Have you seen or experienced something so amazing that you just had to tell others about it?  That was what was going on in the early church.  People were so amazed at the work of Jesus in their lives that they couldn’t help but share with others in the hope that they might experience it as well.  I think that the church today has lost a bit of that.  We need to remember just how amazing the work of Jesus is in our lives and share that with others.  Let’s look at I John 1 for some encouragement today. 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

John is saying, “We have seen Jesus!  We have seen His work!  You need to experience it as well.”  It’s called the gospel because it truly is good news and good news deserves to be shared.  We share it not only because it is amazing but also because Jesus commands us to.  It is His parting message to us.  He leaves us with a job to be His ambassadors here on earth.  While we are here may we do that well and do it boldly.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave