‘Imagine what might happen if we looked around at the people we spend our days with and asked God: how do you want me to be good news to these people today?’

Not my words (though I echo them), but the words of Mark Greene of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.  These are words that need thinking about not rushing over.  In church, we often talk about proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, but how often are we getting on and being the good news?  Proclaiming the gospel may win converts to Christ and that’s a good start, but Jesus does not call us to make converts.  He calls us to make disciples, teaching them to obey everything he has commanded us (Matthew 28:19).  It seems to me that the best way to make disciples is for us to be good news!

Being good news means a 24/7 commitment to Jesus Christ.  It means walking with him even, or perhaps especially, when it hurts to do so.  It means taking up our cross daily and following him (Luke 9:23).  It means making the effort to be good news.

At Park Road, for the first three months of the year, we will be following a teaching series entitled ‘Re-imagining Life’.  There will be weekly preaching on this theme, followed up by small group studies.  We want to encourage the whole church to be ‘whole-life disciples’, who let the good news of Jesus into every part of our lives, and let out that good news to others!  You are welcome to join with us and to join a small group, for maximum benefit from the series.

Our motto for 2010 follows a theme of discipleship.  It is from Colossians 2:6-7:

‘So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.’

I pray that 2010 may be a year of breakthrough for us as a church fellowship, in which we learn to see Jesus in the people we meet and be Jesus to the people we meet.  Whole life – 24/7 – totally committed!

Keep the faith!

Tim