The True Story of the Whole World: God, Pink Flamingos, and Ordinary People Like Us
My previous two posts highlighted Three Core Longings inherent in every human being and Five Behavior Changes that are meant to alert us to the longings inherent in our own lives and in the lives of the people we encounter every day, to help us reorient our approach—to move from making a gospel presentation to engaging in a gospel conversation, and, to remind us that God draws people to himself—sometimes in very direct and rational ways and other times in you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me ways.
From time to time we need to step back and remember the framework of the true story of the whole world found within the canon of Scripture. We need to reconsider the myriad ways God chooses, meets, confronts, urges, encourages, carries, pushes, and causes people like you and me to be born again to a living hope—from Genesis to Revelation. Importantly, we need to stop for a minute and embrace the fact that God, who spoke the galaxies into existence and painted the flamingo pink, chooses to display his mercy and love through ordinary people like you and me.
We cannot afford to forget this fact—for our own sanity and for the sake of those around us.
I insist on using the phrase the true story of the whole world (TSWW) to reinforce the fact that the Bible tells the true story of the whole world. It is not simply a religious story that somehow competes with other religious stories, it is neither a myth or a fable, nor is it simply a better story. The Bible contains the true story of the whole world and stands tall against the brazenly false claims so prevalent in our society today.
In a previous post, I highlighted five reasons why we must recognize that the Bible tells the true story of the whole world.
· The TSWW is universal truth and is historically embedded. It provides a framework of meaning for all of history and for our individual lives.
· The TSWW demonstrates that the gospel is multidimensional and is good news for all people. God’s kingdom and gospel transcends and transforms all people and cultures.
· The TSWW is true, which is significant for a secularized culture where truth is whatever you decide it should be.
· The TSWW undergirds God’s design for oneness in our diversity—God created a multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-cultural church.
· The TSWW gives us confidence in the public square—in our neighborhoods and our cities. The good news of God’s kingdom is meant to permeate all of life.
Let me encourage you to spend time reading and re-reading the true story of the whole world. If you are new to reading the Bible and want to understand what the true story actually is, I suggest that you read either The Thirty Minute Bible: God’s Story for Everyone or The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama. If you want to read the Bible all the way through, let me suggest this great resource: Every Word: A Reader’s 90 Day Guide to the Bible
In future posts I plan to outline various ways that God initiates throughout Scripture—climaxing in a most gloriously in the Incarnation; I hope to shed light on prevalent caricatures of the gospel floating around out there; and to suggest some of the ways that the Doctrine of Creation enhances our gospel witness.
Always feel free to contact me with questions, stories, and encouragements—we are all part of the same story.
