God's Big Picture

Jon Reeves | January 2014 - Highfields Book of the Month

By Vaughan Roberts - (2009) Leicester: IVP

On the starting line of a new year we cannot help but reflect on the past and consider with some excitement and with some anxiousness towards the year to come. 

Even the most active amongst us can't help but revert to reflectors for a few moments at the beginning of a new year. What has God got planned for us in 2014? What is the plan for my life? What is God's Big Picture for humanity?

May I suggest two things for you to think about at the beginning of a new year: 

1. Why not take this time to reflect back not just on your own life but to go further and reflect back over God’s plan for humanity? This will give you confidence for your own life that God is sovereignly in control and is good to his promises. 
2. Why not think about getting alongside an individual this year and do a one to one? You could help and support someone in their Christian walk as you share your life and God’s word together. I highly recommend this to you as the rewards and friendships I have built over the years through one to ones have been an incredible blessing on my life and my faith.
   
   

The best book that I have read for putting the storyline of the bible into perspective and for being an invaluable tool for undertaking one to one's is 'God's Big Picture' by Vaughan Roberts. Vaughan is the Rector of St Ebbe's Church in Oxford and the Director of the Proclamation Trust, an organisation that encourages and equips Bible teachers. This book is an excellent overview of the bible helping us to see how the different parts fit together into a coherent plan. Many may think that Jesus was God’s Plan B after his original plan had failed but what we see through this book is that nothing could be further from the truth as the whole bible points to Jesus from beginning to end. 

Vaughan proposes that the Kingdom of God is a great unifying theme that binds the whole bible together yet is broad enough to allow each part to make its own distinct contribution. He defines the Kingdom of God as God's People, in Gods Place under Gods Rule and Blessing. This three part definition helps us to see how these three parts come together in creation, are broken apart by the fall and how through the nation of Israel and finally through Jesus how each component comes back together eventually to the perfected kingdom in Heaven. 

Vaughan splits his book into eight helpful chapters:

Old Testament

• The Pattern of the Kingdom (Creation)
• The Perished Kingdom (Fall to Babel)
• The Promised Kingdom (Abraham)
• The Partial Kingdom (Abraham to Rehoboam)
• The Prophesised Kingdom (Prophets)

New Testament 

• The Present Kingdom (The Gospels)
• The Proclaimed Kingdom (New Testament Letters)
• The Perfected Kingdom (Revelation)
  
  

Although the bible is still the best-selling book in the world most non-Christians are completely ignorant of its contents and sadly most Christians are not much better. We all have our favourite passages that we like to read and refer to but we don't understand how it all fits together. This book is a great tool to help Christians find their way around the bible and see how it all fits together in one glorious picture and how it ultimately points to the salvation God offers us through Jesus.