Category Archives: Teaching Illustrations

Youth Illustrations: Ken’s favorite Quotes, Anecdotes, Real-Life Events, Modern Parables, Sermon Illustrations, Jokes, Humor and other stories to add a little punch to your Bible Studies, Sermons, Youth Ministry talks and Children’s sermons.

Food for Thought, Teaching Illustrations

WHY GOD MADE HUGS

Leave a comment

Everyone was meant to share
God’s all-abiding love and care;
He saw that we would need to know
A way to let these feelings show.

So God made hugs – a special sign,
And symbol of His love divine,
A circle of our open arms
To hold in love and keep out harm.

One simple hug can do its part
To warm and cheer another’s heart.
A hug’s a bit of heaven above
That signifies His perfect love.

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love another. If you
have love for one another, then everyone will know that you’re my disciple.”

(John 13:34,35)

Food for Thought, Inspiration, Teaching Illustrations

Dividing Souls

Leave a comment

Two boy scouts went on a nature hike in the hills picking up hickory nuts along the way. They quickly filled their small pails and started to fill their pockets and shirts.

When they couldn’t carry any more nuts they walked down the country road until they came across a cemetery. One of the boys decided the cemetery would be a good place to stop, rest, and divide out the nuts.

The two boys sat in the shade of a large oak tree. They unloaded their pockets and pails dumping all the nuts in a large pile. While dividing their bounty, two of the nuts rolled away and came to rest near the road. The boys continued to divide the nuts among them. “One for you. One for me. One for you. One for me”

As they were doing this, a young boy happened to pass by and hear their voices. He looked into the cemetery but could not see the boys as they were hidden by the tree. He hesitated a moment and then ran back to town.

“Father, Father,” he yelled as he entered his house. “The cemetery. Come quick!!!” “What’s the matter?” the father asked. “No time to explain.” the boy frantically panted. “Follow me!!!”

The boy and the father ran up the country road and stopped when they reached the cemetery. They stopped at the side of the road, and fell silent for a few moments. Then the father asked his son what was wrong. Do you hear that? He whispered.

Both listened intently and heard the Scouts. “One for me. One for you. One for me One for you.” The boy then blurted out, “The devil and the Lord are dividing the souls!!”

The father was skeptical but silent. A few moments later the Scouts completed dividing out the nuts. One Scout said to the other: “Now as soon as we get those two nuts down by the road we’ll have them all.”

1 Peter 5:8: Peter warns the believers who are under persecution to be on the alert because our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

There is a struggle between God and the Devil, but the Devil Will Not Win

  • 1 John 3:8: “The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil.”
  • Hebrews 2:14: “Christ took on human nature that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil.”
  • Colossians 2:15: “God disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.”
  • Mark 3:27: “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.”
  • Revelation 20:10 says one day the warfare will be over: “The devil . . . [will be] thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone . . . and will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (See Matthew 8:29; 25:41)
  • James 4:7: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!”
Teaching Illustrations

Heaven’s Grocery Store

Leave a comment

As I was walking down life’s highway many years ago
I came upon a sign that read, “Heavens Grocery Store”.

When I got a little closer,
the doors swung open wide
And when I came to myself,
I was standing inside.

I saw a host of angels.
They were standing everywhere.
One handed me a basket and said
“My child, shop with care.”

Everything a human needed
was in that grocery store
And what you could not carry,
you could come back for more.

First I got some Patience.
Love was in that same row.
Further down was Understanding,
You need that everywhere you go.

I got a box or two of Wisdom
and Faith a bag or two.
And Charity of course
I would need some of that too.

I couldn’t miss the Holy Ghost
It was all over the place.
And then some Strength and
Courage to help me run this race.
My basket was getting full
I remembered I needed Grace,

And then I chose Salvation for
Salvation was for free
I tried to get enough of that
To do for you and me.

Then I started to the counter
To pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything
To do the Masters will.

As I went up the aisle I saw
Prayer and put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside
I would run into sin

Peace and Joy were plentiful
The last things on the shelf.
Song and Praise were hanging

Then I said to the angel “Now how much do I owe?”
He smiled and said “Just take them everywhere you go.”

Again I asked “Really now, How much do I owe?”
“My child ” he said, “God paid your bill a long time ago.”

Teaching Illustrations

The Level Of God’s Perfection

1 Comment

An illustration

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional schools.

At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, “Why is the perfection not in my son Shaya? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God’s perfection?

The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father’s anguish, and stilled by the piercing query. “I believe,” the father answered, “that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child.” He then told the following story about his son:

One afternoon, Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys Shaya knew were playing baseball. Shaya asked, “Do you think they will let me play?” Shaya’s father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya’s father understood that if his son was chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging.

Shaya’s father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said “We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning.”

Shaya’s father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya’s team scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential winning run on base, Shaya was scheduled to be up.

Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly let alone hit with it. However as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya should at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya’s teammates came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shaya. As the pitch came in, Shaya and his teammate swung at the ball and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, “Shaya, run to first. Run to first.” Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled.

By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had reached the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher’s intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the Third baseman’s head. Everyone yelled, “Run to second, run to second.” Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home.

As Shaya reached second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, “Run to third.” As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, “Shaya run.” Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a “grand slam” and won the game for his team.

“That day,” said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
“those 18 boys reached their level of God’s perfection.”

Inspiration, Teaching Illustrations

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Leave a comment

Robert May worked in the advertising department of Montgomery Ward, the 2nd largest department store chain in America at the time.

In 1939, he was asked to create a children’s book for Christmas about an animal to give as a gift to their customers. But the year proved difficult, as May’s wife died from cancer. The future was bleak as he was forced to raise his young daughter alone. On September 1st, 1939 World War II broke out, bringing an uncertain future, and dark times for the whole world.

As Robert sat down to write, he was inspired by his daughter’s love for a deer at the local zoo. He created Rudolph, a shiny-nosed reindeer as a symbol for himself and his young daughter that happier times were coming.

When the story was released for Christmas, It was an instant hit. 2.4 million copies of the children’s book were given as gifts. They would have given away even more if there hadn’t been wartime restrictions on the use of paper.

The story of Rudolph the red-nosed reeindeer was made into a song, and then into a movie as well. The movie has been broadcast every year since 1964, making it the longest-running Christmas TV special in the history of television.

It is perhaps a fitting story for 2020, as the world struggles with Covid-19.

A terrible storm threatened to cancel Christmas. Rudolph, a young reindeer with a bright red nose, felt left out, alone, isolated. But in the midst of the gloom, Rudolph found his purpose and shined brightly in the darkness. And in doing so, he made a joyful Christmas possible for everyone.

If you are feeling alone, isolated.
If the future seems bleak.
Remember the story of Rudolph.

God created you with a purpose.
Embrace your special God-given talents.
You too can shine the light of His love this Christmas
And bring a little joy to the whole World.

As you remind everyone that they are not alone.
A bright future lies ahead
The “Light of the World” came
That all might have hope and future
In the accepting embrace of God’s Love.

Teaching Illustrations

Guiding Others – A Story of Two Horses

Leave a comment

Are we guiding others?

This tale reminds us that we must care for one another, not only with their needs, but also by guiding others along the right path in life.

Two Horses

On a forgotten country road, there is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you look closer you will notice something quite interesting.

One of the horses is blind.

The horse’s owner has chosen not to have him put down. Instead he has built a safe and comfortable barn for him to live in.

This alone is pretty amazing. But if you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. The sound is coming from a smaller horse in the field.

Attached to the smaller horse’s halter is a copper-colored bell. It lets the blind friend know where the smaller horse is, so he can follow.

If you take a moment to stand and watch these two friends, you’ll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse. The blind horse listens for the bell.  He then slowly walks to where the other horse is, trusting he will not be led astray.

Each evening the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn. On the way, he will occasionally stop to look back. He is making sure that the blind friend isn’t too far behind to hear the bell.

We all need people we can depend on when we face struggles in life. Sometimes we are the guide. And sometimes we need others to guide us. Listen for my bell and I’ll listen for yours.

Scriptures on Helping Others and Guiding Others

Helping Others

  • Hebrews 6:10 – “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
  • Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
  • Matthew 25:44-45 – “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ ” He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'”
  • Isaiah 58:10-11 – “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”

Guiding Others

  • Ephesians 4:2 – “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
  • Galatians 6:2 – “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
  • 1 Corinthians 12:25 – “There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.”
  • Philippians 2:3-5 – “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
  • Proverbs 12:26 – “The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.” (NLT)
  • Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (ESV)
  • Proverbs 18:24 – “Some friends don’t help, but a true friend is closer than your own family.” (CEV)
  • Luke 6:31 – “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” (NASB)
  • Romans 15:1 – “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”
  • Isaiah 58:10-11 – “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”
Inspiration, Teaching Illustrations

Puppies for Sale

Leave a comment


A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.”

Signs like that have a way of attracting young children. Soon a young boy appeared under the store owner’s sign.

“How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.

The shop owner replied, “Some are thirty dollars, some are more.”

The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. After counting it, he said, “I have two dollars and thirty-seven cents” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

“Well, I’m afraid I can’t sell you one of these puppies for a two dollars and thirty-seven cents. You’ll have to save your money and come back next time we have more puppies for sale.”

About that time, the store owner’s wife brought out another puppy that had been hidden in the back of the store. It was smaller than the other puppies, and had a bad leg. It couldn’t stand up very well, and when it tried to walk, it limped.

Immediately the young boy pointed to the limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”

The shop owner explained. The veterinarian had examined the little puppy and discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.

“Oh I wish I had the money to buy that puppy!” exclaimed the boy with excitement. “That’s the puppy I would choose!”

The shop owner said, “Well that puppy is not for sale, son. But if you really want him I”ll give him to you. No charge.”

The young boy got upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said; “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The store owner was perplexed. “You don’t want to spend your money on this little dog, son. He is never going to be able to run and play with you like other puppies.”

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg. The leg was supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

The man was now biting his bottom lip. Tears welled up in his eyes. He smiled and said, “Son, I hope and pray that every one of these puppies will have an owner such as you.”

We ALL need someone who understands!

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

 

MAKE IT SPIRITUAL

  • Do you enjoy shopping? Why or why not?
  • How much money did you spend yesterday?
  • Where did you spend it?
  • What did you spend it on?
  • What is something that you have bought recently that cost a lot of money?
  • What is the most valuable thing that you own?
  • What is the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?
  • Have you ever bought something second hand (i.e. used)? Would you pay full price for it?
  • When we are told that God bought us at a price and that price was his most valuable possession, his Son, how does that make you feel?
  • If someone trades their most valuable possession for something else, what does that tell you about the thing that they traded for? How valuable is it?

Scripture says that we were “bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Corinthians 7:23) Jesus paid a very high price for you when he went to the cross. He did it because he loves you and wants you to be with him. And he understands what you are going through. As it says in the book of Isaiah, he was the “Suffering Servant” who “bore our iniquities.” He took all of the pain we deserve upon himself. (See also 1 Peter 2:24)

You may feel like an outcast, a nobody. You may think nobody likes you, that nobody wants you. You may be suffering, going through difficult times. Through all of that, you can be sure that Jesus understands. He knows exactly how you feel.

MAKE IT PRACTICAL

  • Do you belong to Christ?
  • What should our response be, knowing that we were bought at a high price?
  • How can we glorify God with our bodies, our actions, everything we are and do?

MAKE IT PERSONAL

  • Knowing that you are God’s most valuable possession, how does that make you feel?
  • What can you do this week to show your gratitude to God for what he has done for you?

SCRIPTURES

  • Isaiah 53:5 – “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
  • 1 Corinthians 6:20 “you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (NIV)
  • 1 Corinthians 7:23 “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” (NASB)
  • 1 Peter 2:24 – “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (NIV)
Inspiration, Teaching Illustrations

Born to Fly

Leave a comment

Once, there was a blizzard high in the mountains. A nest, near the summit, broke apart in the fierce winds. A single eagle’s egg fell out and slid down the side of the mountain on the snow. Miraculously, it was not broken as it careened down rocky slopes all the way into the valley below.

It came to rest, unscathed, in the tall grass near a nest of prairie chickens. The prairie chicken mother noticed the egg. Thinking it was one of her own that had fallen out, she picked it up and put it in her nest.

In time it hatched with the prairie chicks and grew up among them. The young eaglet grew very large and very powerful. Though he certainly didn’t look like a Prairie Chicken he acted like one.

He scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat. He clucked and cackled. And he flew in a brief thrashing of wings and flurry of feathers no more than a few feet off the ground. After all, that’s how prairie chickens were supposed to fly.

One day, the little eagle and his prairie chicken siblings were out chasing bugs in the grass. A huge shadow fell over the land. They all looked up and saw the majestic sight of an eagle soaring high in the cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on powerful winds, it soared with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.

One of his “brothers” said, “I see that look in your eyes. You could never fly like that. The eagle is the greatest of all the birds. YOU ARE A PRAIRIE CHICKEN.”

For a moment, the little eagle thought he would bolt up out of the prairie chicken world and do great aerial exploits with the eagles. Then the thought passed. “You’re right,” he said. “I’m just a prairie chicken.”

He returned to looking for seeds and grubs, pecking out a mere existence. The eagle spent his whole life looking up at eagles, longing to join them among the clouds. It never once occurred to him to lift his wings and fly. The eagle died thinking it was a prairie chicken.

You can fly like an eagle or dig around in the dirt like a prairie chicken. Don’t listen to those around you. You were created to fly. Your full potential is waiting. Life with all its excitement is ready to be seized. It is time to give up your small ambitions. It’s time to take a leap like an eagle, to stretch your wings, to rise above the mountains and soar through the clouds.

Choose to fly!

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Make it Practical

  • What are some of the things we hear from others around us?
  • What are some of the labels people place on us?
  • What are some of the positive and negative messages we hear today?

Make it Spiritual

You were born to fly. But some of you think and act like prairie chickens because the world keeps telling you that’s what you are. God created you “a little lower than the angels.” Do you ever feel like there’s something more to life than what you are experiencing? Look up! Lift your wings and fly! God wants you to be all that you were created to be. The apostle Peter writes in I Peter 1:14, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” In other words, “Stop living like eagles who think they are prairie chickens.” You are no longer ignorant. You know who and what you are. You are born again through the living and enduring Word of God. Now live that way. Spread your wings and fly.

  • What are some of the things the Bible says about us?
  • What are some things God says about us?
  • How should these things influence the life that we live?

Make it Personal

  • What messages do you hear that have the greatest impact on you?
  • How can we respond to the messages of the world around us?
  • How do we respond the messages from God?
  • Name one piece of advice you think God would give you today.

Scripture Verses

 

  • 1 Corinthians 2:9 – “However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’— the things God has prepared for those who love him.” (NIV)
  • Isaiah 40:31 – “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (NIV)
  • Ephesians 3:20 – “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (NIV)
  • Mark 10:29-30 – “‘Truly I tell you,’ said Jesus, ‘no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions — and to receive eternal life in the age to come.'” (NIV)
  • Psalm 84:11 – “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” (NIV)
  • Matthew 7:24-27 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (NIV)
  • Psalm 8:3-8 – “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild,
    the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.” (NIV)
  • Hebrews 2:7 – “You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor.” (NIV)
  • 1 Peter 1:14 – “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” (NIV)
Teaching Illustrations

How to Catch a Monkey

Leave a comment

“What are we doing tomorrow?” the young hunter asked his uncle.

“Let’s catch some monkeys.” the uncle replied.
 
“Monkeys?” the young hunter asked excitedly.
 
“Yes,” the uncle said with a smile, “And if you catch one you can take him home as a pet.”
 
And so, the next morning, at the first hint of dawn they set off from their hut and into the jungle. After some time, they came to a coconut tree and the uncle sat upon the ground.
 
“It’s time to prepare the monkey trap,” he said.
 
He then picked up a freshly fallen coconut, cut a small hole in the top, and drank the refreshing coconut water. He passed the coconut to the young hunter, along with a knife. “Make the hole bigger, but not too big.”
 
He then placed a small, fragrant orange in the hollowed-out coconut and chained the coconut to a tree. The young hunter and uncle retreated to hide in the nearby bushes.
 
It wasn’t long before the chains made a loud, rattling sound. The young hunter peeked his head out of hiding. And then he saw it. A panicked monkey was desperately trying to free his hand from the coconut.
 
The uncle explained, “As long as the monkey keeps its fist wrapped around the orange, he will never escape. The monkey merely needs to let go. But he is too focused on the orange to realise the path to freedom.”
 
That which is true of monkeys is also true of people.
 
What is it that you’re holding onto that’s keeping you from freedom in your life?
 
It’s time to let go!
Object Lessons, Teaching Illustrations

Visions of Christ

Leave a comment

Refining our gifts, skills, talents and abilities, striving for excellence, is a very important and noble task, that gives Christ more to work with. But regardless of our level of ability, everything we have is to be used for His glory so that others see a vision of Christ when they look at us. This story and Object lesson reminds us that we must live a life that is so close to Christ, that like those in Antioch, we are called Christians – “little Christs”.

Object Lessons

Instead of displaying an object lesson for the youth to learn from, we will be providing a variety of objects for youth to use as object lessons. They will be creating the object lessons.

  1. Collect a variety of small items from your office or home. A pencil, a piece of paper, a sticky note, a stapler, a sugar packet, a thumb tack, an envelop, a letter opener, a coin, a key, a ring, a bottle cap, a ruler, a knife, a shoe lace, a breath mint, a piece of candy, a cup, a plate, a napkin, a nail file, a name card, a clothes pin, a screw, a nail, a paper clip, a magnet, a towel, a battery, a toothbrush, a comb, and just about anything else you can find. Use whatever you have available. Make sure you have enough items for the entire group to each have a different item with a few to spare.
  2. Ask the youth to each take one item that represents something about God. What truth about God or Christ does it bring to mind? What is something about God it could represent?
  3. Let the youth share what the item represents about God or what it reminds them of in relation to God.
  4. After all the youth have shared, tell the following story.

An Illustration

In the 18th century there was a German sculptor by the name of Johann Heinrich von Dannecker. Legend says that he could almost bring stone to life with his skills as a sculptor.

At the height of his career, he decided to do something very special with his gift. He dreamed of shaping a piece of lifeless stone into a statue of Christ that would come to life as a witness to his world.

He chiseled, scraped and polished the marble for almost 2 years. When he was convinced that his statue carried the likeness of his Lord, he wanted to test the statue on eyes that would not lie.

So he went out to the street, and brought in a young girl. He took her into his studio, and he set her down in front of the shrouded sculpture. Uncovering it, he asked her, “Do you know who this is?” “No, sir!” she replied. But he must be a very great man. And Dannecker knew that he’d failed. The statue was good enough for kings and nobles, but it wasn’t good enough to be a testimony of Christ.

He was discouraged. He was disheartened. He was depressed. But he knew that he had to try again. So he set his hand to the task. It took him six years this time, every day, painstakingly, shaping, carving and polishing. Finally, once again he felt he was done. And again, he brought in a child as his first critic.

He took off the shroud, and asked her gently, “Who is that?” Legend has it that tears came to her eyes as she recognised Jesus. It was enough. Dannecker had finished his task. He had created his masterpiece. He had given visible shape to his faith.

Later, to a friend, he told the secret of those last six years. It was as if, he said, Christ had joined him daily in his little room. He felt the nearness of his Lord. He sensed the glory of his Presence. All Dannecker had to do, really, was to transfer the vision of Christ that he received to the block of marble.

I am not sure if the story is true, but it is a powerful story with a profound message. And…

There’s more to the story.

Some years later, the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte saw Dannecker’s work. He was so impressed, he sent for the sculptor and offered him a commission. “Make me a statue of the goddess Venus.” It was considered an incredible honor to be chosen as the creator of such a work of art! Who could refuse? But you know what? Dannecker did! He refused the commission. He gave up that honor.

And you know why?

His responded to Napoleon: “A man who has seen Christ can never employ his gifts in carving out a pagan goddess!”

Take it to the Next Level

Make it Spiritual

  • What are some of the gifts, talents, skills, and abilities that we have in our group?
  • How can these be used to teach others something about God? How can they be used to bring Glory to God?

Make it Personal

I think the true secret to making Christ come to life in my lifes, to be truly Christlike, is to spend lots of time in His presence and to project the very presence and nearness of Christ in my personal life.

Like Johann Heinrich von Dannecker many of us have failed at times, some of us decidedly more toward the disastrous rather than the masterful. But I truly believe that if we keep our hearts focused on Him, that like with Danneker, God can use our labours of love, our gifts, talents, skills, and abilities to touch the hearts of others all over the world and open doors to sharing the gospel.

Make it Practical

  1. List some of your talents, skills, abilities and gifts.
  2. How could these be used to bring Glory to God?
  3. What is something you can do this week to be more Christlike, to let others see a vision of Christ in you this week?
  4. If everything you did, was done for God’s benefit, was done to please Him, glorify Him, would your actions change? Would you do things differently?
    • Would you speak to people differently?
    • Would you treat others differently?
    • Would you do different things?
    • Would you do things differently?
    • If God were your employer, your teacher, your parent, your constant companion would anything change?

Scripture

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Peter 4:10-11

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive and inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23-24

In the The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-28), 3 servants were given 5 talents, 2 talents and 1 talent respectively. In those days talents referred to money. But today when someone speaks of talents, we think of the great scientists, artists, musicians, actors and athletes. From the story we learn that God has given us each different talents and abilities that he expects us to use for his benefit.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…