“He has anointed me to proclaim good news. . . .”

— Luke 4:18

As I sat with a group of pastors in a Central American country, I found myself deeply convicted by their stories. They had come from a tradition that focused on knowing Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. This was a good thing. But as these pastors had worked with our partners in their community, they had also begun to realize that the gospel (the “good news”) is far bigger than individual transformation. The work of Jesus touches every part of our broken world: creation, relationships, justice, finance, political power, and more.

As these pastors embraced a wider Christian worldview, their ministries began to change. They invited people to wonder how Jesus might care for the poor and the oppressed people in their midst. They also spoke prophetically against political systems in their country that treated many people unjustly.

As these pastors shared about their experiences, I could see the joy in their eyes. But they also spoke of growing persecution. Earlier, no one had cared if they just spoke about having a personal faith. Now that they were calling for the rich to share with the poor, for the powerful to care for the weak, and for the wrongly imprisoned to be set free, they were becoming a threat to the powers in their society.

To share the good news means bearing witness that Jesus came to bring peace and to right the wrongs of this hurting world.

Jesus, you care for the poor and oppressed; help us to do that as we witness for you. Amen.