Let’s be honest. Illustrations help people understand biblical truth. Stories can help people connect God’s Word to their lives today. Maybe.
If you use illustrations as you teach, there’s one kind of illustration that you don’t want to use. Curious? 
Here it is: Don’t use illustrations from antiquity. Very few people care about Baron Von So-and-So. No one’s heart skips a beat when you mention how a poor farmer from eastern Europe made a discovery one day while plowing his field.
If you are going to use illustrations when you teach, make sure you use current illustrations. If I were teaching a Bible study this coming weekend, you could bet your bottom dollar that I’d find an illustration from this week’s Olympic events. I’d do one of the following:
- Show a picture of an athlete or athletes.
- Read an article from a newspaper about the Olympics.
- Use an object lesson that relates to the Olympics.
What are other sources of illustrations from current culture?
- Television shows
- Newscasts
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- The web
- Movies
- Current books
- Your life/family
- Sports
So when you are tempted to share a story about that 7th century monk, don’t. Instead, keep your illustrations more current. Your group members will thank you.
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Ken Braddy 