At my training courses, participants come from many different backgrounds. Once, a participant who worked at a Christian school in a deprived area (Inner city area) asked me: "Storybek, what stories are there about Jesus and inclusion?" As a reminder: inclusion means the equal participation of all people in social life - regardless of individual circumstances. To be honest, I discovered new things about Jesus' teaching. Inspired by this participant, the following set of stories was created:
The woman at the well John 4:5-19:25-30:42
Mary and Martha Luke 10:38-42 Focus: Mary as a woman is naturally part of the meeting.
Jesus and the children Luke 18:15-17
Jesus and the tax collector Luke 19:1-10
Jesus heals a blind beggar Mark 10:46-52
Antioch Acts 11:19-30+12:24-13:4a Focus: The descendants of Abraham and Greeks/Gentiles were welcome in the church.
Peter and Cornelius Acts 10 Focus: God welcomes everyone, as long as they are God-fearing and obedient to him.
Calling of the tax collector Levi Matthew 9:9-13
There are certainly many more stories that could be used. I recently heard a quote from a pastor on the radio about his congregation: "There is no place where inclusion is practiced more than in a Christian congregation. We have all ages, we have people from almost all walks of life, men and women, people with disabilities and people from different ethnic backgrounds. We are perhaps more inclusive than those who talk about it." Unfortunately, I didn't remember this pastor's name. I doubt whether this pastor is always right. The challenge remains to learn again and again what Peter also had to learn visting Cornelius: God welcomes everyone, as long as they are God-fearing and obedient to him.
In future blog posts, I will also present a story set from time to time. You can find all the material with formulated stories in my handbook "Stories and Oral Bibles" under https://www.fivefingerfood.org/en_us/download/. As my handbook continues to grow, I can only give the current page, page 250, but this will change. Otherwise, check the table of contents under "Jesus and inclusion". https://www.freebibleimages.org, a free super resource for Bible photos or drawings.
Jesus says about himself: I am life. He made this very clear through various stories and through his resurrection from the dead. It is definitely worth reflecting on the questions of death, inner and physical healing based on stories from the Holy Scriptures and trusting Jesus. In many painful things I am comforted by : "The best is yet to come!"
Death
Jesus raises the son of a widow Luke 7:11-17
Miracle for a woman and a daughter Luke 8:40-53
The authority of Jesus Mark 9:2-29
Lid: Jesus knew that he would die and that he would rise again. That is also my hope
Mary and Martha and the resurrection of Lazarus Luke 10:38-42; John 10
Resurrection of Jesus Luke 24:1-7,36-47 Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8-11
Shortly before the deadline - and then still "Today!" Luke 23:39-43
Tabea Acts 9:36-43
The Future Revelation 7:9-10; 19:6-8; 21:1-6; 22:1-2.17
Inner healing
David and Bathsheba 2 Samuel 11:1-27; David and Nathan 2 Samuel 12:1-25
Jesus' first ministry Mark 1:14-39
The woman at the well John 4:5-19:25-30:42
The sinful woman forgiven John 8:1-11
The liberated Mark 5:1-20
The conversion of Paul Acts 9:1-18
Physical healing
Jesus heals a paralytic Mark 2:1-12
The liberated Mark 5:1-20
The faith of a pagan officer Luke 7:1-10
Miracle for a woman and a daughter Luke 8:40-53
The sick man at the pool John 5:1-9
Jesus heals a man born blind John 9:1-9
Seeing the weak Luke 14:1, 7-14
Jesus heals ten lepers Luke 17:11-18
Peter and the paralytic Acts 3:1-19; 4:1-4
And more stories of healing
In future blog posts, I will also present a story set from time to time. You can find all the material with formulated stories in my handbook "Stories and Oral Bibles" under https://www.fivefingerfood.org/en_us/download/. As my handbook continues to grow, I can only give the current page, page 171 but this will change. Otherwise look in the table of contents under "Death, inner and physical healing". https://www.freebibleimages.org, a free super resource for Bible photos or drawings.
There are usually various reasons for loneliness. We therefore recommend a combination of stories from Block A and Blick
A) Think about and observe why people are lonely, why is the person you are talking to lonely?
- Loneliness due to social behavior
They are lonely because of their social behavior, such as Zacchaeus. Tell the story of Jesus and the tax collector Luke 19:1-10, lid: Jesus wants to come to you today and be your guest.
Ananias and Sapphira Acts 4, 32-35;5,1-1 Cover: Ananias and Sapphira destroyed the community with selfish motives.
- Loneliness due to psychological problems or demonic obsession
The liberated Mark 5:1-20
Lid: You are important to Jesus. He wants to set you free.
- Loneliness due to illness:
Jesus heals ten lepers Luke 17:11-18
Peter and the paralytic Acts 3:1-19; 4:1-4
The sick man at the pool John 5:1-9 Key verse: I have no one. Lid: Jesus invites you
- Loneliness due to social poverty
The rich man and the poor man Luke 16:19-31
Lid: The best is yet to come and God has the last word, not us humans. Even all the wealth won't help.
- Loneliness in prison.
The release of Peter from prison Acts 12:1-19. Cover: The church prays for the lonely.
- Loneliness, because they are victims of human trafficking and crime
Abraham, Sarah and Hagar Gen 16:1-16 and Hagar and Ishmael must leave Gen 21:1-21
Joseph-Genesis 37-50, this story has already appealed to many people
- Loneliness because of their gender or social position
Abraham, Sarah and Hagar Gen 16:1-16 and Hagar and Ishmael must leave Gen 21:1-21
Anyone using this story with Muslims should first read the section on Hagar in Islam in the article Hagar on Wikipedia. Many Muslims are familiar with the Islamic version of the Hagar story.
Ruth
- Loneliness because of being a refugee
Ruth
Idea: Jacob on the run
- Loneliness in the service of God
Elijah and God's care 1 Kings 17
Elijah on Mount Carmel 1 Kings 18
Elijah on the mountain of God 1 Kings 19:1-19
Idea: Jeremiah: The book of the prophet Jeremiah offers many possibilities
- Loneliness because the relationship with God is not right.
The story of the prodigal sons Luke 15:11-32
Cover: The younger son ran away from God the Father. The older son was always with God the Father, but he had no relationship with the father.
- B) We invite lonely people to church.
The story of the Great Banquet Luke 14:15-24
The Spirit of God Acts 2:1-47 Emphasis on what we have in common
Antioch Acts 11:19-30+12:24-13:4a
In future blog posts, I will also present a story set from time to time. You can find all the material with formulated stories in my handbook "Stories and Oral Bibles" under https://www.fivefingerfood.org/en_us/download/. As my handbook continues to grow, I can only give the current page, page 169, but this will change. Otherwise look in the table of contents under "Stories for lonely people". https://www.freebibleimages.org, a free super resource for Bible photos or drawings.
A personal highlight during my training courses is creating a story set. A story set consists of 4-10 stories, which are either told one after the other or build on each other visit after visit. A group of women once compiled the following stories with my methodical support. I later added various other things and added a panorama/summary.
Abraham, Sarah and Hagar Gen 16:1-16
Hagar and Ishmael must leave Gen 21:1-21
Ruth
Hannah's desire to have children 1 Samuel 1+2,18-21
David and Bathsheba 2 Samuel 11:1-27
David and Nathan 2 Samuel 12:1-25, the two stories belong together
Job's wife
A song of praise for the energetic woman Proverbs 31:10-31
Mary and Martha and the resurrection of Lazarus Luke 10:38-42; John 10, you can also focus only on the first story, emphasis on Martha is not focused.
The woman at the well John 4:5-19:25-30:42
The woman who anointed Jesus Luke 7:36-50
Miracle for a woman and a daughter Luke 8:40-53, you can also leave out the part about the raising of the daughter
The unshakeable faith of a foreign woman Matthew 15:21-28
Women as witnesses of Jesus' death and resurrection Luke 23:26-56, Mark 16:1-7, Luke 24:36-47
Priscilla
Panorama of how women encounter God
Ideas:
Isaac & Rebecca's relationships influencing Esau & Jacob Genesis 25:19-34; 27; 28
Rachel & Leah's struggle for the love of a man Genesis 29; 30:1-24;
Jacob's preferential treatment of his children Genesis 38
In future blog posts, I will also present a story set from time to time. You can find all the material with formulated stories in my handbook "Stories and Oral Bibles" under https://www.fivefingerfood.org/en_us/download/. As my handbook continues to grow, I can only give the current page, page 233, but this will change. Otherwise, check the table of contents under "Marriage and Family Focus: How God meets women" The photo was taken by https://www.freebibleimages.org, a free super resource for Bible photos or drawings.
Panorama of how women encounter God
In the beginning, God created man and woman in his image and likeness. They had a perfect personal relationship with God until they disobeyed God, the relationship broke down and disobedience and sin entered the world. Despite our imperfect and sinful lives, God wants to restore this relationship with us. He desires a personal relationship with you and wants to meet you in every phase of your life. He sees you and loves you. We see this so often in Scripture, where true stories show God's true love for us.
Let me give you a few examples. Hagar, a maidservant of Sarah and Abraham, gave birth to Abraham when Sarah was unable to have a child. That is why she was sent to a foreign land, and it was very difficult for her. God heard her cries and saw her pain and blessed her and her child.
We also see in the story of Hannah how she wept year after year and begged God to bless her with a son because she had no children. Although she and her husband were very religious, they remained childless. One day, Hannah promised God in prayer that she would give him a son if he gave her one. God answered her prayer and blessed her with a son.
Then God sent Jesus as our Savior to show us the true way to God. He was born of the Virgin Mary. God sent angels to tell Mary and her fiancé Joseph who Jesus was. Although she was afraid, she trusted that God would take care of her. After Jesus' birth, many people came to see him, but the king at the time wanted to kill him, but God protected Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus.
Jesus came and performed many miracles and forgave sins to point us to God. There was a woman with a hemorrhage whom no doctor had been able to help for 12 years. But when she heard that Jesus was in town, she pushed her way through the crowd, touched the hem of his garment and was instantly healed.
In another story, a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery was brought before Jesus. The religious leaders were determined to condemn the woman and stone her to death. Although according to the law both the man and the woman were to be condemned, only the woman was brought to be stoned. Jesus said to the group: "Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone. None of them could throw the first stone, so each of them went, starting with the oldest. Jesus said to the woman, "None of your accusers has remained, and I do not condemn you; go in peace and sin no more."
In another situation, when Jesus was in the house of a religious leader and everyone felt uncomfortable, a sinful woman came to Jesus. The woman had a bottle of expensive perfume with her and poured it on Jesus because it was traditional to anoint and honor him with it. The woman wept at Jesus' feet because she had so much sin in her life and only Jesus could forgive her. The crowd was amazed at her behavior, but Jesus said to her: "Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you.
I like these true stories because Jesus came to give the unseen the feeling of being seen and the unheard the feeling of being heard. He came to heal us physically, emotionally and spiritually by taking away the burdens and sins that separate us from God. He is the Savior who had to die for our sins, rose from the dead and can establish a personal relationship with God in his name. He invites us.
During my training sessions, the participants always develop a story set for their particular context. These story sets are always a personal highlight for me, because I am often very richly gifted and discover many new treasures in God's Word. A story set consists of 4-10 stories, which are either told one after the other or build on each other visit after visit. parents once suggested the following set:
Stories for children about how God meets children
God talks to Samuel 1 Samuel 3:1-19
David's election as king 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Naaman of Syria in Elisha 2 Kings 5:1-15, possible lid: The young girl in captivity or slavery had such great faith
Miracle for a woman and a daughter Luke 8:40-53
Who is Jesus? Matthew 14:14-33 With small additions from John 6:1-13; possible lid: Jesus uses the gift of a perhaps twelve-year-old to feed many people and he himself is also fed.
The authority of Jesus Mark 9:2-29; possible lid: a boy burdened by demons is set free
Jesus and the children Luke 18:15-17
The work of Jesus' friends Acts 16:12-40;17:1 possible cover: a young girl burdened by demons is set free
I tell many of these stories over and over again. The following story moves me the most:
Naaman of Syria with Elisha 2 Kings 5:1-15
There was Naaman, the commander-in-chief of the Syrian king's army. He had led his troops to many glorious victories. He was a great hero, even in the eyes of the king, but he was a leper. The Syrians had invaded the land of the descendants of Abraham, and among their captives was a little girl who had been given to Naaman's wife as a maid. One day the little girl said to her mistress, "I wish my master would go to the prophet in the land of the descendants of Abraham. He would cure him of his leprosy!" Naaman told the king what the little girl had said. "Go to the prophet," said the king. "I will send you a letter of recommendation that you can deliver to the king of the descendants of Abraham." Naaman set off, bringing gifts with him: 20,000 euros in silver, 60,000 euros in gold and ten robes. The letter to the king of the descendents of Abraham said: "The man who brings this letter is my servant Naaman; I want you to cure him of his leprosy." When the king of Abraham's descendants read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "This man is sending me a leper to cure him. Am I God, that I can kill and give life? He's just looking for an excuse to attack us again." But when the prophet Elisha heard of the king of the descendents of Abraham's distress, he sent him this message: "Why are you so angry? Send Naaman to me and he will find out that there is a true prophet of God here among the descendants of Abraham." So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to tell him to wash in the Jordan seven times and he would be cured of all traces of his leprosy! But Naaman was furious and went away." Look," he said, "I thought he would at least come out and talk to me! I expected him to run his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! Aren't the rivers in Syria better than all the rivers here among the descendants of Abraham put together? If I need rivers, I'll wash myself at home and get rid of my leprosy". So he left in a rage. But his servants tried to reason with him, saying, "If the prophet had told you to do something great, wouldn't you have done it? You should obey him when he says, 'Go and wash and you will be healed'." So Naaman went down to the Jordan and immersed himself seven times, as the prophet had told him. And his flesh became like that of a little child, and he was healed! Then he and his whole group returned to the Prophet; they stood humbly before him, and Naaman said, "At last I know that there is no God in the whole world except among the descendants of Abraham."
I am deeply moved by how this slave girl had the courage to say: "I wish my master would go to the prophet in the land of the descendants of Abraham. He would cure him of his leprosy!"
In future blog posts, I will also present a story set from time to time. You can find all the material in my handbook "Stories and Oral Bibles" under https://www.fivefingerfood.org/en_us/download/. As my handbook continues to grow, I can only give the current page page 231, but this will change. Otherwise look in the table of contents under "Stories for children, how God meets children". The photo is from https://www.freebibleimages.org, a free super resource for Bible photos or drawings.
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