Stories for heaven
When we share stories of how we have personally seen God work in our communities, we invite them into praise with glorious glimpses of heaven
During the missions moment in a church in the US, I began by telling a story: “In the heart of the city of Tokyo, a young Japanese man saw some success as an actor, but then everything in his life began to fall apart . . .”
A woman stopped rummaging through her bag. A man who had stood up sat back down. A couple stopped talking to each other and turned toward me. For the next four minutes, that story had the attention of everyone in the room. Few knew who I was. Some had no interest in foreign missions. Most probably had no interest in Japan. And yet, the story drew them in. Some even remembered it years later when I came through their city again to speak at their church.
Storytelling in the Bible
Stories carry on the work of missions by leading people in worship. In the Psalms, David wrote, “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord . . . For you are great and do wondrous things” (Ps. 86:9–10 ESV). Put differently, the nations will come in worship once they hear about the great and wondrous things God is doing. David often shared about his personal stories through song. “Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! . . . This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Ps. 34:3, 6). God “drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock . . . Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord” (Ps. 40:2–3). David’s stories led Israel in praise and helped people from other nations trust in God as well.
Storytelling in heaven
Storytelling is important in heaven as well. The Bible teaches that the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms see more of the glory of God because of what happens here on earth (Eph. 3:10) and praise him for it. Angels, who live in the perfect presence of God and are in need of nothing, listen attentively for our stories and perhaps even repeat them to one another as well. Angels numbering myriads upon myriads and thousands upon thousands (Rev. 5:11), more than can possibly be numbered or counted, watch on their very tiptoes in eager anticipation of the unfolding of God’s plan through the church. We are a blackboard upon which God teaches and draws lessons about himself for the benefit of all of creation.1
Our storytelling will never stop, for people from every language, tribe, and nation will eternally communicate their unique vision of God’s glory through how they have personally seen God work in their communities. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “The very multitude of the blessed (which no man can number) increases the fruition which each has of God. For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ to one another (Isa. 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall all have.”2 Our stories, currently limited in time and scope, will be the Heavenly Bread we eternally share with one another. The nation of Japan and every other nation on the planet will tell their unique stories of God’s grace. Even now, God gives us glimpses of that glorious future that awaits.
Continuing my story about the young Japanese man, I said, “He was transformed. He knew God only superficially before, but through his trauma, he became overwhelmed with the love of God. He took a leadership role at the church. He proactively greeted and encouraged others. He was a joy to everyone he came in contact with . . .”
The dramatic change in this young man led me to both praise God and tell others his story so they could praise God as well. I look forward to the day when I can share this story with all the rest of humanity, perhaps even to the very angels of heaven, when we will all together be led to glorify God because of it. I also look forward to the day when I will hear your stories as well. Every opportunity we take now to share them and thank God for them encourages the work here in Japan, spreading an unstoppable, contagious enthusiasm for the coming kingdom of heaven.
1. Joni Eareckson Tada & Steve Estes, When God Weeps (Zondervan, 1997), 107–108. See also Romans 8:19.
2. C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers, 1988), 92–93.