-
The Perils of Personal Autonomy
When the last installment of God’s One Big Story ended, here is where we were in the Story: God had created a beautiful world and designed it perfectly to sustain the lives of the people He would soon be creating. When this earthly home was completed, God created Man, a being so much like Himself that he would have no problem in being adopted as one of God’s Sons. Next, God created a Garden Sanctuary where He and the Man could meet regularly for fellowship, and upon its completion, He placed the man in the Garden and designated it as his new home. As it was a grace gift…
-
Another Learning Interlude
With Vignette #2 just ending and with Vignette #3 not quite ready to start, we find ourselves here at Stage #1 of God’s One Big Story, once again using this brief interlude between Vignettes to study the Story we have seen so far: looking at it specifically for… Any Life Lessons that this part of the Story has to teach us; Any Contributions that this part of the Earthly Story has to make to the Heavenly Story taking place at the same time; and, Any new Revelations of God that this part of the Story has to offer us. Life Lessons to Be Learned from Genesis 2 Before…
-
The Capstone of God’s Creation
As we wait for the curtains to re-open for Vignette #2, here at Stage #1 of God’s One Big Story, let’s take a moment to recall where we were in the Story when these very same curtains were closed so abruptly on Vignette #1—The Creation of the World. At the time, we had just witnessed the most astounding display of power, wisdom, order, and creativity ever, as God in three Persons created, out of nothing, the cosmos and everything in it—everything that is, except the human life which had been His ultimate objective from eternity past. It was at this pivotal moment, when everything else in God’s created order was…
-
Next Stop…the New Birth!
Now that everyone is back on board the train, it’s time for us to leave the Salvation Station; the place where we were introduced to God’s wonderful plan for saving sinners from death and destruction while, at the same time, adopting them as His very own children–in the process, giving them a hope in this life as well as a glorious future in the next. What we didn’t learn here, though, is just how we can appropriate this salvation that God has so graciously provided for us. With that as our immediate goal, let’s make our way to the next stop on our tour, the New Birth Station; where we will not…
-
All Aboard…For Salvation!
Woo-hoo! The time has finally come for us to embark upon our rocking and rolling trip through the Word of God. So far, we have gone over our travel tips and have gotten our itinerary all worked out. Now, here with our bags packed and our tickets in hand, it is time for us to board the Truth Train and depart for the first stop on our journey, the Salvation Station. At this point, some of you may be wondering why a stop there is necessary at all. For those of you traveling in Group #1—those who may have already experienced salvation, or who may have been involved in the…
