Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to share something that might change how you think about missions—a method of sharing the Gospel that's reaching people in some of the hardest places on earth. It starts with a simple plea that echoes in hearts around the world:
"Tell me the stories of Jesus, I want to hear Things I would ask Him to tell me, if He were here..."
This is the longing of billions of people who have never heard about the One who loves them, who died for them, and who desires to live with them forever. 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 most, a small church, few if any believers, and even fewer missionaries?
This describes many parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. But there is hope! That hope is something called "storying."
[Khalim's story - storying in action]
Let me share a true account that illustrates this beautifully. There's a believer named Khalim who lives in a country closed to Christianity. His village is in a remote area. The nearest well with somewhat drinkable water is three kilometers away. Goats wander freely around the village. 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 other's families comes from centuries of being in a survival community.
Khalim is the only known Christian among his people. So how does he share the Gospel? As Khalim has tea with people in his village, he simply 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, drinking tea, shooing the goats away from their 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's happening - the power of storying]
So what's happening here? Think about it: 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're talking about it freely, exploring it in community. This is happening very naturally in environments that are safe and comfortable.
Here's what's brilliant about this approach: 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're sharing them with their families and friends in other villages. The Gospel is spreading organically!
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." They're just stories—powerful, life-changing stories about Jesus.
And here's the practical benefit: 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're 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.
[The fruit - a friend believes]
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. Then he spoke: "Khalim... I think I believe in this Jesus that you keep telling stories about. Tell me more..."
That's the power of storying! Not a formal evangelism presentation. Not a tract. Not a church service. Just stories about Jesus, shared over tea, leading to faith under the stars.
[Why storying works - oral learners]
Throughout history, the most enduring form of communication has been stories. Think about it. What do you do when you get together with friends or family? You tell stories. What part of a sermon does an audience wake up for? The stories. What do kids want before going to bed? A story.
Here's a statistic that should reshape how we think about missions: Today, approximately 80% of the world's unreached people groups are made up of oral preference learners. That's about 5.7 billion people worldwide who prefer to learn through oral or narrative means rather than through reading.
Many of these groups don't have an alphabet in their native language. And even if they do, they prefer to learn by oral means. They communicate their history, laws, values, and religion through stories, proverbs, songs, and drama. They've done it this way for centuries.
So when we come with printed Bibles and literacy-based evangelism, we're using a method that doesn't connect with how they learn! These people need to be approached in a way that fits their culture. They need to hear the story of Jesus in a style that's familiar to them.
[Storying methodology - how it works]
So how does storying actually work? Missionaries and local believers are trained to tell Bible stories—from Creation to the Fall, from Abraham to Moses, from the prophets to Jesus—in a connected narrative that builds toward the Gospel. They tell these stories in the local language, in culturally appropriate settings, in a way that invites discussion and questions.
The stories aren't just randomly selected. They're carefully chosen to build an understanding of who God is, what sin is, why we need a Savior, and who Jesus is. By the time listeners hear the story of the cross and resurrection, they have the context to understand why it matters.
And because stories are memorable and shareable, listeners naturally retell them to their families and neighbors. The Gospel spreads from person to person, village to village, without the need for literacy or printed materials or church buildings.
[Organizations involved in storying]
There are many organizations doing incredible work in oral Bible storying. Let me mention a few:
Simply The Story (simplythestory.org) trains people to share Bible stories in a way that lets the text speak for itself.
Spoken Worldwide (spokenworldwide.org) works to make God's Word available in audio and oral formats for oral learners.
Story Runners, part of Cru (storyrunners.org), trains and sends teams to share Bible stories among unreached people groups.
Faith Comes By Hearing (faithcomesbyhearing.com) provides audio Bibles in over 1,800 languages, perfect for oral learners.
The International Orality Network (orality.net) connects organizations working in oral strategies for missions.
These organizations understand that for most of the world's unreached, the Gospel will come through their ears, not their eyes. And they're equipping believers to share the stories of Jesus in culturally appropriate ways.
[Why this matters for the unreached]
Let me give you some updated statistics that show why storying is so important. There are approximately 7,400 unreached people groups in the world—that's about 3.3 billion people with little or no access to the Gospel. The majority of these are in the 10/40 Window—that band across North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia where most of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists live.
Many of these peoples live in places closed to traditional missionaries. You can't build a church. You can't hand out Bibles. You can't show the JESUS film. But you can share stories over tea. You can tell the story of Creation while watching sheep. You can share about Jesus while working in the fields.
Storying gets past barriers that stop other methods. It's indigenous, not foreign. It's oral, not literate. It's relational, not institutional. It's natural, not threatening. It's exactly what's needed to reach the hardest places.
[How you can be involved]
So how can you be involved? First, pray for oral Bible storying efforts around the world. Pray for believers like Khalim who are sharing stories in dangerous places. Pray for new believers who are learning about Jesus through stories.
Second, support organizations doing this work. They need resources to train storytellers, develop story sets in new languages, and reach new people groups.
Third, learn to use storying yourself! You don't have to go overseas. There are oral learners in your own community—immigrants, refugees, people who simply learn better through stories than through reading. Learn to share the Gospel through stories and use it locally.
Fourth, consider going. Organizations like Story Runners are always looking for people willing to be trained and sent to share Bible stories among unreached peoples. Could God be calling you?
[Closing reflection]
I love storying because it's so simple and so biblical. Jesus was a storyteller! He taught in parables. He used everyday images—seeds and soil, sheep and shepherds, fathers and sons—to communicate profound truth. He knew that stories stick in ways that lectures don't.
And storying connects beautifully with the persecuted church. In places where owning a Bible is illegal, believers can carry hundreds of stories in their hearts. In places where gathering for church is dangerous, stories can be shared over tea. The Word of God, planted in hearts through stories, cannot be confiscated or burned.
"Tell me the stories of Jesus, I want to hear..." Billions of people are waiting to hear. Will we tell them?
[Closing prayer]
Let me pray:
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and tell them the stories of Jesus!
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