Great leaders are great storytellers, and they make sure that the great story is central in shaping the ethos of the community. One of the dangers in telling the individual stories in the Bible is to lose the ultimate purpose that drives the whole of God’s story. The story of the Bible is God’s intention to bring the nations to himself. Genesis gives us the context of the problem; Revelation gives us the hope of the ultimate resolution. The Old Testament shows God’s determination to reach the nations through a nation; the New Testament begins with God’s intervention in human history through the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ story unfolds as he pursues his purpose to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:11), and then ushers in the revolutionary movement known as the church to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth.
Our chapter of the story only makes sense when we tell the whole story. There are many subplots in this great story: lives are changed, marriages are healed, relationships are restored, broken hearts are mended, and shattered dreams are reborn. But it all happens in the context of the great story.
Preaching must be more than moving toward doctrinal soundness, more than simply calling people toward life application. Preaching must elevate the stories of God that draw a picture of what life can be like for everyone.
The Apostle Paul describes Christians as epistles, or letters of God, written on human hearts. With each story lived, the church becomes a place that is rich with God’s stories; and with each story, faith increases and deepens. What then happens is that those without similar stories begin to search for their stories. They begin where those who have traveled their journey recommend they start. The Christian experience becomes a journey of discovery and experience with God, and with each added story, the momentum of this life-transforming movement exponentially increases.
Our chapter of the story only makes sense when we tell the whole story. There are many subplots in this great story: lives are changed, marriages are healed, relationships are restored, broken hearts are mended, and shattered dreams are reborn. But it all happens in the context of the great story.
Preaching must be more than moving toward doctrinal soundness, more than simply calling people toward life application. Preaching must elevate the stories of God that draw a picture of what life can be like for everyone.
The Apostle Paul describes Christians as epistles, or letters of God, written on human hearts. With each story lived, the church becomes a place that is rich with God’s stories; and with each story, faith increases and deepens. What then happens is that those without similar stories begin to search for their stories. They begin where those who have traveled their journey recommend they start. The Christian experience becomes a journey of discovery and experience with God, and with each added story, the momentum of this life-transforming movement exponentially increases.
~Erwin McManus
Thanks to Nick Francis Stephens of Mosaic Lancaster for bringing this quote to my attention.
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