Spreading Good News
Written by: John Flanner - 2008
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As someone who was a teenager in the “Swinging Sixties” I have many great memories. Apart from having an insatiable appetite for sport and pop music, I also have to admit to being a bit of a television addict. My particular love in those days was the plethora of westerns that were showing on BBC and ITV – at least one every night of the week, comparable in fact to the popular soaps of today. One day recently on a long bus journey and as a means of passing the time, I recalled 27 western series that were showing during the 50s, 60s and 70s. My particular favourites were Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Bronco, Laramie, Bonanza, Sugarfoot and Maverick. I told you I was keen!
Of course television advertising had only been around for about 10 years in those days, but some of those ads still stick in my mind today, often because of the catchy tunes or slogans. Who remembers that little ditty on the toothpaste advert, “You wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent”? Then there was the bedtime drink that was advertised by some cute kids in their pyjamas singing “We are the Ovaltinies little girls and boys…” How about “Malteasers, the chocolates with the less fattening centre” or the perennial “A Mars a day help you work, rest and play”? One other slogan from those days came to mind recently and got me thinking. It concerns Stork margarine and the voiceover used to say “Stork margarine spreads straight from the fridge”.
I want to make the point that the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is not like Stork margarine; it does not spread straight from the fridge, but rather from a tender heart of love that is red hot and passionate for Jesus Christ. If you find it hard to talk about Jesus may I suggest that you work on your relationship with him and ask him to set your heart ablaze with passion? It would help too if you were to get into the habit of opening up your heart each morning and asking God to come again and fill you with his Holy Spirit.
If you have ever been in love with anyone or anything you will have noticed that it is not hard to talk about. I do not find it difficult to talk about my wife or children because I love them and if you dare to ask me about my favourite football team, I will wax lyrical on the many virtues of Aston Villa Football Club. I talk about what I am passionate about and in all probability so do you. So too does Jesus of course and it is amazing to think that he talks passionately to his Father, Holy Spirit and the Angels about you and me. He is so excited and proud of us and he gets excited over our achievements.
When you are full of Holy Spirit and fired up for God you will be continually on the look out for ways to make his love known.
Do you have a desire to be good news in a world that is bereft of good news? If you are a Christian you have become good news to the world. When you wake up in the morning as a believer in Jesus Christ, that is good news for the world. You are a Jesus carrier and you take the Saviour and Healer with you everywhere you go.
Jesus said “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. God’s word also declares “You have the mind of Christ” so it stands to reason that If Jesus is with us all the time and we have his mind then he wants to have a conversation with us and walk with us through each day of our lives.
Recently I was standing outside a shop one Saturday morning waiting for my wife and God began to speak to me. He reminded me of a Big Issue salesman who stands outside the front door of my office block in the centre of Birmingham. I knew the man’s name to be John, having chatted with him a few times. God spoke to me and said I should buy John a Bible. It just happened that there was a Christian bookshop not far away and so my wife and I went along there. We purchased a New Living translation. It was a beautiful leather bound Bible reduced in the sale from £17 to £4.99. I took it along to John on the Monday lunchtime, told him the story and he began to weep, saying that he came from a Christian family, but he had got into repeated trouble and become a big disappointment to his family. I told him that Jesus loved him and to him he was not a disappointment but that God still had a wonderful destiny for him to fulfil. I told John how much Jesus cared for him and I gave him £10 as a further demonstration of God’s love and commitment to him.
On another occasion I was walking around Solihull town centre near to where I live when the Holy Spirit put it into my heart to take my elderly next door neighbour a bunch of flowers. I had been having a hard time with this lady over a number of issues, but particularly she was often telling me off about the volume of my music, the length of my grass, that my trees needed cutting etc etc. In other words she was a bit of a fusspot and a right pest. I obeyed god, however, took the flowers and she burst into tears, called me inside for a chat and even gave me a kiss. She is still quite a difficult person to handle, but I have chosen to love her with the love of God in the belief that her deep-rooted bitterness will be melted by the love of god. Anyone remember the Chris Bowater worship song “Your Love has Melted My Heart”?
A little while ago I got excited all over again by the name of Jesus. I was reminded that there is power in his name and that according to Psalm 8:1 his name is excellent, majestic and wonderful in all the Earth. Again a worship song of a few years ago declares “His name is as ointment poured forth” and we then go on to sing out the name of Jesus over and over again. Taking that as my theme therefore I decided to be creative with my telephone answering service. Now when people ring me and I am not at home, this is the message they hear:
“Thank you for calling. I am sorry there is no one home to take your call, but if you would like to leave a message please do so. Oh by the way, did you know that Jesus Christ really really loves you? Well he does, so why not give him a chance with your life today? God bless you and thank you for calling”.
I have had many wonderful responses to this message and to thingk of all those “so called” nuisance callers, who have heard the name of Jesus and that he loves them. If not on this planet I am looking forward to hearing one or two testimonies in Heaven!
Now which one of us, if we are not ashamed of the Lord, cannot do that? It may cost you up to £2 a month from your supplier to get this service, but what a way to bless people, make Jesus known and to declare the name that is above every name. You may be able to think up a much more creative message than mine, if you have a desire to be good news to people and to glorify your God.
I go back to what I said at the beginning, the Gospel does not spread straight from the fridge, but from a heart that is on fire for Jesus Christ. When this happens sharing your faith will be fun as you embark on adventures with Jesus and become good news to all around you.
By the way, Rawhide was pretty good too wasn’t it and who was that masked man!
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