The Chronological Bible

Storying Process

Planning for
 Chronological Bible Storying
1. Consider the Foundational Truths for Salvation

The first step in planning is to consider the essential foundational truths leading to salvation that one
must understand and act upon. This will include some understanding about the sovereignty of God as
Creator and the relationship of man to Him. It must then include sole aspect of God’s holiness and
man’s sinfulness so that the seeker sees himself as a sinner needing God’s mercy. It should include
the penalty of sin -- spiritual death of the sinner -- and the need for blood to atone or cover that sin. It
should include God’s provision for a saviour as the perfect and acceptable sacrifice. It should also
point to the need for genuine sorrow for one’s sins, a turning from them, faith in God’s provision for
sin in the death of Jesus as the son of the living God, and obedience to God’s terms and conditions
for salvation. These should be expressed clearly, as they will be used to write objectives for your
telling the Bible story of redemption.

2. Examine the people’s Worldview and Spiritual Barriers

Now you must look at the worldview of your target people and examine it to determine the spiritual
and other barriers to the Gospel, as well as any bridges or links they may have in their religious,
cultural or historical heritage. (Ecc. 3:11 says, “...He has also set eternity in the hearts of men...”) This
worldview survey may be simple or very thorough. Much of it you likely already know, but may never
have set it down in a useable form. There are certain categories of barriers that are common in any
given culture and among those practicing a religion. There are other barriers both within the culture
and coming from the outside that may need to be dealt with. These should be listed in priority from a
spiritual viewpoint, since it is a spiritual problem you’ll be dealing with. The first priority will be to
evangelise, so the barriers should relate to what keeps that from happening. Later, as you move into
the discipling process, you will deal with barriers that may hinder fellowship, hinder Christian
testimony, or otherwise hinder growth in Christ. Satan is the author of barriers, and it is his work to
keep men’s hearts blinded to the reality of the Gospel and to cause them to dismiss the Gospel as
ineffective or irrelevant for them.

3. Write Your Objectives Based on Truths and Barriers

Now you are ready to write your objectives, which deal with the foundational truths, spiritual and other
barriers. These objectives will then be used to select a chronologically arranged Bible story list. (Or
theme list drawn from a Chronological framework) and to develop a list of truths or themes in the
stories and which address the objectives. To illustrate: If a people have a faulty concept of holiness as
that which man can attain by something he does, then it destroys the very fabric of holiness that sets
God apart from sinful man. Then man sees himself as able to achieve a god-like state and so the
need for salvation by a holy and righteous God as unnecessary. The same could be said for other
doctrinal concepts like sin (“I’m not sinful”, “I haven’t done anything bad”) or a faulty understanding of
worship, “making things right with God or making Him happy” so He won’t bother me. Remember, you
don’t need to address every objection or barrier that people have – only, those that are a priority
hindrance to first receiving God’s Word, then understanding what God says about man’s relationship
with Him, God’s finished work of redemption in the death of His son Jesus, and man’s faith and
obedience to what God requires. The objectives are a summary outline of what you need to cover.

4. Select a Chronological List of Stories or Topics

Now you are ready to look at the list of Bible stories arranged in a chronological order. One such list is
in many of the NIV Bibles or the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Or you could simply use a listing
of Bible books in a chronological order to guide you as you chose stories. These are several model
sets of stories available that could be used as a basis for compiling your own list. In considering the
worthiness of a story to include in your chronological listing, you will want to examine the themes or
truths, which that story introduces or treats. There is usually a major theme and one or more minor
themes in each story. Some of the themes may carry over from an earlier story. This is good, as you
will also be looking for links and bridges to tie your stories together. This will help to prevent restricting
of biblical truth later on. This is the distorting of taking of truth out of context so that it leads to
erroneous belief. For example: The Flood story in Genesis 5-8 has a theme of judgment and
obedience. When used to evangelise, the judgment theme is emphasised. Later review the same
story to affirm new believers. The theme of obedience may be picked up, as well as the difference in
two groups of people -- one was shut out of salvation unto judgment because of unbelief, the other,
which was obedient, was shut into safety and salvation by God, and so was able to escape the
judgment.

5. Review and Refine Your Story List

Having selected a list of stories, you will now want to be sure that all your important themes and
objectives are covered. You may find that you have an impossibly long list in the light of the time you
have to work with a people. The next step is to refine your list so that all objectives are adequately
covered and to fit within a reasonable time frame that you can meet with your people. For rural people
of low literacy, you may have only the weather and agricultural seasons to contend with. For urban
people, you may have a seriously limited time frame and attention span. Adjust your chronological list
of stories or lessons centred on truths to fit reality. You may find need to adjust it later on -- shorter if
the people have some basic knowledge or early understanding; or longer if new barriers are
identified. Do not make the list necessarily longer if the people do not understand. You may always
repeat a story or expand the review time as needed.

6. Prepare the Lessons

Now you are ready to prepare the lessons you will teach or tell each time. You can make a form or
outline, which you will use to assemble each lesson. There are really only four parts to each session.

First is an introductory preview time in which you review previous stories and teachings foundational
to the current story. You will bridge into that story or teaching by asking questions which are
answered in the story.

Second is a reading of part of the story from the Bible. This is done while holding the Bible in the
hand. It is to anchor the story in the Bible. It is not your story; it is from God’s Word. We signal this by
holding the Bible in our hand.

Third is the telling of the story from the Bible in an accurate, interesting and understandable manner.
By doing this, you put the story into an oral form. Some of the stories may be greatly simplified in the
telling. You want a narrative that makes the story understandable and memorable. One of your
objectives is to have people remember the story. You want them to readily see the truths in the story.
The object is for them to identify these truths and internalise them. Remember that you will want to
know your story well enough so that you can tell it. I suggest writing it out to give it shape and clarity.
Also, you may want a record of your materials to share with another user.

Fourth is a time to discover the truths in a guided review and dialog time. This is a talk time in which
you will want to use some questions to draw out the proper responses. So you will want to use your
best judgment and knowledge of the people to frame questions which will lead them to discover and
verbalise the truths. Some story users like to end with another non-biblical story.

7. Agree on a Meeting Time and Place

Since these sessions will be open to the public, you will need to have the permission or consensus
that it is okay to meet. Later, after the evangelism track, you will need to exclude those who are not
yet believers, because you then begin to deal with the matter of discipleship and maturation. Provide
separate meeting places and teachers for men and women if culture demands it. Give some thought
to how long a session should be. This will affect your content and teaching style.

8. Give thought to Potential Interruptions in Schedule

Interruptions will happen. Count on it. Think about how you will handle a break in your schedule of
sessions. If the break is short, then backing up a lesson or two with extra review may be all that is
needed. If the break is long, you may want to consider beginning again from the first.

9. Prepare Objectives for Each Track

According to the Strategy

Different tracks may have different barriers. First you are evangelising, then you are affirming new
believers, then planting a church, discipling and maturing, and finally, rejoicing in the ultimate and
anticipation of restored fellowship with God the Father in Christ. Deal with only the major barriers. You
will have opportunity as the group grows in knowledge to help them deal with other spiritual
shortcomings. The Holy Spirit does this through their knowledge of the taught Word.

J.O.Terry

Preparing to Tell the Story

When we hear the word “storyteller” many of us picture a gifted person who has mastered the art of
storytelling. When we see and hear such a person, we are convinced that we could never do such a
wonderful job. It is true that some people do have a gift of storytelling. Others of us need to develop
the art of storytelling. But most anyone can learn to become a good storyteller with proper preparation
and practice.

What follows is not a formula that will transform you into an instant storyteller. If you will follow these
steps, you will become more relaxed about telling stories. When you become more relaxed and
comfortable with storytelling, then you will do it in your own unique way. The most important thing is to
enjoy the experience and the audience’s response as you tell the story in your own way.

As you begin your preparation, keep a few essentials in mind:

1. You do not need to memorise the words exactly as they are written. For the story to have
power, it needs to be your story. Memorising can cause the story to become stilted and
unnatural. It can also turn storytelling into a performance. Memorising is difficult for many
people. Limit yourself to memorising key phrases or passages that are so beautifully worded you
do not want to change them.

2. Be yourself when telling the story. Relax and let your emotions, feelings and expressions
come through. Remember that you are not a performer. Do not add motions and gestures that
are unnatural for you. The more “real” you are, the more the audience will realise that the story is
important to you and has meaning for you. The story, then, is a gift from you, the teacher, to the
audience. You are giving something of yourself to the audience.

3. Become aware of how you are presenting yourself and what you are communicating to
your audience. Be aware of your voice, pauses, facial expressions, body language, diction,
knowledge of what comes next, and use of descriptive words. The following steps are meant to
help you become confident that you know the story well enough to tell it in front of a group.
Intense preparation is usually needed for the first couple of stories. After preparing to tell a story,
future stories will come easier. Try these following steps:

a. Read the story aloud several times. This will help you fix the story in you mind. Read to
get the flow of the story, to get the characters straight, and to learn the events in the correct
order.

b. Close your eyes and tell the story to yourself. This does two things for you:

1. It helps you to realise which parts of the story you know and which you are having
trouble remembering.

2. Visualise the action (eyes closed, watching the story in your mind’s eye) helps you
identify action words and descriptive words that you can use to paint word pictures.

c. Write an outline of the story. Write the opening and ending of your story in detail.
Compare the outline to the original story. Check to see that the events are in the proper
sequence. Have you missed any important parts of the story? Does your opening set the
stage for the story and capture the interest of the audience? Is your ending short and to
the point?

d. Tell the story aloud to yourself and tape record it to see how it sounds.
Listen for:
 -- descriptive words
-- use of questions and pauses
-- tone of voice
-- opening and ending
-- vocabulary
-- hesitations where you are not sure what comes next

e. Identify what needs improving. What do you need to make your presentation better? Do
you need to work on your voice? Action words and adjectives for stronger word pictures?
Shortening the story? Adding some fact or information from research that do not appear in
the original story but would help make the story come alive and be more interesting and
informative? Don’t rush your story, let it flow!

f. Tell your story aloud as many times as it takes for you to feel comfortable with it.
After you have the story shaped the way you want it, tell it over again and again until it
is part of you. Telling the story aloud is very important. Find a private place and “let
yourself go!” It will take three to five more times for it to become yours.

g. Put away your notes. Try to reach a stage in your storytelling where you do not need
notes. One of the great advantages of telling a story is that you can have eye contact with
the audience. Eye contact is essential when telling a story.

h. Tell the story to someone before you tell it to the group. Telling the story to a live
person brings life to the story that you won’t get by recording it on tape.

Now you are ready to tell your story. And it really is your story!

Adapted from “Using Storytelling in Christian Education”

The Need for a

Chronological Framework
1. To show progression of the story of the Bible from beginning to end. Overview of the Bible.

2. To strengthen understanding of relationship between Bible stories. Chronological relationship.

3. To introduce and develop biblical truth in an orderly manner.

a. Introduction of new truth (themes) in course of history.

b. Show how biblical truths (themes) are expanded, clarified, continued in later stories
c. Demonstrate that all biblical truth is part of a continuing story and not random, unrelated
teachings.

4. To stabilise biblical truth so that it cannot easily be misinterpreted (negatively restructured),

resulting in error in belief and practice.

5. To correct existing doctrinal error in understanding biblical truth that is inconsistent with all
biblical truth.

6. To give oral communicators a mental structure in which to place initial Bible stories and
teachings, also in which to place future stories.

Parts of the Storying Session

1. Opening Dialog

Greeting: Follow the greeting protocol of the culture.

Recall: Review of the last session’s story. Have someone retell.
Ask a few brief questions about the last story to be sure it was heard.
Dialog briefly if the story was not remembered or was misunderstood.
Understanding is the goal. Avoid expositional content.
Bridge or link the past stories with the new story
Give a listening task for the new story (ie. -- Characteristics of God)

2. Read from the Bible

Hold the Bible in your hand.

Read from the Bible a part of the story to anchor it in the Bible.
Continue to hold the Bible after reading it.
Note: Among some cultures and religions, such as Muslims, it would not
be best to hold the Bible and be so obvious that the story is from
the Bible. In such situations, you want the right to tell the story.
Knowledge of the fact that it comes from the Bible will come later.

3. Tell the Story.

Hold the Bible while telling the story.

Tell the story as a story and not as a report of what God did.
Do not read the story. Read stories cannot be easily remembered.
Use summary statements and simple sentences.
Tell the story accurately and interestingly.
Stop at the end of the story and put down the Bible.

4. Dialog: Lead Listeners to Discover the Truths.

Ask questions that lead the hearers to review the story. Dialog, not lecture.
Determine listener’s comprehension of the questions.
Dialog to see if the truths were discovered.
Dialog to see if worldview issues were covered.
Be biblically and culturally sensitive in handling incorrect answers.
Let someone retell the story in their own words.
Don’t deal with questions about chronologically future issues.
Be sensitive to the group’s time, but don’t be in a rush.
Allow relationships to develop.

Initial Contact and the

First Storying Sessions
1. Select an area.

2. Meet with local leadership.

3. Explain purpose of visit.

4. Determine spiritual barriers.

5. Decide upon time and meeting place.

6. Conduct first session as a dialog to raise questions about knowledge of the spirit and physical
world.

7. Introduce the Bible as the source of authority.

8. Teach what the Bible reveals about God and His nature.

9. Teach creation and existence of the spirit world.

10. Teach creation of physical world, first man and first woman.

11. Continue to teach story lessons according to your curriculum.

12. Begin training an assistant.

Dealing with External Problems

1. Poor choice of location

 Distractions

Exclusion of some people

2. Interruptions during sessions

Hostile visitors

Others

3. Breaks in schedule

Other activities and responsibilities for you

Weather

Agriculture or other livelihood activities for them

Social, festival and other special occasions for them

4. Interference by other religious groups or teachers

Dealing with Internal Problems

1. Mix of believers and unbelievers

Desire for “worship service”

More knowledgeable want to look ahead

2. Communication patterns

Group has a spokesman

Separation of men and women

3. Early believers -- take them aside privately

4. Apparent lack of interest by the group

5. Lack of understanding -- people failing to respond correctly

6. Hardness of heart -- unrepentant or stubborn

7. Newly discovered barriers

8. People becoming hostile or threatening

9. Division of believers and unbelievers at end of Track Two

10. Evidence of backsliding, falling away or renouncing of faith

Typical Bible Story Themes

and the Characteristics of God
Old Testament
Creation of the Spirit World Holiness
Dwelling Place of God
Authority of God

Creation of the Physical World Knowledge and Power

Grace of God

Creation of Man and Woman Knowledge and Grace of God

Purpose and Will of God
Authority of God

Sin of Adam and Eve Disobedience to Command of God

Man’s Placing the Authority of
Satan over that of God

God’s Judgment of Adam Knowledge of Sin

and Eve’s sin Hatred of Sin
Promised Descendant to Crush Serpent

God’s Punishment of Holiness, knowledge and Grace

Adam and Eve’s Sin Consequences of Sin
God to be the One to Cover Sin

God Accepts Abel’s Offering, Knowledge and Grace of God

and Punishes Cain’s Sin; the Hatred of Sin
Birth of Seth Sin Spreads to Offspring of Adam & Eve
God begins to Fulfil His Promise

God Causes the Earth Knowledge, Power and Grace of God

to be Flooded Hatred of Sin
God’s Purpose for Man

God Confuses the Language Knowledge, Power and Grace of God

at Babel Hatred of Sin
God’s Purpose for Man

God Chooses Abraham Knowledge and Grace of God

Authority of God
God Continues to Fulfil His Promise

God Judges and Punishes Knowledge, Power and Grace of God

Sodom and Gomorrah Hatred of Sin

God Asks Abraham to Knowledge and Grace of God

Sacrifice His Son God Will Provide a Lamb

God Chooses Moses Knowledge, Holiness, Power and Grace

to Deliver His People of God

God Delivers His People Knowledge Power and Grace of God

From Egypt Authority of God Over Rulers

New Testament

Birth of Jesus Grace and Power of God

God Keeps His Promises
Fulfilment of Prophecy
 God’s Promised One

Wise Men Seek Jesus Affirmation of Ministry of Jesus

Fulfilment of Prophesy

Jesus Visits the Temple Jesus Understands His Purpose

Submission to Parents

Jesus Baptised by John John’s Announcement of the Lamb

Jesus’ Example
God’s Affirmation

Jesus Tested by Satan Work of Satan

Dependence upon God’s Word
Victory Over satan

Jesus Announces His Ministry Fulfilment of Prophecy

Beginning of Rejection by Jews

Jesus heals a Blind Man Jesus’ Power Over Physical Ailments

Jesus -- The Light of the World

Jesus Calms a Storm Jesus’ Power Over Nature

Authority of Jesus

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand Compassion of Jesus

Creative Power of Jesus
Disciple’s Lack of Faith
Following Jesus for Wrong Reason
Bread of Life

Jesus Raises Lazarus from Jesus’ Power Over Death

the Dead “I Am Resurrection and the Life”
Religious Leaders Plot Jesus’ Death

Parable of Rich Man and Fate of Unbeliever and Believer

Poor Man One Must Choose in this Life

Jesus to Go, but to Send “My Body and My Blood”

His Spirit for Believers “Seen Me -- Seen the Father”
“Send a Comforter”
“Go to Prepare a Place”

Jesus is Betrayed and Crucified Fulfilment of Prophesy

Payment for Sin
Forgiveness
Shedding of Blood
Holiness of God, Hatred of Sin

Jesus is Resurrected Fulfilment of Prophecy

Serpent’s Head is Crushed
Grace and Power of God

Jesus Appears to His Followers Resurrected Body

Core Stories
Core Stories are those central Bible stories that teach the essential Bible truths about God, man, sin
and salvation through faith in Jesus. Most of these stories would be in all chronological presentations
of the story of salvation. When storying from the Gospels or New Testament alone, the Old
Testament core stories are assumed to be known already or will be referred to during the course of
storying the Gospels.

Core stories are those which would be used without any regard to worldview of the target people. The
stories are chosen only according to the storyer’s understanding of what essential truths must be
understood in order for a person to understand that he is lost before a righteous God:

that sin in whatever form separates him from God

that man cannot alone atone for sin by any works of his own
that God provided the only effective sacrifice for sin in the sinless death of His Son Jesus
that God accepted the death of Jesus in behalf of last man
that God raised Jesus to everlasting life again as the firstfruit of the resurrection.

The story series is closed with the understanding that man can appropriate this salvation by believing
on Jesus as the one sent from God, who died in man’s place, and that Jesus will raise him up again
to everlasting life.

Core Story List

Old Testament New Testament

1. Creation of the world 11. Birth of Jesus

2. Creation of man
3. First sin and judgment
4. Noah and the Flood
5. God’s promise to Abraham
6. God provides a lamb
7. The Passover
8. The Ten Commandments
9. The sacrifice system
10. The promise and the prophets
12. Baptism of Jesus
13. Jesus and Nicodemus
14. Jesus, paralysed man & four friends
15. Jesus calms the sea
16. Jesus and the Gadarene demoniac
17. Jesus raises Lazarus
18. Abraham, Lazarus and the rich man
19. The Last Supper
20. The crucifixion
21. Jesus’ resurrection and appearances
22. Jesus’ ascension