17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

From Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary “[The gospel] is not a system of notions, but a rule of practice.” “The gospel is given, not only to be known and believed, but to be obeyed.” From The Message “The point is, before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.

The message from God to us is about love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, service, joy, hope, peace, wisdom, more – all that is good in the world. If you want more of what is good, go to the source, the creator of these things. Pretty simple yet so challenging with all the distractions we have.

He is called Wonderful Counselor (and that can also be translated as Wonderful, Counselor), Isaiah 9:6-7, He is the source of love, grace, forgiveness, mercy, service, joy, hope, peace, wisdom, and more. Don’t you want to be part of this? Don’t you want this in your life?

Well, go get it. Find a church that represents The Word clearly, without man made barriers, whose members live the word. If you don’t hear the word it’s tough to live the word. Ask questions, challenge The Word, it’s more than up to the task. Heck, ask me. If I don’t know the answer I’ll find it. It’s good to be challenged; challenge yourself, open your eyes. Grace a church with your presence. If it doesn’t get your head roaring or shake your foundations, go to another. Seek out Christ, learn The Truth, learn The Word. Go radical for Christ – it’s really very cool.