Good News OCTOBER 2023

CONTENTS
Fear Not
What’s Next?
THE GOOD NEWS
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3
A cause for fear? — Things we
have always considered safe activities
— going to school or
work, travelling, going
out with friends, or
going shopping —
now require a second
thought. Each day’s
news brings more information
about risks to our safety.
In times like these, it is reassuring
to know that someone is looking
out for our safety. Loved ones tell children,
‘don’t be afraid’, and do their
best to protect them from harm. Governments
and agencies work hard to
eliminate some sources of our fears.
Delaying the inevitable? — But
these efforts, even if perfectly successful,
can only serve to dull or delay
our fears — especially our fear of
death. That’s because easing the fear
of dying today does not deal with the
fear of dying tomorrow, or next week,
or next year. We cannot change the
fact that death is appointed to us all.
Many people will
spend their entire
lives dealing with various
fears — and possibly
even overcoming
some of them — only
to find they hadn’t dealt with what
should have been their greatest concern.
Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of
those who kill the body but cannot kill
the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One
who can destroy both soul and body
in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Jesus knew
that we often fear death, but He also
knew that there is something far
worse than death. Because we “have
sinned and fall short of the glory of
God” (Romans 3:23), our never-dying
souls are in danger of facing God’s
eternal judgement.

If anything causes us to fear,
that should!
Removing the biggest fear — But
in the Bible we also read how Jesus,
the Son of God, came to earth as a
man and died on Calvary’s cross, “that
by His death He might break the power
of him who holds the power of
death — that is, the devil — and free
those who all their lives were held in
slavery by their fear of
death” (Hebrews 2:14–15).
Jesus has provided the way of
victory over sin and death! He
summed it up well when He said, “I
am the resurrection and the life. The
one who believes in Me will live, even
though they die” (John 11:25). Even
when our life on earth is over, those
who trust Jesus Christ as their Saviour
will not face eternal separation from
God, but will live with Him, sharing His
blessings, for eternity!
Help for each need — Regardless
of what is going on in the world
around us, the Bible reminds God’s
children that: “For the Spirit God gave
us does not make us timid, but gives
us power, love and self-discipline” (2
Timothy 1:7). When we face life’s
troubles, Jesus will tell us the same
thing He told His disciples when they
were in a boat in the middle of a
storm-tossed sea: “Take courage! It is
I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).
Because God is able to work all things
together for the good of His children,
the Bible tells us 365 times to “fear
not”. That’s a reminder for every day
of the year!
Are you ready to let go of your
fears? — First, you need to enter into
a personal relationship with God
through Jesus Christ. To do this, you
must recognise that your sin separates
you from God, and turn to Him for salvation.
When you put your trust in Jesus,
He forgives all of your sins and
promises you an eternal home with
Him in Heaven. “For God so loved the
world that He gave His one and only
Son, that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal
life” (John 3:16).
Next, make it a priority to learn
more about how God cares for His
children by reading the Bible every
day. Someone once said, ‘Feed your
faith and your fears will starve to
death’. “And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Just when it seems that
things might start to get better, another
catastrophe strikes. How
should we react to all these
events? Will things keep getting
worse?
Don’t be surprised — First of
all, we shouldn’t be surprised
when natural disasters occur, or
when the evil contained in human
hearts pours out in violence, hate,
and suffering of all kinds. In fact,
much of what we see in the world
today was predicted long ago. Two
thousand years ago, Jesus said:
“You will hear of wars and rumours
of wars, but see to it that you are
not alarmed. Such things must
happen, but the end is still to
come. Nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be famines and
earthquakes in various places…
many will turn away from the faith
and will betray and hate each other…because
of the increase of
wickedness, the love of most will
grow cold” Matthew 24:6-12.
Don’t be uninformed — In
the Bible, God has provided
astounding details about future
events. Many prophecies were fulfilled
when Jesus was born (Isaiah
7:14; Micah 5:2), laid down His life
as a sacrifice for our sins (Isaiah
53:3-6), and rose triumphantly
from the dead (Psalm 16:10).
Other prophecies are yet to
be fulfilled. Some passages describe
the ‘last days’ when God’s
judgement will fall upon the earth,
dooming those who have rejected
God’s grace: “When the Lord Jesus
is revealed from heaven in blazing
fire with His powerful angels. He
will punish those who do not know
God and do not obey the gospel of
our Lord Jesus. They will be punished
with everlasting destruction
and shut out from the presence of
the Lord and from the glory of His
might” 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9.
Don’t be unprepared — We
have been warned ahead of time
because God wants us to be prepared.
He is “not wanting anyone
to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
P A G E 3
T H E
G O O D
N E W S

Through Jesus Christ, God has
provided the only way by which helldeserving
sinners like us can have our
sins washed away. The Bible tells us
that Jesus conquered sin and death
when He paid the price for “our sins in
His body on the cross” (1 Peter 2:24)
and “was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians
15:4).
In order to be ready to face God,
you must realize that your best is not
good enough: “for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God” (Romans
3:23). Turn to God, and simply trust
what Jesus has done for you. “God so
loved the world that He gave His one
and only Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish but have eternal
life” (John 3:16).
Don’t be troubled — Trusting Jesus
does not mean that trouble will
never come our way. But no matter
what we go through, His promise is
true: “Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). When we
ask God to take the weight of our burden,
we discover that “the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
So when wave after wave of
frightening events scroll across our
screens and spill into our lives, we don’t
need to fear. We can confidently trust
the One who holds the future in His
hands to be with us in every present trial.
As believers, we can also look forward
to the never-ending day when
every tear will be wiped away and we
will spend a joyous eternity in His presence.
“I have told you these things, so
that in Me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the
world” (John 16:33).
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