I could use some good news. I think we all could.
The problem is that it gets tough to find. Bad news is easy to find, and I get it. I am as guilty as the next person. Bad news gets clicks. It’s what drives conversation. It’s what stirs things up, but it also gets a little heavy after a while, and it keeps coming. I get newsletters from Christian leadership and news sights, and I have noticed the change. There is very little to encourage, but lots about scandal and disaster and all the rest.
Now, I am not saying that we need to ignore bad news or just pretend it isn’t there. We need to be aware and there is always stuff to learn. All I am saying is that I could use some good news, and I don’t think I am alone. Our world could use some good news, and as Jesus followers, aren’t we supposed to be bringers of Good News?
So here was what I am proposing we consider:
- Share good news. Don’t be obnoxious about it, but see if you can inject some good news into your conversations. Talk about what God is up too. Celebrate what He is doing around you. Celebrate the accomplishments of others. Try and bring a smile to the faces around you. That sort of thing is contagious and occasionally inspires others. Which brings us to…
- Be good news. This should be part of the Jesus following life anyways, but your words and actions need to be good news to other people. I will get to sharing about Jesus in a second, but we are called to be Good News, to all people. Give some thought to how you can be Good News to the other – the widow, the orphan, the persecuted, and the marginalised. That is business we should be about. Don’t forget about being Good News to your neighbor and your co-worker and your family and so on.
- Tell the Good News. Again, this is the work we need to be about. Sharing the Jesus story to others, but we need to have permission and relationships (which is why points 1 and 2 exist). It actually has to be Good News to the hearer – not rules, not condemnation, not an argument to win. This is the work we need to be about as well (points 2 and 3 are so closely linked).
There you go. Some stuff to consider for the summer for each of us. Not just the church (but sure the church). Not just the pastor (but sure the pastor). Not them (but sure them). Us. You and me. We are called to be Good News in a world that so desperately needs Good News. If you have a really good story, send me a note. I would love to hear it.
Thanks
Marc McAlister
Director of Leadership Development and Church Health, the Free Methodist Church in Canada
