Get in the Word
We want to encourage you to read the Word of God (Bible) as much as possible! We suggest beginning in the Gospel of John and reaching out to our pastors or group leaders with any questions.
What is Good News?
“Good News” comes from the Greek Word “εὐαγγέλιον”. This Good News is a reference to good tidings that are brought on behalf of a Kingdom and more specifically on behalf of the Kingdom of God.
This Good News is first mentioned in Isaiah 52 as part of a prophetic poem to the people of God after they have been taken into exile because of sin, Jerusalem and the temple have been destroyed, and there is Good News proclaimed: God still reigns and He will restore this city as He takes His throne in peace. The poem declares “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (Is. 52:10).”
In the New Testament, this term is used to summarize the entirety of Christ Jesus’ teachings and His reign in taking our sin through crucifixion, death, and burial. But the Good News doesn’t stop at His death, it continues in His resurrection, pouring out of His Spirit, ascension to heaven, and promise to return. It continues in our lives through the process of God saving us and making us more and more like Jesus.
The Good News is truly Good News because it proclaims over all of creation that there’s no one and nothing too far gone or broken for God’s reign to not impact with salvation and hope and freedom and grace and love. As we receive this Good News, it continues a process by God’s grace in us in which we are transformed in God’s image from glory to glory.
So, what is THE Good News?
In short, the Good New is:
God created everything and it was good. Humanity broke that goodness with sin and sin led to death. God came as a human named Christ Jesus who paid for that sin through His death and resurrection to restore humanity and creation into right relationship with God. All who call on Jesus’ name are filled with His Presence and transformed by His Power to walk rightly, love fully, and live eternally with other believers in God’s Kingdom.
If you received the Good News…
Praise the Lord! We celebrate this decision and declaration that you have made! Welcome to God’s family and Kingdom! We’d love to partner with you on this journey of following and loving Jesus together. With that said, here are few next steps that we see according to the Scriptures:
“42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)
How do I share the Good News?
As those who have received the Good News, we are called by our Lord to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15 NIV).” Our Savior also calls us to “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV).”
All of this is to say that as disciples of Jesus we are invited to not just receive the Gospel, but to share the Gospel with others and be part of the process of making disciples. This may seem intimidating, but we rest upon the truths that God doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9), that God will provide everything we need for this call (Mark 16:15-20), and that God will be with us as we go (Matthew 28:18-20).
With that stated, we would suggest the following methods of sharing the Good News with others:
The Mission of BLESS (Exponential)
B- Begin with Prayer
Jesus prioritized prayer and connection with His Father as the foundation and launching ramp for all of His ministry. Our model of sharing the Good News must start in prayerful communion with God who will guide us, prepare us, and open doors for us to bless those for which we pray. Start a list of your friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, and colleagues, and begin this process by praying for them to come to know Jesus.
L - Listen with Care
We begin with prayer, talking and listening to God, then we listen to others. Jesus listened very well to those who were His followers as well as those who weren’t. He modeled this by asking questions, and we can grow as listeners when we learn to ask better questions. We’d suggest starting with the facts (weather, sports, families, etc.), then moving to common interests (golf, pets, entertainment), followed by points of pain and struggles in one’s life which ultimately leads to opportunities to share spiritual stories and openness to God, prayer, deeper relationship, and the Gospel.
E - Eat Together
When we look to Jesus’ ministry, He is often found sharing meals with those He interacted with. His miracles were performed at weddings, festivals/feasts, and in homes. His teachings and restoration moments with many were found at the table as well. His greatest shared meal, Communion or the Eucharist, is one that is supposed to be a practice we do in remembrance of Him while we eat together. This is because when we eat together, it is a common and equal ground, something that we all do, and it’s an effective way to build relationships with others through hospitality and conversation. One of the most effective predictors of healthy evangelism is based on how well churches extend hospitality to the unchurched. Eating together is a beautiful way to do this all.
S - Serve in Love
When Jesus is asked of greatness, He makes it clear that the greatest among the disciples is the one who serves. He came not to be served, but to serve (Mk. 10:45), and He exemplified this through His life, teachings, miracles, death, resurrection, ascension, and promise to come again. The calling to serve others is found all through the New Testament letters and it is wonderful way to show our neighbors that we see them, love them, and want to help them, which ultimately builds relationship and leads to openness to God and His Gospel. We’d suggest looking for practical ways to help your neighbors, look for pain points in others’ lives and provide support (grief, divorce, compassion, etc.), and paying attention to the love languages of those you’re serving. When we care for people and serve them, they will know they are loved and it’s an open door for sharing the story of Jesus.
S - Share Your Story and Share Jesus’ Story
Sharing our story and Jesus’ story are incredibly important to the process of BLESSing others. In fact, it is the main reason behind all that we do in this method. Our goal is to be able to share our story and Jesus’ story as ways to engage with those we are BLESSing and ultimately, be part of the process of leading them to the saving grace of knowing, loving, and following Jesus. We’d suggest the following steps:
Share Your Story:
What was your point of pain?
What did that pain do to you/how did you respond to that pain?
How did God show up?
What difference did it make it?
Invite a response using a question (Can you relate?).
