When someone says, I have some good news and bad news to share with you, which do you prefer to hear first? Studies have shown that most people prefer to hear the bad news first, then the good news because it will leave them with a positive attitude. The young church in Colossae became the target of heretical attacks. Epaphras (a leader of the church) traveled to Rome to update Paul, who was in prison, about the condition of the church. In response, Paul wrote a letter of encouragement providing them with an understanding of the gospel.
So what is the gospel? How is the gospel to impact our lives, churches, communities and the world? Very often we view the gospel as a set of imperatives when it is really a narrative of God’s story of good news for humanity found in the person of Jesus. Humanity has experienced the bad news of fear, isolation and hopelessness. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has announced the good news of His provision of forgiveness—a family and a future.