Series: Jesus Manifesto
Message: Getting the Mystery Revealed
Preacher: Rebecca Murdock
Reflection: Japhet De Oliveira
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Beyond: J. Murdock
Live Purpose: Lydia Svoboda
Editor: Becky De Oliveira

Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.

Read: Colossians 1:24-2:3 in the New International Version (NIV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.

Reflect: In the NIV version, did you capture the level of excitement that Paul has for the Gospel? This Good News is essential for all. At the time of Paul, Roman Good News was something entirely different. The backstory for Good News is fantastic.

Julius Caesar, made famous by Shakespeare, never became emperor because he was assassinated by Cassius and Brutus in 44 B.C. There was civil war in Rome. Octavian and Mark Antony were allies until the struggle for power caused them to split. And at a battle on September 2, 31 B.C., Mark Anthony lost the edge and fled with his love, Cleopatra, to Egypt where they eventually killed themselves. Imagine living in Rome at that time. Imagine all the alliances that would have been made and broken. Whose side would you have been on? It was more intense than any political conflict today—even though they did not have the Internet. So messengers rushed out as soon as the battle was won with this phrase: Good news. Good news became the mantra for everything that Octavian did.  Good news—he has become emperor of the Roman world. Good news—he has victory over his enemies. Good news—Peace is at hand Good news—he will soon be named Augustus. For all the spelling bee people and those who love etymologies:

The word gospel derives from the Old English gōd-spell, meaning “good news” or “glad tidings.” The word comes from the Greek euangelion, or “good news.” The gospel was considered the “good news” of the coming Kingdom of Messiah, and of redemption through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus, the central Christian message.

So when you read in the Bible, for example in Mark, the first verse, “gospel” is often interchanged for “good news,” depending on the translation. “The beginning of the Gospel” (ESV) or “The beginning of the good news” (NIV). 

Is the Gospel good news? Is the good news today the Gospel? Is Christianity good news? Is that good news really good bread or has everything nutritious been stripped out? Do you feel you need to add something more—perhaps toast that bread to make it good? At the time of Paul, it was good news and I would contend that today the Gospel is still good news. Paul said, “He is the one we proclaim” (Verse 28). He is the One Who has turned this world upside down. 

Recalibrate: Think about your own church; what Gospel is it sharing? What responsibility lies with you to shape it?  

Respond: Thank God for the good news in your life. 

Research: Read Mark 1 and reflect on your understanding of the Good News. 

Remember: “This truth is Christ Himself, who is in you. He is our only hope for glory” (Colossians 1:27, ICB).

Japhet De Oliveira is administrative director for the Center for Mission and Culture at Adventist Health in Roseville, California.

With your child go somewhere you can play with others. Every Thursday we go to playgroup at our local church. The kids play and the parents regroup. I love to watch our granddaughter Zoe at play group. When Zoe sees her mommy playing with another child, she is very determined to make sure that the other child knows that this is her mommy. As Zoe grows, I know this response will change. Are we good at sharing what or who we love or are we determined, like Zoe, to claim it or them as mine? I love that, when we share Jesus’ love, He just gives us more of Him to share. It’s awesome!

Do you have a favorite food that you don’t add anything to? My favorite fruit is watermelon. I like it just as watermelon—not with ice cream or lemon juice or anything else—just straight watermelon.  Jesus is my favorite One. I don’t need to add anything to Him, He is awesome just as He is. I love Him at home, at school, at church, He goes with me everywhere. Everywhere we go is so much better because we go together. Jesus and Me. Who is your favorite one? Know that Jesus would love to be your favorite One, too. Know that He will always be with you because Jesus the Son of God can make that happen If you would like to, ask Jesus to be your favorite one, too.

Do you ever see homeless people sitting on the side of the street while you drive through your town? In Boulder, Colorado, where I live, this is a pretty regular sighting for us around the church as many people spend their day sitting on Pearl Street downtown holding signs and looking for someone to give them some change. It can be incredibly tough to know what to do, how to respond, or even sometimes where to look. Sometimes I struggle to even make eye contact with someone on the side of the street while waiting at the stop light. I think it’s because I don’t have a tangible way to help, and I don’t want to get their hopes up. My fear is that we will make eye contact, and then they will approach my car expecting me to give them a few dollars that I don’t have with me. Then what? How do I tell them I can’t help? How do I reconcile the idea that if I help them I will do a disservice to my own family? It’s a selfish thing to think, I know. But it’s true.

There is a tug at my heart in these moments because something inside tells me to help. I feel guilty when I don’t help someone, because that Christ inside me that Paul talks about in Verse 27 doesn’t like to see a fellow brother or sister neglected. I don’t think my selfish thoughts are Jesus, those are all me. So I wrestle with which voice to listen to. 

Paul talks about what it means to “toil and struggle” to follow Jesus in every aspect of his life due to the “energy” that Jesus inspires. If Jesus really does live in me, then it is my job not to let Jesus die in me, or be silenced in me, or live and not act inside of me. It’s tough. It’s awkward. It’s unselfish. But it’s true to who Jesus is to do more than quiet down that voice inside and act when prompted by the Spirit to do so.

What do you think the Spirit is saying to you? If you followed what you felt Jesus was calling you to do, how would your life change? How would it be the same? What do you see as the difference between the two?

“In order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:2-3). Many people in the world search for knowledge or “truth.” They go to school to gain knowledge. They look for wisdom in their experiences. However, the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Jesus. If you want to be fulfilled by knowledge and if you want to be fed by wisdom, you must have Jesus.

Zan Long is GRC director for faith development for ages 0-17. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and serves at her local church in nearby Kellyville.
J. Murdock is associate pastor at Boulder Adventist Church in Boulder, Colorado, where he focuses on youth and young adult ministry.
Lydia Svoboda is a junior theology major at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.