From the Gospels we move today to the Acts of the Apostles on the meaning of the word “gospel” or “preach the gospel.” The first text is Acts says it all:
Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
The gospel of the earliest apostles was:
1. That Jesus, the one they knew and walked with, was the Messiah.
2. That Messiah means long-expected king of OT promise and expectation.
3. That Messiah means the one who lived, died and was raised – and who sent the Spirit.
4. That Messiah was the real king and no one other king was king.
5. That this Messiah, upon repentance, grants forgiveness to all (Acts 5:31).
The gospel, then, was a message that the Story of Israel had come to completion in Jesus and that means that the gospel is a declaration about not just conditions on earth but about a specific person: Jesus.