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The Real (and Only) Message

As a kid, I drank many cans of “Tang” orange flavored crystals. I loved this highly sugared, fake orange juice. Oddly enough, I hated real orange juice! I could not even stand to taste a drop of it, but I would drink “Tang” by the bucketful.
Now that I am older, that has completely reversed. Now I like real orange juice and I cannot even recall the last time I drank a glass of “Tang”.
It is sort of strange that anyone would prefer an imitation to the real thing, but it happens all the time. In fact, it happens all the time in Spiritual things. All you have to do is spend 10 minutes watching “Christian TV” or “Televangelists” to realize that.
I cannot stand most of those programs, because I constantly want to argue with what they are saying. Some of it sounds true and right, but most of it is an artificial message created to sound like the real thing. In fact, the problem is so bad that now the real message of the Bible is the one that sounds strange and odd. We have become so accustomed to the wrong message the truth is shocking.
Take, for example, the message that the shepherds heard when Christ was born. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Notice the words: Good news, great joy, Saviour and peace. Do you think those are the words that most people associate with the Christian message these days? I doubt it! Somehow, we seem to have changed the “Good news” into “Bad news” in the minds of many.
Later in that same passage we are told that this offer of salvation and peace is “prepared in the sight of all people, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2: 31-32). For the “Gentiles” and for “Israel” means it was an offer for everyone! The “Good News” is not just for the “nice”, “good”, “righteous” or “churchy” people. This message is for everyone. Think of anyone (even yourself) and the invitation to come and find peace and salvation applies.
The real message from God in no way compares to the silliness of the messages that we often make up on his behalf.
Please do not reject faith until you have heard the real message of God.

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