When Jesus appeared on the scene, He preached the Gospel of the kingdon of God. The word gospel simply means “good news, nearly too-good-to-be-true-good news.” It is not complicated. Everything Jesus preached was good news. When the crowds were healed, it was because they had HEARD GOOD NEWS. When there were miracles, it was because the people had HEARD GOOD NEWS. When people turned from their sins, it was because they had HEARD GOOD NEWS.

The religious leaders of the day preached to the people, but they never brought them good news about God; they always brought BAD NEWS. They didn’t set people free; they loaded them down with more rules and regulations. They made the people afraid of God. They caused the people to view God as mean, hard, and judgmental. Because they never preached good news, they NEVER SAW GOOD RESULTS.

When people are afraid of God, they not only fail to establish a relationship with Him, but they also never have real productivity in their lives. Despite the best attempts of the religious leaders of the day, what they had was not working. It DID NOT set people free; it bound them. They all knew about God, but they did not know the Good News about God. The Pharisees had burdened the people with negatives — law and works — but they did not lift one finger to lighten their load.

Jesus came reading the SAME Scriptures, praying to the SAME God, but proclaiming good things and good news. Jesus preached good news to the people. By His preaching the Good News, their faith was established, their hunger for God was heightened, and their trust for the One who had once seemed so far away and unconcerned was revived. When they found out God was a good God, miracles happened! 

Thank God for the Good News! It’s still the same today! The Good News of Jesus is the power of God. Without good news, THERE IS NO POWER!