“The heart of the Christian gospel is the story of a God who, in an act of supreme self-emptying, humbled Himself to the point of bearing our shame. It is the ultimate loss of face. His crucifixion was utterly unfair and unjust. He is the one true Innocent who willingly endures a death reserved for the most shameful criminals. And it is this very path of self-emptying that He offers to us as the way of salvation.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“In the end, experiencing the Gospel begins in our heart and makes its way outwards in a way that’s appropriate to each of us. This is why, although this means variety, it also means that love and humility are common to all. Without these two attributes there’s no real spirituality and true experience of God.” (Fr. Andreas Agathokleous)
“The good news of the Gospel is that the compassion of the Lord extends even to the most miserable human being, and even to us on the worst days of our lives. Rather than merely observing human suffering and letting us bear the consequences of our actions, the Father sent the Son to enter into our personal brokenness, into our distorted and disintegrated world, in order to heal us, to stop us from weeping, and to liberate us from slavery to the fear of death through His glorious resurrection. The Savior touched the funeral bier and the dead man arose. Christ’s compassion for us is so profound that He Himself took on a body susceptible to death, entered a tomb, and descended to Hades, the shadowy place of the dead, because—purely out of love for humankind—He refused to leave us to self-destruction.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)
“Christ instructed us to spread the gospel, but He also healed every soul he encountered that sought healing. We are to do both. Nearly everyone healed by Christ became a believer. We are not to spread the gospel only through the power of the word or through teaching, but through our presence, love, mercy, and affirmation. For the parish setting, healing is not only an individual act, but a communal one. Also, healing is not merely a restorative act. It is also evangelistic.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)
“For beauty is at the heart of our faith. The Christian gospel is not of an abstract salvation known by doctrine alone, but the coming of divine beauty itself into our “injured flesh” (as Chris Rice puts it in his music), the realm of time and space where the bent world groans for healing. Jesus showed us the full glory of God’s eternal and unchanging loveliness in what Balthasar calls the “strange and terrible beauty” of the cross, where the true generosity of love was seen in its glory.” (Sarah Clarkson)
“The gospel is the report of the victory of God achieved by Jesus Christ over the hostile spiritual powers arrayed against humanity…The true gospel, the story of Christ’s victory, begins with Yahweh, God the Son, descending from the glory He shared with the Father eternally (John 17:5) to be made man. The incarnate Son of God then waged war against the hostile spiritual powers oppressing humanity, against the power of sin, and against death itself. Arising victorious, He ascended back to His former estate, bearing with Him our shared humanity, and is enthroned in the heavens over a Kingdom without end.” (Fr. Stephen De Young)
“Something has power when it can produce an effect on something else. The degree to which it acts on its object is the degree to which it has power…The Gospel has this kind of innate capability… Paul calls the Gospel, “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes (1 Thessalonians 1:16). So, when Paul says the Gospel “came in power,” he is saying that as the Word of God it was mighty in performing its mission. It was successful in producing its effects. It created the conviction of faith that results in the salvation of its hearers. But why would the Gospel, or any Word spoken by God, have this effect? Surely, the power is not in the words themselves. The Gospel was “not in words only” as if Paul was a magician with a magical formula. No, the third point is that the Gospel was proclaimed “in the Holy Spirit” (vs. 5). That is, the Holy Spirit inspired it. The words themselves can and do change with the speaker and the circumstances. But the Holy Spirit speaks within the words just as a flutist uses the flute as an instrument to sound her intended melody.” (Fr. Basil)
“Today, we are inundated with words as never before in human history; but alas! For the most part these are conspicuously not words uttered with power…At Bethany Christ used three words only: ‘Lazarus, come out’ (Jn 11:43); and yet these three words, spoken with power, were sufficient to bring the dead back to life. In an age when language has been shamefully trivialized, it is vital to rediscover the power of the word; and this means rediscovering the nature of silence, not just as a pause in the midst of our talk, but as one of the primary realities of existence.” (Metropolitan Kallistos Ware)
“The power of the Gospel, while dwelling within, tends to flow outward, transfiguring every aspect of creation. Where we have not been individually or collectively responsive to the Gospel of justice, it may be partly because of our own reluctance to permit the power of the Word to move us to actions of faith… Some feel that it is not their responsibility to speak out to the world, to loved ones and family, to fellow workers and neighbors about the Good News. This kind of attitude has weakened the witness of the Royal Priesthood. But the Lord’s parables about hiding one’s lamp under a bushel, about salt losing its flavor, apply to all of us. Out of pure love for God and in thanksgiving, all baptized in the Lord should not resist the power of the Spirit within, and should bear witness in word and in action.” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)
“Every Christian community/parish has the potential to grow into this love that is ultimately the one true witness to the world of the transformative power of the Gospel…The Christian community, as the fellowship of those who suffer when one member suffers and rejoice together when one member is honored (1 Cor. 12:26), can be a witness to the transforming power of the Gospel, the reaffirmation that God’s love will triumph over “all sickness, sorrow, and sighing.” (Fr. Steven Kostoff, Fr. John Shimchick)
“This is an age of ideology. People divide themselves according to their allegiance to sets of dogmas and doctrines that dominate their thinking and their relationships. Many define themselves by the categories of left or right, red or blue, conservative or liberal, etc. In such an age, these social, political, and cultural theories set people against each other. But the Gospel is not an ideology. It is not a set of truths, or tenets that come from the human mind. As we see in today’s reading, the Gospel is the revelation of God’s mercy, the disclosure of His gracious will that we might be redeemed. It is not the teaching of some principles for believing and living. It is the story of our salvation, the narrative of the acts of God in history to redeem humankind and the response of persons to those events.” (Fr. Basil)
“Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). Reasoned (Gr. dialegomai) does not mean engaging in rational debate, for the proclamation of the Gospel is not about winning intellectual arguments. Rather, this term indicates speaking or conversing about truths, ideas, or things that have been witnessed The English word “dialogue” comes from the same root.”…Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:2.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Acts 17:2-3, NET Bible, Acts 17:2)
“You mustn’t wage your Christian struggle with sermons and arguments, but with true secret love. When we argue, others react. When we love people, they are moved and we win them over. When we love, we think that we offer something to others, but in reality we are the first to benefit.” (St. Porphyrios the Kapsokalivite)
“Christianity from the beginning was an outreach to all humanity with the good news that the Jewish Messiah had appeared, the Son of God born by the Holy Spirit and the pure Virgin Mary, in all ways both God and man. He came to save all humans from sin, ignorance and death through His life, crucifixion and resurrection. This truth of God’s plan for the world is neither myth nor philosophy, but anticipated by revelations to certain people before the nativity of Jesus the Christ and meant by God in Trinity to announce to all mankind everywhere on earth. Each person baptized into Christ is an agent of God in Christ. Each shares the awareness of God’s intention not through force or imposition but by inviting others to know Jesus. Like the Lord, we respect the freedom to choose salvation or to reject the joyous blessings of unity with the Father through Christ by the Holy Spirit.” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky)
“In a single sentence, it could be said that evangelization is everyone’s business, since it is every baptized Christian’s vocation to bear witness to what he or she has seen and heard, to speak of all the good that God has done in his or her life, to share the “Good News” of the Gospel in word and deed with everyone who will listen…While there is no “silver bullet,” there are indeed identifiable characteristics or attitudes of both churches and individuals that indicate the way of evangelism…A complete acceptance and belief in the Good News of Jesus Christ as we have received it…A broken and contrite heart…A new and right spirit…A profound attitude of gratitude to God…A genuine love of one’s neighbor.” (Father John Parker)
“Secular materialism, which is the pervasive mindset of the modern world, views religion as a human invention. The holy apostles present us with a very different view…The original Greek word evangelion, translated as “gospel” or “good news,”…It is indeed good news; the fulfillment of God’s earlier promises to the prophets; a message centered on Jesus Christ; a declaration of divine power to help us to gain eternal salvation; a disclosure of righteousness that God alone can give; and a transforming way of life for all who commit to faith in Christ.” (Dynamis 5/29/2018)
“The proclamation of the Kingdom of God was in no way the declaration of God’s secular goals for a better world. Christ specifically identifies the Kingdom with the actions of healing, cleansing, raising the dead, casting out demons. These things serve as examples of the character of the Kingdom. It is not the improvement of bad men, but the raising to life of dead men.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“One of the reasons why we have not succeeded in bringing the Gospel to many cultures is simply that we do not fully understand what Jesus Christ came to bring. We have turned the Good News into Good Advice.” (Francis MacNutt)
“The Gospel message is not simply that there is a Kingdom in the future, but that this kingdom of God has come near…The Gospels are not pleasant stories meant to delight us, but opportunities for reshaping our hearts and minds in every circumstance of this present, limited life.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 2 Corinthians 10:9, OCPM 7/25/2017)
“The goal of Gospel-based ministry is always to make us whole, to give us life – renewing and freeing our fallen and enslaved humanity.” (Dynamis 4/24/2018) “The gospel (“evangelion” in Greek) means “Good News”. It refers to the good news about God's love for the world.” (Father Alexander Veronis)
“The gospel is good news, not good advice...Here is why that is so important. Advice is counsel about what you must do. News is a report about what has already been done. Advice urges you to make something happen. News urges you to recognize something that has already happened and to respond to it.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“No wonder Christianity and Jesus’ message of salvation is called good news. It isn’t just good advice…it’s good news…It’s not declaring what we must do, but declaring what He has already done.” (Jefferson Bethke)
“In Mark 1:15 Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” His statement is packed with meaning. Fulfilled means completed. The law is fulfilled, not continued. There is no more legalism. The kingdom of God is at hand meaning it is present and continues to be present. It has broken through into our world. It is not simply a future state. Repent means to change, to do a “total about face” and radically reorient our hearts and minds so that they are centered in Christ. The Gospel is the good news of salvation and complete freedom. We are created out of love and we are free to choose. Nothing binds us except our wrong sense of self.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Mark 1:14-15, Sacramental Living Ministries)
“The gospel [good news] is all about God and what God has done. God introduces life into the world, and when we rebel, God saves us. When we sin against God, God pays for our sins. When we sin against one another, God gives the grace of restoration. This message is all about Him, not at all about what we can do or have earned for ourselves.” (Nabeel Qureshi)
“In the Greek language, the word for Gospel is Evangelion which means literally"the good news." The good news of…Christianity is a proclamation of God's unbounded and sacrificial love for mankind, as well as the revelation of the true destiny of the human person.” (Father Thomas Fitzgerald)
“Grief is lessened when we have an eternal center for our lives. The good news of the Bible is simply this: men and women may have a relationship with the eternal God through faith in Jesus Christ. Putting it another way, Jesus Christ Himself may become the hub of our entire life …” (Haddon W. Robinson)
“The word of God spread like ripples on a pond where, from a single center, each wave touches the next, spreading wider and farther. The Good News still spreads this way today. You don’t have to change the world single-handedly; it is enough just to be part of the wave, touching those around you, who in turn will touch others until all have felt the movement. Don’t ever feel that your part is insignificant or unimportant.” (Life Application Study Bible, Acts 6:7)
“Don’t be surprised if people can’t grasp the Good News. The Good News will seem foolish to those who forsake faith and rely on their own understanding.” (Life Application Study Bible, Ephesians 4:17)
"In countries that are nominally Christian or allegedly Christian it is very difficult for one to recapture the true meaning of the word and of the event of the Gospel. What is the Good News? What is new in it? What is good in it? Those of us who discovered the Gospel as a new life may perhaps feel that more intensely whether we are people of the East or people of the West. What is news? O, something very wonderful and very simple - it is life but only those who were ill can know what it means to be whole, only those who were dead can appreciate what it means to be alive.” (Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh)
"The Gospel is the good news that God became man in Jesus Christ...God stepped into the world by taking on human flesh. The religions of the world call men to ascend and work their way to God. Christianity explains that God came down to us.” (Rice Broocks)
“Secularism and Religion are both all about your personal performance. The Gospel is the performance of another applied to you.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
"There is something of a"Pharisee” in each one of us. We may unwittingly mistake upholding tradition, structure, and legal requirements for obeying God. Make sure the Gospel brings freedom and life, not [just] rules and ceremonies, to those you are trying to reach.” (Life Application Study Bible, Acts 15:1)
“Let us take care never to use our religious devotion as a way to hide from God! Confronted with the Gospel’s demands, we may gradually shift from faith in God to faith in mere devotional practices.” (Dynamis 9/26/2014)
"We are most comfortable with those who are just like us. Clearly, at the root of these tendencies is the ugly sin of prejudice. The more we understand the Gospel and embrace God’s version of the body of Christ, however, the more we will begin to transcend these differences.” (Life Application Study Bible, Acts 13:1)
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