Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Have you ever watched a TV advertisement for a product that seems so amazing and the price so cheap that it seems just too good to be true? At first you’re probably skeptical, but as you listen to testimonial after testimonial from perfectly credible sounding people, you begin to believe that this might indeed be a miracle product – the very thing you’ve been waiting for, whether you knew it or not.
And it gets better – the price is just a fraction of what you would spend on similar products that don’t work as well. But wait – there’s more! If you call within the next five minutes you’ll get not one – not two – but three bonus gifts that are alone worth the purchase price. Operators are standing by, but supplies are limited, so you MUST ACT NOW!
So you succumb and place an order. But when the item arrives you are deeply disappointed. It looks and works very differently from what you saw displayed under the bright lights of a TV studio. With a sigh you realize you have been tricked by slick advertising that greatly oversold the item. It leaves you feeling foolish and betrayed, and you resolve never to fall for that kind of deception again.
It’s bad enough if that happens with a vacuum cleaner or a piece of jewelry. But it is tragic if untruthful advertising misrepresents something as important as the gospel. But sadly, it does happen.
The gospel is good news, the best possible news anyone can hear. It promises a new life beyond death, a life rich in joy, peace, friendship and real love. It’s the good news of a life in communion with God, who loves you and wants you with him no matter who you are, where you’ve been or what you’ve done.
The gospel is the best and only hope for humanity. It is the best and only hope for you and me and everyone we care about.
That is why we preach it, calling on all people everywhere, as far as the Spirit gives us opportunity, to turn to Jesus in faith so they can know Jesus and know the Father for who they really are, as well as so they can come to know themselves for the beloved children of the Father they really are in Jesus.
My deepest thanks goes out to all of you for all you do to help spread this best of all good news!
This week we’re pleased to honor Franklin and Cora Guice who recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. Franklin is a GCI elder who has served on the Church’s board of directors for many years. He and Cora are active servants at our New Hope Christian Fellowship in Eagle Rock, California. Our thanks to them for their faithful example, and our deepest congratulations to them for their fifty years of marriage!
I’d also like to draw your attention to two reports from two widely separated areas of our worldwide work. Hector Barrero sends us news from our churches in Chile and Argentina. Kalengule Kaoma, our Mission Developer in Africa, brings us news from one of our most remote and inaccessible congregations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I hope you will take the time to download these two stories and share them with your congregations. It is easy for us to think of God’s work only in terms of our local area. These exciting reports from ‘the uttermost parts of the earth are a reminder that the Holy Spirit is at work in our denomination 24/7.
With love, in Christ,
Joseph Tkach
