Name these novels:

• A man and a woman overcome their first impressions and fall in love.
• An orphaned boy gets in with the wrong crowd but is saved by wealthy man.
• An old man catches a big fish, ties it to his boat, it is eaten by sharks, the man goes home and dies.
•  A woman tells of the events in a small southern town that lead up to her bother’s broken arm.

Some stories are hard to tell in a few short words. Yet a few words can communicate a great deal of information. If someone knocks on your door and tells you, “Your house in on fire!” It means much more than the simple statement you heard.

There are similar messages in the Bible.

Jonah’s message was a short eight words in English, “Yet forty days and Ninevah will be overthrown.”  Wouldn’t it be nice to carry a short message from God?  Most of us can remember eight (8) words (“Hey diddle, diddle the cat and the fiddle.”) In his recording of the life of Jesus as the Christ John gives us an eight word message of good news: John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” There you have it: the eight word Gospel! For a fuller understanding consider the context of John 1:14 by a quick look at John 1:1-14;17

1. Christ was in the Beginning: John 1:1-4
2. Christ is the Light of the World: John 1:5-11.
3. Christ Brought Salvation: John 1:12-14; 17.

Eight words, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

• We can remember that.
• We can herald that!
• We can LIVE that!