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I was speaking with another pastor once and they told me they felt that there were two different kinds of preachers: those who fill their messages with personal stories and anecdotes and those who give their congregations the meat of the Word of God. The disdain with which he described the people in the first camp made it clear to me that he felt that illustrations diluted a message. The more Bible the better. I understood his point, but I don’t think the two extremes he compared or the conclusions he drew were helpful. Let me explain what I believe to be the purpose and value of illustrations, so if you’re ever asked to teach a Bible lesson or give a talk to a youth group or seniors meeting, you’ll know when to use them and how.

Illustrations prepare people to apply the Bible not just hear it

There are many Bible teachers who believe that if you believe in the priority of God’s Word, you need to start your talk by reading God’s Word. I’m convinced that the more you value the Scriptures, the better you need to prepare people to hear them.

We’re bombarded with so much information today that we constantly make unconscious judgment calls about what we need to lean in and process and what we can tune out and ignore. People gathering to hear a talk from the Bible are distracted by thoughts of their last argument, their next deadline, and the diagnosis that they’re waiting for. A good introduction convinces people why they need to listen to this passage. It shows them why it matters.

Even people who come ready to listen to the Bible may have unhealthy motivations. Some people may listen out of religious duty. Other people may listen out of academic curiosity. A personal example or story that shows why the passage is important prepares people to hear with an aim to apply the Scriptures to their lives.

Illustrations help people to remember abstract principles

If people talk to me about a message, they’ll most often refer to the stories. That used to discourage me. I wanted people to focus on the Scripture itself or on the application in their lives. Over time, I came to realize that they were, but the stories were what provided them with a way of speaking about the principles they had learned and the application they were making.

Someone has said that you can’t remember any abstract truth without associating a picture with it. In fact, most memory techniques involve some kind of image or story association. Illustrations are like hangers for the clothes of truth that you’re trying to set out. They help people hold onto what you’ve said and express it to others.

Illustrations give people a mental breather to pace their listening

While some people say that humans now have shorter attention spans than goldfish, and others argue that the situation is not that bleak, the reality is that our media consumption has made concentration harder for many of us. If a talk from the Bible involves a sustained series of propositions and explanations, the average person will struggle to keep up. An illustration gives people a mental break. Stories are easier to process and allow people to regain some of the mental energy they need to dig back into the meatier explanations and applications of the Bible passage you’re looking at. If you don’t give people mental breathers in your talk, they’ll probably just take them and end up daydreaming or tuning out when you need them to lean in. Your talk should have a healthy rhythm of explanation, application, and illustration to keep people engaged and help them to listen.

I think my friend was wrong about personal stories in Bible messages. When used well, they don’t dilute the message at all. They help people apply it, remember it, and stay engaged as they listen. If God gives you an opportunity to share His Word with a group at church, a friend at work, or even your own children, think of stories and look for illustrations that will help put meat on the bones of the Scriptures God has burdened you to share. May God give you help as you do!

In awe of Him,

Paul