Bible Lessons, Telling His Stories (Part Two)

I have written a blog and have a sermon series on “Keys Ingredients to Successful Ministry.” The three keys are: 1. Keep it relevant. 2. Keep it relational. 3. Keep it reverent. I believe if we use these keys in telling and teaching the Bible stories to children we will keep their interest, challenge their behavior and minister to their soul.

Let’s start off with keeping it relevant. As you share the stories of the Bible, the children need to be able to visualize it. It helps to be somewhat dramatic in the presentation but the key is bringing the situations in the stories up to date with what the children will relate to. Apart from maybe Shaquille Oneal or other NBA centers, the children have never seen a giant. So now we have Goliath against little David. “Alright kids, who is the biggest person you ever saw?” Allow interaction as you teach. In urban settings most kids know who Shaq is. Other kids may give you answers like a football player, their dad, a neighborhood bully. “Now kids, imagine someone this much bigger than that person. (Your hands are stretched to another three feet) That is how big this giant Goliath was that David went out to fight.

So, David killed this giant with the Lord’s help. How does that relate to me, little kid in 2009 suburb of America? Explain to the children that we all have giants in our lives that we have fight with the Lord’s help. Have you ever fought the giant called, “Afraid of the dark?” How about the giant called “Bad Report Card”? All of us have things in our lives that we struggle or fight with, but if we trust Jesus to help us like David did we can overcome these giants.

Keys to keeping it relevant are: be dramatic, bring the stories up to date and relate them to situations that are current in the children’s lives.