Thrive in the City by Living Into the Great StorySample

Telling a Better Story 

Cities are diverse environments with people from various backgrounds and cultures. In order to be a fruitful witness in the city context we need to understand the gospel. In order to understand the gospel, we need to understand the kingdom of God, and to understand the Kingdom of God we ultimately look to Jesus. Here are four observations.

1) Jesus brings the reality of His kingdom into this world by demonstrating what the Kingdom of God is like. Josh Chen imagines Jesus as someone who only knew life in His Kingdom, who, when He came to earth, experienced culture shock, similar to a missionary going to another country. So, when Jesus sees a paralyzed man He would look at the man somewhat confused and ask himself, “Why can’t this man walk? That would never happen where I'm from.” So, Jesus reaches out and heals him. Or imagine Jesus going to a wedding and they run out of wine, Jesus thinks to himself, “A party in heaven would never run out of wine.” So, he turns water into wine. 

2) Jesus identified with people’s core longings by communicating good news that was meaningful for them. The fracturing of shalom, the way things were supposed to be with God and others, has left us all with unmet core longings as humans . . . longings for peace (wholeness), for prosperity (flourishing), and for purpose (a sense of meaning and identity). Like the four friends of the paralytic who creatively got their friend in front of Jesus, we have the opportunity to be creative, thoughtful, and intentional people who seek to understand the various longings, aches, and pain points of each person around us.

3) Jesus acknowledged the image of God in everyone. For example, when Jesus interacted with a woman caught in adultery, his posture towards her was that of restoration, not condemnation. 

4) Lastly, Jesus told a lot of stories. 

What stories can you be telling? 

Here are five core behaviors that can help you be a fruitful witness:

1. Be present and listen—Follow the conversation and not your agenda.
2. Find common ground—Build a relational bridge.
3. Walk in their shoes—Understand their story.
4. Talk like a real person—Use words meant for real people and not the church.
5. Connect core longings to Jesus and tell a better story than the one they’ve heard.

Take a moment with God.

What core longings might you and others be looking for God to meet today?

Whose story can you seek to understand better this week?