Great storytellers tell tales at two levels: the macro level and the micro level. At the macro level, the world setting of the story is arranged. Then, at the micro level, we meet the main characters whose lives we will follow. At the macro level, we learn the WIDTH of the story. At the micro level, we feel its DEPTH.
Some examples?
Tony winner “Les Miserables” begins in a prison camp with no hope. Then, we meet Jean Valjean … a man who is trying to escape this miserable life, and we yearn for hope through his eyes the rest of the musical. Without meeting Valjean and those he protects, it would be just another history piece. But with the connection we build with his character’s redemption, we FEEL the era.
Oscar winner “Schindler’s List” begins with the epic tale of the Holocaust during World War II and the massacre of 6 million Jews. Then we meet Oskar Schindler, and we realize that not everyone stood idly by to watch the slaughter unfold … some did something about it. BONUS: Director Steven Spielberg also chose to shoot the entire movie in black and white, but introduced color in two unforgettable scenes, where a young girl in a red coat is colorized amidst the grayscale, so we see her … only (heartbreakingly) to see her again later in a pile of bodies killed by the Nazi regime. You don’t see 6 million deaths in Schindler’s List, but you see many … but hardly any as emotional as the story of that one girl whose name we never even learned, but who was highlighted for us to see.
Golden Globe winner “Lonesome Dove” begins touring the lifeless, dusty streets of a south Texas border town in the 1800s, before the camera zooms in on Augustus McCrae. This former Texas Ranger is both salty and sweet, the perfect set of eyes through which we can process this world teetering on the brink of either despair or delight.
And we could go on and on. Most stories have a macro and a micro level.
So far in our “Deep + Wide” study looking at the very first church in the book of Acts, we have been investigating the macro story as recounted in the book of Acts, where in the first 7 chapters we learn the story of the very first church in Jerusalem. We have seen the church grow from 120 people to over 10,000 in just over one year’s time! This macro level journey has helped us see the WIDTH of the story. This Sunday, we are going to switch to the micro level, as we see the Christian beginnings of ONE of the converts to Christianity in those early days. If the first 5 weeks of this series helped us learn the scale of the church’s growth, this week we will feel it through the conversion of one man.
If 10,000+ trusted Jesus, why is the story of just one of those converts highlighted? It would be easy to say that the reason this one conversion is highlighted is because of the influence this one convert would have in the world – and this angle is both true and historical. But by highlighting this one conversion story, something deeper is at play. The Master Storyteller authored this moment in history NOT just to introduce a new character, but to reveal the heart of the Character who has been center stage all along: Jesus Christ.
In Acts 9:1-18, we get the conversion of a man named Saul (whose name changed to Paul), who would go on to plant churches in many significant cities throughout the Roman Empire AND write nearly half of the New Testament books. Saul’s life was extremely consequential … but what is clear in Acts 9 is that in Paul’s conversion we learn WAY MORE ABOUT JESUS THAN WE DO ABOUT SAUL/PAUL!
At the macro level Jesus was building His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. But at the micro level, Jesus’ amazing grace calls us by name, and not number.
I hope you can join us this Sunday at Wildwood Community Church for part 6 of “Deep + Wide” as we look at Acts 9:1-18, and learn more about God’s amazing grace. See you Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 service … and brings friends! It will be a super Sunday.