Have you ever received some really great news?  Perhaps an engagement, pregnancy, exam results, job offer…. you can fill in the blank. 

What did you do with this news?  How many people did you tell?

There’s a story in the Bible about a huge famine in Samaria. People were so hungry they were eating their children! In today’s terms dove’s dung was around $320/kg and a donkey’s head around $1000.  Not sure if you’ve ever looked but there’s not a lot of meat in a donkey’s head!

Four lepers were outside the city and their conversation went something like this… “If we go into the city we’ll starve, if we stay here we’ll starve so let’s go over to the enemy’s camp and surrender at least we might get a meal.  If they spare us we live, if they kill us then we are dead anyway!” (See 2 Kings 7).

They went over to the enemy camp and the place was deserted!  God had made a sound of a large army which caused the Aramean army (the enemy) to run for their lives leaving all their belongings behind!

The four lepers reached the edge of the camp, went in and ate, drank and carried away silver, gold and clothes.  They began to gather all the plunder left behind.  They said to each other “what we’re doing is not right.  This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves!  Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace.” They went to the gatekeepers, shared the good news with them and the gatekeepers shouted the news across the palace.  Good news travels fast!

The king thought it was a trap but when he sent 2 chariots to check it out, they found the camp empty and the Arameans had fled with such haste they found the roads strewn with clothing and equipment.  They returned to the king with the GOOD NEWS!  It wasn’t a trap and God’s people went in to the enemy camp and plundered it so much so, the famine was over in 24 hours! 

It isn’t right to keep good news to ourselves!

When David brought the ark back to Jerusalem, set it in place and offered the sacrifices and burnt offerings he proclaimed a Psalm of thanks. “Proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations and His marvellous deeds among ALL peoples.” (1 Chron 16:23-24)

We celebrate the birth of our Saviour in just a few weeks!  The news the angel brought to the shepherds was good news of great joy for ALL people.

We read many times in the gospels where Jesus healed someone & said to them ‘don’t tell anyone, just go and show yourself to the priest.’ However, on many occasions the person who had been healed, or delivered of their demons not surprisingly went and told everyone they could and His fame spread throughout the entire region.

Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching…preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing EVERY disease and sickness among the people – news about Him spread all over Syria, the people brought all their sick friends to Him and He healed them all! (Matt 4:23)

Let me pose this question. Has the good news of Jesus and what He’s done, and doing in your life still good news, and worth telling others about or has it become ‘humdrum’ in your busy life?

I would put to us all, (me included) we need to remember the GOOD NEWS not just of salvation, but what living a life with Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the One who holds the universe in His hands, is really all about.  Friends, it’s worth getting excited and enthusiastic about! 

If the good news has become old news because the (initial) impact Jesus had on your life happened many years ago, perhaps it’s time to recall the wonder, awe and power of when you first met the Saviour or when you were first empowered by His Spirit. 

This good news is simply too good to keep to ourselves! It’s better than passing final exams, learning of another grandchild on the way or anything else this world has to offer!

I encourage you this Christmas to re-visit the good news of Jesus once again and be filled afresh with His mighty Spirit.  Step out again to tell others the good news just as David encouraged us to do.

May you have a wonderfully peaceful and blessed Christmas as you focus on the One who died so that you and I might have life and have it abundantly!