"'The time has come,' he
(Jesus) said. 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and
believe the good news!'" (Mark 1:15, NIV2)
In our day and age it is very hard to believe in good news. Politicians proclaim
it, but it results in either tax hikes or strikes. At work, good news generally
means more work. Also, most good news items via the phone or from door to door
merchants or online are shams. "Good news" is generally faced with suspicion.
There must be a catch.
A few years ago while I was attending seminary, I went to see Nicky Cruz in
Geneva, Switzerland. I can still remember most of what he said, even though I
had a hard time understanding his Brooklyn accent. He was full of fire for the
Lord, and his testimony blew my mind.
He used to be a warlord of Mau Maus, one of the most vicious and brutal gangs in
New York City. At that time Nicky didn't want to have any connection with
Christianity. He lived in his own little world of crime, and he was highly
esteemed among his gang members.
One day though, a simple country preacher from rural Pennsylvania showed up on
his streets. This preacher, David Wilkerson by name, had heartily given up his rural life
in Pennsylvania to face the very doors of hell, reaching out to those who seemed
unredeemable: criminals, thieves, crooks, liars...all because God had told him
to do so.
Nicky and his gang mocked this preacher. They ridiculed him on every possible
occasion. They cursed him, humiliated him, yelled in his face, still David kept
on coming back, day after day. The Mau Maus could have easily killed him, but he
never showed any fear. He was on a mission for God, and no one could stop him,
for God was more real to David than anything else. After all, His Heavenly
Father had given him this mission for a reason. He knew without a doubt that His
Father would protect him.
For some reason Nicky was attracted to this preacher. Even though he despised
any notion of God, he found that David had guts, something that he admired, and
David's courage amidst danger is what motivated Nicky to attend his service that
night.
That night God's Spirit convicted Nicky, and he found himself bawling his eyes
out in front of strangers-and even some of his gang members. He surrendered to
God and welcomed the Good News of the Kingdom that was preached. He not only
became an ardent believer of the Most High, He joined the ministry, and now he
travels to inner cities all around the world to reach out the unreachables: the
criminals, the thieves, the crooks, the prostitutes…
Nicky will always remember the ardent love David bestowed to those who were
lost, and now he has that same passion: to bring hope to the hopeless, light
amidst darkness. He is the one who knows what living in hell means, and he will
follow God wherever He leads. God has become his only focus, and he can't help
but testify about how God saved him from the slums on New York City (See
http://nickycruz.org/ ). Through him, many hardened criminals have given their
life to Jesus, and every one of them is now ardently serving the Lord, free from
the bonds of their past and overjoyed by the presence of the Most High.
This is what happens when we realize the Good News of the Kingdom. We are not
only saved, we are filled with a passion to serve our loving God and testify
about what He did for us.
Are you on fire for the Lord? If not, spend time with Him. You won't be able to
remain indifferent. Experiencing His love will change all that!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.