The Fruit of Good News

The Fruit of Good News
By Werner Vos

When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"  Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.’  (Matthew 11:2-5)

Even in prison, John heard the Good News about what Jesus was doing. He desperately wanted to know if Jesus was the one that the Old Testament scriptures had predicted would come. So he sent his disciples to Jesus with the question ‘are you the one who was to come?’

Jesus’ reply was simple and straight forward. He told them to go back to John and tell him what they had heard and seen - the blind receiving their sight, the lame walking, those who had leprosy being cured, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised and the Good News being preached to the poor.  He wanted them to tell John how they had personally witnessed the Good News of the gospel changing people’s lives, to the glory of God. And that is the purpose of the gospel – to change men’s lives by reconciling them to God.

In Colossians 1:6 Paul said, ‘All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing.’  This gospel that we live and preach today is still bearing fruit all over the world. It has the same power to change men and women in our modern generation, just as it did in the 1st century.

This gospel and its message are universal. They are not confined to any particular race or nation, nor to any one class or condition.

Very few things in our world are open to us all. Your academic ability will determine the area of studies that you will be able to pursue. Your social class will determine the circles in which you will move. Your material wealth will determine the amount of possessions that you will be able to gather. Your skills set will determine the things that you will be able to do.

But the message of the gospel is different, because it is open without exception to everyone.

These stories that you are about to read involve ordinary men and women whose lives have been touched by the Good News of Jesus. Today this gospel is bearing fruit all over the world, just as it always has and always will.