info@goodnewspress.us website: www.goodnewspress.
us November/December 2017
Why is the Gospel Message Good News?
With his final words before his ascen- to as the "Gospel," which means "good
sion, Jesus issued to his followers the news." Specifically, it is the good news
task of conveying his message to the about Jesuswho he is, what he has
world. Armed with this directive, the done, and what he offers. Essentially,
total number of Christians exploded the message is that Jesus was God in
from a mere 120 to over 3,000 within the flesh, that he came into the world to
the span of two weeks. By the end of reconcile humanity to himself, and that
the first century, an estimated one mil- his salvation is freely offered to each
lion people had responded to the Chris- person who will respond in faith.
tian message by becoming followers of
Furthermore, the Gospel message ex-
Jesus. Today, nearly two thousand
plains that salvation is only possible
years later, the Christian faith has
through the Crucifixion and Resurrec-
grown to become the largest faith in
tion of Jesus. Though thousands of
the world with over two billion adher-
books have been written about these
ents. Still, Christians continue to treat
events, the core idea is that, through his
Jesus' mandate seriously and persist in
sacrifice, Jesus paid the price for our
spreading his message far and wide.
sinfulness (rebellion against God), thus
offering us forgiveness. Then through
his Resurrection he conquered death,
What is this message, though, and why
removing it as the penalty for our sin
is it so important? Why have countless
and replacing it with the offer of eter-
Christians pledged and even given their
nal life.
lives in order to promote it?
Though the Christian Scriptures do
The Christian message is often referred
What Survey with Pastors Reveal In Retaining New Converts
Lifeway Research study reveals what church at least every six months
really mattered to retaining new con- to share the gospel with the un-
verts by Pastors. churched.
Here are some of their findings. 92 percent consistently hear re-
Among pastors of churches with the ports of church members engag-
most retained converts: ing in evangelistic conversations
and sharing their faith with non-
Christians.
93 percent say their church en- 68 percent offer classes for new
gages in ministry outside the attenders at least every six
contain a code of conduct as well as
doctrinal and theological statements,
the central message is more about plac-
ing faith in the person of Jesus than it
is about conforming to any code. The
primary emphasis of Christianity, then,
is to point people toward Jesus and the
salvation that is only available from
him.
The Christian Church has taken differ-
ent forms throughout the centuries, but
this central message has remained the
same. It binds all of Christendom to-
gether. Despite the various branches of
Christianity in the world todaymost
notably Roman Catholicism, Protes-
tantism, and Eastern Orthodoxythis
Gospel message acts as a unifying ele-
ment. Though adherents to the faith
include people from every walk of life,
this message binds them all together.
Throughout the Christian Church, this
message of salvation is considered to
be the hope of the world.
months.
66 percent ask people weekly to
commit to Christ following a per-
sonal presentation of the gospel.
57 percent block out time on
their calendar at least once a
week for the purpose of sharing
their faith with non-Christians
outside the church office.
Contd See Survey Next Page
Plan of Salvation:
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe
in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved.
A Message From Good News Press
The Christian message is often re-
ferred to as the "Gospel," which
means "good news." Specifically, it
is the good news about Jesuswho
He is, what He has done, and what
He offers. Essentially, the message
is that Jesus was God in the flesh,
that He came into the world to rec-
oncile humanity to Himself, and
that his salvation is freely offered to
each person who will respond in
faith. The Gospel message explains
that salvation is only possible
through the Crucifixion and Resur-
rection of Jesus. Through his sacri-
fice, Jesus paid the price for our sin-
fulness (rebellion against God), thus
offering us forgiveness. Then
through his Resurrection He con-
quered death, removing it as the
penalty for our sin and replacing it
with the offer of eternal life that is
only available from Him to all those
that place their faith in Him.
 Good News Press - Page 2
Hurricanes, Earthquakes & More
Are We Living In the End Times?
In recent weeks there were devastat-
ing hurricanes, wildfires in the West,
solar flares, earthquakes, and a solar
eclipse. Many have been devastated
and homes, businesses, and lives have
tell our neighbors been lost. People are wondering what
Partner With Us in Sharing the does all of this mean and are these
Good News of Jesus Christ to our about the Good
News of Jesus signs.
Community! Christ and reap
Good News Press is a Christian outreach eternal rewards. In Matthew 24, Jesus disciples asked
publication in the San Francisco Bay Area. him what would be the sign of his
Good News Press coming and the end of the world?
This popular high-quality, newspaper, in- believes that this
forms and inspires believers, as well as Jesus responded in Matthew 24:
commission begins es, and earthquakes, in divers places.
plant seeds into the hearts of men and in our own back-
women. Matt. 24:3-8 8 All these are the beginning of sor-
yards. There are 3And as he sat upon the mount of rows.
Good News Press covers world, national, more than 7 Mil- Olives, the disciples came unto him
and local religious news and events, and lion people in the Bay Area. We want to privately, saying, Tell us, when shall According to Jesus and these scrip-
features inspiring Christian articles and in- share the good news, and bring to them the these things be? and what shall be the tures false christs, wars and rumors of
sights. It is available, both digitally online love of Jesus Christ. sign of thy coming, and of the end of wars, earthquakes, pestilences, and
and in full-color printed format. Urgency We believe that these are the the world? famines would be the beginning of a
Christian newspapers reach a targeted audi- last days and that Jesus Christ is soon to 4 And Jesus answered and said unto time that would eventually usher in a
ence-specifically a family oriented, audi- return. them, Take heed that no man deceive tribulation period followed by the
ence, with strong loyalties and convictions. Good News Press is produced by Baron & you. second coming of Jesus Christ. All
Why Support Good News Press Connie Woods. Support Our Work by Call- 5 For many shall come in my name, those that placed their faith in him as
Fulfill the Great Commission! Help us us ing Our Ads, Placing an ad, or by giving. saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive Lord and Savior would be saved and
many. live an eternity with him.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and ru-
mours of wars: see that ye be not Romans 10:9
Billy Graham Team Sends Chaplains to troubled: for all these things must That if thou shalt confess with thy
come to pass, but the end is not yet. mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
Santa Rosa to Assist Victims of Wildfires 7 For nation shall rise against nation, in thine heart that God hath raised him
and kingdom against kingdom: and from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
there shall be famines, and pestilenc-
The Billy Graham Rapid Re- Rapid Response Team continues
sponse Team has deployed to work in five areas of Texas
chaplains to the Santa Rosa, (Houston, Pearland, Rockport, Survey contd from Front Page
Calif., area to offer hope and Santa Fe and Victoria) following sions.
comfort to those who have been Hurricane Harvey and two areas 51 percent attend training on
displaced by the massive and of Florida (Key West and Na- personal evangelism at least eve-
The full article and research can be
deadly wildfires. ples) following Hurricane Irma. ry six months. found at:
Ministry has been completed in 26 percent have a higher percentage http://lifewayresearch.com/2017/08/28
"The images we've seen are Fort Myers and in shelters of the churchs budget (30 percent or /when-it-comes-to-evangelism-the-
grim and shocking, and yet they throughout both states. Chap- more) given to evangelism and mis-
small-things-really-matter/
don't even begin to provide the lains who live in Puerto Rico
full context for the suffering continue to reach out to their
that is taking place as so many churches and communities fol-
have had their lives turned up- lowing the devastating impact
side down in the blaze," said of Hurricane Maria. Finally, Billy
Jack Munday, international di- Graham Rapid Response Team
rector of the Billy Graham Rapid chaplains are also in Las Vegas
Response Team. "When people following last week's shooting.
are evacuated they lose their
safety net and comfort zone. In All told, some 380 crisis-trained
many cases, they don't know if chaplains have rotated into
they'll ever see that piece of these deployments dating back
themselves again, or if they'll to Hurricane Harvey's landfall in
return to an ash-covered slab. late August. They have prayed
Our chaplains will share the with and comforted more than
hope and comfort of Jesus in 24,000 people during that time.
the midst of the pain."
For more information on the
It is anticipated that the initial ministry, including videos, pho-
effort will include ministry in tos, news articles and an inter-
shelters and alongside churches active map of former and cur-
in the impacted areas. rent deployments, visit
www.billygraham.org/rrt. Up-
The deployment to California is dates can also be found at
the latest in a two-month span www.facebook.com/RRTChaplai
that has seen an unprecedented ns.
series of natural and man-made
disasters. The Billy Graham
Good News Press - Page 3

Try These Healthier Holiday Cooking Tips

A generation or two ago, people ate
more food with a lot of fat, but they
still weighed less than people weigh
today. It was probably because they
were involved in physical work instead
of sitting at a desk. Or maybe they ate
less every day. Whatever the cause,
tweaking Grandmas recipes is a great
idea.
Some examples:
Refrigerate the gravy and scoop off
the hardened fat before reheating
and serving.
Use less bread in turkey dressing
and more onions, garlic, celery,
and vegetables. Moisten with
chicken broth and applesauce.
Make mash potatoes with skim
milk, chicken broth, garlic powder,
and Parmesan cheese instead of
whole milk and butter. Some reci-
pes call for fat-free sour cream.
Try a new recipe for eggnog; four
bananas, 1 1/2 cups skim milk, 1 1/2
cups plain nonfat yogurt, 1/4 tea-
spoon rum extract and some
ground nutmeg. Puree the ingredi-
ents and sprinkle the nutmeg on
top.
For dessert, make pumpkin pie
using two egg whites for each
whole egg and replace cream with
fat-free evaporated milk. Replace
heavy cream in cheesecakes and
cream pies with evaporated milk.
Top cakes with powdered sugar,
fresh fruit or fruit sauce.
Remove the skin from roasted tur-
key before eating it or placing it on
a serving dish.

Family Support Services

Are You a Caregiver who is taking care of a relatives or friends
child? Family Support Services offers assistance to Kinship and
Guardianship Families, as well as foster services.
For more info: (510) 834-2443. Ext. 3008
 Good News Press - Page 4

The Equifax Scandal and the Need for a New Identification System
By Todd Strandberg cards issued to
me expired with-
Last month, Equifax announced out use.
that it had suffered a cyber- I dont connect
security breach; where cyber- well with the $65
criminals accessed approximate- trillion credit that
ly 145.5 million U.S. Equifax con- people have built
sumers personal data. I didnt up. For me, going
think much about the breach until out on the town
a couple of weeks later, when my involves a trip to
online bank had a huge banner Texas Road-
warning that I was one of the house; which has
Equifax consumers. to be limited to
If someone had asked me who is once or twice a
Equifax, my best guess would be month because of
that it is some antiquated compa- my cholesterol.
ny that makes Fax machines. It My biggest con-
turns out that Equifax is one of sumer purchase
the largest consumer credit- of the year was a
reporting agencies in the world. It $250 comforter
tracks credit history on over 800 from Macys.
million individual consumers and
more than 88 million businesses
worldwide. Experian and There have been
TransUnion are the two other many credit
firms in the trinity of credit man- breaches in recent
agement, and they both have years. In 2013,
around 200 million consumers. hackers got into the Target would all fit on a single thumb sue a new cryptographic key
The CEO of Equifax, Richard Corps financial database and drive. every time a person creates a
Smith, was called before two compromised at least 40 million new transaction.
House and Senate Committees cards. In 2014, Home Depot had
to explain why his firm had suf- a major breach affecting people The Equifax scandal has Wash-
fered such a huge data breach. who used payment cards on its ington questioning the security of The key can make the transmit-
While lawmakers were chewing self-checkout terminals. Just last our ID system. The Wall Street ting of data safe, but it needs to
out Smith, the IRS was in the week, the fast food giant, Sonic, Journal and Bloomberg news be placed in a safe location. The
process of awarding Equifax with said that credit and debit card both reported that the Trump ad- human body seems to be the on-
a non-bid contract to help vali- numbers may have been ac- ministration is exploring ways to ly logical choice. The amazing
date the identity of taxpayers quired as part of a malware at- replace the Social Security num- prediction made 2,000 years ago
communicating with the agency, tack at some Sonic locations. ber with a safer system, based is rapidly becoming a necessity.
on the telephone or through its The company did not disclose on modern technology. Rob And he causeth all, both small
website. Just as large banks are which locations or the specific Joyce, the White Houses cyber- and great, rich and poor, free and
time frame of the incident.
too big to fail, big credit is too big security coordinator, said that bond, to receive a mark in their
to assail. I dont understand the complexi- one possibility is using crypto- right hand, or in their foreheads:
ties of how credit card infor- graphic keys, or a combination of And that no man might buy or
mation is stolen. I do know that long random numbers, to unlock sell, save he that had the mark,
I read in the news reports that the basic problem is because of personal data. The merit of such or the name of the beast, or the
Equifax, Experian, and TransUn- two factors: speed and the mod- numbers is that they could be re- number of his name. Here is wis-
ion are required by law to give ern ability to store vast amounts voked once they are found to be dom. Let him that hath under-
everyone a free credit report of information. In the early days compromised, he explained. standing count the number of the
once a year. I was wondering if of the internet, it would take If you issued an ID code that is beast: for it is the number of a
there was a Nigerian version of those cybercriminals several 50 places long, there is obviously man; and his number is Six hun-
myself, who might be flying to the years to transmit the records of no way for you to remember this dred threescore and
Swiss Alps for wild shopping 154 million consumers, and they sequence of characters. The six (Revelation 13:16-18).
sprees in the finest stores in Z- would need a truckload of floppy shortfall of a cryptographic key is
rich and Bern. It turns out that I disks to store all that data. To- needing to track who is receiving Todd Strandberg
died around 2009. My current day, you can transfer the Social your information in a transaction. Website: RaptureReady
consumer statements all show Security numbers of every Ameri- To maintain security, a central www.raptureready.com
zero activity. The last three credit can in a few minutes, and they system will need to track and is-
 Good News Press - Page 5
Behind the Scenes at the Super
Bowl
Super Bowl week is full of meet-
By Bill Wilson ings and activities conducted by
Christians. For example, Tony
The NFL often criticized for play- Dungys organization, All Pro
ers who do bad things. Its all Dads presents an All Pro Dad of
over the news when an NFL play- the Year award during Super
er does something wrong. What Bowl week at its Faith, Family
most people dont know is that and Football breakfast. This
the NFL has programs, services years recipient is Troy Vincent,
and resources available to their NFL Executive Vice President of
players to assist them in doing Football Operations.
the right thing, in having a career
after their NFL playing experi-
ence, and being role models to a He played 15 years in the NFL
society whose children need and is the only NFL player to be
someone to look up to. awarded all four of the NFL char-
acter awards the Walter Payton
Man of the Year Award, the
In reality, if a player is fortunate Whizzer White NFL Man of the
enough to make it to the NFL, Year award, the Bart Starr Man of
there is no reason in the world the Year Award. In addition, NFL
that he cannot be a success in players and their families worship
life. I know. Part of what I do in- the Lord in the annual Super Bowl
volves strategic character and Gospel Celebration.
leadership development for the
NFL. The vast majority of NFL
players are successful, positive This year, the Bart Starr award
contributors to society. went to Matthew Slater of the
Behind all the glamour at the Su- New England Patriots. This award
per Bowl are meeting after meet- is presented by Athletes in Action,
ing focusing on character devel- the sports ministry of Campus
opment-most of which are con- Crusade for Christ. It goes to the
ducted by Christian men and NFL player who best exemplifies
women who care. The NFL outstanding character and in the
stresses and encourages good home, on the field and in the
character and excellence. We see community. Slaters father, Jack-
this in its Walter Payton Man of ie, also won the award.
the Year Awardto the player Awards such as these are just
who exemplifies character and indicators of how the NFL and
excellence both on and off the football in general promotes lead-
field. ership and character among its
players and coaches. Its real
easy to find offense if you are
All of the 32 teams nominate a looking for it, and the news media
player who does outstanding does a good job pointing those
work in the community and is a things out. But lets not ignore the
role model to fans-young and old, positive things that people do, in-
alike. The nominees each receive cluding football players, who
donations of $5,000 in their name many will say that they are 1 Co-
to a charity of their choice rinthian 10:32 men-in whatsoever
(usually their own foundation that they do, they do all to the glory of
does great work in the communi- God.
ty). The winner is awarded
$50,000 for charity work.
Many NFL players are Christians.

Scoffers Will Come By Howard Green
On March 27th of 1980, there was a
small eruption of Mt. St. Helens in
Washington state. The volcano
rumbled awake after a one hundred
year sleep. In the weeks to follow, a
series of small earthquakes warned
of the danger building below the
surface of the mountain. Federal
and local government officials alert-
ed the public to the growing threat
and said a large-scale eruption was
imminent.
Many tourists, backpackers, camp-
ers, and local residents heeded the
warnings and complied with evacu-
ation orders. There were dozens of
others who decided to ignore and
even scoff at the warnings about
the growing danger and chose to
stay in harms way. On May 18th,
1980 at 8:32 am. Mt. St. Helens
erupted ferociously, sending a pyro-
clastic blast and a wall of super-
heated gas and ash racing down
the sides of the mountain at over
300 mph.
In the wake of the volcanos fury, 57
people lost their lives because they
either ignored or scoffed at the
warnings of impending danger. The
Bible tells us about a time when
scoffers will mock people who warn
others about coming of the Lord.
2 Peter 3:3-4 Knowing this first of
all, that scoffers will come in the last
days with scoffing, following their
own sinful desires. They will say,
Where is the promise of his com-
ing? For ever since the fathers fell
asleep, all things are continuing as
they were from the beginning of
creation.
The word scoffer denotes a person
who is engaged in the act of jeer-
ing, scorning or mocking. In this
case, the Bible warns us about peo-
ple who will be scoffing at the possi-
bility of the Lords soon return.
Please take note of the fact that the
Bible zeroes in on a particular time
in history. Peter warned that these
people will be around in the last
days. Another key aspect of these
people is the fact that they are fol-
lowing their own sinful desires. The
Bible tells us that these people will
mockingly ask, Where is the prom-
Good News Press - Page 6
ise of his coming? If a pastor or a Bible teacher you
I have been around for awhile and learn from ignores this subject,
Ive observed some non-Christians chances are high they are doctri-
mock the notion of Gods coming nally flawed in other areas. Ignor-
judgment and Jesus soon return. ing or scoffing at Bible prophecy
They will call God a mean cosmic should be a big red flag and I
bully, a manmade illusion, or a sky would advise you go elsewhere for
fairy. I watched a guy throw my Bi- biblical instruction and find a godly
ble across a room as he cursed at it servant who teaches the whole
and called it fake. While that level of truth.
animosity isnt the norm, there is
still the widespread denial of the When I became a Christian in the
Bibles authority. mid-1980s, there was a great deal
of interest in all things relating to
Bible prophecy. End-time books
Television, radio, and social media were everywhere, many churches
are brimming with people who scoff taught on this subject with regulari-
at the idea that Jesus is coming ty, and it was a big topic among
again. My heart goes out to these Christian friends. Here we are dec-
people because they are not the ades later, and it is my opinion that who were scoffing appear to have a
enemy, Satan is and he wants to interest and teaching on end-time form of godliness and are quasi-
keep them blinded. Knowing the Bible prophecy are at an all time Christian because they reference
stakes are eternal, we must tell low and I think many of you would his delay coming. When I take a
them about Gods holiness, coming agree. 10,000 ft. view of the popular evan-
judgment, and redemption through gelical landscape today, it seems
Jesus. This is indicative of a church that is that where Bible prophecy is im-
We want to focus on the elephant in living their best life now instead of portant, so is personal holiness.
the middle of the evangelical living living for the one to come. Many Where Bible prophecy is ignored,
room. The elephant in the room is who call themselves believers are personal holiness becomes reli-
the continued ignoring of sound end too busy playing church instead of gious speak and not a matter of
time Bible prophecy teaching. Ask being the Church. Todays personal conviction. This is im-
yourself the following questions: Christian bookstores are chock full portant to understand because Pe-
When was the last time you heard a of quasi-Christian self-help books ter ties the understanding of end
sermon on Bible prophecy? When that focus on self-esteem instead of time Bible prophecy closely togeth-
was the last time your small group Gods glory. er with godly living in the last days.
discussed the end times? Can you We throw around words like au- 2 Peter 3:11-12 Since all these
remember the last time your church thenticity, discipleship, and Christ- things are thus to be dissolved,
invited a guest speaker to teach on likeness, but they have become what sort of people ought you to be
an end-time subject? Christianese talk for masses of in lives of holiness and godliness,
lukewarm people who are following waiting for and hastening the com-
Im guessing many of you feel the a movement instead of the Savior. ing of the day of God.
same as I do. I have noticed a The Great Commission and person-
strong departure from teaching end al holiness underscore the im- Bible prophecy isnt a distraction or
time Bible prophecy in most evan- portance of end time Bible prophe- divisive as several popular evangel-
gelical churches today. This is sad cy. Matthew 24 is full of Jesus ical teachers have said. End-time
and unbelievable in light of the fact warnings and encouragement to Bible prophecy is woven throughout
that the four gospels, the epistles, His followers. He tells us to be alert, the scriptures to call us to godli-
and the Old Testament are over- to endure to the end and tells us the ness, witnessing, and for under-
flowing with chapters that are heavi- gospel must be preached in all the standing the times we live in. So
ly eschatological. world. many well-known leaders choosing
I call end time Bible prophecy the to ignore or scoff at end time teach-
elephant in the evangelical living Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of ing is indicative of the last days
room because so many of todays the kingdom will be proclaimed spiritual deception and blindness
well-known leaders either choose to throughout the whole world as a Peter warned us about. We were
ignore it altogether or in some cas- testimony to all nations, and then told that scoffers would come in the
es, they have become the very the end will come. last days.
scoffers the apostle Peter warns us As we think about Peters warning All for Him,
about. It is an absolute disgrace of scoffers coming in the last days, Howard
and dereliction of duty to ignore or we must understand that there is
scoff at Bible prophecy, yet many of the element of personal holiness at
todays big names do this regularly. the center of the issue. The people
Good News Press - Page 7
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