THE TRANSFORMING STORY

Overview Statement
God has given us a powerful story to tell to the nations. It is Gods story, and it has the ability to
transform individual lives, lift communities out of poverty and build nations that are free,
compassionate and just. We must learn to tell the whole breadth and depth of the transforming
story.
Main Ideas
1. The Bible, when taken as a whole, presents a total view of reality and these truths have the
power to transform individuals, communities and nations.
2. The church is not telling the whole transforming story. The gospel of salvation is not
Gods whole story. We must tell the whole breadth and depth of Gods story.
3. The Great Commission is nothing less than the discipling of nations - bringing the depth
and the breadth of the Bible to the whole person in all sectors of every society.
4. If the Church does not disciple the nation, the nation will disciple the Church. If the
Church is not intentionally bringing the entire biblical story to people and nations, then the
prominent view of the culture (the cultures worldview) will influence and shape the
Church.
5. The biblical story includes numerous transformational truths. Three are illustrated in this
session: the biblical understanding of mankind, history and creation.
Outcomes
1. Now:
a. To grasp and express the main ideas of the lesson in their own words.
b. To share one aspect of the depth or breadth of the biblical story that has been
learned with one other person within the next week.
2. Beyond:
a. To recognize what aspects of the depth and breadth of the biblical story the
participant is not communicating, to repent, and to choose to align ones thinking,
seeing and living out of the whole story with what has been newly understood.
b. To commit to integrate this understanding of the whole teachings of Gods Word
into all aspects of the participants areas of responsibility.

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THE TRANSFORMING STORY

Participant Outline
I.

Introduction

II.

The Biblical Story

A.

Begins in a garden (Genesis 1) and ends in a city (Revelation 21-22)

B.

The Biblical Narrative Illustrationchapter by chapter

1.

Chapter 1: Creation

2.

Chapter 2: The Rebellion

3.

Chapters 3-9: The Mission

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4.

Chapter 10: The Cross

5.

Chapter 11: The Task

6.

Chapter 12: The Return of the King

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C.

III.

The Problemwe dont tell the whole story

The Nature of the Bible

A.

Breadth

The Nature of the Bible

The Breadth and Depth
CREATION:

REDEMPTION

FALL

IV.

Eternity
Future

Breadth

Depth

Depth

The Grand Story*

B.

CONSUMMATION:
Christs Return

In the Beginning
Before the
Beginning

* The story of meaning:

what is true, what is good, what is beautiful

The Worldview Story

The Worldview Story

Ultimate
Reality

Man

Nature

History

Animism

Biblical
Theism

Secularism

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V.

The Nature of Man (ontology)

A. Introduction What is man?

1. Animistic view Man is a ____________

2. Secular view Man is a ____________

3. Biblical view Genesis 1:27 Man is ____________

B. Co-creators Genesis 1:26

1. Human creativity

NO ORDI NARY CHI LDREN!

2. Children

Every child has

a name,
a passion,
a story,
and a place in history.
There are no ordinary children.
Dr. Elizabeth Youmans, Chrysalis I nternational
www.chrysalisinternational.org/

C. Male and female Genesis 1:27

1. Both are made in the image of God

2. Equal but different like the Trinity

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D. Naming the animals Genesis 2:19

E. Work is our dignity Genesis 2:15, Genesis 2:2, Ruth 2:15-19

VI.

Nature of History (teleology)

A.

Introduction: Where is history going?

B.

Secularism _____________________________________

C.

Animism History is ______________________________

D.

Biblical Theism Christianity took man off the wheel

1. History is _____________________________ and
2. History is something you make
a. Jeremiah 5:1

VII.

b. Ecclesiastes 9:11-14
Nature of the Universe (cosmology)
A.

What is the nature of the universe?

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1. Animism

2. Secularism

3. Biblical Theism

B.

Psalm 33:9 Created by His word

C.

Hebrews 1:3 Sustained by His word

D.

Hebrews 11:3 Mind controls matter

E.

Illustrations

VIII. Application Personal Reflection and Action Plan

A.

What part of the story are you not telling?

1. Breadth Any of the chapters of our biblical story?
2. Depth Any of the major topics covered?

B.

What part of the transforming story is your culture dying to hear?

THE TRANSFORMING STORY

Narrative

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Genesis 1:1 says, In the beginning God . . . This is the beginning of our story. This statement sets the
track for our whole story. What is man? Animism, biblical theism, and secularism all give different answers
to that question. What is nature? Where is history going? Animism, biblical theism, and secularism give
different answers to these questions as well. Stories are very powerful, and they shape whole nations. We
have an incredibly powerful story. Its a story that is able to transform individuals and communities and
nations.
Think of our story as a book. The story begins in a garden and ends in a city. Chapter one of the book is
about creation. In the beginning God created the heavens and earth. In that first chapter He creates man.
He puts man in the center of the garden and He gives the man a task: represent Me in the garden; develop
the earth. Chapter two of our story records the Fall. Man rebels against the King of Heaven. Death begins.
Hunger begins. Neither death nor hunger was meant to be normal. They are products of man's rebellion
against the living God. Chapters three through nine of our story narrate God's unfolding history. God is a
missionary God. His mission is to see that all nations are blessed (Genesis 12: 1-2). He works in history to
raise up Abraham, Moses, and the prophets. This is all part of our story. Chapter ten of our story is the
Gospelthe life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the focal point of our story and of all
human history. Its the main chapter, but not the only chapter. In chapter eleven God establishes the Church.
Jesus restatement of Gods covenant with Abraham is the Great Commission. What is the Great
Commission? To make disciples. Make disciples of nations! Chapter twelve describes the Kings return.
He's coming back with His Kingdom, and that is The End of our story! The King will return, and He
wants something ready for His return. He wants His bride ready (Revelation 19:7), and He wants the glory
of the nations ready (Revelation 21:24-26) to be taken by the kings of the nations into the heavenly city.
But how is the glory of Korea going to be ready for the returning Christ? How is the glory of Brazil going
to be ready for the returning Christ? Only if they are discipled. But what have we done? We have taken
chapter ten out of the book and simply inserted into the context of the secular story and the animistic story.
Just another chapter added to their story. The Gospel is the cornerstone of the foundation, but it is not the
whole foundation. The foundation cannot stand without the cornerstone, but the cornerstone is not sufficient
to support a whole building.
What is the foundation of a community's destruction? What is the foundation of a nation's destruction?
What is the foundation of our own personal destruction? Lies! Satan is the father of lies. He destroys not
only people, but also communities and nations, by getting them to believe lies. What is the foundation of a
community's development? It's truth, the knowledge of God. We as Christians have a powerful story. But, in
fact, our story competes with other stories. Animism has a way of seeing reality that is very different from
secularism. Both of those worldviews are very different in their understanding of reality from biblical
theism.
We need to return to the story that transforms nations. Let's look at some of the elements of that story.
Different cultural stories look at man in very different ways. Secularism says there is no God. Nature is all
that there is. Evolution has somehow brought man into existence. If you ask secularism what man is, what
is the answer? He is an animal. He is a mouth and a stomach, the consumer of resources. Animism has a
very different understanding of man. Animism says that everything is inhabited by spirits. The rocks have a
spirit, the river has a spirit, man has a spirit. What is man? He's a spirit.

What Is Man?
What does the Bible say about man? Look at Genesis
1:27 where we will begin to be confronted with the
awesomeness of God. So God created man in His
own image, in the image of God He created him; male
and female he created them. All the religions of the

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world have made their gods in the image of man or in things less than man, like snakes, cows, or
mountains. Picture this: God has been working and has just finished creating all of the universe and the
animals, and now He is thinking of making man. Where will I find the pattern for man? I'll make him
like Me! Man is made in the image of God who has a mind and a heart. Man is not just a consumer of
resources; hes the image of God! What kind of God is this who would make man like Himself? How do we
tell people that this is the kind of God that we worship, and that they are made like Him?
Genesis 1:26 reads, Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over
the fish of the sea and the birds of the air God is a creator God. He made man in His image, which
makes us His co-creators! The stories of Hinduism and Buddhism don't have much of a creation story
because what happened in the past was a de-creation. In the past, everything was one, and something
happened to fragment everything. But God is a creator God, and we are made like Him. He is the Primary
Creator. We are the secondary creators. Genesis 1:26 shows Gods intention that man develops the earth,
not simply maintains it. He put man in the garden and told him to be creative. Create symphonies, write
poetry, paint masterpieces, and dance. Why? Because we are made like God.
Theres something else that is very remarkable about our story. Look at Genesis 1:27 again. So God
created Man in His own image male and female, he created them. God made us, men and women, to be
like Himself. In the biblical story men and women stand equal before God in dignity and worth. The verse
also says, He made them male and female. God wants to express Himself fully in creating mankind. In
order to express all of who He is, He could not do it by making one man. He could not express His mother
heart by creating two men. To create an image that fully expresses who He is, He had to make them male
and female. In addition to the visible physical differences, they also differ in role and function. These
differences are to be celebrated and enjoyed.
Traveling around the world, one lie stands out above all the others contributing toward poverty. The lie is
that men are better than women. There are cultural stories that say men are superior to women. In South
America it is called machismo. In these cultures women are treated like servants or even slaves. In other
cultures they are treated like toys and sex objects. Men will abandon women with children, leaving women
to care for their children without resources. Often women are not educated because of the cultural story
that says women do not have minds. The poverty that comes from this lie is incredible.
There is a reaction to the machismo culture going on in the worldradical feminism. Feminism is saying
that men and women are equal, and therefore they're the same. People talk about freeing women. Freeing
women to be what? Like men. In doing this they've maintained the old paradigm. What we need to pray for
and advocate, is for men to be men, not just male animals. Christ demonstrated what it means to be a
man in His relationship to His bridewomanthe Church. He is the head of the Church. How did He lead
the Church? From the cross. Christ is the head of the Church from the cross! What did He do? He
sacrificed Himself and even died for His bride. Christ was a servant-leader. This is our story. It is a radical
story.
Heres another illustration of man being made in Gods image. Genesis 2:19 says, Now the Lord God had
formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man
to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
Man is in the garden and God brings the animals to him. Why does He bring the animals to the man? For
him to name them. God could have easily done that Himself. But He said, I want you to name the animals,
and I will call them by the name that you give them. What kind of God would say to Adam, I have made
the animals, but you can name them, and I will call them by the name that you give them?
Today, God has given us a similar task when we name our children, God calls our children by the name
that we give them. What kind of God is this? This is an incredible story!

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Where Is History Going?

Different stories have different understandings of history. Animism says history is on a wheel. It's just going
around and around in endless cycles. Secularism says time is running out. Time is running out so eat, drink,
and be merry. Time is running out, so consume. But the biblical message is very different. It says that
history is going somewhere because God is a God of purpose.
An African Historian, John Mbiti, wrote a very
profound book entitled African Religions and
Philosophy. The book has a whole chapter on
time. Mbiti claims to have studied 240 of the
1,000 African dialects. Not one of the dialects has
a concept of future. Life is lived in the past. How
do you think that part of the story is going to
affect the continent? Africa is not poor in
resources; it's rich in resources. It's rich in people.
But part of their story says there is no future. We need to tell them the whole story.
Now lets look at Scripture, beginning in Genesis 1:28. God blessed themnotice thats how the verse
begins. He blessed them and gave them a task. Part of it was their social task to be fruitful and increase in
number. But Hes not talking about increasing the number of mouths. Lets not read this through the
secular worldview. We are to increase the number of image bearers of God. Note the blessing is given for
the task. let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the
earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. (Gen. 1:26) Humans are to develop the earth;
the world is not to be left in the state it was in when God finished after six days. After the seventh day, the
day of rest, humans were to begin their work. In Genesis 12:1-4 God called Abraham and said, I will bless
you. Why was He going to bless Abraham? For a task. He blessed Abraham so he might be a blessing to
all the nations. What does God want to do? Bless the nations. The fullness of Gods intent is that all nations
will be discipled, and all nations blessed.
In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), the resurrected Christ gives the Church His mandate. You
are to make disciples of all nations. In fact, this is nothing new. It is simply Christs restatement of the
mandate given to Abraham. As he was to be a blessing to all nations (Hebrew MISHPACHAH:
tribe/family), we are to disciple the nations (Greek ETHNE: people group).
In fatalistic cultures history is something that happens to you. In the biblical story, history is something that
you make. Why? Because we bear the image of God. For example, millions of people have been saved from
starvation because Larry Ward, the founder of Food for the Hungry, stood against the holocaust of hunger.
You may know someone in your nation who has done much for others. How does God want to change the
course of the history of your community, of your nation? Through your life! Hinduism says that a person is
like a rock that doesnt make a ripple when dropped into water. What if you thought of yourself that way?
The biblical story is radically different. When a man or woman enters the water, they make ripples that go
on for eternity.
The country of Israel is primarily in the desert. If you tour the country, however, you will notice forests in
the desert. A desert may have an oasis, but not a forest unless theres human intervention. A university
professor explained it this way: there were two different visions for this land. One ethnic group who had
lived there believed that their god had put a curse on the land. The land was cursed, and they had to live
under the curse on the land. There was nothing they could do about it. But a second ethnic group knew that
this had been a land that flowed with milk and honey. Two peoples looking at the same natural resources,
which were very limited. What was the difference? The vision. The difference is in the story that they know

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and believe. How do we begin to help communities and nations see with God's eyes? What are God's good
intentions for the community, for the nation?
When William Carey went to India, he saw hills that had been stripped of trees. He could have accepted
that as just the way it is or he could have been depressed by that, BUT he understood the biblical story
the good news. Gods good intentions were for those hills to have forests again, and he knew what that
meant for India. His life caused Indians to see what Gods good intentions were for their country. He
understood the earth was to be filled with the knowledge of God.
How do those of us in the Church work with people in communities to begin to see Gods vision for the
land? Not the peoples vision; their vision may be whats keeping them in poverty. How do we help them
begin to see with Gods eyes? This is where transformation begins: with Gods vision of a community. Its
more than doing projectsits introducing them to the God of the universe, not just so their souls can be
saved, but so they also can begin hearing Gods Story, and have their hearts, minds and lives transformed.
Development begins with knowing God, understanding and applying His laws and principles, hearing His
Story, and having lives connected to Gods unfolding Story. Transformation begins with vision, and
without vision, the people perish.
It is critical that we read Revelation 21 because it is the end of our story. When Christ returns, He comes
back with His city, the city of God. And the kings of the earth will bring the splendor of the nations into it.
How will the splendor of the nations be prepared for Christ's second coming? Only if the nations are
discipled. And that is why He commands us to disciple nations. Jesus has a taskto come back with the
Kingdom. But He has given us a taskto disciple the nations. We are to prepare the nations for the Kings
return so that the glory of the nations is ready for Him. The Great Commission will happen before He
returns because it is His purpose.

What Is the Nature of the Universe?

What is the nature of the universe? It is an open system.
Secularism says that nature is a closed system. There is
no God, and there are only limited resources. Animism
says the system, this world, is not important; it's passing
away. The world is passing away; we just need to wait to
get off of it. Biblical Theism, on the other hand, says the
system is open. It's open to God who created it. It's open to the angels. And who else is it open to? Man,
because we are made in Gods image. How did God create? By speaking. He spoke, and creation came into
existence. According to Hebrews 11:3, By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's
command Where did the physical world come from? It was created out of the invisible. The nonmaterial produced the material. What does this mean? It means that the source of resource is not in the
ground. Secularism says that the source of resource is in the ground because the only thing that exists is
physical reality. Our story says no, there is a God in the universe, and we are made like Him. Resources do
not come from the ground but from the mind human innovation and creativity. Resources are only limited
by human imagination and moral stewardship. Resources are not limited by what's in the ground. They are
limited by what's in the heart and mind of man. People who are poor dont need to be given things; they
need to be told the biblical story which helps them see that they are made in Gods image and that they have
the ability to develop and create resources in their own communities.
Here is a story about oil. What is oil? It is just gunk; its gooey black stuff that comes out of the ground
sometimes. Its not a resource. Two hundred years ago it wasnt a resource. It was just gunk, without any
purpose or value. What made the difference? Someone with an idea, a need and the desire to create
something from this gunk transformed this worthless gunk into a globally valued resource. What made it a
resource? Human creativity. The same is true for sand a worthless, abundant commodity. Someone had

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the idea to use it for making silicone, the very fabric of the computer chip. It was the mind of a human
being who transformed worthless sand into the heart of a computer the chip, which people will pay a
hundreds of dollars for. Man is a creative being made in the image of God!
Do you know the sculpture David by Michelangelo? The artist captures the image of David at the very
moment he killed Goliath. It is a masterpiece. It's priceless. It's a world treasure. But what was it before
Michelangelo laid his hand on it? It was a piece of rock in a mountain with no particular worth. Then a man
went out and worked hard to take this block of marble out of the mountain. After he worked to get it out of
the mountain, it gained the worth of his labor. Another man came along with a tired old horse and put the
big block of marble on a cart. The tired old horse dragged it into Florence, Italy, and it ended up in
Michelangelo's studio. It was placed on a pedestal, and Michelangelo studied this block of stone. He spent
considerable time looking at it. What was he looking for? He was looking for what was inside the stone.
One day he saw the David. He took his chisel and his hammer and began to reveal the image. One day it
was finished. What was worthless now became priceless. Who did this? An artist who was made in the
image of God. But that's not the end of the story. That block of marble had a major flaw in it. It had a crack
in it that went to the root of the stone, and Michelangelo had to work around the flaw. He knew what he
was dealing with, and he worked around it to bring forth the glory of the David. He took a flawed stone and
transformed it into a masterpiece. He could do that because he was made in the image of God.
Do you realize that's what God is doing in your life? We are like that cold, flawed stone. And the God of the
universe comes to that cold, flawed stone and looks at it. What is He looking for? The glory thats inside!
God sees all the wonder and beauty inside of us and wants to reveal it to the world. He takes His chisel and
hammer and begins to unveil the glory. Those are the difficult days in your life; the days of pain and maybe
even days when you wish you were dead. And you see the blow coming and you say, 'God, no! Hold the
blow. Not again! I can't take it anymore.' You're in the hands of the Sculptor of the universe. If He were to
withhold the blow, the glory could not be revealed. We have an awesome God, and He has made us in His
image. This is our story. This story will transform nations.
By Darrow Miller
Last edited by Nadia Chandler and Karla Tesch, August, 2007.
Copyright 2007 by the Disciple Nations Alliance
1110 E. Missouri Avenue, Suite 393, Phoenix, AZ 85014
email: dmiller@disciplenations.org
www.disciplenations.org
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided
you do NOT alter the wording in any way, you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproducing, and you do not
make more than 1,000 physical copies. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by the Disciple
Nations Alliance.

Suggested Resources:
Mangalwadi, Ruth and Vishal. The Legacy of William Carey. Wheaton IL; Crossway Books, 1999.
Chapter 5: The Mind of a Modernizer.
Miller, Darrow L. Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Cultures. Seattle WA: YWAM
Publishing, 2001. Chapter 3: The Transforming Story.
Miller, Darrow L., Bob Moffitt, and Scott D. Allen. Worldview of the Kingdom of God. Seattle WA:
YWAM Publishing, 2005.

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Miller, Darrow L. and Bob Moffitt. On Earth As It Is In Heaven. DVD: Session 3. Available through
Disciple Nations Alliance: www.disciplenations.org/resources.
Disciple Nations Alliance online course. www.disciplenations.org/resources/course. Sections: The Nations,
Worldview
DNA Resource Reader articles available at www.disciplenations.org/resources.
The Christian View: Creation from Pollution and the Death of Man: Crossway Books, 1300
Crescent St., Wheaton, IL 60187 tel: (603)682-4300 fax: (630) 682-4785.
Substantial Healing from Pollution and the Death of Man: Crossway Books, 1300 Crescent St.,
Wheaton, IL 60187 tel: (603)682-4300 fax: (630) 682-4785.
In Labour from The Future Great Plant Earth: Nivedit Good Books, Ivy Cottage, Landour,
Mussoorie, U.P., India 248 179
Changing Clothes from The Future Great Plant Earth: Nivedit Good Books, Ivy Cottage,
Landour, Mussoorie, U.P., India 248 179
Consummation from The Future Great Plant Earth: Nivedit Good Books, Ivy Cottage, Landour,
Mussoorie, U.P., India 248 179
The Unlimited Economy in Mind from The Economy in Mind: Out of print
I, Pencil from Imprimis: Hillsdale College Newsletter, Hillsdale MI 49242
The Explorer from Recapturing the Spirit of Enterprise: ICS Press, 720 Market St,. 4th Floor,
San Francisco, CA 94102 fax: (717) 348-9297
Where is History Going? from Where is History Going?: Zondervan Publishing House, 5300
Patterson Ave., SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530 tel: (616) 698-6900 fax: (616) 698-3439 email:
zpub@zph.com
Mind, Not Money, Drives the Economy from Imprimis, Hillsdale College Newsletter, Hillsdale,
MI 49242

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