Why are we so into the stories of Scripture?

There are other genres of Scripture like prophecy, law, and those maps at the back you peek at during long sermons. Why don't we just do boring Bible studies like everybody else?

Here are ten reasons the stories of Scripture are so powerful. How many of these have occurred to you?

Ever notice how you lose track of time when you're reading a good novel, or get emotional watching a movie and have to keep telling yourself they're just actors, or how kids always want just one more story? What's with that? Why are humans such compulsive storytellers when animals aren't? What does that tell you about the One who made us his mini-mes?

We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories. ~Jonathan Gottschal

If God is the greatest storyteller ever, is it any surprise that his book is the greatest story ever, like a historical novel spanning centuries and comprised of many smaller stories? Let that sink in: those stories are the very Word of God. They're also the context for the laws, prophecies, etc. We all know that taking Scripture out of context is very bad. So why don't we spend more time on the big story?

People are looking for stories that really mean something - stories that are redemptive, inspiring, and bigger than an individual. ~Scott Harrison

Is it any surprise that the son of the storytelling God was also a master storyteller? Mark tells us Yeshua never taught the crowds without using simple little stories, called parables. His disciples memorized these short stories from their Rabbi and retold them countless times, and they're still doing it today! Using stories to reach people...maybe they were on to something.

A lost coin is found by means of a candle; the deepest truth is found by means of a simple story. ~Anthony De Mello

The Good News is a story about a carpenter living in Israel two thousand years ago who turned travelling preacher and did something. Feel that for a moment - that story saved you. You heard it, you had a personal encounter with that carpenter, and he changed you! You know what else is crazy? They didn't even write the story down for a couple decades at least. They just travelled the world, telling it word of mouth. What if the reason you never share the gospel is because you never learned how to tell that story?

It is the manner of the Gospel that it must be preached by word of mouth, and a living voice. Christ himself has not written anything, nor has he ordered anything to be written, but rather to be preached by word of mouth. ~Martin Luther

Functionally illiterate doesn't mean you can't read - it just means you don't. Most people today don't get their information through reading books; they get it through talking with their friends and watching YouTube. If your idea of evangelizing or discipling those guys is giving them a 1000+ page book from a foreign culture, can you see how it might not fly? So what's your plan?

A picture is worth a thousand words, and a story is worth a thousand pictures. ~Stephen Stringer

Not everyone wants to hear about your religious beliefs. Maybe Westboro or ISIS turned them off, or they already have a religion, or they're ADD. You'd be surprised though how many of those people would be open to hearing you tell a story, and maybe even talk about it with you. Remember, that thing isn't just a story - it's God's Word and he's in it! Trojan horse!

Facts, opinions, and value statements push people apart. Stories bring people together. ~Chuck Matthei

We all hit a point in our lives when we start asking the big questions. Why am I here? Is there an afterlife? Why do people keep mowing their lawns? Everyone has questions like this, and every culture has their own set of stories attempting to answer them. Sociologists call these big stories myths. And they're not just stories we tell ourselves - they're stories we live.

The most important question anyone can ask is: What myth am I living? ~Carl Jung

Our myths are burned so deeply into our brains we just accept them as reality. Our whole lives come from those big stories too because they dictate who our people are and what's normal for people like us. That's why Passover and Hanukkah are such a big deal for the Jewish people. So if you want to change your life, guess where that starts?

If you want to change society, you must tell an alternative story. ~Ivan Illich

Stories help us make sense of the craziness. They tell us what's wrong with the world and how to fix it. They explain what the good life looks like and how to get there. Communism and the American Dream are two examples. That's why people are willing to die for an ideology - because their stories are giving them something to live for. Changing the world has always started with trying to change the story that gives people hope.

The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come. ~Steve Jobs

But it would be like trying to tell a blind person about the sunset, or trying to describe pleasure to someone without nerves. You need to experience storytelling God's Word for yourself. Your heart comes alive. You feel this energy. People start crying at stories they've heard a hundred times. It's like God walks into the room...because he does. Telling the stories of Scripture is a lost art that's making a comeback and the only way you'll get it is by doing it. Will you give it a try? Really, you have all you need right now. You could just grab your Bible, get some friends together, and tell them one of those stories. But why don't you read on first.