Well the word GOSPEL means glad tidings, or good news! I used to believe that what my family and I preached was the Gospel, good news. The trouble was there was always some things about the "good news" we preached that bothered me and didn't ring true in my heart.

As I grew up in a minister's home, I began to ask questions. Some were answered pretty well, however, there were some that the answer was simply, "we don't understand everything, some things only God can understand," and "it is not for us to question, just do as 'The Word' tells us."

I am sure there are plenty of things that God, just because of who he is, knows that we could never understand. The trouble is this, the Bible makes a lot of claims about God's mercy, love and goodness, but a lot of what is preached and taught from the Bible paints a totally different picture of God. It paints a picture of a being that is very self-centered, vain and, at times, not really all that loving and merciful.

Now I am not one to question a being that could snuff me out in a split second, but my mind would race as I tried to figure out this being that was "love itself", "all merciful", "quick to pardon" and full of "grace." I was taught that the very word grace means "unearned favor." Yet every road to righteousness and salvation was wrought with do's, don'ts, and works of all kinds. On one hand, "Jesus paid a debt I could never pay", yet there were still payments due on the debt.

The questions abounded, but as I grew up I was able to push the questions aside and try and serve this fickle being who loved me one day and the next was upset with me. Every night I worried about the day I had lived, had I sinned and not ask forgiveness for something, had I passed up something I was supposed to do, was my life on the course that God wanted, if not, I was in trouble.

That Gospel, that "good news", brought me turmoil and took away peace from my heart. As I preached this message, my heart would cry as I looked out at people who wanted to please God so badly, yet could never reach a point where they were sure they had. Always questions about whether they were "right with God" or not.

In 1998, a friend of mine gave a tape from a mutual friend. The tape was called "The Redemption of the World." The friend who gave it to me said, "This guy has really gone over the edge this time", knowing, with that said, I would actually listen to it. This friend had preached a lot of things that caused me to stop, think and revise how I saw God, but my buddy knew that the point the speaker was making would be hard for me to swallow and I might not even listen to the tape.

I decided that I would listen to what the man was saying and see how to preach against what I knew was going to be heresy. As I listened to the message, I would try to think of how to disagree, but the scriptures fit. In my mind I tried to reject the message, but the more I listened the more my heart cried, "this message is true!" Later, as I began to study the scriptures about this Gospel to be sure they were in context, I began to realize that the scriptures actually made more sense from this understanding than they ever had before. Many questions about Jesus' teachings began to answer themselves. I, for the first time, actually began to see God's plan for man clearly.

The speaker made a statement about the Gospel, "if there is any bad news in the good news, it isn't good news." No truer statement has ever been made. What I had been preaching was a message that at first sounded like good news, but by the time I had added all the things a person had to do, not do and not think about, the message was no longer good news. I had been giving people just enough of the truth to make them miserable and controllable.

I do thank God everyday for hearing that message, the message of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a message that contains no bad news in it. It is a message of true hope that fills the heart with joy and causes a person to really be able to love and worship God in spirit and in truth.

What is this message that brings such peace and joy? Simply this, there was a sin problem between God and man. Man had caused the problem and had become separated from God. God in his wisdom and mercy knew man couldn't fix the problem and he sent a Savior, Jesus Christ, who took the sin of the WHOLE WORLD on himself and paid the price, the complete price, for all of mankind.

Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, God is not mad at you or me, or anyone else. He is not against you and has nothing but loving, merciful thoughts about you. When he looks at you, he doesn't see your sins; he sees the blood of his son Jesus. He is not keeping track of whether you are good or bad, he simply wants good for you.

You can't do anything to make him love you more; you can't do anything to make him love you less. You can't do anything that will please him anymore than what Jesus has already done. As the scripture tells us, he is satisfied. Now, if that isn't good news, I don't know what is.