transforming story notebook

THE TRANSFORMING STORY

Overview Statement

God has given us a powerful story to tell to the nations. It is God’s story, and it has the ability to transform individual lives, lift communities out of poverty and build nations that are free, compassionate and just. We must learn to tell the whole breadth and depth of the transforming story.

Main Ideas

1. The Bible, when taken as a whole, presents a total view of reality and these truths have the power to transform individuals, communities and nations.

2. The church is not telling the whole transforming story. The gospel of salvation is not God’s whole story. We must tell the whole breadth and depth of God’s story.

3. The Great Commission is nothing less than the discipling of nations - bringing the depth and the breadth of the Bible to the whole person in all sectors of every society.

4. “If the Church does not disciple the nation, the nation will disciple the Church.” If the Church is not intentionally bringing the entire biblical story to people and nations, then the prominent view of the culture (the culture’s worldview) will influence and shape the Church.

5. The biblical story includes numerous transformational truths. Three are illustrated in this session: the biblical understanding of mankind, history and creation.

Outcomes

1. Now: a. To grasp and express the main ideas of the lesson in their own words.b. To share one aspect of the depth or breadth of the biblical story that has been

learned with one other person within the next week.2. Beyond:

a. To recognize what aspects of the depth and breadth of the biblical story the participant is not communicating, to repent, and to choose to align one’s thinking, seeing and living out of the whole story with what has been newly understood.

b. To commit to integrate this understanding of the whole teachings of God’s Word into all aspects of the participant’s areas of responsibility.

Last revision 10/06/08 1

THE TRANSFORMING STORYParticipant Outline

I. Introduction

II. The Biblical Story

A. Begins in a garden (Genesis 1) and ends in a city (Revelation 21-22)

B. The Biblical Narrative Illustration—chapter by chapter

1. Chapter 1: Creation

2. Chapter 2: The Rebellion

3. Chapters 3-9: The Mission


4. Chapter 10: The Cross

5. Chapter 11: The Task

6. Chapter 12: The Return of the King


C. The Problem—we don’t tell the whole story

III. The Nature of the Bible

A. Breadth

B. Depth

IV. The Worldview Story


V. The Nature of Man (ontology)

A. Introduction – What is man?

1. Animistic view – Man is a ____________

2. Secular view – Man is a ____________

3. Biblical view – Genesis 1:27 Man is ____________

B. Co-creators – Genesis 1:26

1. Human creativity

2. Children

C. Male and female – Genesis 1:27

1. Both are made in the image of God

2. Equal but different like the Trinity


D. Naming the animals – Genesis 2:19

E. Work is our dignity – Genesis 2:15, Genesis 2:2, Ruth 2:15-19

VI. Nature of History (teleology)

A. Introduction: Where is history going?

B. Secularism – _____________________________________

C. Animism – History is ______________________________

D. Biblical Theism – Christianity took man off the wheel

1. History is _____________________________ and

2. History is something you make

a. Jeremiah 5:1

b. Ecclesiastes 9:11-14VII. Nature of the Universe (cosmology)


A. What is the nature of the universe?

1. Animism

2. Secularism

3. Biblical Theism

B. Psalm 33:9 Created by His word

C. Hebrews 1:3 Sustained by His word

D. Hebrews 11:3 “Mind controls matter”

E. Illustrations

VIII. Application – Personal Reflection and Action Plan

A. What part of the story are you not telling?1. Breadth – Any of the “chapters” of our biblical story?

2. Depth – Any of the major topics covered?

B. What part of the transforming story is your culture dying to hear?


THE TRANSFORMING STORYNarrative

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God . . .” This is the beginning of our story. This statement sets the track for our whole story. What is man? Animism, biblical theism, and secularism all give different answers to that question. What is nature? Where is history going? Animism, biblical theism, and secularism give different answers to these questions as well. Stories are very powerful, and they shape whole nations. We have an incredibly powerful story. It’s a story that is able to transform individuals and communities and nations.

Think of our story as a book. The story begins in a garden and ends in a city. Chapter one of the book is about creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” In that first chapter He creates man. He puts man in the center of the garden and He gives the man a task: represent Me in the garden; develop the earth. Chapter two of our story records the Fall. Man rebels against the King of Heaven. Death begins. Hunger begins. Neither death nor hunger was meant to be normal. They are products of man's rebellion against the living God. Chapters three through nine of our story narrate God's unfolding history. God is a missionary God. His mission is to see that all nations are blessed (Genesis 12: 1-2). He works in history to raise up Abraham, Moses, and the prophets. This is all part of our story. Chapter ten of our story is the Gospel—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the focal point of our story and of all human history. It’s the main chapter, but not the only chapter. In chapter eleven God establishes the Church. Jesus’ restatement of God’s covenant with Abraham is the Great Commission. What is the Great Commission? To make disciples. Make disciples of nations! Chapter twelve describes the King’s return. He's coming back with His Kingdom, and that is “The End” of our story! The King will return, and He wants something ready for His return. He wants His bride ready (Revelation 19:7), and He wants the glory of the nations ready (Revelation 21:24-26) to be taken by the kings of the nations into the heavenly city.

But how is the glory of Korea going to be ready for the returning Christ? How is the glory of Brazil going to be ready for the returning Christ? Only if they are discipled. But what have we done? We have taken chapter ten out of the book and simply inserted into the context of the secular story and the animistic story. Just another chapter added to their story. The Gospel is the cornerstone of the foundation, but it is not the whole foundation. The foundation cannot stand without the cornerstone, but the cornerstone is not sufficient to support a whole building.

What is the foundation of a community's destruction? What is the foundation of a nation's destruction? What is the foundation of our own personal destruction? Lies! Satan is the father of lies. He destroys not only people, but also communities and nations, by getting them to believe lies. What is the foundation of a community's development? It's truth, the knowledge of God. We as Christians have a powerful story. But, in fact, our story competes with other stories. Animism has a way of seeing reality that is very different from secularism. Both of those worldviews are very different in their understanding of reality from biblical theism.

We need to return to the story that transforms nations. Let's look at some of the elements of that story. Different cultural stories look at man in very different ways. Secularism says there is no God. Nature is all that there is. Evolution has somehow brought man into existence. If you ask secularism what man is, what is the answer? He is an animal. He is a mouth and a stomach, the consumer of resources. Animism has a very different understanding of man. Animism says that everything is inhabited by spirits. The rocks have a spirit, the river has a spirit, man has a spirit. What is man? He's a spirit.


What Is Man?

What does the Bible say about man? Look at Genesis 1:27 where we will begin to be confronted with the awesomeness of God. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.” All the religions of the world have made their gods in the image of man or in things less than man, like snakes, cows, or mountains. Picture this: God has been working and has just finished creating all of the universe and the animals, and now He is thinking of making man. “Where will I find the pattern for man? …I'll make him like Me!” Man is made in the image of God who has a mind and a heart. Man is not just a consumer of resources; he’s the image of God! What kind of God is this who would make man like Himself? How do we tell people that this is the kind of God that we worship, and that they are made like Him?

Genesis 1:26 reads, “Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air…” God is a creator God. He made man in His image, which makes us His co-creators! The stories of Hinduism and Buddhism don't have much of a creation story because what happened in the past was a de-creation. In the past, everything was one, and something happened to fragment everything. But God is a creator God, and we are made like Him. He is the Primary Creator. We are the secondary creators. Genesis 1:26 shows God’s intention that man develops the earth, not simply maintains it. He put man in the garden and told him to be creative. Create symphonies, write poetry, paint masterpieces, and dance. Why? Because we are made like God. There’s something else that is very remarkable about our story. Look at Genesis 1:27 again. “So God created Man in His own image… male and female, he created them.” God made us, men and women, to be like Himself. In the biblical story men and women stand equal before God in dignity and worth. The verse also says, “He made them male and female.” God wants to express Himself fully in creating mankind. In order to express all of who He is, He could not do it by making one man. He could not express His mother heart by creating two men. To create an image that fully expresses who He is, He had to make them male and female. In addition to the visible physical differences, they also differ in role and function. These differences are to be celebrated and enjoyed.

Traveling around the world, one lie stands out above all the others contributing toward poverty. The lie is that men are better than women. There are cultural stories that say men are superior to women. In South America it is called machismo. In these cultures women are treated like servants or even slaves. In other cultures they are treated like toys and sex objects. Men will abandon women with children, leaving women to care for their children without resources. Often women are not educated because of the cultural story that says women do not have minds. The poverty that comes from this lie is incredible.

There is a reaction to the machismo culture going on in the world—radical feminism. Feminism is saying that men and women are equal, and therefore they're the same. People talk about freeing women. Freeing women to be what? Like men. In doing this they've maintained the old paradigm. What we need to pray for and advocate, is for men to be men, not just “male animals”. Christ demonstrated what it means to be a man in His relationship to His bride—woman—the Church. He is the head of the Church. How did He lead the Church? From the cross. Christ is the head of the Church from the cross! What did He do? He sacrificed Himself and even died for His bride. Christ was a servant-leader. This is our story. It is a radical story.


Here’s another illustration of man being made in God’s image. Genesis 2:19 says, “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” Man is in the garden and God brings the animals to him. Why does He bring the animals to the man? For him to name them. God could have easily done that Himself. But He said, “I want you to name the animals, and I will call them by the name that you give them.” What kind of God would say to Adam, “I have made the animals, but you can name them, and I will call them by the name that you give them”?

Today, God has given us a similar task – when we name our children, God calls our children by the name that we give them. What kind of God is this? This is an incredible story!

Where Is History Going?

Different stories have different understandings of history. Animism says history is on a wheel. It's just going around and around in endless cycles. Secularism says time is running out. Time is running out so eat, drink, and be merry. Time is running out, so consume. But the biblical message is very different. It says that history is going somewhere because God is a God of purpose.

An African Historian, John Mbiti, wrote a very profound book entitled African Religions and Philosophy. The book has a whole chapter on time. Mbiti claims to have studied 240 of the 1,000 African dialects. Not one of the dialects has a concept of future. Life is lived in the past. How do you think that part of the story is going to affect the continent? Africa is not poor in resources; it's rich in resources. It's rich in people. But part of their story says there is no future. We need to tell them the whole story.

Now let’s look at Scripture, beginning in Genesis 1:28. “God blessed them”—notice that’s how the verse begins. He blessed them and gave them a task. Part of it was their social task to be fruitful and increase in number. But He’s not talking about increasing the number of “mouths.” Let’s not read this through the secular worldview. We are to increase the number of image bearers of God. Note the blessing is given for the task. “… let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Gen. 1:26) Humans are to develop the earth; the world is not to be left in the state it was in when God finished after six days. After the seventh day, the day of rest, humans were to begin their work. In Genesis 12:1-4 God called Abraham and said, “I will bless you.” Why was He going to bless Abraham? For a task. He blessed Abraham so he might be a blessing to all the nations. What does God want to do? Bless the nations. The fullness of God’s intent is that all nations will be discipled, and all nations blessed.

In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), the resurrected Christ gives the Church His mandate. “You are to make disciples of all nations.” In fact, this is nothing new. It is simply Christ’s restatement of the mandate given to Abraham. As he was to be a blessing to all nations (Hebrew MISHPACHAH: tribe/family), we are to disciple the nations (Greek ETHNE: people group).

In fatalistic cultures history is something that happens to you. In the biblical story, history is something that you make. Why? Because we bear the image of God. For example, millions of people have been saved from starvation because Larry Ward, the founder of Food for the Hungry, stood against the


holocaust of hunger. You may know someone in your nation who has done much for others. How does God want to change the course of the history of your community, of your nation? Through your life! Hinduism says that a person is like a rock that doesn’t make a ripple when dropped into water. What if you thought of yourself that way? The biblical story is radically different. When a man or woman enters the water, they make ripples that go on for eternity.

The country of Israel is primarily in the desert. If you tour the country, however, you will notice forests in the desert. A desert may have an oasis, but not a forest – unless there’s human intervention. A university professor explained it this way: there were two different visions for this land. One ethnic group who had lived there believed that their god had put a curse on the land. The land was cursed, and they had to live under the curse on the land. There was nothing they could do about it. But a second ethnic group knew that this had been a land that “flowed with milk and honey.” Two peoples looking at the same natural resources, which were very limited. What was the difference? The vision. The difference is in the story that they know and believe. How do we begin to help communities and nations see with God's eyes? What are God's good intentions for the community, for the nation?

When William Carey went to India, he saw hills that had been stripped of trees. He could have accepted that as “just the way it is” or he could have been depressed by that, BUT he understood the biblical story – the good news. God’s good intentions were for those hills to have forests again, and he knew what that meant for India. His life caused Indians to see what God’s good intentions were for their country. He understood the earth was to be filled with the knowledge of God.

How do those of us in the Church work with people in communities to begin to see God’s vision for the land? Not the people’s vision; their vision may be what’s keeping them in poverty. How do we help them begin to see with God’s eyes? This is where transformation begins: with God’s vision of a community. It’s more than doing projects—it’s introducing them to the God of the universe, not just so their souls can be saved, but so they also can begin hearing God’s Story, and have their hearts, minds and lives transformed. Development begins with knowing God, understanding and applying His laws and principles, hearing His Story, and having lives connected to God’s unfolding Story. Transformation begins with vision, and “without vision, the people perish.”

It is critical that we read Revelation 21 because it is the end of our story. When Christ returns, He comes back with His city, the city of God. And the kings of the earth will bring the splendor of the nations into it. How will the splendor of the nations be prepared for Christ's second coming? Only if the nations are discipled. And that is why He commands us to disciple nations. Jesus has a task—to come back with the Kingdom. But He has given us a task—to disciple the nations. We are to prepare the nations for the King’s return so that the glory of the nations is ready for Him. The Great Commission will happen before He returns because it is His purpose.

What Is the Nature of the Universe?

What is the nature of the universe? It is an open system. Secularism says that nature is a closed system. There is no God, and there are only limited resources. Animism says the system, this world, is not important; it's passing away. The world is passing away; we just need to wait to get off of it. Biblical Theism, on the other hand, says the system is open. It's open to God who created it. It's open to the angels. And who else is it open to? Man, because we are made in God’s image. How did God create? By speaking. He spoke, and creation came into existence. According to Hebrews


11:3, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command…” Where did the physical world come from? It was created out of the invisible. The non-material produced the material. What does this mean? It means that the source of resource is not in the ground. Secularism says that the source of resource is in the ground because the only thing that exists is physical reality. Our story says no, there is a God in the universe, and we are made like Him. Resources do not come from the ground but from the mind – human innovation and creativity. Resources are only limited by human imagination and moral stewardship. Resources are not limited by what's in the ground. They are limited by what's in the heart and mind of man. People who are poor don’t need to be given things; they need to be told the biblical story which helps them see that they are made in God’s image and that they have the ability to develop and create resources in their own communities.

Here is a story about oil. What is oil? It is just gunk; it’s gooey black stuff that comes out of the ground sometimes. It’s not a resource. Two hundred years ago it wasn’t a resource. It was just gunk, without any purpose or value. What made the difference? Someone with an idea, a need and the desire to create something from this gunk transformed this worthless gunk into a globally valued resource. What made it a resource? Human creativity. The same is true for sand – a worthless, abundant commodity. Someone had the idea to use it for making silicone, the very fabric of the computer chip. It was the mind of a human being who transformed worthless sand into the “heart” of a computer – the chip, which people will pay a hundreds of dollars for. Man is a creative being made in the image of God!

Do you know the sculpture David by Michelangelo? The artist captures the image of David at the very moment he killed Goliath. It is a masterpiece. It's priceless. It's a world treasure. But what was it before Michelangelo laid his hand on it? It was a piece of rock in a mountain with no particular worth. Then a man went out and worked hard to take this block of marble out of the mountain. After he worked to get it out of the mountain, it gained the worth of his labor. Another man came along with a tired old horse and put the big block of marble on a cart. The tired old horse dragged it into Florence, Italy, and it ended up in Michelangelo's studio. It was placed on a pedestal, and Michelangelo studied this block of stone. He spent considerable time looking at it. What was he looking for? He was looking for what was inside the stone. One day he saw the David. He took his chisel and his hammer and began to reveal the image. One day it was finished. What was worthless now became priceless. Who did this? An artist who was made in the image of God. But that's not the end of the story. That block of marble had a major flaw in it. It had a crack in it that went to the root of the stone, and Michelangelo had to work around the flaw. He knew what he was dealing with, and he worked around it to bring forth the glory of the David. He took a flawed stone and transformed it into a masterpiece. He could do that because he was made in the image of God.

Do you realize that's what God is doing in your life? We are like that cold, flawed stone. And the God of the universe comes to that cold, flawed stone and looks at it. What is He looking for? The glory that’s “inside”! God sees all the wonder and beauty inside of us and wants to reveal it to the world. He takes His chisel and hammer and begins to unveil the glory. Those are the difficult days in your life; the days of pain and maybe even days when you wish you were dead. And you see the blow coming and you say, 'God, no! Hold the blow. Not again! I can't take it anymore.' You're in the hands of the Sculptor of the universe. If He were to withhold the blow, the glory could not be revealed. We have an awesome God, and He has made us in His image. This is our story. This story will transform nations.

By Darrow MillerLast edited by Nadia Chandler and Karla Tesch, August, 2007.

Copyright 2007 by the Disciple Nations Alliance1110 E. Missouri Avenue, Suite 393, Phoenix, AZ 85014

email: [email protected]


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Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided you do NOT alter the wording in any way, you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproducing, and you do not

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Suggested Resources:

Mangalwadi, Ruth and Vishal. The Legacy of William Carey. Wheaton IL; Crossway Books, 1999. Chapter 5: The Mind of a Modernizer.

Miller, Darrow L. Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Cultures. Seattle WA: YWAM Publishing, 2001. Chapter 3: The Transforming Story.

Miller, Darrow L., Bob Moffitt, and Scott D. Allen. Worldview of the Kingdom of God. Seattle WA: YWAM Publishing, 2005.

Miller, Darrow L. and Bob Moffitt. On Earth As It Is In Heaven. DVD: Session 3. Available through Disciple Nations Alliance: www.disciplenations.org/resources.

Disciple Nations Alliance online course. www.disciplenations.org/resources/course. Sections: The Nations, Worldview

DNA Resource Reader articles available at www.disciplenations.org/resources. “The Christian View: Creation” from Pollution and the Death of Man: Crossway Books, 1300

Crescent St., Wheaton, IL 60187 tel: (603)682-4300 fax: (630) 682-4785. “Substantial Healing” from Pollution and the Death of Man: Crossway Books, 1300 Crescent

St., Wheaton, IL 60187 tel: (603)682-4300 fax: (630) 682-4785. “In Labour” from The Future Great Plant Earth: Nivedit Good Books, Ivy Cottage, Landour,

Mussoorie, U.P., India 248 179 “Changing Clothes” from The Future Great Plant Earth: Nivedit Good Books, Ivy Cottage,

Landour, Mussoorie, U.P., India 248 179 Consummation” from The Future Great Plant Earth: Nivedit Good Books, Ivy Cottage,

Landour, Mussoorie, U.P., India 248 179 “The Unlimited Economy in Mind” from The Economy in Mind: Out of print “I, Pencil” from Imprimis: Hillsdale College Newsletter, Hillsdale MI 49242 “The Explorer” from Recapturing the Spirit of Enterprise: ICS Press, 720 Market St,. 4th Floor,

San Francisco, CA 94102 fax: (717) 348-9297 “Where is History Going?” from Where is History Going?: Zondervan Publishing House, 5300

Patterson Ave., SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530 tel: (616) 698-6900 fax: (616) 698-3439 email: [email protected]

“Mind, Not Money, Drives the Economy” from Imprimis, Hillsdale College Newsletter, Hillsdale, MI 49242


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