What If Today Was a Bible Story
If God recorded today as a Bible story, I wonder what He would write about us? What kind of words would echo into eternity regarding our faith? Would the church be recognized as a body of believers who lived cemented in God’s promises or as a bunch of couch potatoes who preferred watching church on television, have no idea what God’s Word says, and don’t actually care?
If someone recorded our history, I can’t help but hope that after several paragraphs describing societal pushback against godly principles and biblical narrative that a remanent of believers would pop onto the pages. A remnant who refused to stop meeting together even amid fears of a pandemic, vigilantly taught their children the Scriptures, and stood for God despite a surging cost.
But how would the recording of our history actually go? Would there be paragraphs about how we spoke the gospel diligently, or would multiple chapters record our negligence? They said they loved God, but they did not know God. They knew of God, but they did not trust God. And in the end, they cared more about pleasing themselves than pleasing God.
A Different Narrative Around the World
As I think about the global church—the pressure our brothers and sisters face worldwide—I know there are brave souls among God’s people. I’m currently reading a book recounting the cost of following Christ in gospel-closed countries, and I can’t help but wonder if the western world would be that willing should we face similar circumstances.
I’ve read about men traveling in coffins under dead bodies so they can smuggle God’s Word where it is fiercely prohibited. I’ve read about wives courageously professing Christ even though they knew their husbands would kill them. I’ve read about hand signals and secret codes used so believers can meet together in undisclosed locations just for a few moments of worship. In some cases, they memorize entire books of the Bible before passing one Bible (for a whole region) on to others.
Should the stories of these men and women grace the surface of God’s recorded word a thousand years from now, I have no doubt congregations would praise God for their dedication to the faith just like we do when we read about our favorite biblical heroes. But if those same future congregations flipped to pages recounting the western church, I fear it would be a lesson on what not to do, just like we teach when we read of Israel’s lack of faith in the Almighty God in Old Testament history.
See here church, they claimed to know God, but their actions denied Him. They were “lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people” (2 Timothy 3:2-5).
Is that what they would speak of us?
The Narrative of the Western Church
It’s easy to point fingers at the Israelites for loving their foreign gods and worshiping their false idols, but would the story change if the spotlight pointed at us? I’m not so sure. I wonder how heaven sees us. Spoiled? Selfish? Deceived? Afraid? From their vantage point, are we cowards who are unwilling to speak up for fear of being canceled or persecuted or deemed racist even though we have the promise of blessing for all denounced for the cause of Christ?
What about our willingness to so easily follow government mandates versus our unwillingness to follow God’s mandates? If the Holy Spirit penned our story, would it be recorded that we fought tooth and nail against anything and everything God said but eagerly accepted everything the government said? What about our readiness to accept science but our reluctance to accept God? Personally, I find it embarrassing how quick many are to embrace new public health guidance compared to how slow many are to embrace God’s time-tested truths.
Whom do we serve? Whom do we follow? Whom do we believe?
We have many privileges that Old Testament believers didn’t have. We have the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. We have the mind of Christ instructing us (1 Cor. 2:16). We have the story of the gospel—the epic knowledge that Christ our Savior willingly paid the price for our sins before rising three days later from the dead. We know Christ is King and that He is “before all things, and by him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17).
But what do we do with these truths? Do we set them aside, or do we allow them to shape the way forward? What’s the actual narrative of our time? That we willingly follow God, thanking Him for the privilege of godliness? Or do we suppress the truth only to find ourselves “tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning,” and deceived by the devil (Eph. 4:14)?
Living Out the Right Kind of Narrative
I doubt Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses knew they would be a “Bible story” one day. Well, perhaps Moses had some slight inclination seeing as God told him to write everything down. However, I doubt Moses had any idea of the magnitude of that endeavor. To write down Israel’s history for Israel to recount is one thing, but to realize you’re writing a best seller for thousands of years to come for the entire world to consume was probably not on Moses’s radar.
I’m not saying God is still penning Scripture, but I am saying what if He did? What if He wrote your life down for everyone to read? What lessons would crease the pages? Would it be written that you believed God? That you stepped out in faith and chose the path of righteousness instead of worldly satisfaction, or would a different narrative emerge? A narrative that looks more like Israel’s rejection of God’s love, God’s ways, and God’s faithful presence.
Whether God writes our story down for future generations or not, the fact remains that history is still happening. We’re all a part of some portion of history as the days go by. And I don’t know about you, but I want my time in this world to count for God’s kingdom. I don’t want it to be said of me that I wasted the gift of the Holy Spirit, or trembled at the slightest pushback, or chose comfort over Christ.
I still believe we can make a difference in this world. God is far from done with the church, but are we done with God? Rise up, Church. What’s it going to take to light a fire under us? When will God’s people realize we’re fighting a brilliantly deceptive spiritual enemy who celebrates every time we get sidetracked?
Our problem is not flesh and blood. Our problem is our quiet and reserved attitude toward the gospel. What if today, we started sharing about Jesus with everyone we know? What if we believed God’s Word enough to walk boldly through this world? What might God do?
Look back through biblical history, and you’ll see that when God’s people publicly put their trust in God, He doesn’t let them down. It’s happening worldwide, but I’d like to see it happen right here in my hometown and yours. Let’s give future generations a story to praise God for. Let’s give our children and grandchildren a foundation to build on instead of a pile of doubt-filled rubble and catastrophic idolatry.
May it be said that today’s church stood firm upon the cornerstone that is Christ without hesitation for the glory of God’s kingdom. May it be said that we lived by faith and not fear. And may it be said that you were a part of it.
