for some reason.

  The excitement I feel for our local news got me thinking about the original good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. The news first spread by word of mouth, then papyrus and paper and now many of us have a digital version of the Bible on our phones.

  I remember one of my first years as a minister; there was a gentleman that was upset because he witnessed a young man looking at his phone during my sermon. How disrespectful can you be?

  I wasn’t too concerned. Hey, if it’s boring, maybe that’s my fault. And besides, I knew the character of this individual and he seemed quite upright. None the less, I questioned the young man.

  Sure enough, he was reading the scriptures on his phone. That same young man is now entering his first year of seminary. Turns out the good news so touched his life that he wants to share it with others.

  As Paul is speaking to the Corinthians, he wants to remind them that this good news they received motivated them in such a way to take a stand. They believed in something. And although Paul preached these words, he now writes this letter and reminds them to grab hold of this good news and never let it go.

  Maybe you were one of those people who just skimmed the gospel but never really bought in, so to speak. Well, maybe it’s time to give it another listen or read or download. For whatever form the good news comes in, I can promise you this. If you let it go, you will have believed in vain.

  As a pastor I try to remember it is my job to preach the word with all the excitement I can. My life is being saved for heaven’s sake. It doesn’t get much more exciting than that. That good news is a gift I want to share with all who will listen.

  Jesus Christ wants to save your life too. Wherever you encounter the good news I hope you’ll be reminded of the excitement Christ brings into this world. And I hope you will long for that gospel to show up week after week so that you can grab hold firmly.