God’s Story Is Your Story
The concept of story is a critical piece of how we relate to each other as human beings. We are drawn to interesting stories, whether true or fictional. We also have personal stories that shape how we see the world. Have you ever considered that the reason we connect so deeply with stories is because our Creator also values the beauty of story?
The Bible As Story
I grew up attending a church in Texas. I went to Sunday School and heard many of the stories in the Bible over the years. As a result, I reasonably viewed the Bible as a collection of stories revealing who God is. There are numerous individual stories in the Bible, many of which seem separate and disconnected. However, I’ve learned in recent years that there is an overarching story as well.
Most of us don’t pick up the Bible and read it from cover to cover like we would a novel. It’s a large collection of 66 books, so the big-picture story can be difficult to see. We can thus view the Bible differently. Some view it as a reference book. Some view it as a moral compass. Some view it as a rulebook. However, I think God intended his Spirit-inspired words to be viewed much more broadly.
When you step back and consider the overarching story of the Bible, it can be viewed in six acts, just like a play. Each act has an associated symbol to represent it visually.
- Creation: The story opens with God creating our world and humanity. He evaluates its success and finishes his creation with Adam and Eve. He chooses to commune with humanity, and it’s beautiful. Symbol: a downward pointing arrow, representing God coming down to earth to create and interact.
- Rebellion: The next act is where it all goes wrong. Adam and Eve sin and rebel against God. This hurts God, and it causes separation from him. Symbol: an X, representing wrongdoing. If the story ended here, it would be a tragedy. But God had a plan!
- Promise: The next act of the play takes up most of the Old Testament. God chooses Abraham and the nation of Israel to carry his message to the world, and he promises to redeem its brokenness. The stories here can sometimes seem harsh, but God continually shows his love and grace throughout this act. Symbol: a right-facing arrow, representing forward movement.
- Redemption: This is the climax of the play, wherein Jesus comes to be our bridge. It’s a beautiful part of the story wherein Christ loves the marginalized and models what it is like to follow him. Then, he gives his life to enable us to have access to God. He is resurrected to exhibit his power over death, and he gives instructions on going and sharing his message with others. It’s such amazing news! Symbol: a cross, representing the sacrifice of Christ.
- Church: The fifth act is the establishment of the church. This includes Paul’s letters to the churches and the messages of several other writers who inspire and instruct us on how to follow Jesus. This is the act of the story where we find ourselves now. Symbol: another right-facing arrow, representing forward movement.
- New Creation: The final act is referred to in the New Testament and more fully described in Revelation. God will ultimately restore all of creation, and there will be a new heaven and new earth. Symbol: another downward-pointing arrow, representing Jesus’s return.
Viewing the Bible as God’s story with other smaller stories contained within the acts of the play helps us to see God as the loving, graceful Creator he is. I love how this view of the Bible so effortlessly pieces together the Old and New Testaments.
God’s Story Is Our Story
Perhaps what I appreciate most about God’s story is how we are a part of it. At our church plant here in northwest Denver, we went through a study of the overarching story of God with our missional community. After we finished, each person in the group shared their personal story with us. We practiced pointing out how we saw God’s story in their individual stories.
The part of the story where you were mistreated as a child? That’s reflective of the rebellion and brokenness in our world. The part where God places a friend in your life who speaks truth into who you are, despite the broken parts of your story? That is redemption. God is redeeming the broken parts of your life just like Jesus did for all of humanity.
The amazing food we can grow from the ground and then prepare to eat with our community around the table? This reminds us of creation and how God both created yet also left room for us to create further. When we go out and serve others in our community and learn to follow Jesus better? This is when we are the church.
Sharing God’s Story
It has changed my overall view of God and his Word to see the Bible as a full story in which we are invited to participate. When I can see who God is in the larger picture, I don’t need every tiny piece to work in order to see God’s goodness.
The symbols are sometimes referred to as napkin theology because you can literally grab a napkin and a pen and explain the story of God to someone in a couple of minutes using a napkin. Our church plant leadership went one step further, and four of us got the symbols tattooed on our arms.
While I am certainly not suggesting that everyone go out and get tattoos, I think learning the six acts and the associated symbols and being able to tell God’s story to others is a great way to explain who God is to others. I invite you to try it the next time you have an opportunity to share God’s story with someone who doesn’t know it.
is a Jesus follower, wife, mom of three, church planter, finance director, and lover of sarcasm and deep conversation with friends. She also loves camping, rafting, skiing, sewing, and having people over. Amy blogs with her husband at fringechurch.com.
Photograph © Amy Wiebe, used with permission
