Jesus is the Good News for a World Full of Death

GCD Newsletter – Monday, June 6, 2022

Near the end of John’s gospel, he tells us his purpose in writing: “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

These days, I definitely feel the need for the life that Jesus brings. There has been so much death in the world. There were shootings in a grocery store in Buffalo. There were shootings in an elementary school—an elementary school!—in Texas. In the wake of the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, all sorts of insanity broke out. (In fact, we had an article about this last week from Tim Shorey, one of our staff writers). There’s a war in Ukraine. Death is everywhere, it seems.

And consider the brokenness in the church. Many of us have been shocked by the report published on the largest protestant denomination in the world, a report that outlines hundreds of cases of sexual abuse among church leaders and the attempts to cover it up. On a more local level, I can mention that at the church where I am a pastor, in the last six months, I’ve attended and led the same number of funerals as in the previous five years.

But we can be encouraged that John was not unaware of the death in our world. It is this world, our broken world, a world full of death, that God so loved and gave his Son. In giving us his Son, God offers us life in his name—even abundant life, the kind of life that is truly life, a life that begins now and goes on forever. And that is good news I certainly need to hear. Maybe you do too.

Last Week at GCDiscipleship.com

Is the Church Ready for a Post-Roe America? by Tim Shorey | “Given my pro-life convictions,” writes Shorey, one of GCD’s staff writers, “it may surprise you that the recent Roe v. Wade news has left me ambivalent. I cannot help wondering whether the church is ready for all that will come with getting that for which we have so long fought.”

The Lord Is Their Shepherd by Brianna Lambert | In this post from one of our staff writers, Lambert reminds us that our children don’t depend on us, not ultimately. Through every time out, 2:00 a.m. feeding, and family Bible time, their true shepherd is guiding and forming them. This post is a good application of “the Lord is my shepherd,” specifically in the context of parenting.

Keep Looking Straight Ahead by Greg Harris | A sunny spring afternoon spent helping his daughter ride a bike provided a helpful image for Harris about our daily life as a disciple of Jesus.

Letters to the Editor

We’d love to hear from you. Please send me feedback about our articles (or anything else!) at Benjamin@GCDiscipleship.com. And if you’ll allow us, we’ll share your comments in future emails.

Advertisements & Announcements

We often end each newsletter plugging one of our many resources. This week I’d like to mention the GCD Writers’ Guild. Every time I open the Writers’ Guild app on my phone, it seems like there are more and more conversations happening that relate to what we all go through as writers.

A few days ago, Australian pastor and writer Chris Thomas asked the group what we have learned from our collaboration with other writers on co-authored projects. True, it’s a super niche question. But it’s the writerly stuff that no one talks about but us writers think about often. We’d love to have you join the conversations.

Thanks for reading,

Benjamin Vrbicek
Managing Editor for Gospel-Centered Discipleship