God's Big Story

There’s a quote by Saint Francis of Assisi that says, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” Is Saint Francis copping out? No, he's not. He simply understands human nature. And here it is. The gospel is most impactful when people show it and tell it.
Today we’re going to talk about how to tell your story, which is part of God’s big story.

In writing, beats are specific points that move the story forward. Our youngest son, Brady served as a production assistant for a year for the writers of This Is US. He watched them go through the process of identifying the beats of every episode. Once they identified the beats of the story, one or two of the writers would go off to the side and would write the dialog and how they would set up and carry out the beats.

• First beat

Your story could simply be how you said your first yes to Jesus, or it could be a story about another particular pain point or a growth point in your life and how Jesus is making a difference.

• Second beat

The next beat would simply be to say, here’s an honest realization I've had. Here's a real need I'm powerless to overcome. I'm not managing it well, so I recognize that I need help from someone else bigger than me. I need forgiveness. I need someone to help me be whole. I need deliverance.

• Third beat

Share your grateful discovery of Jesus’ life-changing grace. You know this word grace. We use it a lot. Most of the time when we use it, we use it for God's unmerited favor. But the word grace also simply means help.

• Fourth beat

Share how following Jesus is changing your life in an ongoing way. People will eat it up because they need the same thing. When you consistently show the gospel and share how God is rewriting your story, people will naturally want to know more. Then that's your opportunity to share God's big story.

• First beat

God's story, the Gospel, begins with the best of intentions for us as human beings. His story begins with good news. I would encourage you to check out Genesis 1. God's creative intent was for us to live a flourishing life in His presence with all the provisions of a glorious garden and a meaningful calling to be co-creators and managers of all creation. That's what God had in store for us.

• Second beat

God's heart is broken when His children fail to trust his best intentions. So check out Genesis 3 and Luke 19:41-42. Adam and Eve doubted God's goodness, and they turned their backs on him and they set out on their own with disastrous results, broken relationships with God, their own family, and ultimately the larger family of man. And Adam's and Eve's stories are yours and mine too. The word Adam in Hebrew means mankind.
Eve means the mother of all the living. They're stand-ins for you and me. That's our story, too. God's response is both tough and relentless love. He lets him experience the full weight of their decisions. You don't want me. You don't want my way. You can do it better on your own. You're out of the garden. You're on your own. You have a new reality. And yet, the rest of the Old and New Testament describes God's relentless efforts to bring his people back into the right relationship with him.

• Third beat

God didn't give up on a relationship with us. Instead, he sent Jesus to turn our hearts back to himself. Read Romans 5:8-11. That's one you ought to study and get your head around. And here's how it sums it up. It's a little bit longer. But let me tell you, every one of these sentences means something really special and important. Here it is in Jesus. God shows his unconditional love for each of us, demonstrating once again that we can trust His best intentions for our lives. He's trustworthy. Jesus' death on the cross covers the relational debt we incur when we turn our backs on God, and it also restores us to a right relationship with God, our Creator.
We discover a new way of living that leads to wholeness and shalom. That beautiful Hebrew word means ultimate well-being. Everything is in its right place. And you can have that, too.

• Fourth beat

God offers an invitation to everyone to experience the good life he always intended. Check out John 3:16. In today's language, everyone is included in God's invitation to experience this kind of life. The only response necessary is to believe in Jesus. Now, to believe in Jesus implies the willingness to live out his way, His truth, and his life. And when you do, you'll be transformed into the person you were always meant to be in this life and in the life to come.
Four beats. Some texts, some words, and I can tell the story. God's big story begins with his best intentions for us. And yet his heart was broken because his children failed to trust him. But God didn't give up on us. He sent Jesus to turn our hearts back to Him. And everyone is invited to experience the kind of life that he offers. All we have to do is believe in him, which means that we believe in him enough that we are willing to live out his truth his examples, and his values in his life. And when you do, your life will be transformed.

If you're a follower of Jesus today and you've never done this and you want to grow in him and you want to be able to be faithful to him where you live, work and play, sometime this week I want you to sit down and come up with the beats for God's big story. Also, write the beats of the new story that God's writing in your life. So you will be ready to share God's big story, the gospel.