Your story, my story, our story
One After 909
Josh Rutledge
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Opinion
If people could see into my mind, they would probably judge me to be little more than a child. I think in pictures. I dream of a different world. And I imagine the universe is not as it seems.
But I am not ashamed of this because I know there are other people just like me. Sadly, however, we are the minority, living in a society that is more drenched in reason than perhaps any other in history.
This is not necessarily bad, of course. I cherish reason and the rules of logic, and I am grateful for my left-brained friends in math, science and philosophy.
But I am convinced that for all the gain of our rationality, there is an equal loss because of our lack of imagination. And I think this is most evident within the church.
The Bible is a great example. We read the Bible like it’s a textbook. We read all the verses in a slow, monotone voice. It is a big code. All the life of the Bible has become logical axioms. It is so removed, so mental.
But the Bible is not a textbook. It’s a story. It’s an incredible story! And I’m a part of that story. And so are you.
When Christianity becomes a logical argument, it’s boring. No wonder more people don’t want to jump on board. Why be on that team?
When we share the gospel, we should not just try to convince someone of a few arguments. Rather, we should tell them the story. Tell them your story, the same story as Abraham and Mother Teresa, Moses and Andrew Westmoreland.
We are not proponents of Christianity. We are Christianity.
The Bible is our book, full of fantasy, beauty, adventure, truth, tragedy, triumph, betrayal, love, defeat and victory.
So why are Christians often ashamed of their faith? Because we are painted as a meek and mild group of pathetic losers who sit around and argue whether we choose God or he chooses us.
Far from it! We have Michael. We have Gabriel. We walk with angels, archangels, martyrs and God himself. To us is strength! Power! Victory! We are Christians!
Yes, we have an enemy. He is strong, cunning and powerful. But he lost. Michael threw him out of heaven. That’s not figurative. It’s real. It happened. That was our battle. And we won.
It’s like playing on a team with all the good players. Sure, the other side has talent. They’re big. They’re strong. But we are simply better. And in a match-up between Satan and Michael, I’ll take Michael.
So read the stories of the mighty acts of God in the Bible and own them. They are yours. And when you read of an angelic army of fire in 2 Kings 6, don’t think, “Oh, that’s neat.” No, think, “They are on my side! They fight for me!”
Or when you read in Revelation of an evil dragon with multiple heads, think, “Good thing Michael took care of him.”
Don’t think of spiritual warfare as a battle of rational discourse between believers and non-believers. Paul is not being figurative when he writes that our battle is with principalities of darkness and not flesh and blood.
It’s real.
And I think if God would but peel back our eyes to see the world behind the world, we would be terrified. And then we would think, “Thank goodness we have Michael!”
But I am not ashamed of this because I know there are other people just like me. Sadly, however, we are the minority, living in a society that is more drenched in reason than perhaps any other in history.
This is not necessarily bad, of course. I cherish reason and the rules of logic, and I am grateful for my left-brained friends in math, science and philosophy.
But I am convinced that for all the gain of our rationality, there is an equal loss because of our lack of imagination. And I think this is most evident within the church.
The Bible is a great example. We read the Bible like it’s a textbook. We read all the verses in a slow, monotone voice. It is a big code. All the life of the Bible has become logical axioms. It is so removed, so mental.
But the Bible is not a textbook. It’s a story. It’s an incredible story! And I’m a part of that story. And so are you.
When Christianity becomes a logical argument, it’s boring. No wonder more people don’t want to jump on board. Why be on that team?
When we share the gospel, we should not just try to convince someone of a few arguments. Rather, we should tell them the story. Tell them your story, the same story as Abraham and Mother Teresa, Moses and Andrew Westmoreland.
We are not proponents of Christianity. We are Christianity.
The Bible is our book, full of fantasy, beauty, adventure, truth, tragedy, triumph, betrayal, love, defeat and victory.
So why are Christians often ashamed of their faith? Because we are painted as a meek and mild group of pathetic losers who sit around and argue whether we choose God or he chooses us.
Far from it! We have Michael. We have Gabriel. We walk with angels, archangels, martyrs and God himself. To us is strength! Power! Victory! We are Christians!
Yes, we have an enemy. He is strong, cunning and powerful. But he lost. Michael threw him out of heaven. That’s not figurative. It’s real. It happened. That was our battle. And we won.
It’s like playing on a team with all the good players. Sure, the other side has talent. They’re big. They’re strong. But we are simply better. And in a match-up between Satan and Michael, I’ll take Michael.
So read the stories of the mighty acts of God in the Bible and own them. They are yours. And when you read of an angelic army of fire in 2 Kings 6, don’t think, “Oh, that’s neat.” No, think, “They are on my side! They fight for me!”
Or when you read in Revelation of an evil dragon with multiple heads, think, “Good thing Michael took care of him.”
Don’t think of spiritual warfare as a battle of rational discourse between believers and non-believers. Paul is not being figurative when he writes that our battle is with principalities of darkness and not flesh and blood.
It’s real.
And I think if God would but peel back our eyes to see the world behind the world, we would be terrified. And then we would think, “Thank goodness we have Michael!”
Be the first to comment on this story