At its heart the Bible is a story, the story of God and his people. The central character is God, who desires to create for himself a people whom he can love and bless, and who in turn can know, love, and serve him. This desire finds expression in the oft-repeated biblical formula “I will be your God, and you will be my people,’’ an invitation to us to an intimate relationship with God which, when accepted, becomes a strong, solemn, and binding agreement, or “covenant,” cementing the relationship.
In the beginning, the all-powerful, personal, and altogether good God created an orderly and beautiful world. As the crown of His creation, God created human beings, male and female, in His image to live joyfully in His presence, to share in His oversight and care of this world, and to recognize and humbly submit to His gracious authority. But they had a choice, trusting in God and following His will, or trying to seize the power to experience and rule the world on their own terms. Listening to a voice of darkness, they, and eventually all of us, rebelled against God and suffered the consequences: separation from God, broken human relationships, and death.
But God had a rescue plan that began small with the calling of one man Abraham, but accompanied by a big promise that ultimately through his offspring all peoples would be blessed. Abraham's descendants multiplied rapidly to become the nation of Israel, whom God mightily rescued from slavery in Egypt, established as His special covenant people, and settled in a home of their own, the land of Israel. Sadly the people of Israel failed to live up to their calling to be representatives and agents through whom God could work His plan and reveal Himself and His purposes, and chose instead their own rebellious paths of unfaithfulness and disobedience. Yet God faithfully and graciously kept covenantwith His people and unfolded His plan. God's promises through His prophets and His careful and lengthy preparations in this period point forward to the high point of the story: the coming of Jesus, who fulfills the Old Testament expectations and promise of ”the coming one."
Jesus came to establish a new kingdom, God's worldwide kingdom. In the process he scored victories over the powers of darkness, reached out with healing, hope, and forgiveness to the sick and disabled, the alienated, the poor, and those who were spiritually far from God. He taught the multitudes about God and his kingdom and our response to it and called people to be his followers, his disciples. He made amazing claims about himself centered around his identity as the Son of God. His most far-reaching act was taking the consequences of our evil and alienation upon himself through his completely undeserved, but sacrificial death on the cross. His sacrificial love proved more powerful than evil, even more powerful than death, as proven by his resurrection on the third day through the power of God. Through his death and resurrection he opened up a new way for all to renew a relationship with God and experience a new life, but each person must choose to enter this new way through faith in Jesus or remain stuck in the old.
After Jesus' return to God, the followers of Jesus organized themselves into a community called the “church." Energized by God's Holy Spirit they quickly spread throughout their world, proclaiming to all the opportunity to become children of God and experience a new life by becoming devoted followers of Jesus. They demonstrated that people who are loved and forgiven can in turn love and forgive others. Everywhere new communities of believers sprang up. Thus began a kingdom stretching throughout time and throughout the world to every nation and people. It consists of all who accept God’s invitation for forgiveness and hope through faith in Jesus, find new life through following him, and become valued members of the community of God’s people. In every age God’s people are called to join God’s work of bringing in and advancing this kingdom until the end of time, when as Jesus promised he will return and make all things new. He will make all wrongs right, banish evil and death, and gather together the resurrected people of God to live together in the presence of God in His eternal kingdom.
This story is the greatest story ever told. It has radically changed our lives.
If you have not done so, we invite you to consider it seriously and to contact us if you would like follow-up.
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