God's Story: A Narrative Adaptation of the Bible

  Nero’s reign had long passed, as had the reigns of Galba, Otho, Vitellus, Vespasian, and Titus.  Domitian now bore the title of Caesar and it is believed that,rather than have the aged apostle John executed, he exiled him to the island of Patmos, off the coast of Asia Minor. Like Peter and Paul before him, John wrote to the followers of Jesus, making sure that the church would be strengthened in spite of his exile: Let me tell you about Jesus, who has existed since before time, whose story brings life, and who, I have seen, and heard, and touched.  I am telling you so that you can share in the eternal life he has brought to us.   With God there is no darkness, only light.  If we claim to follow, but still walk in darkness, we are liars.  But if we walk in the light we are purified from our sin by the blood of Jesus.  This is how we know we are walking in the light, we live like Jesus lived.   If we claim we have no sin, we are liars....

Though the facts have been lost to time, Paul, it seems, was released from house arrest after his trial before Nero and began yet another journey, along with his proteges and longtime companions, Timothy and Titus, spreading the story of Jesus and encouraging those who already believed. Paul, likely, left Titus in Crete to oversee the church there, while Timothy stayed in Ephesus, upon their return. When Paul reached Philippi, he sent each of them a letter of encouragement. To Timothy he wrote: To Timothy, my dear son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the father and Jesus our savior and lord. When I went to Macedonia I asked you to stay in Ephesus so that you could tell some of the people there to stop spreading false teachings and to stop being obsessed with myths and pointless family trees. All of this was spreading confusion and division instead of advancing God’s kingdom. Love from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith is the key and some people seem t...

Though under house arrest, Paul remained dedicated to supporting followers of Jesus all over that part of the world. Though he had never visited them in his many travels, he wrote one such letter to the church in Colossae: To God’s people in Colossae, grace and peace to you from God our father. I always thank God for you when I pray because I have heard of your faith in Jesus, our savior, and the love you have for all God’s people, which comes from the hope you have in heaven that you first learned about when you heard the story of Jesus. This story is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it did among you when you first heard it. I continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will that comes from the wisdom given by the Holy Spirit, so that you can live a life that always pleases God, doing good work and growing in knowledge of God. I also pray that you will grow in God’s strength so you will have great endurance and patience. Jesus, the son, is the ima...

Paul travelled to Phillipi before setting sail for Jerusalem, where he hoped to celebrate the anniversary of when the Holy Spirit first came to the followers of Jesus. His ship stopped at several ports in Asia Minor along the way. While he was docked he sent for the elders of the Ephesian church and when they arrived he said to them, “You remember when I first came here. I served God humbly and had to go through a lot of struggles because people were plotting against me. I never hesitated to publicly tell you everything I could think of to help you in your faith. I have told both Jews and Greeks the story of Jesus. But my life is nothing when compared to the task Jesus has given me, to tell everyone the good news of forgiveness, and that is a task I plan to finish. “Now I know that I am never going to see any of you again. But I am okay leaving you because I know that I have clearly said what God wants from all of you. Take care of yourselves and this church that you are a part o...