Monday, July 22, 2013

Unholy Story

Story

This series is inspired by both the Letter/Book of Revelation and Mike Cope’s book Megan’s Secrets

Stories: Unholy Story

We are all living out a life story.  The specifics of our stories vary but we are essentially living out one of two plot lines.  The first plot line is the oldest one.  This is the LORD’s Story that started with the creation of the world and is continuing thru today.  We may also think of this as the Holy Story or the Lamb’s Story.  We will come back to this story later.

The second plot line is the World’s Story.  We can also think of it as the Unholy Story or the Satanic Story.  This story is not as old as the LORD’s Story and is in fact a distortion of the LORD’s Story.  It starts early in history when we still live in the Garden of Eden and at peace with the LORD.  Satan enters and offers a temptation to be “like God.”  Satan distorts the fact that we were already created like God, being created in His image.  Satan offers us a temptation not to be like the true God but to be like a god of our own creation.  It is the temptation of control.  Are you going to write your own story or submit to the LORD’s story?  When you walk away from the LORD’s Story you start living an Unholy Story.

Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, spells out what this story looks like.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Galatians 5.19 - 20a)

This is a story where this world is all there is and you better get all you can before you are gone.  This is a story where you choose to be the center and use others in order to get what you want.  The specifics of how one lives out this Unholy Story will be different, but the end is the same - death.


Look back over the list Paul gives us again.  Is this the kind of story you want to live?  If not, stay tuned we will talk more about the Lamb’s Story.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Story

Story

This series is inspired by both the Letter/Book of Revelation and Mike Cope’s book Megan’s Secrets

Stories are important.  We read, watch, listen to and live stories.  That’s right, each one of us is living out a story.  Our stories shape the way we view the world around us.  Our stories shape how we see ourselves and how we live.  Do you see your life story as one of failure or one of success?  Do you see your life story one where you are in control or do you see yourself as at the mercy of bad luck?  Do your see your self as the hero of your story or the villain?

Over the next few blog posts I want to explore the idea of story.  As I reflected on this idea, it appears there are two main plots to the story you can choose to live.

First there is the LORD’s Story.  You could also think of this as a Holy Story or the Lamb’s Story.  It is a story whose plot line runs right thru the writings we find in the Bible all the way to our lives today.  It is a story that centers around the fact that we are created and this time we are in now is not all there is but more is to come.  Now is preparing us for the glorious future to come.

The second story can be thought of as an Unholy Story, the Beast’s Story or a Satanic Story.  This plot line is also seen in the Bible and we also find it playing out today.  This is the counter story that tells us that we are accidents that just evolved.  It tells us the lie that the here and now is all we get so you had better grab and take all you can because there is nothing else to come.

You choose the story you live. It may not be easy but you can change your story.  You can’t change the past of your story but the future is up to you.  The challenge from the book of Revelation is still true today- are you going to live the Beast’s story or the Lamb’s story?