The Greatest Story Never Told
Nov 1, 2013 2398
What is the greatest story never told?
Christianity began with a story. In fact Christianity is all about a story. The Gospel is a story. It was a good news story. But the story of Christianity is not just a story like any other story. Those stories are often myths. The story of Christianity is the story of eyewitnesses. It is always the story of eyewitnesses. The apostle John wrote,
We announce to you what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have seen and our hands handled, about the word of life. 2 The life was revealed, and we have seen, and we testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. 3 What we have seen and heard, we also announce it to you so that you can have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy can be complete. – 1 John 1:1-4
Read this aloud. You can palpably feel the excitement of the story of Christianity when told by someone who knows what they are talking about. The same writer, John, wrote that,
They gained the victory over him [the accuser] on account of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness. Love for their own lives didn’t make them afraid to die.” – Rev 12:11
You see, this is a story that is so good, and so true, that you are willing to give your life for it. But notice that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb. The word of our witness follows the blood of the Lamb. It always does. We have a story to tell because of the blood of the Lamb. It is the story of what the Lamb has done, and how it affects our yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows. Our victory is on account of His.
Beware of those people who want to tell you stories about Christianity, when they are people who do not understand and who have not accepted the blood of the Lamb. The true qualification for telling your story is always a deep acquaintance with the blood of the Lamb.
One of the biggest challenges I face is encouraging people to tell their story of how they found the Gospel and of what Christ has done in their lives. Truly. Christians seem to think that being a Christian consists in sitting in meetings and supporting the right causes. Not really. According to the New Testament, the essence of Christianity consists in telling your story. That’s what the gospel is all about. It is a story that is crying out to be told.
It’s no good saying that you don’t have a story. Every Christian has a story. If you don’t have a story then you are truly among the most miserable among all people, since you worship a God who has not shown you goodness. In fact, if you don’t have a story you should be checking whether you have the real thing.
Early Christianity grew, because people were willing to tell their story. They were even willing to stake their lives for the truthfulness and goodness of this story. In fact, in Rev. 12:11, the Greek word for “witness” is marturia. It is the same word for “martyr.”
You see, the New Testament uses a legal word to describe the story that followers of Jesus must tell. The word refers to the testimony that a witness gave in a judicial procedure. It refers to a story that is true. It refers to a story that is true because you are a witness of the events.
But legal witness is never entirely voluntary, is it? Whether or not you want to tell your story, the point is that you are legally obligated to do so. You have been sub-poenaed by the blood of Christ. The love of Christ constrains us… and compels us.
The same apostle also writes,
“We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the savior of the world.” 1 John 4:14
You can only testify that the Son is the Savior of the world if he is your savior as well.
The greatest story never told could be your story.
Have a look at the stories on this web page here.
Then share your story with the world by posting your story there.
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