God's Idea of Good News

God gives us His Word to set us free, and to cause us to be quickened according to His Word. This is the Gospel. The Gospel is good news. But sometimes, because of preconceived ideas and religious tradition we miss God's provisions. If we fail to divide the Word of truth rightly, or if we take Scripture out of context good news can become bad news.

Burdens (trials and tests) of life

Many believers think the trials and tests of life are ordained of God. Let us listen carefully to what Jesus said about this in Matthew 11:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28 - 30, NKJV, emphasis added).

Some believers think we have to be burdened down in life in order to please God. The above Verse is God's idea of good news. Sometimes, men's tradition turns the good news to bad news.

In Old Testament days, people used a wooden yoke around the neck of oxen. It made their work easier, because it was handmade to fit the oxen. And if there was a knot in that yoke, it would rub those oxen raw in certain place.

Many believers take on burdens that God never intended for them to have. I believe that is the reason why so many Christians who go into the ministry take upon themselves all the burdens of others, instead of casting them on the Lord.

Peter said: "... casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

What Peter said above is God's will ad God's purpose for all of us. It is also good news for all of us.


Many ministers are burdened down because they have been taking all of the cares and burdens of everyone who came to them with prayer request. They prayed with them, but took the care on themselves instead of casting over on the Lord. If they have cast it over on the Lord, they wouldn't be burdened with it, but instead would thank God for the answer.

If you are a pastor you need to cast the care of the sheep on the Lord. Don't take all the cares of your congregation on yourself. Sometimes someone will come to you and ask for prayer concerning certain situation. You will of course pray for him and pray with him in agreement according to the Scripture (Matthew 18:19). But when you are through praying, someone might say, "Just keep praying for me, pastor." You should say no, because when you have said "amen", you already have released your faith over the situation if you have prayed in faith. It is finished as far as you are concerned. By doing this you have cast your care upon the Lord.

Jesus said: "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matt. 21:22).

If you take all these cares on yourself, in a short time you won't be able to help anyone. You will have more burdens and problems than you know how to handle.

Burden of the Lord according to Jeremiah

"And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the Lord? Thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the Lord. And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his house. And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention on more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of host our God" (Jer. 23:33, 34, 36, KJV, emphasis added).

The word "burden" means "job task." In the above context it means "prophetic utterance" which, according to the people, is weighty and a burden as well. God placed the burden on the prophet who bore it to the people. But God does not want the people to consider this as burden. He would punish them for saying "a burden from the Lord." Every man's word shall be his own burden because he has perverted the Word of the living God. It other words, God is not the one laying heavy burdens on people. But the Devil does.

God is good and He wants to un-burden you of your heavy burdens. God wants to get the heavy load off you - not put it on you. It is religions that burdens you down. It's the problems and circumstances in life that burden you down.

Jeremiah continued to say: "Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence: and I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten" (Jer. 23:39, 40, KJV).


Anyone who says "the burden of the Lord" would face the above consequences. God's good news became bad news because the people had wrong idea abut burdens.

I believe one of the major problems with some people, especially ministers, is that they take all of the burdens of their entire congregation on themselves, instead of praying about them and releasing them to God.


God's thoughts and our thoughts


God said (through Isaiah): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are highter than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8, 9, KJV).


I have heard many believers (including pastors) quoted the above, sometimes in prayer meeting, by saying: "Yes, God's thoughts are highter than our thoughts. God's ways are higher than our ways."


Yes, the Bible does say that. But, we must keep it in context or it can be very misleading. Let us think a little - If God's ways are higher than our ways, the we can't attain to God's ways - that is bad news. If you are to read the two Verses before this verse and put it in the context, you will have good news instead of bad news.


"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord: and he will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6, 7, KJV, emphasis added).


When God said, "My thoughts are not your thoughts," He was talking about the wicked man's thoughts. He was not talking about you, a born-again, Spirit-filled believer. He was talking about the wicked people who refuse the Word and will not repent.


Now we can understand, behind this confusion, is the Devil who perverts the Word of God and traps believers to quote Scripture Verses out of context. The truth of God's Word supposed to set you free to recieve good news and not put you under bondage.


Truth is revealed in context


It takes time and meditation to understand the Scripture. You can find all kinds of Scriptures that seem to say almost anything, if you take them of of context. But if you keep Scriptures in their context, they will reveal the truth to you.


God's ways can be our ways


Let us now read two more Verses following Isaiah 55:9 - "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10, 11, KJV).


God was essentially saying: "The Word I sent is like rain which comes down from heaven, and it causes the earth to bud, and causes it to bring forth fruit, and furnishes seed for the sower so that you can operate in My way. I have sent you the seed of My Word. Put it in your mouth and sow it. My ways will work for you, and you can operate in My ways."


Clearly, God actualy says the exact opposite of what most believers thought He said. That is good news. But men's religious idears make the Word unfruitful. We should hold fast to the truth, and the Word will be fruitful to you. God's way will work for you, if you work them.


All things work together for good?


Paul said: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28, KJV).


Most Christians are very familiar with the above Scripture. But it is also a source of confusion to many people. I heard this being quoted everywhere - from the pulpit, in prayer meeting and in conversation. Whenever there is news concerning some disasters in life - cancer, car accident and suicide etc, people will say, "Well, the Bible says, all things work together for good ...."


Once again, the problem is obvious - this Scripture has been quoted out of context. Let us put it back in the Bible context to find out what Paul really meant:


"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth in our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26, 27, empahsis added).


Paul was saying that the Holy Spirit will rise up within you when you don't know how to pray. He will pray with words which you could not utter in the language that you know.


Notice that the three little words - "the will of" are in italics (in King James Version), which means they were not not in the original text, but were added by the translators. If we take it out (it is permitted to do so), Verse 26 reads: ".... because he maketh intercession for the saints according to God."


Praying according to God


The meaning is this - "When you don't know how to pray about a situation, the Holy Spirit, through your spirit, will make intercession through your voice in other tongues by praying the way God would pray."


Notice that you are praying the Word of God whenever you pray in the Spirit. If God were to pray for you, He would pray the Word over you. Whatever He said in His Word is what He would pray.

I believe, if we could get hold of this truth, it would solve a lot of problems in life. You can go to God with the problems, or you can go to God with the answers to the problems. If you will learn to pray the answer, it will solve tremendous problems. God's Word is the answer - good news to us. Remind God of what He said in His Word.


God said: "Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted" (Isaiah 43:26).


That doesn't mean God is forgetful. God wants you to speak it, so that you will hear it! Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). He wants you to pray the Word of God always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18).


All things don't work for good


Let us come back to the context of Romans 8:28. After you have prayed according to God, then you know that all things you have prayed about will work together for good.


We need to clarify here. If it were true that all things did work together for good, then you would have to say, "Adam sinned, but it worked together for good; so I guess my sin will work together for good." It wasn't God's will for Adam to sin. Neither is it God's will for you to sin. Your sins are not going to work together for good. You see how believers can take something that is true in its context and try to fit it in somewhere else where it doesn't belong. It is not only confusing but also a false truth. It is, infact, an error.


Working out our own salvation?


Paul said: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12, 13, NKJV, emphasis added).


Paul was not telling you to just work up your own plan of salvation. God has already given us His plan in Romans 10:


"... that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).


In the context, Paul was telling us to carry our salvation into effect. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then put it into action. If you have confessed that Jesus is Lord, then made Him the Lord of your life. If you haven't, then you have not put God's plan of salvation into effect.


Independent of circumstances of life


Paul said: "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content; ..." (Phil. 4:11).


This Verse has been quoted over and over again by people who don't believe in prosperity. They say, "After all, the apostle Paul said to just be content with whatever you have."


If you read the few Verses before and few Verses after Verse 11, you will notice that Paul was referring to the fact that the Philippians' care for him had flourished again. They had sent an offering to him again.


I believe Paul had leaned how to be independent of circumstances. Paul, in effect, said: "I have learned, in whatever state I find myself, I will be independent of circumstances of life."


God wants you and me to operate independent of life. That is good news.


Conclusion


If you study the Bible diligently, you will discover that God's Word is good news. Never ever take Scriptures out of context and turn it into bad news.