But First the Bad News

A few years ago, Dr. Erich Voigt, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon, was watching a reality television program when he noticed something. A woman on the show had a lump on her neck that concerned him.

When his efforts to contact her failed, he posted a message on Facebook with a screenshot of her on the program. A family friend saw it and passed along Dr. Voigt’s message. Soon the woman was undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, thanks to the eagle-eyed surgeon.

It can be that way with sharing our faith. Sometimes people don’t want to hear about Jesus.

But let’s say, for instance, that we were on a plane that was about to make an emergency landing, and I wanted to tell you where the emergency exits were. I think you’d be interested in what I had to say. In the same way, when I share the gospel, I’m trying to warn people and help them.

The word gospel means “good news.” But before we can fully appreciate the good news, we first have to know the bad news.

Here’s the bad news: We’re all sinners. We all have fallen short of God’s standards, and there’s nothing we can do personally to make this right. And because of our sin, we’ll face judgment one day.

The good news is that God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, on a rescue operation to Planet Earth. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, lived a perfect life, died a perfect death, and then rose from the dead. He stands at the door of your life and knocks. And He’s saying that if you’ll hear His voice and open the door, He will come in.

You don’t have to be crippled by your past. You can put it behind you and be changed today by Jesus Christ.