By Waylon Bailey
I have good news and bad news.
We smile at that statement, but we know that the statement is true.
There is always bad news. As long as “Satan is alive and well” and as long as we struggle with our old sinful nature, there will be plenty of bad news.
But, I also have good news, and it is really good.
Last week I read a post by Joel Rosenberg, best selling novelist and committed follower of Christ.
Joel Rosenberg is Jewish and believes in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. Last week, he reported what is going on among the Jewish people.
First, you need a little background. In 1967 (the time of the Six-Day War), there was a reported 2,000 Jewish followers of Jesus worldwide.
Last year, Lifeway Research reported 871,000 followers of Christ among Jewish people in America. Joel Rosenberg says that 30,000 Israelis are Christians as well plus all those in Europe and around the world. In total, Rosenberg now estimates 1 million Jewish followers of Christ.
This is wonderful news. Rosenberg often answers the question (he says he loves to be asked this) how he can be Jewish and believe in Jesus. He says the first time he was asked the question he was being interviewed in upstate New York on a rock radio station. When the host learned he was Jewish and a Christian, he asked, “Dude! How can you be Jewish and believe in Jesus?”
Joel Rosenberg said, “It’s the most natural thing in the world–Jewish people believing in the Jewish Messiah.”
It’s also natural for non-Jews as well.
Jesus is the hope of the world. God sent His Son to redeem lost humans. His death for our sin and His resurrection from the dead provides the way to peace, hope, and life–life now and life for eternity.
When I think of eternal life, I now think more of quality than quantity. To live with Christ is to experience redemption and wholeness. It is to have access to peace, joy, and love. It is to live in close relationship with the God who created me and loves me. And, I get to do this for all eternity!
In short, Christ is our hope.
I thank God for what He has done for you and me.
Waylon Bailey is senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Covington. This editorial first appeared in his blog.
