By Dr. R. Larry Moyer
Larry Moyer is a veteran evangelist and a
frequent speaker in evangelistic outreaches, training seminars, churches
and universities around the world. Born with an inherited speech
defect, Larry vowed to God as a teenager that if He would allow him to
gain control of his speech he would always use his voice to declare the
gospel. In 1973, Larry founded EvanTell, where he now serves as
President and CEO. He has written several books on evangelism and
frequently contributes articles to ministry publications.
No brainer! Evangelistic speaking must be bathed in prayer. We bring
Christ to men; only God can bring men to Christ. John 6:44 says, “No
one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”
It also requires careful study of the Scriptures to make sure that we
are preaching His thoughts, not ours. Paul told Timothy, “Be diligent
to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15)
.
There is another item, though, that will also make or break our
preaching in the 21st century. Without this item, you will simply be a
speaker. With it, you will be a communicator. It is called illustration.
This should not surprise us. Jesus Christ was a master communicator.
How often does the New Testament say of Him, “And He spoke to them a
parable”? So important are illustrations that three questions are worth
answering.
Let’s start with the basic one. Why? The reason is
three-fold. People of the 21st century understand the newspaper; they
don’t understand the Bible. Therefore the newspaper can be used to
illustrate how the Bible fits life where they are living. To say that
men’s hearts are filled with greed is one thing; to illustrate that
through a statement in the news of a person who having much still wanted
more is another. To say, “Christ died for you” is one thing; to
illustrate that through one person substituting his life for another is
powerful.
A second reason is what it tells the audience about you, the speaker.
Illustrations tell them that you not only understand the Bible; you also
understand Him and life.
A third reason is that illustrations enliven the audience and get
attention. By illustrations, I am referring to quotes, analogies,
stories, and statistics. Watch an audience that tends to fall asleep.
Now watch what happens if the speaker says something such as, “Let me
tell you about something humorous that happened to me the other day...”
“I read a touching story two days ago in our local newspaper...” or “You
are going to laugh when I tell you the following story.” Heads raise
up, eyes open up, ears perk up. People love stories.
With that understood, a second question is of equal importance. How do you get good illustrations?
Notice I said “how,” not “where”. Unless the “how” is understood, the
“where” rarely matters.
Two things are paramount. One is to never be without a recording
device. Some say, “Never say never,” but there is an exception to every
rule. By never, I mean never, unless it’s physically
impossible as when you’re swimming! Your recording device may be a PDA.
Although I have a PDA, my recording device is a 3x5" card; this for me
is quicker and simpler. I then transfer the illustration to my
computer file.
If you don’t have a recording device, you won’t remember illustrations
as they happen. You will only tease yourself that you will. And even
if you do, you will forget the details, and it’s the details that make
the illustration. Telling me that a middle-aged man entered an office
building is rather dull. Telling me that a man in his forties walked in
to a five-story office complex in the center of Detroit and took the
elevator to the fourth floor pulls me into the story. I begin to
visualize the man, the building, and the elevator.
Equally important is to set a goal. Mine is ten a
week. I’ll go over it, but not under it. That is why I now have nearly
20,000. What is so comforting about that is that if I’m speaking to
the need of a right attitude when going through trials, I have 35 in
that area to choose from, not just five.
With these two items in mind—a recording device and a goal—you will
need to develop an eye for illustrations. You will be surprised at how
many you’ve missed and be amazed at how many you have not filed and how
many you can’t remember. But don’t live in the past. Live in the
present and the future. Start now!
Now, the final question. Where do you get the illustrations? The answer in most cases is...everywhere! But let’s nail that down.
Reading will always be your single biggest source. Nothing will
surpass it. You cannot (and should not) watch enough TV. You will
never be able to listen to enough people or entertain enough
conversations. But you will consistently have at your fingertips news
reports on the Internet, newspapers, new magazines, books, devotional
booklets, and a list of advertisements and pamphlets. They focus on
politics, family, sports, money, and past and present events.
Listening to messages by people who illustrate is another great
source. Good communicators have good illustrations. As you listen,
write. Don’t feel like you’re doing wrong by using someone else’s
illustrations. Very few speakers use original illustrations. They are
borrowed without apology from the sources. Having collected thousands, I
seldom hear one I have not already heard.
Illustrations are not a novelty in communicating with people of the
21st century; they are a necessity. More than ever, people think with
stories in their heads. Notice something: One speaker speaks for 30
minutes and it seems like 15; another speaks for 15 and it seems like
45. The difference more often than not is whether or not there was an
effective use of illustrations. More importantly, the one without the
illustrations often brings a message easily forgotten. The one with
illustrations brings a message hard to forget. The reason: When the
speaker taught a truth, the listener said, “I hear it”; when he used an
illustration, the listener said, “I see it.”
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