Tell the story

 Jesus told a lot of stories when He spoke. We call them parables, but they were stories. They were used to help make His teachings better understood. He used common things such as sheep, fig trees, water and more to teach deep theological truths. Sometimes I think we preachers spend too much time explaining what a word meant in the original Greek or Hebrew and not enough time telling stories.

Young people, the ones most churches claim they want to reach, enjoy stories they can relate to. It's why they go to movies and watch their favorite programs on TV. Even much of their music contains a storyline that they can relate to. 

As you might imagine, I include a lot of stories in my messages. I'm convinced that the stories help people better understand the theological truths I'm giving them. Sometimes, these stories are humorous; other times they are serious, but they are always told for the purpose of clarifying a truth.

I tend to be pretty transparent when including myself in a story. I don't want people to think I have everything figured out, and I'm living without any challenges in my life or faith. I've spoken honestly about being diagnosed as clinically depressed back in the 1980s and spending a year on medication and in therapy before escaping from that dark cloud. Every time I've shared that story, people have come to me thanking me, sometimes in a whisper, for sharing that experience. I've talked about financial problems we've had in the past, what it took to get out of that and how we would not have got in that mess if we had been treating our finances according to biblical teaching.

Such stories let people know that their challenges and doubts are experienced by all people, and they are not a lesser Christian for having them. They also let spiritual seekers know that coming to faith in Christ doesn't require that all their questions have to be answered first or they have to get their lives straightened up before becoming a Christian.

Just remember when you are telling stories to tell the one that matters most: Jesus Christ lived, died on the cross and was resurrected so that all who believe in Him could be forgiven of their sins and enjoy the promise of eternal life.