We live in a world that gives very little good news. If you turn on the television, open a newspaper or look at an internet feed, you will find that most of the news is depressing, negative and hostile. In fact, our world suffers from ‘compassion fatigue’. Compassion fatigue is a result of a news cycle that never stops and is always trying to sensationalize what is new. Compassion fatigue happens slowly over time.

In the same way, most people reading this live in the United States of America. We have a

rich Christian heritage. As I write this I live in Dallas/Fort Worth. In our area, we have some of the largest churches in the country. In a radius of 30 miles, you can see some of the best preachers, hear the greatest music and enjoy multimillion-dollar, state of the art facilities. Yet, most of the metroplex is without Jesus.

The combination of compassion fatigue and an oversaturation of the Gospel has turned the

‘good news’ into just news. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says it like this, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Satan has worked diligently to blind people from the truth of the Gospel. And it is not just Satan working against people, their own dead nature is at work as well,

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned: (1 Corinthians 2:14)

Therefore, when Christ died on the cross, the regenerative power of the Gospel became a

possibility. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and to the Greek.” If anyone can see the Gospel as accurate and correct, they need God to reveal it to them. This requires God to call them to Himself, “but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24) God must remove the Satanic roadblocks and the individuals own fleshly nature to reveal the Gospel or ‘good news’ to them. Therefore, when God calls a person, they must respond. He is under no obligation to do it again.

Reflections:

Have you ever experienced compassion fatigue?

Has the Good news become news to you? Why?

By Kris Segrest