THE WAY TO LIVING GOD’S STORY
Scripture is key
Authentic Christian living is the lifelong process of becoming more like Jesus Christ. This dynamic progression toward maturity in Christ means that followers of Jesus begin with the basics. Metaphorically, we learn to crawl before we walk. We drink milk before graduating to solid foods.
Among the basics for spiritual growth is developing a knowledge of the whole Bible—the story of God’s presence toward and with humanity. The text of the Bible reveals the triune God, orients us to a life that pleases God, energizes our praying, and so much more.
If there is one significant impediment to maturing in Christ, it is not knowing God’s story. In a piece titled “Shocking Statistics on Bible Reading,” Faith Today reported in May 2014 that, “Since 1996 there’s been a dramatic decline in regular Bible reading (from 28% reading at least weekly to just 11%).” The latest study, reported in January 2020, now pegs it at 10.2 per cent, with 3.7 per cent of Canadians reading the Bible daily, and just 14 per cent reading it at least once a month. Similar statistics prevail in the United States, Australia-New Zealand, and Europe.
Yet how can we live God’s story if we do not know God’s story?
Consider one of the best-selling novels ever written—Tolkien’s popular trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. I cannot imagine reading only the third book, Return of the King. Even though it may be the most satisfying, how can we understand it without the first two-thirds? The audience would be plagued with questions: who is the king, where did he come from, and why is he important? What are the Rings of Power? Who is Sauron, or Gandalf, or Gollom?
This is not unlike how many of us read the Bible. The New Testament is the climax and resolution of the whole story, but what about the first twothirds—the Old Testament? Who is the King, where did He come from, and why is He essential? What are our origins? What is God’s desire for us?
We need to know God’s story so we can live His story. In a blog post titled “Bible Reading Leads to Spiritual Growth,” Professor Ed Stetzer writes: “There is much research that shows the correlation between spiritual maturity and reading the Bible. In Brad Waggoner’s book The Shape of Faith to Come … and in George Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life material, we see that reading the Bible is the best predictor of spiritual maturity. In other words, if you are in the Bible, you are growing spiritually.”
A way forward
As we listen to or read the Bible, we begin hearing, seeing, and touching His story—and it isn’t long before we climb into it.
We get a sense of the plot—God is at work reconciling humanity to Himself. We recognize what is happening to people as they live their imperfect lives. We discern God’s values and goals—for hearts and lives to become clean, free, and joyful in a renewed relationship with the Creator through Jesus Christ. We experience His purpose—forgiven people becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. As we live in God’s story, we begin to find that it increasingly shapes our thoughts, words, and behaviour. We find ourselves desiring to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) becomes less a fanciful, unreachable, unreasonable standard for super-saintly living, and more an expression of real Kingdom life here and now.
Some resources
There are many good programs and other resources to help us read the Bible. For example, thebibleproject.com provides a reading plan supplemented with videos.
Over the years, I have developed a project called the Historical Backbone of the Bible. It involves reading 370 chapters of the Old and New Testaments in community. The goal is to become familiar with the basic plot of God’s story. This approach has worked well with groups of five to fifty. Like a cross-country bicycle tour, riders of different abilities journey together. The collective enthusiasm and commitment mean participants do not want to be left behind. The group chooses the pace (the number of chapters read per day). Everyone is part of a smaller cell of three or four for mutual encouragement and accountability. Every second Sunday, after a light lunch, a competent teacher gives an overview of what has been read over the previous two weeks with opportunities for questions and comments. More information on this project is available at johnbmacdonald.com/resources/ historical-backbone-of-the-bible. A complete and careful reading of the holy and ancient text of the Bible develops within us a sacred familiarity with God’s story. From that foundation, we can embark on the practices of other spiritual disciplines as we cooperate with the Spirit of God in His ministry of transforming us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ.
We need to know God’s story so we can live His story.
When I decided to become a pastor, my youth leader gave me what I now consider a sparkling gem of wisdom. He said, “Be sure to never speak about God if Scripture isn’t at the core of what you are saying.” I’ve considered that advice many times through my years of speaking to kids, youth, and adults. The truth is that we are saturated with information. Some of it is really good information, but it can let us get away with speaking “truth” without actually opening the Word of God.
I fear that more and more church leaders are favouring extra-biblical advice or information over a focus on Scripture. Let’s refocus and talk about why Scripture is key for a healthy ministry.
Scripture is the word of God
“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 16-17). Discipleship is about drawing closer to God, and we know that when we do this He in turn will draw close to us (James 4:8). As we read, memorize, meditate and even sing the
Word of God, we allow His breath, His words to come over us.
A young adult asked me recently what more he should be doing in his relationship with God. He knew that a deeper, more fulfilling relationship could exist, and he longed for it. Thirst for God is a good thing, because when you thirst you will be satisfied. God is drawing close through His Word to quench our thirst, if we would just respond to His lead by taking up the Scriptures and meet Him there. I challenged the young man to read James in one sitting. You should try it too!
Scripture is relevant for us now
The children we lead today are faced with everyday pressures that didn’t exist when the Bible was written, so how can we disciple today using this ancient text? Should we be trying to fit verses into our topical teaching times or simply draw on them when we are teaching theology? Do we sacrifice relevance if we favour Scripture? When I say Scripture is key I mean there is nothing more relevant than God and His word. God’s Word can and should help us navigate our everyday lives. Consider these verses and what they teach us:
• 1 Peter 1:24-25 - topics may change but the Word of the Lord endures forever
• John 1:14 - we serve a living God, and He dwells among us
• James 1:5 - He gives wisdom generously to all who ask.
The Bible is as relevant today as it was during the centuries in which it was written. God is dwelling among us and perfectly capable of advising us today just as He was yesterday and always. We aren’t lacking anything when we ask God and look to His Word for direction. We are lacking only when we don’t do that first.
In the Nov/Dec issue of Love Is Moving I challenged you to consider five key principles of a healthy youth ministry. In the Jan/Feb issue we took a closer look at the gospel and the value of repeating often and urgently. We have lots of challenges and encouragement still to come. Follow our series and our related blogs at www. awanacanada.ca/en/blog.
We are saturated with information. Some of it is really good information, but it can let us get away with speaking “truth” without actually opening the Word of God.