Becoming a Compassionate StorytellerSample

TELLING THE STORY

God’s Story can be broadly described in five movements: creation, fall, redemption, mission, and restoration.

Creation: God made all things good and gave Adam and Eve a mission to multiply His goodness throughout the earth.

Fall: But Adam and Eve rebelled, doubting God’s goodness and mission, and sin entered the world, breaking the perfect relationships they had with God, with one another, and with creation.

Redemption: Genesis 3:15 through the Old Testament is God’s rescue plan in action. He chose a people (Israel) to be His blessing in the world, giving them a mission to multiply and fill the earth with His goodness. Though they failed over and over and over again, God faithfully moved forward with His plan, and at just the right time, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on our behalf and conquer death through His resurrection so that we might be forgiven and restored to a right relationship with God.

Mission: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). Now the Church, all who follow Christ in all of time, are sent into the earth to share the good news of Jesus so that we will multiply God’s goodness one day and one life at a time.

Restoration: Our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, will return again to fully restore creation and humanity. We will live in perfect peace with God, with one another, and with His good creation for all eternity.

You can trace your own story in those five movements- you are created by God, but you are broken by sin. Your redemption is found in Jesus Christ, who has commissioned you to take His good news into the world around you. And one day, you will be restored- perfectly embodying the life meant for you forever.

The blind man in John 9 had an even simpler way to share his story- “I was blind, but now I see!” Understanding how your story reflects His Story is the next step to becoming a compassionate storyteller.

Ask Yourself:

-Who were you before you met Jesus? (“I was…”)

-How did you encounter Jesus? (“…but…”)

-What has Jesus done for you? (“…now I…”)

Pause to Pray: Praise God that your life collided with His story!

Take a Next Step:

-Practice sharing your version of “I was blind, but now I see!” Invite a good friend or small group to help you.

-Curious how the early church told God’s story? Start with one of the sermons in Acts (2:14-36; 3:11-26; 10:34-43; 7:1-53; 13:16-47; 17:22-31; 20:18-35; 22:1-21; 24:10-21; 26:1-29).