“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God...” Luke 4:43

Jesus had a mission. He had good news to share, and He was eager to share it. “The kingdom of God is near,” He said. It was close. It was for everyone. It was good.

Love, forgiveness, goodness and hope was His message. He talked about it. He demonstrated it by healing people of their diseases, forgiving their sins, driving out demons, and calming raging seas. ‘It’s right here. Take it. It’s yours.’ And many did. He was popular. He drew a crowd. He had the power. He had what they needed and the message they wanted to hear. (Well, except for the ‘religious’ ones.)

Everywhere He went, the truth poured out of Him. “I must preach...” It was too much a part of Him to hold inside. He was experiencing Kingdom Life as God’s Son, and He wanted everyone else to experience it too. The reality of God--their loving Creator and Father; The Eternal One.

I think we as Christians want to share the good news of the Kingdom just like Jesus did. We want to and we try to, and yet it often doesn’t seem to come out right or be received well. We’re not popular like Jesus was, we’re marked as religious fanatics. We don’t get invited to the houses of “sinners.” We don’t draw a crowd. We’re not powerful. We stammer and stutter over the right words.

But I don’t think it’s about our delivery style. It’s about us. Are we experiencing Kingdom Life like Jesus did? Are we believing that we are God’s ‘Beloved child with whom I am well pleased’? (Mark 1:11) Are we ‘Seeking first His Kingdom’ and letting Him take care of the rest? Are we letting God be our King and doing ONLY what He asks of us, and no more? (John 5:19) Are we heeding his words, ‘Follow Me’ or trying to mark out our own course?

Evangelism 101: To teach the good news of the Kingdom of God effectively, we must first live it ourselves. We must let God’s love invade our entire being before we can tell others that God loves them too. We must have God on the throne of our hearts, follow Him every day, and trust where He is taking us before we can say to someone else, ‘Follow Him.’

Focus on your own relationship with God today, and see where He leads you to share about it tomorrow. Focus on your own faith this week, and see how He uses that to increase someone else’s. Focus on His love FOR YOU, and see where He leads you to share that same love in the days to come.

It’s a message worth sharing. It's a message worth living! A message of hope, life, love, and transformation. Are you living it today?