The Stories of a Christian Life “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). As Christians we are given the duty of preaching God’s Word to all and to extend the knowledge of salvation to the expansions of the Earth. We are taught to be pure examples and to avoid and rebuke all forms of evil. Knowing this to be our calling, how to stories fit into this picture? I believe that stories play an important role in our role as Christians in the following ways: to communicate the Gospel, to rebuke evil, and to enjoy God’s creation. However, although stores are an important aspect of the Faith, they come with a warning and a few challenges to overcome. They can be useful if used correctly, but they have the potential to lead to sin. Stories can be useful tools to spread the Gospel. Jesus used stories in the form of parables to explain important lessons to his followers. He did this because it made his lessons easier for people to understand and relate to if they were in story form. This is similar to how teachers …show more content…
Evil can be rebuked in a few different ways: knowledge, discernment, and retaliation. To rebuke evil, one first needs to be able to understand it. Stories can help Christians understand other perspectives and religions in a way that does not threaten their own faith. It is a way to observe without stretching the boundaries and sinning. With knowledge, one is able to better discern between evil and good. By knowing about sins, a Christian can better avoid them. This is how discernment is learned. The next step is retaliation against evil. By knowing about evil and being able to discern between good and bad, a Christian is able to combat evil. We can do this by not supporting stories that teach evil, teaching others what is evil and to avoid it, and preaching out against evil. IN this way stories can be used by Christians to rebuke evil thoughts and
Storytellers tended to have a special place in their societies, whether they were held in high regard or shunned for their lifestyle choice. Regardless, these people could inform the audience about cultural traditions, values, behaviors, etc such as the griots found in some Hawaiian cultures. They could also take advantage of the opportunity to attempt to persuade people to act a certain way or adopt a particular world view. Finally, quite often storytellers were looked upon to entertain at social gatherings to tell humorous stories, such as jesters.” ( http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-significance-storytelling-oral-tradition-396206 )
A Christian, when faced with the challenge of writing, finds himself in a dilemma: how is he to complete the task? Should he create an allegory? Should he try to teach a lesson reflecting God’s glory? Or should he follow secular trends and current desires in literature? To this, many Christians would say, “Certainly not!” Dorothy L. Sayers and Flannery O’Connor both aim to answer the first question of any Christian writer: How do I write a story with my beliefs?
Time and time again we often come across questions like, “How does a Christian live a Christian life?” or “How should does God help us?” Should we work hard towards perfection or should we just let go and let God do the work He has planned? Reading Hodges there are some key facts he includes in His book Six Secrets of the Christian life. We can confirm these facts through biblical passages that are important to the Christian life. As Christians I believe that we are walking with a shallow meaning of what it is to be a true follower of Christ. That’s where Six Secrets of a Christian life play an important role in explaining and guiding a Christian who want to have that experience. We should not look at this book as everything a Christian needs,
Through the close study of two of the aspects shown in the diagram, their contributions allow Christianity to be considered a living religious tradition. The significant contributions of Pope John XXIII, during both his papal and Pre-papal life have had everlasting effects on not only Catholicism, but Christianity as a whole and lead to the sense of Christianity being a living religious tradition. His works include two Papal encyclicals, Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris, along with his work being Apostolic Delegate of Greece and Turkey. Moreover, The significant practice of Baptism has further contributed to Christian being considered a living religious tradition as it accounts for the premise of most Christian beliefs to be initiated, especially in terms of salvation and affirming the beliefs in the trinity and following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
All biblical stories are dedicated in providing a life lesson. They are God’s ways in teaching His people on how they should behave and how to better their relationships with Him. In addition, the accounts also give insight to characteristics and truths of God. The lives of numerous biblical characters serve as archetypes that affirm the fact that God is the sovereign Creator, the supreme Judge, and the merciful Savior.
A group of excited high school guys cram tightly into the back of a car on a weekend night. They aren't going to a party tonight or seeing a movie at the theater. Instead they pull into the church parking lot.
...mazing, but sets an example of how believers today can use relevant and modern examples and stories to share the Gospel and continue growing the body of Christ.
Parables to the Belief and Life of Christians What is a Parable? In my coursework, I will establish the definition of a Parable, Biblical quotes and references, and the reasons for their use. I will establish these facts: · The use of Parables in Luke’s Good News Gospel · Examples of Parables that Jesus used · My personal opinions on the subject of Parables I will use several different sources of information to complete the essay questions stated below. These sources include various Internet websites; books and my teacher.
The words of Christ and his main ideas are totally visible in his parables. The main themes that one can grasp for Jesus usage of parables was for one, he used parables to help one whole hearty search with diligence to discover the hidden truth behind the message he preached. Indeed parables were a reoccurring means that Jesus used when speaking to the people or his disciples. He always recognized that he could not teach his listeners unless he made them educate themselves. It was those individuals who were willing to think beyond his words by carefully analyzing them and unveiling its true meaning.
In conclusion it is evident that the power of storytelling is a form of social control because many people look to the stories that are rooted in their culture and they use it to formulate their dominant fantasies and they also use stories to help them identify both others and themselves. Therefore the one who tells stories holds great power and the stories that he or she chooses to tell help reinforce certain dominant fantasies.
The symbol of the cross does not only bring hope to Christian but also to myself and to the entire world. Everything that God created was created to need him, but because of our sin we must be separated from him and experience being alone. This hopelessness is something that everyone must experience, but we do not have to stay in it.
I have grown up in a Christian school where I am required to attend Bible class daily, go to chapel weekly, and complete service hours to graduate. However, just because my school has these requirements does not necessarily mean that everyone is a practicing Christian. There is a common misconception that people that grew up in a Christian schools exert Christian qualities. Some of the stories I hear from people, both in and out of class, make me ashamed to be associated with my grade. According to the PLNU living agreement students are required to attend chapel three times a week, I like how it encourages students to be in their Bibles and start a relationship with God. I accepted God when I was five, but it was more out of fear, over the
The Christian Home, P.D. Wilmeth, Nashville, Tenn., 183pp. The Christian Home by P.D. Wilmeth was written to give the readers an in depth study of the home as God would have it. The introduction outlines the importance of the course “because the family is the foundation of our society-as goes the home, so goes society” (p11).
Storytelling has always been a form of entertainment that people have used for centuries now. Stories are often said to strengthen a community and create harmony. They often reflect the beliefs of the people who tell them. As for any story, the popularity of the story depends on whether those listening approve of the values underlying it. By telling and listening to stories, people confirm their ideas about the world around them. Things that people find scary, upsetting or desirable all found their way into the stories because people want to be assured that other people around them are thinking along the same lines (Myths and Legends). There have been many variations of storytelling. There are stories told through drawing, through actions,
Using this method, he successfully engages the congregation through descriptive narratives and relating ideas to current times. As part of the narratives he includes descriptive biblical stories beginning with the story in his text, claiming it as a “scary story”. He further re-enforces this scary story concept by sharing two more biblical passages where a scary story exists. These biblical narratives are the beginning of what Wilson would call the second page of the sermon where the trouble in the text is given. This of course was preceded by his first page that discussed the idea of having scary stories in our lives today (trouble in the world) by using a vivid personal illustration. He continues to use vivid illustrations to hammer in his focus on the church needing to be friends to the downtrodden because God responds that way. He designs the third page to share the Gospel in the text reminding us that God responds to continual injustice by sending his son to be the friend that everyone needs. The one who stands up for injustice and never leaves your side. Finally, he concludes with the fourth page by demonstrating how churches can live the gospel in the world today. They do this through friendships with people in their surrounding community whose stories might be