Of Jesus-Shaped Fortune Cookies and The Epic of War

We tend to forget that the Bible is one book. We tend to forget that the Bible is an exciting epic that not even Tolkien or Rowlings could reproduce. We tend to forget that THE Author has written a book so that we can stand back and say, "He did all that for His Son?" (You thought that I was going to say, he did all that "for me" didn't you?? Guess what... the Bible is about Jesus... not you.)

Anyway...

As we consider the way in which we read the Scriptures, we need to remember that the Scriptures are not to be used like fortune cookies or even little personal words of encouragements. We are to read the Bible as a book about a holy war. Two Kingdoms have been at war since the early pages of the Scriptures- and the Kingdom of the Son is the one that has conquered.

So next time you are reading your Bible, ask yourself where the passage  falls in the history of redemption. What makes that passage special in the building of the Kingdom of God? What does that passage teach you about Jesus, the King? What does that passage require of you, the subject of the King?

This is a more faithful way to read the Scriptures that diving in for fortunes and little encouragements. Craig Bartholomew says it like this, "‎"Many of us read the Bible as if it were merely a mosaic of little bits- theological bits, moral bits, historical-critical bits, sermon bits, devotional bits. But when we read the Bible in such a fragmented way, we ignore its divine author's intention to shape our lives through its story." (The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story)

What's your character's part in the Story of the King?