Mack Horton, who won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, received an email from one of his fans. According to the e-mail, skin cancer was suspected because a mole on his upper chest had become larger and darker than before. Horton went to the hospital immediately, and the doctor said that the mole could develop into melanoma. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops when melanocytes start to grow out of control. It is a deadly disease but has no symptoms, so you cannot accurately detect the disease unless you pay close attention to your skin. Thanks to his fan who sent him the e-mail with concern and care for him, he was able to save his life by having surgery before it was too late.
Recently, Victoria Price, an investigative reporter for WFLA-TV in Florida, U.S., was able to detect cancer at an early stage, thanks to a viewer’s concerned e-mail. The viewer’s message said that she saw a lump on her neck and urged her to get it checked out because the lump looked similar to one she had that turned out to be thyroid cancer. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer that was spreading to her lymph nodes. Afterward, she expressed her gratitude to the viewer through SNS: “Had I never received that email, I never would have called my doctor. The cancer would have continued to spread. I will forever be thankful to the woman who went out of her way to email me, a total stranger.”
What would have happened to the two people if nobody had told them they had cancer? They would have spent their time without knowing what was happening in their body; they would have been diagnosed when it was too late for adequate treatment. The loving care and courage from the fan and the viewer, who could have thought it had nothing to do with them, played a decisive role in saving lives.
The Bible records the story of Jonah who warned of the destruction of Nineveh. Jonah went one day’s walk and preached God’s message throughout the entire city of Nineveh, which was so large that it took three days to go through it. The people of Nineveh, including the king, who had not believed in God at all, listened to Jonah’s preaching and realized their sins. Then they all repented with fasting. As a result, 120,000 people were saved from the disaster (Jnh 1–3). If Jonah had not preached God’s word, the people of Nineveh would not have known about the upcoming disaster.
God has asked us to preach the gospel, too. Preaching the gospel is a valuable work whereby we deliver the good news of salvation and save lives. Many people today are exposed to various dangers without having heard the good news of salvation. What we need to save them is the overflowing love, care, and courage which we have received from God. Let us no longer hesitate, but shout aloud the good news of salvation, the New Covenant.