Story-Formed Life | Narrative-Based Discipleship Training

What is the Story-formed Life

The SFL is an intensive 10-week foundational, repetitive, reproducible, apostolic, narrative and discussion-based discipleship training course. It’s purpose is not to encapsulate all of discipleship, rather it is intended to provide kingdom equippers with an apostolic (i.e. foundational) discipleship tool from which they and others can build upon (1 Cor 3).

Why Story-formed?

The Story provides our real context: The western story is almost unconsciously the only story we're familiar with. Cultural context, after all, is the water we all swim in. We do not realize how deep these roots are sunk into our minds and hearts. The SFL, is a discipleship training tool that exposes the self-focused stories we live in and invites us to enter into an epic story in which God himself is the central character. The Story deepens our faith - The problem in evangelicalism as we know it today, isn't really an issue of knowledge. Our actions demonstrate we don't actually believe most of what we claim to know. Increasing our faith in God's story is the only way to sustainable transformation. The Story gives birth to a redeemed community - Those completing the SFL discover and embrace ONE faith under ONE Lord which results in their ability to form ONE interdependent body, in all its diversity, and to go on mission to make disciples as God's redeemed community.

Midrash

Midrash is a Rabbinical practice used to investigate or study the Bible. Its a way of asking questions of the scriptures to interpret meaning. It is very helpful with filling in places where there are gaps in understanding. Why did we chose the Midrash format for SFL? Most believers are used to hearing sermons and ultimately being told what to believe. Few are accustomed to testing what it is they are hearing, let alone talking about what they believe in a group of people. Sometimes discussion and discovery is more effective than dictation.

The Course

The Creation
The Fall
The Preparation
The Kingdom
The Cross
The Confession
The Adoption
The Spirit
The Church
The Re-Creation

The CreationDiving right into the beginning of the story (Gen 1 and 2), we marinate in the beauty and awesomeness of what God intended our lives to be like and here we find the essence of who God is, who we are and what the purpose of life is.

The Fall Together we experience the ultimate tragedy of all, the betrayal of God and the fall of mankind. It is essential to our understanding of the story to come face to face with our complicity in the current condition of the world and encounter that in the midst of the curse, there is a promise.

The PreparationGod doesn't give up on mankind. He chooses a man and his family to bless all the families on the earth and it is through his story and the story of the nation that came from him that we begin to understand the Story of the Lamb and a hint of what God promised back in the Garden.

The Kingdom Something that most of us don't understand because we've never actually lived in a real kingdom, is the revelation of the good news of the Kingdom of God throughout the entire Story. In this week, we encounter what the Kingdom is, how God sees his kingdom, what the messiah Jesus, God's SON, came to do regarding the kingdom and what impact the story of the Kingdom has on our lives.

The Cross Bringing the story to a climactic point, what seems like a horrible tragedy of epic proportions turns out to be the most incredible, awe-inspiring story of Love, Grace and marvelous strategy as we see God overcoming the power of the enemy and the curse through a sacrifice that changed the course of the entire universe.

The ConfessionAnd what comes from such an outpouring of grace and love? The complete and utter surrender of men and women to the King. This topic is largely missing from Christian teaching today and has led to an incredibly weak and powerless church in the world today.

The AdoptionDoes it end with surrender and allegiance to the mightiest king? This week we encounter a revelation that is so deep, so impactful that it will revolutionize the way you live every moment of your life. We encounter the royal family of God and the new life as royal children of the coming Kingdom.

The SpiritBesides the cross, one of the most mysterious plot twists in history occurs when Jesus leaves but promises to be with his younger brother and sisters always and to empower them to live like He did. This is a powerful week that will transform your whole paradigm of how we are to go about doing greater things than he did.

The Church So are these new royal sons and daughters independent children living separate lives following the Spirit? This week we discover the beautiful design of the ekklessia, what it means to live in the family and community of God, and what this means for our purpose on the earth in overcoming the dark kingdom.

The Re-CreationYou learn a lot about a story from the way it ends. CS Lewis describes this life as the preface in a book and when everything is re-created, we begin chapter 1 of a book that has no end. This is an exciting and explosive week that invigorates and stirs up our fervor for God's ultimate plan and what that means for our lives now.

Does it Actually Bear Fruit?An excellent question and one we should be asking more often. The best way to answer this question is to offer testimony by people who recently went through an SFL...

There were so many ways that SFL impacted my relationship with my Lord. Just so much truth hitting my heart the first time I went through it, I needed to go through it again! However, I think that one of the biggest truths that hit my heart was Kingdom night. I would hear pastor's talk about God's kingdom, I would read in Scripture about His kingdom, but I didn't really get it. It seemed almost imaginary, like a fairy tale. Now, I feel like I have a better understanding of the term "Kingdom of God" and better grasp our role as Christians to be "in the world" but not "of the world". That Christ is our King, and He will return to Earth to take His rightful place as His Father has granted Him. My actions truly WILL have an eternal impact. Many of my priorities were shifted as a result of that night, and they continue to shift as this truth about our eternal kingdom gets planted deeper in my heart. We serve a loving, awesome, amazing, powerful King! –C.D.

SFL brings some sort of rawness and authenticity that the vast majority of my Christian experience has lacked to an extent. My whole life I've lived and been told a story, as we all have. SFL helped me understand that maybe the Story that I am living might not be the exact same Story that God is writing. Before SFL I understood the scriptures to be similar to a bloomed flower; meaning the story has been finished. Through the course I got to watch God's story bloom, and now I watch it grow. –B.C.

When I got baptized I didn't have an understanding of the gospel and wasn't convicted of my sin. I wanted God for what he did for me. I was trying to live with one foot in the world and one foot with God. Eventually I joined a church where I heard solid doctrine and I began to trust that all this knowledge I had was assurance of my salvation but the more I learned the less I looked like Christ as I became arrogant and complacent. Midway through SFL things finally started to change. Through intense study of scripture I saw that if I say I have faith then there would be works stemming from my love of God! I didn't have fruit and I had never really confessed and BELIEVED that Jesus is Lord. I saw Jesus as a means to an end. That was the turning point for me. I was finally able to let go and let Jesus take control. –S.L.

Before SFL, I remember specifically having moments where I was tangibly upset with Adam and Eve for making a choice that literally changed the trajectory of the world. It was completely off my radar of how personal I'm linked with that very same choice. Understanding my part in the fall has increased my appreciation for a Savior tenfold. Before, I wanted Jesus to be my Savior, but didn't fully understand how desperately I myself really needed saving. My gratefulness, intimacy and fear of the Lord (good fear) have climbed to new levels because of my SFL experience. –M.K.

I used to think in terms of my own story. Then I went through SFL and was boldly reminded that it’s not really my own story at all. My perspective has changed. I see the beauty in being a small part of God’s big story. I was smacked in the face by how fallen I really am, and I was picked up by the overwhelming truth of God’s holiness in love. Knowing what I know now, I could never go back. I saw God shape every discussion, every moment we were together. It was powerful. That’s what SFL was like for me. –B.M.

"In the beginning God" - Stop! The first 4 words of this story... I know this tool has been set up to mull over in the course of 11 weeks covering 10 themes and nearly 40 paradigms, however if I got nothing else out of this course beside the smack in the face from the first 4 words of Genesis it would still be so worth it. It was sobering to wake up to the fact that I am not the main character in this story. My story didn't begin with my life in 1979, or when I started pining after Christ. It started in the beginning of time and it’s actually not my story. This changes things. In addition to this new perspective on life, viewing everyone as "image bearers" is another monumental shift in this good rescue story. I think about this daily in conversation or simply watching other image bearers. Understanding God's holiness, his big love and knowing he is indeed good has also been a grand uncovering and ongoing quest. This disciples making tool of SFL has been a radical factor in exposing what I believed. It has deepened my faith in this BIG GOD and the way I now live, love and harmonize with my family and community. –J.P.

How do I begin to put into words how Story Formed Life impacted me? It was a transformational, foundational, and faith deepening time in my life. The idea that the Bible is God's story, that HE is the main character and I am a supporting character, was revolutionary. When I have that perspective, everything changes. SFL drove God's truth deeper and deeper into my heart week after week and whet my appetite for more of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. HIS story is amazing and draws me to the one who is the hero of my story - the one who this life is all about. –E.S.

I grew up as a preacher's kid and now I find myself working at a church. When I went through SFL the first time, I came to an elevated view of my family. So my wife and I planned a family story retreat for everyone from grandparents to toddlers. The experience was incredible and connective. I found a way to point my gifts towards my family and not just into my ministry roles. Now I'm kind of addicted to that shift in my life and new family opportunities keep coming. We are excited and ready for more. –P.O.

I think it is safe to say that I got stuck in the beginning. Literally at "In the beginning, God..." That honestly was very difficult for me because I thought that this would be the easy part. I’d heard this time and time again but never thought twice about it. Something about this class was different. I was forced to think about the most “basic” things I believed. I had to look myself in the mirror and ask, “Do I really believe this and why?” For me these questions took me completely out of my comfort zone because each week they came up. The reality was I knew more about the things of God than God Himself. That was a revelation that both sucked and brought much freedom. This training was so stripped down that I felt like our only focus was to truly, deeply and personally know Him. There was no formula just scripture and discussion. Nothing so simple has ever rocked me to the core so quickly. –C.W.

Does It Cost Money?

Of course... Just kidding. No, there is no charge and no membership requirement. In fact, there is not even a copyright on it. The entire course is open-source (meaning open to complete modification) by anyone (it goes without saying that we are not responsible for modifications made...). This is God's Story, not ours. How in the world could we charge money for access to the greatest story ever told? The Good News is FREE!

Does It Require Membership?

The Story-formed Life is not connected with or associated with any Christian sect, faction, denomination or any other man-made boundary in the body of Christ. We invite and emphatically encourage testing, criticism, rebuke, exhortation and/or encouragement from anyone who confesses Jesus Christ as King. This being said, we are deeply connected with kingdom-minded people around the globe who we humbly submit to and continually receive correction and encouragement from. If you are inclined, we are happy to provide a list of references of respected and well-known Kingdom leaders that you can speak with.

Ready To Dive In?

If you need help in locating an SFL in your area (we are aware of various places around the US that have repeating courses), please email inquiries@storyformedlife.org for more information. If you are intending to start a course, we ask that you prayerfully consider participating first in an existing course before attempting to kick-start a new one. The reason for this is not control but rather because the SFL utilizes an extremely different format and teaching method compared to traditional bible studies and other training courses. If you've done this or God told you to start one without attending one first, then contact us for materials.