NOW! Living Bold – Entry 9: Story

There are way too many cowboys out here trying to tell us how to live our lives. They tell tall tales of conquest, exploration, and macho living… but the core of their message is… empty.

Stories are how we live our lives and relate our experience to each other. How else do you tell your buddies how big the fish was that got away? Or how do you explain the details of the hunt right before you took the shot on the big buck? Or what about that 50 foot chip in you made on the golf course for a sweet eagle?

It’s not the story that is compelling. What makes the story relevant is the attachment we have to the people involved. I can relate a story of something that happened to a guy my buddy knew… but it has no impact. But when we tell a story of our own adventure or mis-adventure… our listener is engaged.

The Bible… is the inspired word of God. It’s God’s story that He wants us to hear. If we aren’t emotionally attached to Him… the story loses its impact.

I’m about to run the risk of being called a heretic or a false teacher when I say this… so don’t take it out of context. There is a major problem in our church culture that has placed the Bible higher than God. We have pastors and teachers that claim that the Word of God is the most important part of faith.

My question is this… What verse and scripture did Abraham read when he communed with God and was blessed by being the father of our faith? The Bible… much less the Torah (First 5 Books of the Bible written by Moses) wasn’t written when Abraham chose to follow God. In addition to this… The New Testament wasn’t written when Christ Jesus came and walked among us.

Hear me… The Bible is the God breathed story of how He and you relate, commune, and have love for one another. The Holy Bible is the Story of God that reveals His heart, His will, and His love for you. God tells us through His story that Christ Jesus is the Word of God. It’s in John’s Gospel… 1st chapter. Christ Jesus came to tell us exactly what is on God’s mind and what he had intended for us to know about Him. The Bible is a collection of teachings, stories, and happenings that reveal who God is and always will be. But the story doesn’t become compelling until you are emotionally invested in the life of the Story Teller… just like life today.

The Bible can be daunting. It seems on the surface to be a complex collection of difficult readings that leave us more confused than ever before. We have a collection of idiots that are taking small fragments of God’s story and making them out to be something totally different. I personally feel that anyone that extracts a verse out of the Bible, twists it out of context and uses it to propel them forward has just profaned God and used His name in vanity for their own selfish desires.

When Christ Jesus came, he blew up the men who had distorted God’s story. There were religious groups of all types that had taken the story… added in their own interpretations… and convinced people that their version was best. Christ dealt harshly with these people. So why would we think that it never happened again? Religion is nothing more than different interpretations of God’s story and how it should be applied. Faith is taking the story… reading it prayerfully… and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you and speak to you.

Living Bold requires focus and purpose. God’s Word (Jesus Christ) taught His disciples and us that we are to go and tell the story over and over again. The only way you can know what God would have you to do… is listen to His Story… so you can tell the story… with emotional attachment and investment.

If you don’t spend any time with the Bible… let me encourage you to start with James. Visit biblegateway.com and search for James… and pick a translation that you can understand. (Usually the NIV or NAS). Oh… and for you church denominations that believe that only the King James Version of the Bible is the only true writing of God… you are leading people in the wrong direction and driving people away from faith in general. Give it a rest… and do some research… you’re wrong.

There are scholars who study scripture day and night… but for most of us… we are all trying to read it and apply it to our lives. Sometimes it gets through… and sometimes it doesn’t. Don get discouraged.

If you really want to know God… read His book. He is revealed in every page. There are some really awesome stories that will embolden you to Live Bold.

The story is compelling. The story is applicable. The story is our foundation of faith. God is alive in His word and is revealed to you every time you open the pages.

Living Bold requires a deep conviction and an emotional connection. Nothing pulls us closer to one another than story. And story is what people respond to in your life. You have a story. The Bold Faith that you live is compelling and worth repeating. When you tell someone how God has guided you, corrected you, saved you, delivered you, or challenged you… you have shared your faith.

Contentment lives within your faith. When you discover that God’s plan is not for you to sit on your hands and wait for good things… rather it’s to get up off your butt and get busy. I am so sick and tired of listening to religion tell people that good things come to those who wait. Wait on what? An armored truck to drive through your living room dispensing money? Don’t buy this load of junk. God has told us hundreds of times what He means when He says wait upon the Lord… it’s in the book…you’ll find that waiting is more active than passive. You must read it for yourself… and not take someone else’s word for it. God’s story is alive and well and dynamic… it will fit your life and help guide you to Him.

Living Bold requires a community of Brothers who help each other walk forward in their faith. The book of James (leader of the early Jewish – Christian church) sums up the principle of Living Bold when he wrote… “Don’t just listen to Christ Jesus’ teachings… Do what He says!” In fact… he explains to us “Don’t tell me you believe in God… and do nothing more. Even the demons believe in God. And at least they shudder at the mere mention of His name. So what are you doing? Listening… and nothing more? Get busy with your Faith. If you truly have Faith in God you will be compelled to do something with it… not just sit around.”

So you want to know the secret formula for contentment and Living a Bold faith? I’ve got it… and it’s in the next entry. I’ll tell you about…Give.

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(You are reading the blog series by Live Bold. This is a living, unedited book being written in the wide open. Follow along. If you’re getting here late, go back to the archives under the LB NOW category and start reading. Each entry is numbered in sequence. Comments are welcome and some will end up in the final published book. May God’s hand be in all we do here at Live Bold.)

About

Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight.