Things I would ask Him to tell me, if He were near..."
This is the plea of hearts, all over the world, longing to know the One who loves them, who died for them and who desires to live with them forever in Heaven.
But what if these people live
- where there is resistance to the gospel,
- where there is no written language, no alphabet, no books or Bible, no Jesus Film,
- where there is, at the most, a small church, few if any believers, and fewer missionaries?
This describes many parts of the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. But there is hope! That hope is something called "storying."
The following true account is taken from Background Mission Partners
I have a believer friend who lives in a country closed to Christianity. His village is in a remote area. The nearest well with somewhat drinkable water is 3 km away. Goats wander around his village freely. On the roofs of the mud houses are drying piles of dung to be used for cooking fuel. In the evenings, people gather in doorways and by mud walls in clusters. The connection they have with each others’ families comes from centuries of being in a survival community.
Khalim is the only Christian known among his people. As Khalim has tea with people in his village, he says “Let me share a story with you…” and tells a three minute story from the Bible in their own language. When he’s done, the men sit around talking about it, eating some bread and nuts and drinking tea, shooing the goats away from the small gardens. Friends come and go in the discussion which might last for ten minutes or an hour. The next evening, he shares another story. A few days later, another…
What is happening?
- People are getting into God’s word and God’s word is getting into people in a place that has never had the Bible talked about before.
- They are talking about it freely, exploring it in community.
- This is happening very naturally in environments that are safe and comfortable.
- People aren’t extracted from their communities and labeled “infidels” as they are on their spiritual journey.
- Because it’s natural in style and not threatening, people are taking these stories home where they are sharing with their families and friends in other villages.
- While this is happening, credibility for God’s Word is being built. Stories from God’s Holy Book aren’t seen as a tool of the “western corrupted church”.
- Khalim and his neighbors aren’t in trouble with the local religious authorities. They don’t have a print copy of the Bible in their possession and they aren’t doing anything illegal. They are simply talking over tea.
It’s a way of getting people into God’s Word and God’s Word into people with the fewest obstacles possible.
Several months after Khalim began sharing stories, he was on a ridge at night watching the sheep of a friend. As they sat on top of the ridge, his friend sat quietly looking up at the stars. “Khalim. . . I think I believe in this Jesus that you keep telling stories about. Tell me more . . . ”
Throughout history, the most enduring form of communication has been stories. Think about it. What do you do when you get with friends or family? Tell stories. What part of a talk or sermon does an audience wake up for? Stories. What do kids want before going to bed? A story.
Today, the majority of the world’s unreached people groups are made up of oral preference learners. Many of these groups don’t have an alphabet in their native language. And even if they do, they prefer to learn by oral or narrative means. They communicate their history, civics, laws, and religion through stories, parables, songs, and drama.
These people need to be approached in a non-Western way. They need to hear the story of Jesus in a style that they are familiar with. Thus, telling stories is one way that missionaries are bringing the Good News of Jesus to those who have never heard the Gospel.
There are many agencies that are involved in this method of sharing Christ. Some of them include:
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