May 1 The Gospel and the Flu

John 1  

In 1918 waves of influenza viruses swept through the military lines of the armies fighting in World War I to the civilian population across the globe. What's commonly referred to as "the Spanish Flu" is a misnomer. Spain was no more affected than any other European country, nor was it the source of the disease. This flu outbreak orphaned children, closed down schools and businesses, and left the nation without important services because of ill workers. An estimated 675,000 Americans died. And 25 million people across the globe died in just 25 weeks.

Airborne viruses are particularly deadly because they spread through casual contact with other people. You don't even have to touch them to get infected. A brief encounter with an infected person is enough to spread the virus.

At the very beginning of the Gospel of John we see how the gospel virus spread.  

John 1:41  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon, and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).

In that short verse you have the hope of the Western world. Notice that the "first thing" Andrew did was to share the good news with someone. He went out and enthusiastically and publicly shared his faith. The message he shared was very simple. Jesus is the Christ. The gospel message is all about finding a relationship with Jesus. This message is about Jesus and all the implications of him being Lord over our lives. 

Unless we get back to the gospel virus we are in trouble. The truth is most Christians never share their faith. They have been intimidated by the culture into remaining silent when it comes to Jesus. The result is that Christianity in the West is in a steep decline. A Jesus "viral" movement is the only hope. We must believe that all Christ followers have the capacity within themselves to share the Jesus virus with another person. You only need to be a Christ follower for an hour before you are qualified to share. And by us boldly and prayerfully sharing the message that Jesus is the Christ, we can start a gospel epidemic.

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"Multiplying leaders to change the world"