manual: of,relating to,or involving the hands,work done by hands,requiring or using physical skill and energy.
story: an account of incidents or events,a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question. the intrigue or plot of a narrative or a dramatic work.
These two words are in a huge discussion on the christian blogging arena as we speak. They are discussing the difference between them, the relevance of them, what is better?, and why it even matters?
You might want to know in what reference that I am talking about in the use of these words. You might understand it or even know what the big deal is but there is one.
These two words are in reference in how we view the …………… Bible!
Huh? I think that this discussion in the blogging world is Great. It is and has brought up some mighty interested things, and this is one of them. Without knowing it as Christianity has begun some seventeen hundred years ago, we believed the bible in a manual way, without realizing it.
Now let me point out that the jewish ways were just the beginning of this thinking, but we as outsiders or gentile have followed suite without an even a wimper. The understanding of the jewish community was that God’s intention was to give them a king to unite them and give them supremacy to the whole world. In order for this to happen certain things had to happen in their world,or even more so, their religion, to bring about this king from within.
This has led the jewish religion to follow in a manual way to get their king. Commandments,practices,traditions,manuals, and regulations have all continued this line of thinking of manually bringing a king to them.
In a very close scenario we as christians have followed suite with the same thing. We have programs,institutions, leaders, rules, and most importantly we have our evangelical ways. After all isn’t this what it is all about?
This has been from the manual’s side camp.
Here is the story’s camp.
God’s original story was going to be a short story. Adam(his people) accepted life as Him,and He brought them to what is commonly know as the “New Jerusalem”(or Himself)this was even before the old Jerusalem was even thought of.
But because Adam(his people) chose death instead of life(God) He has made it into a longer story.
This story is how He brings his people back to Life! (get it,back to LIFE!)
This is a simple story, God tells us and shows us through His people(Jewish) and their great leaders in their slowly and methodical learning that it was God all along that they were searching for. This is also where there is a great mystery revealed to us,thank goodness. That we too, can be included in this life, even tho we are gentiles(christians), it is the Life that we are to partake of and life to partake of us.
This story is not one where have the ability to change it, but to be apart of it. (The end of the story is Amazing!) God’s desire of us is only to be with Him in Life. That’s all.
If you would like to partake in some of the blogs or even put your 2 cents in mine or other blogs, here are some bloggers that are discussing the topic.
Frank Viola
Milt Rodgrigues
Christian Smith
there are others out there but just search on these guys and just the topic and you will see what is out there.
The Eternal Purpose 