Quick comparison of all seven stories
One mini--story for each SYNC theme; about 100 words each
The story of God’s long campaign to connect, heal, and bless the world is complicated and covers thousands of years, but there are a few milestone events (or game-changers) in the story. Each of the seven SYNC versions of the story of the world focuses on a different milestone event.
These mini-stories are gathered here on one page so users can easily see them all at once and compare them. Each mini-story may also be found on the separate page that includes the "Mini-story", its "Expanded version", and the "Reflections on SYNCing" with that version.
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Life: The story of the world is a story about life and death. God invented life and gave it to the world, but humans foolishly went down the path to death. God set a plan in motion to give life back to the world through the descendants of Abraham, especially Jesus. He brought life and health to the world, and he defeated death. He gave his life-power to his followers, and now they are carrying on his work until he comes back to wipe out death forever. Expanded to 800 words as "A Matter of Life and Death."
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Roots: The story of the world is a story about group identity and roots. God’s strategy to bless the world is to identify himself with one group of people and to bless all the other groups through his group. He created his group through one person who trusted him completely—Abraham. He redefined his group through one person—Jesus. Now people from any ethnic group may be grafted into his group and share in his campaign to bless everyone. Expanded to 800 words as "Uprooted."
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Freedom: The story of the world is a story about freedom. God created humans to be free, but they abused their freedom and lost it. He is giving it back to them. He started by freeing his people from slavery in Egypt and giving them a homeland where they could be free. They lost that freedom too. Jesus came to bring a new era of freedom to the world. He gave up his own freedom and was unjustly executed. Then God the Father set him free from death. Now his followers call others to be part of the Freedom Era. Expanded to 800 words as "The Freedom Declaration."
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Power: The story of the world is a story about a power struggle. God gave the first humans power over all creation, but they lost that power to Satan. God gradually exposed Satan’s weak spots through Moses and the prophets, and then Jesus announced the end of Satan’s power. He broke it once and for all through his death and resurrection. Then he took power on the throne of heaven, and he sent his power down into his followers. Now his followers keep defeating the enemy until he returns to bring the final victory. Expanded to 800 words as "The Mother of All Power Struggles."
Mercy: The story of the world is a story about God’s mercy. Humans have often given God plenty of reasons to destroy us all, but he has taken the high road, the mercy road. He revealed his justice and mercy to his people, Israel. Jesus took mercy to a whole new level, laying down his life to bring mercy to us, turning his own unjust execution into a sacrifice to pay for our sins. Now Jesus has sent us out as agents of his mercy, calling the world to take advantage of God’s grace period before the final judgment falls. Expanded to 800 words as "Unforgivable."
Honor: The story of the world is a story about living honorably and loyally. That is really all God asks of humans, but the first human couple didn’t manage it, and the billions that followed them haven’t either. Loyalty was the first of the Ten Commandments given to Moses. All the prophets hammered the same requirement. Jesus showed us what it meant, trusting God even when he was rejected and executed for doing exactly what God had sent him to do. From then till now, Jesus’s followers have suffered for representing his power and his mercy. But they still trust him for their final vindication. Expanded to 800 words as "No Shame in That."
Vision: The story of the world is a story about a vision of the future. The vision is simply that the world will finally be what it was created to be in the first place. How will it get there? Neither by technological advance nor by God’s people consolidating their power and imposing it. Rather the vision will come true in the same way that Abraham and Jesus saw it happen—unexpectedly and seemingly too late. Knowing that, we stay loyal through the dark times, trusting his power and mercy. Expanded to 800 words as "Living the Dream."