In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-5

It’s almost Christmas! And I’m so excited to join more than 2 billion other Christians in celebrating the birth of Christ. At my house, we’re going to be meditating on John 1 this month. I love how this chapter puts the arrival of Jesus in context of the whole cosmic story. It starts with In the beginning—the creation story from Genesis! It reminds us of the unfolding redemptive plan through the Mosaic law given by God to His chosen people. And it foreshadows Jesus’ crucifiction—His total rejection by the world He came to save. Add in Jesus’ passing comment about His return in the last chapter of the gospel of John, and you’ve pretty much got the whole story: Creation, The Fall, The Law, Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, and His imminent return. 

It can be easy to miss the breathtaking implications of this story (aka The Whole Gospel). It might even seem like a yawner if you’ve heard it enough times. But in reality, too many Christians around the world have never heard it. They know that Jesus died for their sins—they get that middle chapter—but they don’t know the beginning and the end. They have hope for heaven after they die, but no hope for the poverty, malnutrition, oppression, injustice, and disease they’re facing right now. 

When they hear the missing parts of the story, it can be life-changing. Pastors, weeping, have told us, “This is the first time we’ve heard that God cares about us—our bodies and our health.” Then they led their churches on a latrine-building campaign for every family in their area. In fact, our story library is overflowing with testimonies of churches that began to work for change after learning that God created and cares about all things (and all people). 

Will you please take a few minutes right now and join us in praying that more and more Christians would have the opportunity to understand the Whole Gospel and how it applies to their lives? 

For specific prayer points, check out our Prayer Card.

And to dive deeper into the topic of the Whole Gospel and why it matters, we recommend the free, downloadable Framework for Transformation booklet, Integrating Physical and Spiritual.