Tell Me the Story of Jesus

“Tell me the story of Jesus;
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.”

In this week’s VBS, we echo the sentiments of these words of Fanny Crosby in this great, old hymn.  The Bible, though a library of sixty-six books, is really one story: the story of human redemption through Jesus Christ.  Over the course of 1,600 years God used over forty individuals from different cultures, in vastly different circumstances, speaking different languages to write one unified message to mankind (2 Peter 1:20-21).  The great emphasis of our theme this week is that all the stories of the Bible, even the stories of people such as Noah or Ruth, relate to the central story of Jesus Christ saving man from sin.  Jesus is the overarching theme and purpose of all these stories, and we need to connect them to this broader scope.

The early church loved to tell the story of Jesus and to be told it over and over again. Acts 5:42 records, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”  Do we likewise love the story?  Even today, Christians can draw faith and spiritual strength from Bible stories, even Old Testament stories that lead up to Christ (Romans 15:4).

This week we have a great opportunity to meet every day to tell the story of Jesus at VBS.  This week we can grow in knowledge (2 Peter 3:18), keep our spiritual temperatures high (Revelation 3:15-16), encourage our brethren (Hebrews 3:13) and show we have the right priorities by choosing to give VBS precedence in our schedules (Matthew 6:33).  If you have the opportunity will you come to VBS?  The Bible stories taught this week will be stories that children will never forget for the rest of their lives and Christian adults will never get tired of hearing. Will you be like Mary and choose the better part (Luke 10:42)?  Will you show your child and/or the children who come this week that you love the story of Jesus because it is the most precious and sweetest ever heard?

The story of human redemption through Jesus Christ is so wonderful because it is true and you can have a place in it.  The records of people in the Bible “are written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10:11).  Just as the first-century church could be benefited by the accounts of God’s dealings with His people many centuries earlier, so we can reap the same benefit today.   The story of Jesus means my salvation if I believe and follow it (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

-Mark Day