by Rose Murdock

We call the message of Jesus Christ the "Gospel" which means the "Good News."  Jesus told us to preach this Good News to every creature, or you could say every person of every nation and every race in the earth.  This is one important message!  This is a message from God to every human being on the planet.

Paul said to the Corinthians that "we preach Christ crucified" and that the message of Christ is both the power of God and the wisdom of God to all those who will receive it (1 Corinthians 1:23).  It doesn’t matter who we are, what our ethnic or social status—the Good News is for everyone.

What is the Good News exactly?  The good news is Jesus.  What He has done for us is good news.  His sinless life, death and resurrection bridged the gap between God and man.  Sin had created a gap and Jesus bridged that gap.  We can once again gain access to the very throne room of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Our relationship and fellowship with the Father can be restored once again.  This is good news!

The Good News includes not only going to Heaven when we die but it is good news for us while we live here on earth.  Jesus suffered so we could have God’s presence and life here on earth and not just be in His presence when we die.  What Jesus did not only brings us to Heaven but it brings Heaven to earth!  And what does the presence of God bring?  It brings great joy!  It brings life!  It brings all that is good!  (Psalm 16:11, John 10:10, James 1:17).

Imagine if you gave your child a brand new car.  And you paid to have all the options put on that car that were available.  You paid for heated seats, power this and that, the best stereo system and whatever extras you could get.  Now let’s say your child receives the car but you ask him one day how he likes all the extras and he tells you he never uses them.  You ask why and he says, "I don’t need all that.  Those things are too luxurious and expensive for me."  And you tell him, "But I already paid for them all.  You’re not saving me any money now by not using them!"

In the same way Jesus’ blood paid the price for our sin so we could be born again with the life and nature of God and enjoy the privileges of citizenship in Heaven.  Through our faith in Him we have a ride to Heaven.  But His blood also paid for all the extras on the trip there.  He paid for our healing, freedom from addiction and depression.  He paid for our prosperity & wealth, success in ministry & work.  It’s all paid for already.  We just need to know how to turn the switches on!

I don’t want anything He did for me to be done in vain.  His blood is too precious to waste!  Not just life, but life abundantly is what Jesus came to bring us!

I love celebrating the resurrection of Jesus because of the demonstration of victory His resurrection shows.  The fact that He came shows the love of God for us.  It shows that God didn’t abandon His creation.  The fact that He lived a sinless life showed the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain us in every situation.  The fact that He performed miracles and healings while He was here shows God’s goodness towards us.  It shows that His will for us is good.  He’s not a Father that just does the basic necessities to get us by, but He wants what’s best for us.  The fact the Jesus died shows His commitment to accomplish God’s will in the earth.  It shows Jesus’ love for the Father and His commitment to love us as the Father does.  But the fact that Jesus rose from the dead shows that all that He did while He was here, and His purpose for coming, was worth it!  It was not in vain.  He did what He set out to do.  And now it’s our turn to receive His finished work and carry out the work of God in the earth.  Our commission is to preach the Gospel—this Good News—to every creature.

Every person on earth, no matter who they are, needs to hear what Jesus Christ has done for them.  He did it for every person.  Whether they believe it or not, He still did it for them.  We need to tell everyone so they can believe and begin to walk in all the fullness God has for them.

This year, instead of giving our attention to bunnies and decorated eggs, let’s celebrate the victory of our Lord over the enemy that had us bound.  Let’s concentrate on what His resurrection accomplished for us.  Let’s remember that both the cross and the tomb are empty.  And let’s not waste one drop of His powerful blood that was shed for our eternal, but current, freedom!

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