AP

Mark 4:2    [Jesus] taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: …

One of the wonderful things about Jesus (apart from the fact that he was willing to take my place as a sinner, and die a cruel death, under God’s wrath, as my Saviour) was his ability to teach (cf Mark 1:22 – “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”).

One of the ways people addressed him was ‘Rabbi – Teacher’.  His normal teaching model was the ‘parable’ – explaining profound spiritual truths by an ordinary, everyday story to which people could easily relate from their own experience.

As I reflected on this, I thought about the influence of ‘story-telling’ on my own life over the years as faithful servants of the Lord have encouraged me in my spiritual journey.  I also note that much of the positive feedback I get from my own preaching relates to personal anecdotes about the Lord’s gracious work in my own life.  Sam Chan, in his book “How to Talk About Jesus”, devotes two chapters to this: ‘Tell a better story’ and ‘Tell them stories about Jesus’.

Should we be more intentional in looking for opportunities to share our ‘stories’ with our friends and neighbours as a way of encouraging fellow believers and of introducing unbelievers to our Saviour?  The reality of the power of the Gospel is going to be much more evident in impacted ordinary lives than in the truth of theological concepts.  Why not try writing out your ‘story’ and ‘stories’ and thinking about how you can share with others how the Lord has worked, and is still working, in your life?