Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 25 September 2014 "They continued to proclaim the good news"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Thursday, 25 September 2014 "They continued to proclaim the good news"
Daily Scripture:  Acts 14:1-3 When they got to Iconium they went, as they always did, to the meeting place of the Jews and gave their message. The Message convinced both Jews and non-Jews—and not just a few, either. But the unbelieving Jews worked up a whispering campaign against Paul and Barnabas, sowing mistrust and suspicion in the minds of the people in the street. The two apostles were there a long time, speaking freely, openly, and confidently as they presented the clear evidence of God’s gifts, God corroborating their work with miracles and wonders.
4-7 But then there was a split in public opinion, some siding with the Jews, some with the apostles. One day, learning that both the Jews and non-Jews had been organized by their leaders to beat them up, they escaped as best they could to the next towns—Lyconia, Lystra, Derbe, and that neighborhood—but then were right back at it again, getting out the Message.
Reflection Questions:
In Iconium, many people ("Jews and Greeks") became Christians through Paul's preaching. He and Barnabas "stayed there for quite some time." But opposition built once again. The irony was that unwittingly, Paul's enemies kept spreading the gospel. This time their plotting drove Paul and Barnabas on to the cities of Lystra and Derbe (see map).
Luke chose expressive language—he said Paul and Barnabas were "confidently speaking about the Lord." Even when they felt they had to flee to Lystra and Derbe, they "continued to proclaim the good news." In what ways did their trust in Jesus sustain their resilience in the face of opposition? In what parts of your life would you like to ask God to help you be resilient like the apostles were?
In verse 5, Luke wrote that some Jews and Gentiles "hatched a plot to mistreat and stone Paul and Barnabas." Paul had approved of Stephen's stoning (cf. Acts 7:55-8:1), and scholar William Barclay said, "What was proposed in Iconium was nothing other than a lynching." What do you think led Paul and Barnabas to choose to move on to other cities, rather than retreating to the safety of Antioch? How would you respond if you realized people wanted to kill you for your faith?
Today's Prayer:
Lord God, you change my life, and our world, for the better. But not everyone wants their life or their world changed. Give me the courage to stand for you even when others don't welcome your good news with open arms. Amen.
Insight from Janelle Gregory
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist.
Confession time – I’ve been struggling as of late as to whether or not I believe that the gospel of Christ is good news. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that it is good news. I think that it’s good news. I’d like to believe that it’s good news, but part of me wonders if I really do.
The reason I doubt my own convictions on this, is that I don’t seem to treat it as such. Sure, I believe that it’s good news for me. There is nothing I am more certain about than the fact that I am not only in need of a Savior, but that that Jesus Christ has more than abundantly been this for me.
Where I find myself struggling is believing that the gospel is good news for everyone. It’s not that I don’t believe this in theory. Where I struggle is how this plays out in reality. I truly believe that God’s love was manifest in the flesh of a baby, who would bring healing through His touch, power through His words, mercy through His blood, and hope through His resurrection. So why am I so hesitant in sharing this with others?
Honestly, I’m afraid of what they will think of me, which makes me wonder if I believe that the good news is… well, good enough. Some of this just comes from my own cowardice in looking like a fool, but there are also times when I look at what we, as a faith, have put out there as the gospel. Does it even resemble the good news that we believe it to be?
I don’t want to paint Christianity with a broad brush, but I do think that most of us have tinted the gospel at one time or another in a way that distorts it. We’ve covered it boring, we’ve coated it in pizzazz. We’ve diluted it in societal trends and political agendas. We’ve dabbed it in rules, soaked it in charitable deeds, and downright drowned it in bureaucracies. We’ve confused it with superstitions and other religions, and we’ve stirred it in with emotional baggage, excuses, and embarrassment. By the time we’re done with it, it’s barely recognizable, let alone good. No wonder we don’t want to share it.
But when we peel all of that away, I think that we can recognize that our story – God’s story – is something that people not only need, but desperately want. For at the core lies this truth that is ultimately good – like REALLY good – it transforms, it seeps into cracks and crevices in our souls to heal and restore, it brings hope, it breaks down walls. In all of these ways and so much more, the gospel is essentially and wonderfully good.
Yet even in its rawest form, in the midst of its goodness, the gospel still falls short of being good news. Because what is good will only ever be just good, it will never become good news until we share it.
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