Major Literary Styles of the Bible:
75% narrative story (revealing the work of God through stories all pointing to Christ)
15% poetry (songs, lamentations and proverbs expressing various emotions)
10% thought organized (logical and linear Greek-influenced thinking)
When you think about it, what is the Bible? It's the Word of the One True God, living and active (Hebrews 4:12). The whole Bible points towards Jesus. The Old Testament contains prophecies about the Messiah and patterns of God's activity which Jesus interprets in all the Scriptures as "the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:26-27). Jesus spoke in parables, simple stories illustrating a moral and spiritual lesson, throughout His ministry.
If God communicated the majority of His message to the world through story,
how does this change how we approach sharing the Gospel?
When people hear the biblical story for the first time:
"They ask themselves, 'Is this good for us? Does it give us a better way of coping with our world, of making sense of it? Does this story match reality as we know it? Does it give hope to our people?'
For the biblical story to be received and believed by a people, it must find place and connection within their worldview. If it is perceived as a story that has answers for their people, as a story that fulfills the longings and hopes of their people, it becomes good news to them. They can see themselves connected in a new way to an ancient and holy God who has great concern for them. He has revealed Himself to them in His Son who fulfills ancient promises and hopes for every nation. Following Him restores their identity and purpose on earth. They become part of God's story."1
What is God's Story?
True Story. In the beginning there was God. He created the world, but his most special creation was man and woman. They had a perfect relationship with their loving Father without sin until temptation of power came their way. Since God is so holy, man couldn't have a direct relationship with their Creator anymore. Over the years, there were many sacrifices, trying to please a holy God, but no blood atonement could work except for the Son of God. So the Father sent His Son to us to be that last and ultimate sacrifice. By defeating death, sin and shame, we now have freedom in Christ because He made a way for us to have that community with God that we so desperately desire.
"For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. " John 3:16-17
The Wrong Approach:
Christianity has unfortunately been associated with colonialism so strongly that it did not represent Christ well while exploring other nations. It became a religion which was used to justify the actions of the colonists. Zealots became crusaders tainting the work of Jesus by displaying the cross on their shields and warring against Muslims in His Name. Some European missionaries went to villages in Africa and expected the villagers to worship God through singing and reading in English. In the past, we've tried to change their values, beliefs, religion, and worldview to fit ours forgetting to truly serve one another in love (Galations 5:13).
The Life-Giving Approach:
It's so important to try to understand their culture and to realize they need to know God intimately in their mother-tongue, their heart language. Unlike the Allah in Islam who only speaks and accepts Arabic, God created all languages and tongues and people. He enjoys His ethnically diverse creation and wants all peoples to know their Creator. Take a moment to reflect on your identity found in Christ. How does that change your perspective on life? How does that affect your relationships? We are given freedom and life in Christ because of God's boundless grace towards us every single day (Lamentations 3:22-23).
How can we not tell this Story!
1 "Transforming Worldviews through the Biblical Story"
by D.Bruce Graham
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