Learning from Jesus' method of interpretting what it is like to be ruled by the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Below is a (short URL) link to help us learn from Jesus' methodology of explaining what "The Kingdom of God is like.." i.e. of interpreting what it was like to live under God's rule (as distinct from the rule of leaders like Caesar or Caiaphas, Herod or Pilate, the Pharisees or Sadducees)

He first acted out, or made space for his disciples' acting out, of the qualities of faith, observation, curiosity, & love. That was both an illustrative & interpretive event, as well as a "bearing witness" to the True Love, & to a Loving Truth. When people questioned, or commented, or thought things to themselves, about these provocative events, he responded to them with real answers, or not (when they were not sincere questions/comments/thoughts). His answers were often in the form of stories, or pictures, or analogies, which drew on events, or "lively" things around them - that could spread or grow, like light, a tree, a crop, yeast, a seed, or relationships.


For us today, firstly, we can listen to & learn to understand Jesus' stories, before we secondly, tell them ourselves in settings & in ways that will communicate appropriately with our audience. Thirdly, we can go to the same tool-box that Jesus went to, and dig around for new stories to illustrate what it is like to live under God's rule.

In fact, Jesus told a "parabole" (Grk word = story, illustration, likeness, analogy) which said that a teacher of the law living under God's rule would be  "like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." Matt 13:51-53

It seems to me as I look at Jesus' words, stories, and warnings, that Jesus had a tool box with two sections: a) God's world, & b) God's prophetic word, which was itself divided further into another two: b1) God's prophetic word spoken to people in God's world in the past & which was recorded in the scriptures, and b2) God's prophetic word spoken to people in the present world. Both needed to be recalled (& understood) to be heeded properly. This tool, the colourful table, with it's instructions,(goo.gl/YCQ0ML) is aimed at helping us to use Jesus' toolbox as well, and with his help, to make it our own (click here for the table on it's own - goo.gl/ZvHI2K ).

What analogy shall we use? Are we mining for nuggets, or fishing around for just the right tool in our tool-box, or inventing new things in this world (following the mind of God)? Maybe all of them, and a bit more!

A questionaire on Jesus's message & methods of "Gospelling".

Here (goo.gl/wct1bp)

  THEGOSPEL@FIRST...

5. The Gospels (& other scriptures) relate that both Jesus & his early messengers heralded the "gospel" (="GOOD NEWS"). What would the term "gospel" have communicated to Jesus's hearers & the "Gospel" readers? *
(You can tick more than one to communicate your understanding well)


•  We are sick of the same OLD, same-old!
•  Here's an alternative kind of News to brighten up your day.
•  A new way to worship God & do "religion" is starting out!
•  You have to be GOOD!
•  Here's a way for your life to feel GOOD!
•  Judaism, and its way of getting forgiveness, is over & out!
•  All the old prophecies about a NEW DAY dawning are about to come true!
•  Finally, we'll be ON TOP!
•  Your sins can all be forgiven!
•  You can go to heaven when you die!
•  Other: 


6. As you presently understand it, what was the gospel Jesus himself preached/communicated in his day? *


7. What method(s) did Jesus himself use in communicating his Gospel? *
(Your present understanding)


•  living in such a way as to show what it was like to live under the rule of God
•  soap-box style public speaking/announcing
•  announcing an emperor or king (God) was beginning to rule
•  story telling to illustrate life under God's rule & provoke further responses
•  quoting proverbs or wise sayings to illustrate life under God's rule
•  asking people to follow his example in living under the rule of God
•  trying to be a ruler or judge in this world
•  preaching/teaching in public areas in cities
•  making other people use their money well by using forced donations (taxes)that would then be spent well for them
•  choosing leaders for a new style of leadership
•  forcing compliance to a new law
•  preaching/teaching in religious meeting places
•  using a respected structure of his society to enable teaching & making disciples
•  preaching/teaching where-ever people were (even wilderness areas)
•  Other: 


8. What is the gospel as preached/communicated by the first century disciples of Jesus? *
(Your present understanding)


9. What method(s) did the first century disciples of Jesus use in communicating the gospel? *
(Your present understanding)


•  living in such a way as to show what it was like to live under the rule of God
•  soap-box style public speaking/announcing
•  announcing an emperor or king (God) was beginning to rule
•  story telling to illustrate life under God's rule & provoke further responses
•  quoting proverbs or wise sayings to illustrate life under God's rule
•  asking people to follow their example in living under the rule of God
•  trying to be a ruler or judge in this world
•  preaching/teaching in public areas in cities
•  making other people use their money well by using forced donations (taxes)that would then be spent well for them
•  choosing leaders for a new style of leadership
•  forcing compliance to a new law
•  preaching/teaching in religious meeting places
•  using a respected structure of his society to enable teaching & making disciples
•  preaching/teaching where-ever people were (even wilderness areas)
•  Other: 

StorySkills2Woo2Truth

..to be a good advertisement for the gospel (the news of God's chosen & imminent "Leader of Humanity"), to make the Word of God be seen to be as good as that WORD is, to be "as wise as a serpent, yet as harmless as a dove"..

This is a link to another tool (which could be used in conjunction with the other 'colourful table'), which is helping me follow in the footsteps of the greatest teacher/story-teller the world has seen, to realize & re-learn the ancient art of story-telling. It is a clunky "modernist", dot-point kind of thing:

StorySkills2Woo2Truth (Short URL: goo.gl/fWbRUk)

Another way to communicate these ideas may be to tell a story which shows these lessons being learned. This could be a fun thing to do together... to make a story that exemplified these points (maybe as the main character finds themself caught in a story being made by another "The Story-teller", who is learning to "tell" or "write"  it into being, and who is gaining skills and getting better as time passes.. etc). Feel free to post any such stories or email them to me, to add to the blog this is taken from:
http://the-euangelion.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/storyskills2woo2truth.html .