Everybody loves a good story!
That’s why Jesus told stories all the time.
That’s why learning how to become a good storyteller can help keep people engaged in your preaching.
Here are 7 remarkable stories that can use to illustrate your main sermon outline.
Save these in your preaching folder.
Each story comes with a brief thought on how you could apply the story to a relevant message.
If you have your own story to share, drop a comment below : )
1. Grace
A Texas police officer writes a ticket but folded a $100 bill inside the citation.
God gives us a great gift, even though we are guilty.
2. Teamwork
Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that everyone writes, put the mega-staffed, super-popular Microsoft Encarta out of business.
Read the Wikipedia article about Wikipedia and remind your congregation that teamwork makes the dream work; you’re stronger together than any one person alone.
3. Faithfulness
Chinese bamboo produces very little outward growth for the first four years of its life.
Though it’s puny and pitiful, there’s something powerful happening underground. In the fifth year, the tree grows eighty feet!
We must cultivate our soul and understand that the root comes before the fruit.
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4. Restoration
Starbucks reclaimed four shipping containers and made a pretty cool coffee shop out of them.
They say the containers are “reclaimed, refurnished, renewed and revived.”
Sounds like what God does in our hearts. (Ezekiel 37)
5. Be Still And Know
There’s a 99.99% soundproof room in Minneapolis that holds the Guinness World’s Record for being the quietest place on Earth.
NASA rents it to train astronauts.
Reminds me of what could happen when we heed the words of Psalm 46:10 and be still before our Maker.
6. Personal Habits
Duffy Daughtery was the American football coach for the Michigan State Spartans from 1954 to 1972.
At the end of one game, Daughtery sent in his kicker to win the game.
As the kick sailed through the uprights, the kicker looked at the referee.
Why? Because he had forgotten his contact lenses and he couldn’t see a thing!
Though he could only make out a very blurred outline of the goalposts, because he had practised the kick so many times, it was routine.
This story might work great in a message on spiritual disciplines, Bible reading, consistent community or parenting.
7. Don’t Take People For Granted
A famous violinist named Joshua Bell once played for 45 minutes in a Washington DC Metro station.
Though he played a $3 Million violin and had sold out a Boston theatre just two nights before, only six people stopped to listen to his music.
What a great story to illustrate that we should never take people for granted.
How many opportunities a day do we miss, or are we grateful for what God has given us in our lives?
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Over To You
Have a great story or sermon illustration you want to tell us?
We’d love to hear it!
Share it in the comments! 🙌
If you like listening to uplifting sermons check https://www.keionhenderson.com/ Pastor Henderson is such as great preacher that he can capture the audience’s attention and connect to them. I always enjoy listening to him and I hope many people find him too.
This one is very nice
These are good stories , they’re interesting. Touches peoples hearts. Thank you so much for sharing, looking forward for more. God bless you.
Hi Simon:
I work at a Retirement Home and in October I started doing a Chapel service in the evening for my residents. I have much to learn and I am enjoying your topics. I like to do a service with props or articles my last one I talked about trees, and how much we are like those trees and where God’s love helps us. I have to remember short is OK. I am building my confidence as well …
My first service I had 32 and the second was 35 That’s pretty good We were packed
Thank-you. God is so good
Hey Kim, what you’re doing is SO cool!
This week I started Sidewalk Sunday School (outside Sunday school) into the housing estates around Sriracha, Thailand where I live and I totally agree with you about using props and sermon illustrations. Just last week we talked about the wise man building his house on the rock so I had a started shovelling out bags of sand and bought some bricks and houses I had made. A watering can was the storm : )
Using sermon illustrations, for any age, makes your message visual and so much easier to remember. Here’s some of the best sermon illustrations I’ve seen on YouTube.
Go Kim! Absolutely awesome what you’re doing! Please let us know how you get on!
Very interesting and inspirational.
Thanks Immanuel!