Dear [[firstname|Friend]],

Dynamite in the Word

In quite a number of our newsletters this year we have looked at various descriptions of the Word of God. The central purpose of that Word is to inform us of the gospel, the Good News, that God loves us and Jesus died for us, so that we can live a more than abundant life now for His glory.

In Romans 1:16-17, Paul states, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

The word "gospel" means a good message or good news. The Greek word is actually transliterated into English as "evangel," from which we get the words "to evangelize" and "an evangelist." It occurs 90 times in the New Testament. There are several "gospels" mentioned: some good, some not for us, and some that contain error. For example, in Galatians 1:6-9 Paul warns about "another gospel" preached by some who "distort the gospel of Christ." Mixing works and grace is a distorted gospel, one that is very prevalent today. You may still make it to heaven, but you will miss out on the more abundant life until then!

What I want to emphasize here is that the gospel of Christ is written in words, powerful, life-changing words. This statement in Romans 1:16 says that the gospel "is the power [dunamis] of God for salvation to everyone who believes." The dynamite of God in the words from God produces salvation, wholeness. Did you realize just how powerful the good news is? It will change things, that is for sure.

One other verse I want to share is from Luke chapter 4. Jesus read from the Old Testament scrolls in his local synagogue on the sabbath day. He had been handed a scroll containing Isaiah, and he found the place he wanted to read, probably the fixed lesson for the day. "The Spirit of the Lord is on me; because He has anointed me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been oppressed." He was reading from Isaiah 61:1-2 with a few words taken from Isaiah 58:6.

What would be "good news" to the poor? That you can break out of the cycle of poverty. What would be "good news" to the captives? That you can be free at last! What would be "good news" to those who are oppressed? You have been liberated! Yes, there's dynamite in the Word for those who will to believe.