Oh my goodness! I love this message from Ray Hollenbach in Churchleaders. Maybe it is because I like to tell stories when I preach. I try to relate to all people with my personal experiences regarding God’s Word. I do it to help make God’s Word tangible. I will tell stories like that of the man who came up to me one Sunday at alter call and whispered in my ear, “I want Jesus in my life, I am sick of the drugs, I want to marry my girlfriend.” This man’s name was Anthony, he needed a change of clothes and a bath, he was living in a hell hole. He accepted Jesus that day and died of an overdose 3 weeks later. BUT! he had accepted Jesus! Anthony was brought to Church by the deacon of FBC in Reserve, NM. Charles McCargish and his late wife Joan, picked up Anthony and brought him to Church that day! You could say that they helped save Anthony from hell. That is how important is to carry out The Great Commission! Just don’t invite people to Church, pick them up and take them to Church! Very simple! Why do so many Christians fail to do that? Who can you pick up and take to Church this Sunday?
From Ray Hollenbach
Steven Spielberg’s popular movie, Lincoln, runs exactly two and a half hours. After the brief opening sequence, there are no explosions, no sword fights and no one is killed on screen (spoiler alert: Lincoln is assassinated at Ford’s Theater). When I saw the film, the theater was packed. Two and a half hours of talk, talk, talking heads on the screen, yet no one in the theater moved, no one became restless and no one complained about the length. And we preachers have trouble holding people’s attention for a 28-minute sermon. What’s the difference? Learning the difference leads to good preaching.
The difference is storytelling. Spielberg knows how to tell a story, and we would do well to take a few pointers from him. In fact, forget Spielberg: Our sacred text, the Holy Bible, is filled with stories. You might go so far as to say the Bible is one story: the Father’s relentless pursuit of his lost children. More Here
I pray that this message blesses you. I will leave you with this…It is good to tell God’s stories in layman’s terms, it is the best way to get the attention of an unbelieving world. We have to relate to all people, building bridges of love and trust with the world!
