Bad News, Good News, Life

You get a phone call from your son’s teacher today. You find out he’s failing math because he been doing poorly on the tests and isn’t doing all of his homework. The teacher recommends a tutor which you call up and establish appointments with the tutor to meet with your son. . .

Now, your son comes home. You share with him that you’ve learned he’s failing math, he’s now grounded until his grades improve, and twice a week he’ll be meeting with a tutor after school to help him with his homework and study habits.

Do you think the young boy thought the fact that his parent found out he’s failing is good news? What about that he’s now grounded? Or what about the fact that he now has to meet with a tutor who will make sure he learns how to do the math he had been avoiding (which is why he wasn’t turning in all of his homework)? You know the boy is thinking “what does math have to do with anything anyway; math won’t help me get a girl friend!”

Sometimes we make the Good News of Christ seem much like this. Sure, making a young man increase his effort to his studies is a great thing, but a parent can make a child practice discipline in studies. . .on the other hand we can not make anyone come to know Christ.  Yet, the church often seems to follow a set of methods similar to correcting a young man's low grades. We tell them something is seriously wrong in their life (they’re going to hell). Then we take all of their fun away and on top of that we guilt trip them into coming to church 2 or 3 times a week so they can get better at this thing called “being a Christian”. Doesn’t sound like Good News at all. In fact, the Good News sounds like bad news.

This is the world we live in and this is how the church is perceived by many who are outside the church (and even a good number of those inside of it). So many see the church as a place that’s boring, self-punishing, and not relevant to what they perceive they need in life.  They don't see Good News.

I submit for your pondering: 

1. What kind of "News" does your church spread? What is the "real" message of your church?

2. Did you know that love is a great way to open doors to share the bad news and then the Good News of Christ?  Is your church showing the community that you really love them (not "we do things in the community only because we hope this will draw people to our church")?  You want to show people you love them; show it with your money, your time, and your energy. . .and don't expect anything in return.