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Good Preaching Starts With the Power of Story

Chapter Three: When the Bible story moves to the New Testament, we meet Jesus, the master storyteller. He didn’t write a book of systematic theology. He spoke in parables. His very life was one long illustration of God’s love. And when he taught, he used images from everyday life: flowers of the field and birds of the air. Jesus beats Spielberg!

Chapter Four: Professor Paul wrote letters filled with theology, but behind those letters lay his relationship with the people who read the letters. Why not try using the book of Acts to reveal the story behind why Paul wrote his letters? Paul wrote to real people, struggling with real problems, and if you tell their story, your listeners will receive it as the story of Christians trying to apply their faith in daily, practical ways.

Chapter Six leads us to the book of Revelation, and if that isn’t made for video, I don’t know what is! God’s not afraid of imagery or imagination. Are you? (Oh, if you’re wondering what happened to Chapter Five, some things are best left out of the story, especially if leaving things out makes your listeners supply the missing pieces.

The End – Know when to quit. Which makes for good preaching? Four dry concepts from the Scripture, or one life-changing story, also drawn from the Bible? In the jargon of Hollywood, make it memorable and leave room for the sequel. After all, you have to preach 50 times a year!