Good News That’s Not Fake News!

By Wade Trimmer Published on December 22, 2017

‘Fake news’ has been named Collins Dictionary’s official Word of the Year for 2017.

The term was popularized by now President Donald Trump. Its usage is said to have risen by 365 per cent since 2016.

The dictionary definition of the term is “false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting.”

Too much reporting today is of the fake, or bad news, type. In part, that’s because the fake, the bad, suspenseful, sensational, and tragic sells. Meanwhile, the good, beautiful, true, and triumphant news is treated as unimportant and uninteresting.

The answer is found in the historical Christmas Advent. Not in Santa Claus, but in the good news.

Most of the news agencies in our country have an obvious leftward bias. In their zeal to damage, derail, and even depose President Trump by impeachment, they have abandoned objectivity. Factually inaccurate and inflammatory hit pieces are released daily. Most rely on anonymous sources or leaks, which are presented as “breaking” news.

Call it misinformation, fake news, junk news or deliberate deception, the stuff has been around since the garden of Eden. But today’s technologies, with their infrastructures for uploading, commenting, liking and sharing, have created an almost ideal environment for manipulation and abuse.

What’s the ultimate solution for “fake” or “bad news” reporting?

The answer to fake news is the good news announced at Advent and Christmas. 

Luke 2:10-11, “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”

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Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

The startling announcement made almost two thousand years ago to those lowly shepherds was one of “glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” The announcement is a “Gospel.” It’s News that stays news — and it’s always good. Christianity didn’t come into the world on the editorial page — it isn’t merely another topic for our philosophical or cynical evaluations. It is good news from God in the face of bad news about men.

The Good News

Imagine a scene where many people are trapped in a burning building, with no apparent way of rescue or escape. However, behind closed doors, firemen have planned a daring rescue attempt. Suddenly,the rescuers break through. People begin to escape. The news spreads like wildfire: “There is a way out! There is a way out! Follow the markers; there is a tunnel to freedom.” In times of great danger, a bringer of good news is better than a great philosopher.

The word “gospel” comes from an Anglo-Saxon word that means good, merry, glad, and joyful tidings, that makes a man’s heart glad. The Bible reveals that the gospel of God is a good news announcement of total victory, great power, and endless provision. People living in Jesus’ day would quickly recognize and understand the “gospel” because it was “a technical term for “news of victory.”

It’s time for all followers of Christ to arise and shine, for our Light has come!

The “good news” or gospel isn’t behavior modification. It’s not, first of all, the news of becoming a better person or learning to become more moral. It’s not taking the life of Jesus as a model way to live or transforming/redeeming the secular realm.

The “good, life-altering news” is that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, lived a sinless life under the Law, died for sinners and rose again to reconcile them to himself. He is eternally victorious over every enemy that stands between God and man. Now, because of this redemptive work, there is nothing that separates those who believe from their Creator and the benefits that He promises.

News to be Shared

The good news for the people of God personally, and the good news that needs to be proclaimed publicly, is found in Isaiah 60:1-3,

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

It’s time for all followers of Christ to arise and shine, for our Light has come! We must begin to live in the light of the Sun of Righteousness. We must refocus our attention from what’s coming upon the world to Him who has already come into the world. We must expect the name of God to be honored more gloriously, the kingdom of God to come more fully, and the will of God to be done more freely.

Because the glory of the Lord is risen in Christ, we must expect God to arise through His empowered people and His enemies to be scattered and made His footstool. We should expect the God of peace to bruise Satan under our feet.

We must begin to go and tell, and give and pray like never before so that the gospel freely and powerfully spreads through Christ’s Church. So that disciples are made of all nations

This is truly Good News!

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