BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS
Jesus said to the people at the beginning of his ministry, “The Kingdom of God is near. Repent, and believe the Good News.” Now we explain what it means to believe the Good News.
Belief is not just some intellectual assent, like, “I believe there’s a god. I believe the Bible tells the history of Israel and the life of Jesus. “This is not what Jesus meant when he said, “Believe the Good News.” He meant more. He meant a faith that compelled the listener to act upon it.
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the people at our southern border who have left Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. They are afraid of the drug lords, the violence, the lack of law and order, the lack of hope and a future. They believe in a better life up north. And they are right. They will do anything. They leave everything to come here. They act on their belief.
Others from those same countries don’t leave. The March, 2019 issue of the National Geographic article had a picture of a street preacher, a former gang member, on a platform with mike in hand. He was preaching at the memorial service of a convert who was released from jail and then was killed by an opposing drug gang. The reporter talked with a man in the audience, a former gang member and a convert. He told the reporter, “You walk with God, or you walk with the devil. You cannot serve both.”
Those men believed the words of Jesus. While they did not physically leave the area, they left the world of fear and terror. They believed in Jesus and in their heart entered a new world—the kingdom of God, and with it, eternal security. Immediately, they went back into the territory of the drug cartels, not to be submissive to their authority, but to preach to their former buddies. They want them to experience the true freedom that they had found.
Believing the Good News is to believe that God through Jesus will fulfill all of his promises. So real was the resurrection from the dead that Paul could go through any rejection, hardship or persecution because he understood that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18. See also 2 Corinthians 4:17). As he wrote, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).
The heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11 did great things, forsook the riches and the pleasures of this world, and even suffered martyrdom because they were looking forward to their reward. They had confidence in what God had promised in the future, and they were certain that the God they could not see would fulfill his promises (Hebrews 11:1).
When Peter said on Pentecost, “Repent,” he also said in the same breath, “and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). He was saying, “If you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, then profess it—be baptized.” Peter was following what Jesus told the eleven disciples shortly before he rose to heaven, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). Then he added, “Therefore go and make disciples, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20) The reason that Jesus said “therefore” was because he wanted those who had accepted him to accept him as Lord. They would become disciples, be known as disciples (baptism), and obey like disciples, obeying what he commanded. Jesus said, “If you love me (that is, if you believe me), you will obey what I have commanded” (John 14:15).
Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). This taking up our cross means to take upon ourselves the mark and name of Jesus. This is baptism.
As you know, baptism means to die to this world and be raised up to a new life. It’s death to the domination of Satan and the world and sin. It’s becoming alive and being united with the living Christ. It’s offering our bodies as instruments of righteousness, not instruments of wickedness. It’s being a servant of Christ, not a slave to sin and self (Romans 6).
By taking up the cross and being identified with Christ through baptism, we are professing his name to everyone. In Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist countries, those who are baptized are often ostracized and persecuted by family, neighborhood and even the government. Some are killed. Jesus knew about this beforehand. He himself was rejected and killed for obeying his Father. Taking up his cross includes professing his name: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).