Whenever we hear the word "gospel," four names automatically pop up in our minds. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. That's great, but that shouldn't be it. Besides what is written in the Bible, what else does the word "gospel" remind us of? If you're starting to blank, then you're probably a lot like me in this one aspect.
As a Christian, I am often encouraged to evangelize to my friends and even strangers by sharing the "gospel" with them. What is implied is that I should be sharing biblical stories with them. You know, tell them about how Jesus lived a perfect life, yet was crucified, but forgave all of humanity and rose again. But after reflecting on the opening verses of the gospel of Luke, I can't help but think that I've been getting it all wrong for the past few years.
Luke opens by stating that he is writing to Theophilus, so that Theophilus can know that all the marvelous accounts he has been hearing are true. How? Because Luke is now recounting his very own experiences with Jesus. This made me wonder, do most of us Christians consider our own lives to be good news? Do our interpretations of our daily experiences provide evidence that Jesus is intimately involved in our lives? And if we can't see God's love and mercy proven each day, how can we expect our friends to? Like Luke, I think we need to realize that sometimes our friends need to hear our own personal account, rather than the accounts of others, credible as they might be.
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