Neal Pollard
I spoke with our newspaper deliveryman this morning, and he had some story to tell. He summarized his experience as the longest 15 hours of his life. He got stuck once and had been towed twice. He delivers his newspapers in a 2014 Toyota Camry, a front-wheel drive vehicle fighting against 10-12 inches of snow in a thousand cul-de-sacs. Surprisingly cheerful, he was plodding on until finishing his task—delivering The Denver Post to every customer on his route. That, my friend, is dedication!
As a former subscriber to the Rocky Mountain News and current subscriber to the Post, I cannot describe his product as “good news.” With the internet competing, the newspaper is far from the exclusive or timeliest source of news. That notwithstanding, this man is determined to get out the news.
The gospel is, by definition, “good news.” Without a doubt, it is the most important and timeliest news of all time and eternity. Every person needs to be exposed to it as it contains information that will impact where they will spend their forever. God has given the job to you and me and every Christian in this nation and around the globe. Every day, we see people and relate to people on their everlasting journey. They may or may not be oblivious to their need, but we are well aware of it.
Are we determined to get out the news? The first century church was. In bad times (Acts 8:4) or in good times (Acts 2:47), the news went near and far. Paul described it as news which had reached every creature under heaven (Col. 1:23). Christ commissioned that the news be spread to that extent (Lk. 24:44ff). The challenge is great today, with over seven billion people on the earth. But we have more resources than they did, and there are more of us, too. The difference, then, may be the level of our determination. Until we are determined to let nothing stop us from getting out the news, darkness will eclipse light and our challenge will grow. Let’s let nothing stop us from sharing the great salvation of Jesus to everyone we meet.