This last weekend, New Life began a new teaching initiative called The Jesus Story. Take a few moments and watch The Prologue that kicks off this 40 week series.
Over the next year, we will go deeper into the entire story of the Bible, beginning with the beginning—Genesis—and ending with Revelation. We will discover that the Bible is more than a collection of stories. It tells one story. The story of love so great that it will stop at nothing to restore the broken relationship between the Creator and His creation. The Bible is really The Jesus Story.
Since the beginning of time, God has been at work in our lives. The pinnacle of all He created, we are the only part of creation to bear the stamp, “In His Image.” From the moment God breathed life into Adam to where we are today, The Jesus Story shows the handprint of God in our daily lives.
From the early stories in Genesis—the Garden, the Fall, the Flood—we will see how God pursues a relationship with mankind. You may have heard stories about Cain and Abel, about Noah and the flood. You may have heard of a man named Abraham. God establishes a relationship with Abraham and his descendents—Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph—and promises that from this family will come the Savior, the One who will restore the broken relationship—and redeem all mankind.
You’ve probably heard about Moses, the prince of Egypt, who led Abraham’s descendents out of bondage into the promised land. You may have heard about the walls of Jericho falling, about Samson and Delilah, about David and Goliath. Each one of these stories show the length to which God went to get the attention of His creation. Every story has a purpose, leading to an amazing destiny, and they are just a part of The Jesus Story.
We will hear the adventures and exploits and see the journals, poems, and songs of prophets, kings, and priests. Personal struggles of great men, triumphant examples of faith, and private moments of failure. Each of these again reveal more of what God wants to say to His creation. Through books of wisdom and prophecy, we continue to see the way God works in the lives of His people, still reaching out to the ones He loves.
Thousands of years after Abraham, the people of God still look for a savior and wonder—when will He come? The answer is met with silence. For 400 years, The Jesus Story seems to come to a halt. But the story isn’t over. Just when people might have given up hope, God surprises everyone. He becomes a man. He comes to His creation as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. But He doesn’t stay a little child—He grows up, raised by a carpenter in a dusty Judean village. In an untouchable mystery, God disguises Himself as one of us—and the main character in The Jesus Story takes center stage.
We will witness how the story that began in a Garden ends in a City—with the life and ministry, the miracles and parables, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will see how the lives of those who knew Him personally were changed, how the church began with one hundred scared disciples, how a man named Paul was transformed from violent opposition to outspoken champion of the Gospel. We will read the letters he wrote to friends, to congregations. And we will conclude with a glimpse into the future, the ultimate finale to The Jesus Story.
You may be wondering, how does what happened in the Garden so long ago affect me today—or even tomorrow? Why should this story be significant to me today? The answers may surprise you. The Jesus Story is full of the unexpected, because when we look for God in a place where He would never be, we look again and there He is. Ready to answer your deepest questions.
I want to invite you to join us as we tell The Jesus Story. If New Life is your home church, or wherever you are in the world, join us in person or online as we return to the greatest story ever told.
Here is how you can find your place in this story:
- Read The Jesus Story Bible Reading Plan. Click here to start now.
- Watch each week online. Click here to watch the introduction to the series: The Prologue.
- If you live in the Seattle area..join us at one of our seven gatherings. Find out times and directions here.
- Use the study questions provided each week. Click here to get the questions for Week One.
