What does 2024 have in store for us? Whatever comes we have the Good News that Jesus Christ is alive today. Praise the Lord!
Paul wrote in Romans,
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1.16-17
And no matter what the circumstances are out there, the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we can praise God that in the last year many people have called on the name of Jesus in all kinds of situations, some good, some bad in countries where the Gospel is suppressed.
I’ve also seen many people coming to faith In Jesus. We think of friends we have here from Iran and what’s happening in that country, and many people come to faith in Jesus through believing in Jesus.
I’m told that half the mosques in Iran are now closed because people don’t want to go to them anymore.
One of the achievements of the Islamic regime has been to put people off Islam and pray that many may come to faith in Jesus
We’re going to see a video later on of one for Israel showing how the Gospel is going out into Israel, effectively reaching both secular and religious Jewish people with the Good News that Yeshua is the Messiah.
And that is the Good News, isn’t it?
Paul also wrote in Corinthians,
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
1 Corinthians 15.3-8
That is the Good News, and nothing can change that. It has already happened. Jesus died, He rose from the dead. He is alive today. And He is coming back soon. That is also the great hope which we have as believers in the Messiah.
Meantime, things may get a bit sticky here on the earth. In fact, they’re already pretty sticky in many parts, especially with the terrible events we’ve seen taking place in the land of Israel, and now happening in Gaza and the surrounding areas.
If you come to this church regularly, you know that we do have a particular interest in Israel and what’s taking place there.