Parables of Salvation - David T Williamsdavidtwilliams.com/books/parables.pdf · Parables of...

Parables of Salvation


Short talks with everyday objects

Writers Club PressSan Jose New York Lincoln Shanghai


No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,

taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the permission inwriting from the publisher.

All Rights Reserved © 2002 by David T Williams

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Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 0-595-24706-7

v

Contents

PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

1. AIR FRESHENER CAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. ATM CARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3. AXE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4. BALL (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

5. BALL (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

6. BANKNOTE (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

7. BANKNOTE (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

8. BANKNOTE (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

9. BANKNOTE AND COIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

10. BATTERIES (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

11. BATTERIES (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

12. BATTERIES (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

13. BEADS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

14. BELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

15. BELT AND BRACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

16. BENT COIN (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

17. BENT COIN (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Parables of Salvationvi

18. BICYCLE PUMP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

19. BIRTHDAY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

20. BLOTTED PAPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

21. BOOK (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

22. BOOK (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

23. BOTTLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

24. BREAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

25. BREATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

26. BRICK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

27. BRICKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

28. BRIEFCASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

29. BUILDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

30. BUTTONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

31. CANDLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

32. CARPET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

33. CEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

34. CHAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

35. CHEQUE (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

36. CHEQUE (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

37. CHRISTMAS SPANNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

38. CLEANING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

39. CLOTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

40. CLOTHES HANGER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

41. CLOTHES PEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Contents vii

42. COMB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

43. COMPACT DISC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

44. CROSS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

45. CRUTCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

46. CUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

47. DEFLATED BALL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

48. DICTIONARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

49. DOOR HANDLE (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

50. DOOR HANDLE (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

51. EGG (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

52. EGG (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

53. EGG (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

54. EGG (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

55. ELECTRIC PLUG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

56. EMPTY VESSELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

57. EXAMINATIONS (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

58. EXAMINATIONS (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

59. EXAMINATIONS (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

60. EXERCISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

61. FLAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

62. FLASH GUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

63. FRUIT AND WOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

64. GLASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

65. GLOVE (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Parables of Salvationviii

66. GLOVE (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

67. GOLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

68. GRASS (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

69. GRASS (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

70. HAMMER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

71. HANDCLASP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

72. HEIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

73. HELMET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

74. HINGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

75. HITCH-HIKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

76. HYPODERMIC SYRINGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

77. JACKET AND TROUSERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

78. KEYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

79. KNIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

80. LEAF (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

81. LEAF (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

82. LETTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

83. LIGHT AND DARKNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

84. LIGHT BULB (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

85. LIGHT BULB (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

86. LIGHT BULB (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

87. LOCK AND KEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

88. LOLLIPOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

89. LOLLIPOP AND BREAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Contents ix

90. MAGIC (RUBIK) CUBE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

91. MAGNIFYING GLASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

92. MAP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

93. MATCH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

94. MICROPHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

95. MÖBIUS STRIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

96. MOTOR CAR PART (1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

97. MOTOR CAR PART (2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

98. MOTOR CAR REPAIRS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

99. MOTOR FAULT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

100. MOUSETRAP (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

101. MOUSETRAP (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

102. NAIL (1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

103. NAIL (2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

104. NAILS AND HAMMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

105. NUMBER PLATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

106. NUTS AND BOLT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

107. OLD AND NEW COIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

108. PAGES OF A BOOK (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

109. PAGES OF A BOOK (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

110. PAINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

111. PAINTBRUSH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

112. PAPER CLIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

113. PAPER AEROPLANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Parables of Salvationx

114. PASSPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

115. PEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

116. PENCILS (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

117. PENCILS (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

118. PHOTOGRAPH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

119. PILLS, HAMMER AND KNIFE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

120. PLASTIC BAG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

121. PLIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

122. PRAYING HAND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

123. PUMP AND BALLOON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

124. PUMPKIN (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

125. PUMPKIN (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

126. PUNCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

127. RADIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

128. RECORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

129. RED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

130. ROPE IN A BAG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

131. ROPE AND HOLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

132. ROTTEN APPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

133. RUBBER GLOVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

134. RUSTY TIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

135. SAFETY PIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

136. SALT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

137. SANDWICH (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Contents xi

138. SANDWICH (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

139. SANDWICH (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

140. SAW AND HAMMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

141. SCISSORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

142. SCISSORS AND MIRROR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

143. SCREWDRIVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

144. SEAT BELT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

145. SEEDS (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

146. SEEDS (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

147. SEEDS (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

148. SHOE (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

149. SHOE (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

150. SHOE (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

151. SIEVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

152. SINK PLUG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

153. SLING (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

154. SLING (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

155. SLING (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

156. SNAKE (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

157. SNAKE (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

158. SOAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

159. SOMETHING LOST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

160. SPANNERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

161. SPIRIT LEVEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Parables of Salvationxii

162. SPOON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

163. STAPLER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

164. STEERING WHEEL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

165. STOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

166. STORM CLOUDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

167. SUN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

168. SUNGLASSES (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

169. SUNGLASSES (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

170. SUPERCEDED COIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

171. TAPE MEASURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

172. TAX DISC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

173. TELEPHONE (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

174. TELEPHONE (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

175. THERMOMETER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

176. TIE (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

177. TIE (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

178. TINNED FOOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

179. TIN-OPENING (1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

180. TIN-OPENING (2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

181. TOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

182. TOOTHBRUSH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

183. TOOTHPASTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

184. TORCH (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

185. TORCH (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

Contents xiii

186. TOY WITH CLOTHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

187. TRAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

188. TWIG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

189. UMBRELLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

190. VENEER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

191. WARNING LIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

192. WATCH (1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

193. WATCH (2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

194. WATER (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

195. WATER (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

196. WEDDING RING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

197. WHISTLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

198. WINDSCREEN WIPER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

199. WIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

200. YOYO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

xv

PREFACE

The author has been engaged for several years in visiting Southern Afri-can “black” High schools, in the Durban area, in Alexandra nearJohannesburg, and in the Eastern Cape. Each of the talks has thus beenused some twenty times, usually with good acceptance. They have beendelivered in English, so that the visual element has been a considerablehelp in overcoming the language barrier, particularly of the youngerstudents. (There was a request by some schools to do this in order togive practice in hearing English, particularly that of a native speaker.)Because they have been used in this situation, the message has usuallybeen of salvation, but some other topics have been dealt with fromtime to time. The format at the assemblies has been fairly constant; aregular teacher has led with a hymn, the author then presented his talkand prayed a short prayer based on it, the students sang again, usuallythe Lord’s prayer, and unless the Principal wanted to speak, went totheir lessons. The entire assembly rarely exceeded 10–15 minutes.

Although these talks were all produced with school assemblies in mind,many of them have been used in other contexts with success, such as inyouth meetings either at school or church, both in a “black” and“white” context, and in prison services. It is sometimes possible to puttwo or three talks together (such as the two using ropes, or the series onlight bulbs) to form a short sermon. This would not normally beadvised. The main value of these talks, like TV advertising, is in brevityand in surprise, but with a real message.

A further application for these talks is in the course of the more formalsermon in Church to illustrate a point or message. Incidentally, theauthor has tried for some years to avoid a separate “childrens’ talk”,rather trying to have a part of the regular sermon particularly applica-

Parables of Salvationxvi

ble to the children. It is better for families to worship together and forall to find parts of the service applicable and interesting to them as attheir level.

To the author’s knowledge, none of these talks have appeared in anyother publication. Most are original to him, although a few are basedupon talks given by others. For such inspiration he is grateful, butabove all, he is thankful to God for His continual inspiration, for themessage of salvation, and for the opportunities to share it.

Because it has been so well received, the author has been continuallyencouraged to publish the material, and a little while ago did this on asmall scale, making homemade copies available to a very limited num-ber. This did not seem to be good enough, so herewith a more widelyavailable edition! A particular word of thanks is due to old friends,Geoff and Julie Roberts, of Bath, England, for their longterm encour-agement of my ministry and this project in particular, and for theirwillingness to underwrite it financially.

The Cover

The use of symbols and pictures frequently communicates, often without theneed of any words at all. The symbol on the cover will be instantly recog-nized as a dove, which is itself a symbol of the Holy Spirit. It is also widelyrecognized as a symbol of peace and reconciliation.

The work of the Holy Spirit was absolutely essential for the production ofthis book, not only as the source of the various ideas, but also as the powerbehind their development and their use.

The theme of reconciliation with God, salvation, is also central to the book.This also cannot happen unless the Spirit Himself works.

xvii

INTRODUCTION

It was Marshall McLuhan who popularised the idea that “the mediumis the message”. He was making the point that there is far more tocommunication than simply using words. Obviously words aresupremely important and indispensable, particularly in Christianity,which understands the main revelation of God as the “Word” incar-nate (Jn 1:1). Christianity has then always majored on words, whetherin sermons, hymns or in the Bible to tell the good news. Yet JesusHimself told his message visually, in His own life and practice, andwhen He did speak, frequently used illustrations. He knew the powerof the visual to augment and bring home the verbal. It is His examplethat has often been a source of encouragement to pursue this methodof communicating the Gospel.

It was then my wife who has frequently reminded me that there is asermon in everything! All that has to be done is to find out what thatsermon is. I have often meditated on a household object, and almostinevitably been able to use it to make several points of value. 200results of what I can only attribute to the inspiration of the Holy Spiritare contained in this little book. My prayer is that they will be of use tovery many, and that hearts will be touched for Jesus.

It is now thirty years since I fell into this method of communicatingthe Gospel. As a raw and inexperienced missionary, I had beendropped into the South African city of Durban with no instructions ofwhat I should actually do. As a teacher, I had naturally gravitated to theschools, and as a missionary I sought involvement in both the class-room religious education and the daily assembly. The former was com-paratively straight-forward as I had a government approved syllabus tofollow, but for the latter there were no rules save the challenge of mak-

Parables of Salvationxviii

ing a point or two in about five minutes. The use of visual aids camenaturally to somebody who had come from a training in engineeringvia science teaching. Who can teach science without experiment, dem-onstration, illustration and application? The extension to preachingwas obvious!

Certainly it has proved effective as a method. It is quite horrendous tostand in front of a school and seek to bridge the gulfs of language, cul-ture, race, and now in these days also an age gap of forty years! Yet thecontinued welcome into schools and the obvious popularity of the vis-its say a lot for the value of the method used.

Such assemblies present a speaker with both unique opportunities andreal problems. On the positive side, the speaker has an opportunitythat few ministers have today of a large audience (how high a propor-tion of the school depended on the discipline). More to the point, themeeting is usually at the start of the day before they are distracted bymore mundane matters. There is the opportunity to give a messagewhich will set the tone for the day, and hopefully for the rest of theirlives. On the negative side however, there can be great difficulties, andit is these which have often made the school assembly into a burden forboth teachers and pupils, and in many places caused it to be aban-doned. Time is short, and a meaningful message must be presentedconcisely. Distraction has already started and attention must be capti-vated. Frequently pupils have not really woken up yet. Such problemsare met by a captivating visual. Most particularly, the major problem ofthe school assembly is boredom due to familiarity and repetition. It isvery hard to present a meaningful message five days a week. This smallbook will by no means solve that problem but it is the writer’s prayerthat it may stimulate further ideas (for which he would also be grate-ful!). Occasional use of an assembly of this order (perhaps once a week)may well be different and profitable.

INTRODUCTION xix

The use of familiar objects has the result of giving immediate rapportbetween the speaker and audience, thus enhancing communication.The author has in many cases followed this up by using an approach inspeaking that seeks direct audience response. (This will frequently beevident in the talks themselves.)

Despite the increased rapport, and better communication, whichresults from a use of visual aids, a word of caution is necessary to thosewho want to use this very powerful medium. Just as in the case of theparables of Jesus, the visual material or the example must not be over-emphasized. It is not possible to apply every detail of the illustration. Aparable is a medium in which only one or two features are relevant tothe message, the rest should be disregarded. The advantages, however,have been found by experience to far outweigh the possible problems,which in general with these talks, have not been experienced.

Those who seek to use this material must also be aware of the danger ofusing such “potted” material. Just like canned food, it can appear so,and needs some embellishment. The writer recommends that theseideas are meditated on and prayed over. This is a spiritual work, andthese matters should not be presented “cold”. Without adequate prepa-ration they are not likely to produce the desired results. The speakermust also resist the temptation of not actually having the object. Imag-ination is no substitute. Some of the talks will also benefit from prac-tice beforehand.

1

1. AIR FRESHENER CAN

Visual aid: Can of air freshener, hymn book, Bible, coin, dust pan.

READING: Isaiah 1:12–17 or Hebrews 9:22–26

If there is a bad smell, what can be done about it? Is it any use readingabout it to get rid of the smell? Obviously not. Is it any use singingabout it to get rid of the smell? Obviously not. Can the smell be paid togo away [show the coin]? The only thing that can be done is to go andfind the source of the smell, remove it [dust pan] and then use the can[show it] to finally get rid of its effects, the smell.

But people think they can get rid of sin in the same way. They feel theycan get rid of sin by education, or at best by reading the Bible [showBible]. Or they feel that they can go to Church or a meeting and sing[show hymn book]. Or they feel that if they pay, give money to theChurch, then their sin will be somehow bought off [coin]. Thesethings are all good, indeed essential, but do not get rid of sin. The onlyway of doing that is by the blood of Christ who died for us. But oncewe have repented and accepted Christ, then we also need to get rid ofthe effects of sin [air-freshener].

Just as the air freshener can be a powerful means of getting rid ofsmells, so the Holy Spirit has the power to improve us. But the can isno use to us unless the button is pressed, and so many people do notuse what God has provided for them to actually make them more per-fect.

It would be very sad if the smell immediately came back once the canwas put away! However, when the button has been pressed the effect

Parables of Salvation2

lasts for quite a time. What God can do for us likewise lasts; in fact it iseternal.

You cannot see the air-freshener doing its job. You only see that it hasworked. We know that the death of Jesus takes away sin; we never seethe sins actually being taken away. Neither can we see the Holy Spiritworking, but it is just as real.

One can of freshener is effective for a great number of smells. Thedeath of Jesus likewise is effective for many, indeed the sins of thewhole world, and as the Holy Spirit is God, He too has all the powerthat we need. We just need to use it!

It would be very stupid is to go around causing new smells! Of coursethey can be dealt with in turn, but that is a waste of effort, and ourcleaning up is never perfect. Far better to avoid causing the problem inthe first place. It is really far better not to sin in the first place. In anycase, the air freshener costs money, and nobody wants to waste that!Perhaps if we appreciate how much Jesus suffered because of our sin,that should motivate us to improve.

3

2. ATM CARD

Visual aid: Card for automatic bank teller machine.

READING: Matthew 6:19–21

When people get a bit of money, they usually put it into the bank,which gives it back when it is wanted. But if the bank is closed, whatcan be done? Or if the bank is a long way away, what is to be done?These days there is a very simple solution, as the money is always avail-able by the card and machine. God’s blessings are like that; He is notonly ready to help us in special places and at special times, but every-where and in any place.

What the card does is provides a link with the bank, so that the moneyis available to us; and our faith is what links us to God, so that Hisgrace is available. What people often find with their cards, however, isthat the account has become empty; that can never happen with God!

The card only has value if there is also a bank machine, which is able todeal with lots of cards. Christians are really only valuable insofar asthey belong to churches. Incidentally, every card clearly shows whichbank it belongs to, but most cards will work in machines of a differentbank. There are very many churches, all of which provide help in ourrelationships with God. Are we proud of our church? What of coursereally matters is that we belong to Jesus.

The card also tells us about the account, and how much money there isin it (or should be!) That is the same as Christian faith. The fact thatthere are Christians is a strong indication that there really is a God wholoves and cares for us. Just like the machine recognizes your specific


card and can tell you exactly what you have in your account, so Godknows you absolutely.

In order to get the money, you must have the card. But just having acard is no use at all, but you must have an account at the bank. Justbeing called a Christian is no use, but you must have a relationship toGod. This is individual; all people look much the same, and all thecards look much the same, but people are individuals, and so are cards.Each is unique, with its own PIN, and each of us is individual to God.That means that even if somebody has your card, they cannot get yourmoney. Your faith is something that just cannot be stolen from you.

5

3. AXE

Visual aid: Small axe. I used one with a loose head, which adds point tothe talk.

READING: Philippians 2:5–11

In the winter months it is nice to light a fire for warmth. With this, lifeis a lot more pleasant! Now fires need fuel, and many will either burnwood, or perhaps use wood to start them. In either case wood needs tobe chopped, which needs an axe. We cannot chop wood without one!That is why people make axes, to be useful and serve us. That is whatChristians should do; they should aim to serve, to be useful to others.This is why Christ came, not as a king as much as a servant.

But what does the axe do? Two things: It divides one piece of the wood from another. Unlike a saw, it does not lose any of the wood in the process.

And Christians do the same sort of thing. They divide things into right and wrong. They do not steal from others.

This is what Jesus came to show us. He taught us the things that areright, and gave us the example of a life that is given to the service ofothers. If everyone, or at least more people did this, life would be a lotmore pleasant!

The axe is an example of cooperation; it has two parts, the head andthe handle, neither of which will be very successful by itself. We areactually like the head of the axe, the bit that does the chopping. God


has made us in this world to work, and in so doing to serve other peo-ple. However, although it is possible for the head to do the job alone, itis much better with the handle, which guides it into the right place. Aperson can work without God, but to be really effective, there needs tobe the help, and especially the guidance, that God is ready to give us.

Note that if the woodchopping is to be really successful, the axe headand the handle have to be fastened really tightly together. A loose headcan even be dangerous, and a Christian not really one with God canalso easily do harm.

The edge of the head must also be sharp and well prepared for the job.A Christian does not just need to be guided by God, but be well pre-pared in every other way as well. We need to develop our talents andabilities as far as we can if we are to best serve God and those roundabout us.

7

4. BALL (1)

Visual aid: a ball, preferably one that bounces well.

READING: Genesis 1:31, Proverbs 6:6–11, or Romans 8:18–25.

Why do people make balls? They are no real use to us. We cannot eatthem, we cannot wear them to keep us warm! We could ask exactly thesame question as to why God created us. After all, there is nothing thatwe can give to God. He is the one that made us, and if there was any-thing that He did need He could easily make it. However people domake balls for a very good reason; using them gives us a great deal ofpleasure. In the same way God made us for exactly the same reason; wecan give Him pleasure.

The thing that gives us most pleasure in a ball is the way it behaves,especially that it can bounce up and down [bounce the ball]. However,do you think that the ball enjoys every part of the experience? It proba-bly likes to rise up high in the air, but does it like being squashed ontothe wall or the ground? Yet it has to in order to get the right effect; if itdoes not “suffer” in that way it will not give us very much pleasure. Itwould seem that one reason why God allows us to suffer is that if werespond to it as we should, trusting Him for strength in it, our endur-ance will be pleasing to God. It is not that God causes our suffering;just as we do not throw the ball for the sake of the bounce itself, but tosee it rise up afterwards, what gives God pleasure is the way in whichwe respond to troubles that come upon us.


Of course the actual bounce lasts only for a very short time; if it did notit would not give any pleasure! Likewise we may suffer a while, but wedo know that it is only temporary.

If we leave the ball alone it never goes up by itself. If it is to rise, some-one has to throw it up; and the more effort that they put in, the higherit will rise. That is just the same with us, and with society as a whole. Ifwe are to improve, to rise up, it will never happen if we do not puteffort into it. If we are lazy, things will only ever deteriorate.

But even if we throw the ball up with all of our strength, it always soonstops going up and starts to come down again! Our effort can keep itup for a while. The only way in which there can be improvement in us,or in society as a whole, is if God Himself provides the strength. If Helifts us up, we need never come down again. The life that He gives tous will last forever.

9

5. BALL (2)

Visual aid: A ball. If it is a rugby ball an extra point can be made. Onewith a puncture will also be valuable.

READING: John 3:1–16, especially 3:5–6, or Ephesians 5:18

A ball can give us a lot of pleasure, just as we can give much pleasure toGod. However, a ball is made up of two basic components, and if it isto be really good, both parts are not only essential, but have to workwell. There is the outside, that we can see, but inside there is the air,which we cannot see, but which also has a job to do. We are the same.On the one hand, we have bodies that can do things to please God, butmust be cared for. We cannot serve God really well with unfit bodies.

For a ball, the inside is probably more important than the outside. Ifwe try to bounce a ball that has a puncture we will find that it does notwork. It is the air that gives the bounce. In the same way it is the Spiritthat is essential for our life, and especially for our eternal life. Withoutthis we will certainly just die. Not that the Spirit is given to us just topower us, but He leads us often in ways that we cannot anticipate [arugby ball will not bounce straight!]. This means that:

a. What we find with a ball is that it needs to be pumped up hard if itis to bounce really well; that is why we are told to be filled con-stantly with the Spirit, which we do by frequent worship andprayer to God.

b. At the same time a ball must be kept away from things that wouldpuncture it, and we must keep way from temptations as far as weare able. It is stupid to play near thorns! And just as sin seems to be


fun, it seems to be fun to play ball with a big dog, until it bites andbursts the ball! Once the air is out, the ball is useless, and if we sin,we grieve the Spirit, and then without His help we cannot work forGod as we should.

Of course the air does not work unless it is in the ball. In the same way,the Holy Spirit generally wants to work by human means. Actually, ifthe ball is too light or too heavy, it does not work well at all; there hasto be a correct balance.

It is also interesting that the outside is usually made up of several partsfastened together, it is only then that we have a ball. The Church ofGod is also made from many people and benefits from its diversity;people are made so as to be very different from one another, but thenso that they can work together.

[Incidentally, while the workings of the Spirit have been the means ofsplitting churches (perhaps the ball is pumped up too much?), it is alsothe presence of the Spirit that should keep the parts together, as there isno reason for putting the ball together if there is no air in it!]

11

6. BANKNOTE (1)

Visual aid: Banknotes, one of the country you are in, and one foreignone.

READING: Matthew 6:19–21 or 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 or Job 23:8–10.

Money is a necessity in the world today [hold up own note]. But othercountries have a different form of money [hold up]. One sort of moneyis good for one country but useless in a different one, and vice versa. Sowhat would happen, if you suddenly arrived in a different countrywithout the right money? Life would be difficult if not completelyimpossible. Thus people who are going to travel to another countrymake sure that they have money of that country before they set out.

Now we are all on a journey, and one day when we die we will passover to heaven, if of course we have put our faith in Christ for our sal-vation. That will get us to heaven, but shall we arrive with nothing?One reason for having money is that it is a means of anticipating theneeds of the next day. If we have money today, we know that we canbuy tomorrow. Are we anticipating our arrival in heaven, or will wearrive with nothing?

The next question is how we can obtain the right sort of money forwhen we arrive. There are only three ways of getting it (apart fromstealing it!); finding it, exchanging it, or by being given it. Now we aregiven our eternal life, but what God wants us to do is to exchange ourmanner of life for something more valuable, a sanctified one.


What most people do before they leave is to go to a bank and buy somemoney of the country to which they are going. It is prudent to makearrangements before leaving on the journey. It is sensible to do exactlythe same about the journey to the next life. Good deeds that we do,time spent in worship and in prayer, in studying the Bible, so gettingto know God, will be found to be of value later.

Of course it is stupid to exchange money unless we are sure that we aregoing; in fact the bank will not allow it unless we can prove that we aregoing to go. Are we sure that we are saved and on the way to heaven? Ifwe are not, we need to be sure! And until then, our good deeds arereally no use to us.

What we will find when we get to the bank is that it will not acceptcoins, but only notes. What we have to do is to turn our money intonotes as far as we can, so that we can exchange it for the money of theother country. The coins cannot be changed. We must make sure thatwhat we do in this life will be of value for heaven, because we cannottake everything with us!

We will also find that the bank will charge us to exchange our money;we always lose something in the change. However people are willing topay this so that they can travel; the amount that is lost is well worth-while. When we make our lives more as God wants, we will lose some-thing, but when we do get to heaven we will realize that it wasworthwhile.

13

7. BANKNOTE (2)

Visual aid: Banknote (this will get torn in half during the talk, but itcan be repaired with sellotape and used afterwards).

READING: James 2:14–17 or Philippians 2:12–16.

The talk can be introduced by asking some questions in arithmetic:What is half of six? What is half of twelve? Then the note can be pro-duced. If it is say, a R10 note, then the audience can be asked what ishalf of R10. The answer is of course R5, but then the note is torn intwo and the one half is held up with the question, “what that isworth?” The answer is nothing. Half a note is worthless without theother half (or a bank would have to give out the value twice, or beinvolved in a ridiculous valuation of parts). [Here the story can be toldof a man who gave half a note to his worker at the start of the job withthe promise of the other half at the end.]

In the same way, half Christianity is useless. It has to be total. In partic-ular, it is useless for people to say that they believe unless they show bytheir lives that they do. And it is equally useless for people’s lives to befull of good works if they themselves do not believe; they will help oth-ers, but this will not earn them salvation. A person must have bothfaith and works. It is really wrong to divide the note, and dividing ourlives is also wrong.

Notice how easy it is to divide the note into two parts! So many peoplehave done just that, and lost one part. They are left with somethingthat is really of no use at all.


One other way people divide their lives is to act in one way in one situ-ation, but differently in another. They may seem to be good peoplewhen with Christians, but act entirely differently with others. This toois wrong; such hypocrisy was condemned by Jesus.

Let us not forget that when the note is put back together, and even if itis damaged in other ways, like having a torn corner, it is still valuable.Why is that? The reason is that a shop or bank will still treat it asthough it were perfect; it is worth the same. The value lies in whatsomeone will give for it. No Christian is ever perfect, but is neverthe-less still valuable to God. In fact, when we accept Jesus, God declaresus to be perfect (this is called “justification”). The real value of peopleis shown in what Jesus gave for them. We can see how valuable we areto Jesus; how valuable is He to you? Would you be prepared to give upeverything for Him?

15

8. BANKNOTE (3)

Visual aid: Banknote.

READING: Romans 12:9–10 or Luke 12:1–3 or Luke 18:10–14

Have you ever been given a banknote, then find out that it is a forgery?Suddenly the note is totally worthless, and you will feel really disap-pointed. Many people try to say that they are Christian, but their faithis not genuine. Think how disappointed God must be. And us as well;we want our faith to help us, and it cannot if it is not real. What wemust do is to check our notes are real; how do we do that? Obviouslythey will look much the same as the genuine ones, but there are someimportant features which the forgeries rarely have.

Notice that the note has a number at each end. A note is only valuableif both numbers are present (see “Banknote (2)”), but the importanceof these numbers is that they are different from those on any othernote; each one is completely unique. Each is similar to the others, butthere is none other exactly like it in the whole world. Putting thesenumbers on like that is something only done by the proper makers ofbanknotes. One thing that makes each one of us so precious beforeGod is that although we are similar to others in many ways, we too arecompletely unique. We are different as God made us. Our faith too iscompletely unique; it is the personal relationship between us and God,and nobody else has that; it is different if God gave it to us, and it isnot something that we can make. God also has a unique work for usthat only we can do; others can try it, but only we can really do it asGod wants.


Secondly it has a watermark within the paper [demonstrate]. This isright inside the paper, not on the surface like the printing. Real faith isinternal, and in no way superficial. It also has a mark that can only beseen in ultra-vilet light; true faith is really only visible to God.

Thirdly it has a metal strip. This like the watermark is impossible tocopy. Our faith is like that. If it is genuine, it is something that Godhas done, not something we do ourselves. Real faith cannot be copied.It also weaves in and out of the paper, just as our faith should be a fullpart of our daily lives.

If it is genuine, the note is strong. I have often had money in thepocket of clothes that have been washed, and it has done it no harm atall. If our faith is genuine, it will stand up to suffering and to otherproblems. Not that I would advise washing money; and neither wouldI advise seeking problems for our faith.

What can you do with a forged note? You can keep it as a curiosity, toremind yourself to be more careful; God allows false religions to tell usto be careful as well. You can try to pass it off as genuine; that is hardlyan honest thing to do! Or you can simply destroy it [crumple up noteand throw it down]; and that is what God will do to those whose faithis not real. [Pick up note] But if we are God’s, he will not throw usaway, but will keep and look after us.

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9. BANKNOTE AND COIN

Visual aid: Banknote (preferably one that has been replaced by a coin),coin(s) of equal value.

READING: 1 Corinthians 15:42–50 or 1 John 3:1–3 or 1 Peter 5:6–7

One form of money that we use is the banknote. This is very preciousto me; I need to carefully look after it. What I need it for is to give tobuy something. Jesus is like this, as He was given for us in order to buyour salvation.

One thing about the note is that it has two sides which are different. Ifit were not like that, it would not be genuine and could not do thethings for which it was intended. Jesus as well has two sides; He ishuman as well as being divine, and only because He has those twonatures, He is able to save us by dying for us.

Now this form of money is very easily damaged and spoilt; the notecan be crumpled or torn, and even burnt. That is like our bodies; theyare very precious and can so easily be damaged, so we need to look afterthem as well as we can.

Jesus had a body which was just like ours, and like ours could be veryeasily damaged, and was in fact killed as a sacrifice for our sins. Now ifour bodies die, that is the end of them, but Jesus was raised because Heis precious to God His Father. His body was restored, but with one bigdifference. He rose again with a body much the same in many ways,but also so much better. While His old body was like a note, the newone is like coins. In one way the new body is the same, just as the coinsare worth the same as the note, but in many ways it is better. It is


strong and cannot be damaged. It will last better, and in fact, unlike acoin, it will be eternal, and will not lose value with time!

That is what God wants to do for us as well. He wants to give us newbodies which will be even better than those we have now. But if youwanted to change your money at a bank or a shop, what you must do isgive it up. God will only change those who belong to Him. But ofcourse, even before that, if we are saved, we too are precious to Godbecause we belong to Him as adopted children. Just like Jesus, we havetwo sides, our physical life, but also our divine life. He will look afterus now, and at the resurrection, He will raise us so that we can belongto Him for ever, and He will give us new bodies which will last forever.

There is one thing that the coin can do well that the banknote can onlyjust manage. It can make a noise by jingling, while the note can barelyrustle. When we get to heaven, with our resurrected bodies, we will beso much more able to praise God than we can now, no matter howhard we try. We are saved now, if we have trusted Jesus, and so arevaluable to Him, but we cannot see Him now except by faith. Whenwe get to heaven we will be fully saved, and we will see God fully; thatwill be a real cause for rejoicing!

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10. BATTERIES (1)

Visual aid: Batteries of different sizes, but all the same voltage. Bulband wire.

READING: 1 Corinthians 12:14–20 or Romans 3:21–5

Have you ever looked at someone else and been jealous, and felt thatreally you were just as good as they are? In a sense that is true. Everyoneis a person, and in some respects we are all exactly the same. [Here usethe bulb and the wire with each battery in turn to show that the bulblights up in the same way.] So in the sight of God everyone is saved inexactly the same way. We are all sinful, and Christ died for one exactlyas He died for another. There is no distinction.

So why do the makers of batteries make different sizes if they can all dothe same job? They are often interchangeable; it is possible to run aclock or a radio on batteries of very different sizes (as long as the volt-age is correct). The reason is that sometimes they need one to be smalland compact, but at another time they need one which is bigger andstronger, perhaps to run a motor. The small one is not able to start acar, but we would not want to carry round a big one for a torch! In thesame way a person who is big physically can do one thing, a small per-son can do different things. We are all necessary, and complement eachother.

Notice that the light is very faint if only one battery is used, but isbright if two are used (in series). It does not matter whether two of dif-ferent sizes are used, the effect is the same. Different people can worktogether and help each other. God has made us all different for a very


good reason. So let us do for Him what we are best at, and not be jeal-ous of one another, even if others can do some things better than wecan. And let us remember always that we are equal as regards our salva-tion.

Of course as we get older we are not able to do as much as when we areyoung. This does not mean that we are useless, but that we may wellhave to do different things. I sometimes use an older battery in some-thing like a clock which does not need so much power, but in thatplace it can continue to be useful for quite a lot longer. Old people arevaluable; they perhaps cannot do what they could when they wereyoung, but are still valuable before God, so we should respect them.

Notice also that the battery does have two connections. If no contact ismade nothing will happen at all. A Christian must have dealings withthe world if any good is to be done; it is no use isolating oneself away.Then if only one side is connected, it still will not work. This remindsus that we both take from, and give to, the world; we do not simplytake from it, but should also give to it. Neither can we simply preach tothose round about us without listening to them. We live in relation-ship.

What we must be sure of is that we put the battery in the correct wayround; damage may be done if the connections are reversed. Thisreminds us that the ability that we have can be used in one of two ways,either for good or for bad, but if for bad, then the result will bedestructive.

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11. BATTERIES (2)

Visual aid: Torch or other piece of equipment with more than one bat-tery, one old battery of the same kind.

READING: Matthew 18:15–20 or 1 Corinthians 12:21–26 orHebrews 10:23–25.

In many cases, electrical gadgets need more than one battery. The rea-son for this is not to have a spare, like cars carry a spare wheel, butbecause all are necessary for the machine to work. This shows us that itis good for Christians to meet together. We may be able, like the bat-teries, to help each other, or to do something that an individual is notable to do. United singing and worship is good, and prayer in a groupis more powerful. Of course, as with batteries, some things are bestdone alone, like a time of private devotion and prayer, but a lot canonly be done together.

The appliance will not work well if:

a. one is missing. Everybody is valuable in the worship and work ofthe Church. Nobody is too unimportant that they will not bemissed.

b. one of the batteries in an appliance is old or goes flat. The dangertherefore of meeting in a group for worship, or another Christianactivity is that one member who is “flat” will spoil the whole meet-ing. It often does not matter if one of the batteries is of a differentsize (as long as it is the right voltage). Although different, they canstill work together and help each other. But it is the weakest thatwill determine how effective the combination is. Batteries cannot


change, but if we are the weakest, we should try to improve (and ifthe strongest also!).

Whether a battery is strong or weak, it can always be replaced byanother; it is not necessary to change every one. This reminds usthat nobody is indispensible in a group, but we can all be replaced.What matters is that we are doing the best that we can.

c. one of them is fitted the wrong way round. This is like one personin a group pulling against the others. At best the action of the restis hindered by the odd one; at worse there will be damage to theequipment. What certainly will not happen is an improvement! Itis necessary for the rest of the group to try to solve the problem sothat there is harmony and efficiency.

d. if the batteries are not all in proper contact. It is no good in agroup if there are some people who will not talk to some others; itis also no good if there are effectively two groups rather than one.

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12. BATTERIES (3)

Visual aid: Torch batteries, Bible, torch, light bulb for house

READING: 2 Timothy 3:14–17 or John 15:1–7

Many houses contain storerooms or pantries, where we can keep thingsfor a while before we use them. We cannot go to the shops every timethat we need to use something, so a store is essential. Now there areother kinds of stores, apart from those containing groceries, such asdams for water. Some are so small that they can even fit into a pocket.The point of a store is to make something available to us at any time,and also to make us independent of other people; we do not need totrouble them when we need something.

One sort of store is a battery, which stores energy. For what it isdesigned for, the battery works very well. It stores electricity, so thatwhen we want it (put into torch), it is available to light our way, orwhatever we want of it.

Books are also stores, but of information. The Bible stores up informa-tion about God, so that when we want to find out something aboutHim, or how we should live, it is available to us. The torch and batterymake us independent of other lights, and the Bible makes us indepen-dent of other people’s strange ideas.

The trouble with stores is that sometimes the things in them spoil, andwhen we want them it is too late. If we keep the battery unused for along time, it decays and becomes useless. But if we leave the Bibleunused for a long time, we become useless.


The other problem is that with most things, once they have been used,they are finished and cannot be used again. The Bible, like any infor-mation, is not like that, but can be used over and over again, by anunlimited number of people.

If the battery is not used, not only will it become useless, but it is use-less, because it is doing nothing. It is a valuable store of power, but it isonly available. It needs using. Similarly the Bible is available to us, butit too needs to be used. It is useless when it just sits on a shelf withoutbeing read.

The battery cannot be used for every application, for example it cannotlight a house bulb. Likewise the Bible is not a source of informationabout everything, for example it says nothing about the battery! Justlike the maths textbook tells us nothing about how we should live, sothe Bible is not intended to be a textbook in science, maths or so on.What it says is accurate, but it should be used for what it is meant for,information about God and how we should live.

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13. BEADS

Visual aid: Piece of African beadwork such as horn, bottle or gourdcovered in beads. A single bead on a piece of string.

READING: Ephesians 4:1–7 or 1 Corinthians 12:18–26

Visitors to Africa from Europe usually want to take back a souvenir,something to remind them of them of their visit. A piece of beadworkis a frequent choice as it is a very beautiful thing. What causes such aneffect? People like to see the rows of beads; they are attractive. [If theaudience is also sitting or standing in rows, it could be remarked howbeautiful they are as well!] It is possible to have one bead alone on astring, but it is not very beautiful.

A piece of beadwork has several features that are necessary to make itattractive:

a. It is made of several different colours of beads. (Probably they areall the same size.)

b. Each bead is in the right place in relation to the others. They com-plement each other.

c. The arrangement is orderly and not haphazard.

d. Each bead has to be incomplete; it has a hole in the middle.

e. The beads are held by a string which itself is not seen but is essen-tial.


f. The overall shape of the beads is formed by something else (thebottle, gourd or whatever).

If Christians and the Gospel that they represent is to be attractive, thentheir features are much the same. One single Christian is attractive, butmuch more attractive with others.

a. The people in the church are of all different kinds, colours andother characteristics, but essentially they are all equal, especially inthe sight of God. Christ died for all equally.

b. Although the people are much the same in many ways, they comewith lots of different talents. A church functions best with every-one in the right place complementing everyone else.

c. There is order in the Church and not disorder.

d. All Christians recognize their own lacks. They should be humbleand know that they are incomplete.

e. The bond between Christians cannot be seen, but love and care isessential for the Church. This works best when all in the churchrealize their own lacks. The string that holds the beads togetherneeds the holes!

f. The Church should be controlled by what God wants for it, andnot what it itself desires.

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14. BELL

Visual aid: Hand-held bell, such as is used at school.

READING: John 16:7–11, or 1 Corinthians 13, or 1 Thessalonians5:16–22.

Everybody who goes to school knows the sound of the bell! In manyschools it is electric, but in many other places a hand-held bell is stillused. It is also used in church, sometimes in a tower. What is it usedfor?

a. In church it is used to summon people to worship. They knowthat it is the right time to meet together. In school it tells the timefor the next class.

b. The church bell is also used to praise God.

c. A bell can also be used as a warning, as on a bicycle, or on the col-lar of a cat to warn the birds.

We could do all of these things without a bell, but the bell helps us dothem much better. That is like the work of the Holy Spirit:

a. The Holy Spirit seeks to guide us in our daily lives. He wants us tobe doing the right things at the right time.

b. He helps us praise God, giving us the words to say. He makes uswant to worship; without Him, we can come to church, but willprobably find worship boring. This is because He is the one whoapplies the work of Jesus to us, so enables us to worship God.


c. He warns people about God, telling them of their need to come toGod for salvation. He shows that there is a right and wrong way toact, and condemns us when we choose the wrong.

The bell is something that we must ring; even the electric one must beoperated. He usually works through people, so for example guides bythe advice of other people or by the Bible. What the Spirit does is tohelp us, rarely working unless we take the initiative.

The bell very readily makes a noise, but it is quite easy to stop it bytouching the outside or muffling the clapper. In the same way we canquench the Spirit by stopping Him working through us.

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15. BELT AND BRACES

Visual aid: Wear both a belt and braces to hold up trousers. (Hereanother duplication could be used such as a strap and handles on abag.) Two identical banknotes.

READING: Luke 16:10–13 or Matthew 6:24–33

Everyone knows that it is better to have two of a thing than just one.Most people would rather have two banknotes than just one. Veryoften two things will complement each other, such as fish and chips.

But this is not always so. It is not good to wear too much clothing inwarm weather. It is not good if two groups of people sing differentthings at the same time (an apt illustration if the audience has just beensinging). It is not good if two people are talking at the same time. Twogood things may even harm each other. Salt and tea are both goodthings, but they will certainly spoil each other; the salt will get wet andthe tea becomes undrinkable.

In fact it is often a bad thing to have two where one is sufficient. Thefirst commandment is “You shall have no other gods”. If we say we areChristian, and yet are trusting something else (such as money, orancestors), are we really trusting God? There is in fact no need to putfaith in any other; Christ has done all that is necessary for our salva-tion. If a person is really trusting his belt to keep up his trousers, doeshe wear braces as well? If we are saved by faith, and that is what theBible tells us, then this must mean that we are not trusting other thingsfor salvation. This does not mean that we will not make such provision


as is sensible for our lives, but does mean that when it comes to salva-tion, we need and must only rely on God.

One reason why a person may want to wear a belt as well as braces isthat they are not being worn properly, so are not doing their job[unbuckle the belt]. If a belt, or braces, is going to be effective, it has tobe tight enough. Perhaps the reason why someone wants to trust a dif-ferent religion is that they are not really Christian. If a person is notreally dedicated, then faith cannot be really effective.

Everybody must have something to do the job. The trousers (or thebag) will be supported by something. Sometimes people say that theydo not want to be Christian because they feel it will cost them toomuch; but not having anything is far worse! Actually, even people whosay that they are not religious do actually believe something. The ques-tion is then whether it is right.

Notice that a variety of belts is possible. They are still belts and do thesame job; they are not something different like a pair of braces. (I haveeven worn a rope on occasion!) There is a variety of churches whichseem on the outside to be very different, but which all do present theway of salvation.

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16. BENT COIN (1)

Visual aid: Coin of small value, pliers, hammer.

READING: Luke 18:9–14 or Romans 5:6–8

A coin is a valuable thing, and will be accepted by shops and others inexchange for goods. But if the coin becomes bent it loses its value.[Here the coin is bent by hitting it with a hammer on the floor.]Nobody wants to accept it. Now we are the same. We are damaged bysin, and can be such that nobody wants to have anything to do with us.We can be despised, as a bent coin is despised.

It is very easy indeed for the coin to be damaged, just the work of a sec-ond or two! But how hard it is to repair the damage. In fact it is reallyimpossible. Even if it is flattened again it is very difficult indeed torestore it to a state when a shop would accept it. It should be some-thing with the ability to do a lot of good, but all it can do is just sit in apocket or purse and do no good at all. Once the coin is damaged, it isreally only a nuisance.

We too are each made in the image of God with the potential to do agreat deal of good. But once we are damaged by sin we too lose a lot ofvalue; we too become a nuisance. That is exactly what the devil wants.

A bent coin seems to be little good for anything except to be thrownaway, but nevertheless it will be accepted by someone. If it is taken tothe bank it will get exchanged for another of the same value. And whatwill happen to the bent one? It will get sent back to the mint where itwas originally made, melted down and re-formed into a new coin.Then when it is new, everyone will accept it once again.


That is what God does with us. He does not like our sin at all, but stillaccepts us to Himself, but only because He is the only one who can dosomething about us. He recreates us because Christ died for us, andwhen we are renewed we are acceptable to Him and others.

Just as the coin will never be so damaged that it can never be restored,so it does not matter how much we sin; we can still be restored, we arestill of value to God.

Of course whether we do try to repair the damage to the coin ourselves,or we do take it back to the bank, it is going to cause a lot of trouble.We are tempted to just throw it away. Salvation does cost a lot, eventhe sufferings of Jesus. What is amazing is that He did not just throwus away, but died to save us!

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17. BENT COIN (2)

Visual aid: Here I used a number of coins bent at another talk (bentcoin (1)) and one good one, but any set of obviously bad articles, withone good one, could be used.

READING: Romans 12:1–2 or 1 Corinthians 5:9–13 or 2 Corin-thians 6:14–16.

The audience is shown the group of coins that have been damaged, andthey can be told (or reminded if this talk is used after “bent coin (1)”)that sin is what damages a person. Then the audience is directed to theone good coin, and it is pointed out that is the only one good oneamong a large number of damaged ones. The audience is asked whichone is right, the single one or the group. The answer is obviously theone, but very often in life people are persuaded to do what they believeto be wrong just because everyone else around is doing it. That doesnot make it right! We are all under great pressure to conform in stan-dards of dress, what we read, watch and do. We can feel guilty if we aredifferent from everyone else around us. Now sometimes it is quite rightto conform, but this is not always the case. [Examples can be citedhere, dependent upon the audience, such as premarital sex, drugs etc.]The majority is not always right; in fact if we accept the fact the peopleare basically sinful since the “fall” in the Garden of Eden, we mustdoubt the majority.

We must also note that each bent coin has had an experience that thegood one has not. We are sometimes urged to do something wrong forfear of missing out on the experience, especially if everyone else claimsto have had it. Yet it is quite clear that some experiences can only harm


us; no one seriously wants to get damaged. Experience simply for itsown sake is not always good!

The thing that we must do is to find a group of people with the samestandards as we have, most probably in a church. There people cansupport and encourage each other. Even if they are different from thosearound, they are similar to each other. We can also read our Bible andnote the standards of the people in it. Christian biographies can also beuseful. Remember also that one with God is a majority!

One danger for a Christian is of wanting to be different just for its ownsake, not because it is good in itself. We have to be sure why we wantto be different; we should not offend people unnecessarily. The otherdanger is of hypocrisy, of behaving in one way to people in the church,but in quite another to those who are not. If it is right to behave in aparticular way, it will in general be right wherever we are. A bent coinis always damaged, and a good one is always valuable!

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18. BICYCLE PUMP

Visual aid: Bicycle pump.

READING: Luke 23: 44–49 or John 14:1–6

If you have ever ridden a bicycle with a soft tyre, you will know howunpleasant it is; you feel every bump in the road! Not only is itunpleasant, but it can also be dangerous because a soft tyre is more lia-ble to skid. More than that, it can be expensive, because a very soft tyreis very liable to get a puncture. Now that is exactly how so many peopleproceed through life. They feel every bump in life, and it is strewn withdangerous and expensive experiences!

The solution to the flat tyre is very simple; put more air in the tube!That is when we need a pump, for we cannot put air in without it, nomatter how hard we try. That is the same with us; we cannot save our-selves or improve ourselves, but we must experience God’s working inour lives. With that, our effort becomes worthwhile.

Of course, we cannot actually see what is happening in the pump,although its action is very real; likewise although we cannot see oursoul, it is still very real. But let us look at what the pump does.

Many things are able to go in various directions. Traffic goes both wayson most roads. The wind can come from any direction. But there aresome things which can only go in one direction. Time is an example ofthis: anyone who has been in any sort of accident would like to be ableto turn the clock backwards so that the accident can be avoided, butthat is just not possible. Time only goes one way.


The bicycle pump is designed to make air go in only one way. Whenthe handle is pushed down, the air cannot escape except out of the noz-zle. It cannot go sideways, or backwards, but only out at the front.Then when the handle is pulled back, the valve in the tyre prevents aircoming back up the nozzle, so it can only go past the second valve onthe end of the handle. [This valve can be demonstrated by dismantlingthe pump.]

Our spiritual lives can only go one way. It is vital to choose for Godwhen young because we cannot undo what is past, and even when weare saved, and have eternal life, we still regret the things of the past andwish that we had done things differently.

Likewise there is only one way of salvation. Would Jesus have been pre-pared to go to the cross for us if there had been any possibility of analternative for us to be saved?

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19. BIRTHDAY

Visual aid: Birthday card. (I use this talk on the day before or after apublic holiday to commemorate a great person of the past, or on thebirthday of a well-known living person.)

READING: John 3:1–5 or John 11:23–27

[Refer to the person whose birthday is being remembered.] Such a per-son can be remembered for a long time because of what they havedone, but there is one big problem, he/she has died (or will die). Thenas time passes, they must become forgotten. How many people remem-ber the birthday of Julius Caesar [a few well-known historical figurescould be mentioned]? Yet every year we remember one particular birth-day, although we may remember it on the wrong day and probably inthe wrong way. The difference is that Jesus stays alive and will live for-ever, and continues to affect the world.

We all have a birthday, but it is a birthday like the one we remembertoday. We are all temporary and very soon our birthday will be forgot-ten completely. But we can have a second birthday, one which will lastforever, a birthday like that of Jesus because it will effect us forever.When we accept Jesus as our Saviour we are born again and will neverdie spiritually.

If we are born once, we die twice, physically and spiritually but if weare born twice, we die only once.

Our physical birthday does however remind us of a number of otherthings as well.


a. It reminds us that we were born, and so that we owe a lot to ourparents. Have we thanked them? Do we respect them, honour andcare for them (as in the fourth commandment)?

b. It reminds us that we will die. It may be an unpleasant thought butit is one of the only certainties in life, so have we prepared for it,especially by trusting Christ for our salvation?

c. It reminds us that we all have exactly the same amount of timeevery year. Are we using this gift well, or wasting it? We cannothave it over again!

d. We usually receive gifts on our birthday, so have we rememberedthe gift above all, that of salvation, that He gave to us?

e. The card reminds me that we have friends who care for us. Do weappreciate them? We should remember and appreciate our bestFriend every Sunday. We do this more frequently as it is the mostimportant friendship that we can have.

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20. BLOTTED PAPER

Visual aid: Clean piece of paper, felt tip marker, match or lighter.

READING: Isaiah 6:1–7, 1 Timothy 6:14–16 or 2 Corinthians 5:14–18

What is heaven like? It is the place of God, so it must be a place of per-fection, with no sin, no dirt; all is joy, peace and so on. That is like aperfectly clean piece of paper. It is undefiled. But if the paper is markedwith a pen [blot the paper], it can no longer be used for a tidy purpose.Could this paper be used to write on? No, because the mark will alwaysdetract from what is intended.

The paper can still be written on, but would you use it to send a letterto someone important? If the letter is important, to an important per-son, it should have no mistakes, and certainly no blots on it. If we aregoing to heaven we must be perfect. Remember also that we are God’smessage to those round about us, so we too should be as perfect as pos-sible.

Why is a mark on a paper such a bad thing? Not only does it spoil thewhole letter, but also:

a. It contrasts so strongly with the rest of the paper that it drawsattention away from it.

b. Writing that happens to be on the mark cannot be seen.

These mean that the letter cannot do its job well.


Actually a paper like this can be used for rough work, and then it canstill do a bit of good. A person who is not saved can still do good work,but just as the paper can never be perfect, so non-Christians can neverreally please God, because they are never perfect. It is only when oursins are taken away that what we do can really please God.

If there has to be perfection, as in heaven, the paper is now only fit tobe thrown away, but then if it is just discarded, it will spoil somethingelse as rubbish. It is better that it is just destroyed [set fire to the paper].Once a person has been polluted by sin, he is no use for heaven. He isonly fit to be discarded and burnt up.

The only thing that can be done now is to use an entirely new piece ofpaper. The only other possibility is that somehow that piece can be re-created. Paper is sometimes recycled, and so can start life again. Thesame is true for us; even if we have done a lot that is wrong, and so arelike a paper covered in blots, we can be remade. That is the only way inwhich we can be fit for heaven. Of course, re-creation is not somethingthat we are able to do, but is something that God can and does do forus when we put our faith in Christ.

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21. BOOK (1)

Visual aid: Any book. A Bible (use an edition that is clearly a Bible)

READING: Mark 4:10–12 or 2 Kings 22:11–13.

The book is held up and the audience asked what it is. They will reply“a book”. The speaker then responds that it is not a book but only ablock of paper, good enough for lighting a fire, or for propping some-thing up. Unless it is opened it is really no different from a brick or ablock of wood. In order to be a book, it must be opened. [Act as ifblowing dust off it.] The speaker then opens the book but does notlook at it, and again asks what it is. The reply will again be, “a book”.The speaker then points out that is not really a book unless it is lookedat. Until it is read it is useless as a book. All books, whether they arethick or thin, big or small, are exactly the same until they are read.

By using a book we can listen to people who lived maybe thousands ofyears ago. Think how different life would be if we could only listen topeople who are actually with us. Then once they are in fact used asbooks and are giving a message, note that they are giving exactly thesame message to everyone who reads them. People may give differentmessages depending on who is listening to them, but books never do.

The Bible is then held up and the same sequence is followed. Thepoint is then made that unless the Bible is actually used, opened upand read, it remains just the same as any other book, as good as a blockof paper or material for a fire. It is only when it is opened and read thatit is really what it is intended to be, the Word of God. Many people


own Bibles, but they are so little used they have to be hunted for if theyare wanted.

Then when the Bible is read we can hear what God was saying to peo-ple thousands of years ago, but more importantly, it is the same Godwho speaks to us today by the Bible. We are basically the same sort ofpeople as lived in Bible days with the same sort of problems. Then themessage that the Bible gives will be exactly the same for everyone.

Remember that if a book is going to benefit us, we have to put quite abit of time and effort into reading it and understanding it. This is justthe same with the Bible; if we are really going to benefit from it, wehave to put effort in. But if we take the trouble to study the Bible andits background, we will benefit much more from it. Of course the realeffort comes when we seek to apply what the Bible teaches, but there,especially, God will help us.

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22. BOOK (2)

Visual aid: A book or Bible in a foreign language, preferably in a differ-ent script. (I used my Hebrew Bible for this talk.)

READING: John 16:12–15 or Acts 8:30–35.

The sequence used in “Book (1)” can be repeated, then someone canbe invited to read the Bible or book that is available, or if it is in a dif-ferent script it can be held up, with perhaps a brief explanation of howthe book may be read. [I pointed out that Hebrew reads from right toleft, so that the start of the book is at the “back”. In a smaller group,more detail such as the vowel points can be pointed out.]

In order to read the book it is not necessary for it simply to be openand to be looked at, but it requires knowledge of how to read it. Thebook is still useless to an illiterate or one who reads a different lan-guage. Even then it may not be understood if the concepts and wordsare difficult.

This is why one of the things that has been done over the last centuryparticularly is the translation of the Bible or parts of it, into many ofthe world’s 5 000 different languages. The Bible is so much moremeaningful if it is in the language that we are used to. This is also whythe main way in which God communicated with humanity is by meansof a person, and not just any person, but His Son.

Education makes books valuable to us [this point could be emphasizedin a school setting], but in the use of the Bible there is yet another pre-requisite. The Bible is a spiritual book and to really understand what its


message is requires a spiritual understanding which is given by conver-sion, and especially by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

[At this point I relate my own experience in that prior to my conver-sion I read the Bible twice through completely, a chapter a day, whichtook me about seven years. But it was only after I was converted that itreally became meaningful to me.]

If there is real communication, then the person who hears will makesome response; if a book is valuable, the person who reads it will beaffected. At the very least, the person will have enjoyed reading thebook; hopefully the reader will have been enriched by the experience.This is particularly true with the Word of God, the Bible. We shouldrespond to what God says in our obedience to Him. And then thesame Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible then helped us to understandit, also helps us to obey what God wants

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23. BOTTLE

Visual aid: a bottle. One that originally contained whisky or beer isperhaps the best!

READING: Galatians 5:22–23, or Philippians 4:8–9.

If you were given something liquid to carry, you would have quite aproblem. You cannot hold it for long in your hand, you cannot put itin your pocket, and even a cup, although it is better, is not going to bethat easy. The solution is a bottle. Not surprisingly, we use bottles andjars all the time to transport things is a safe and easy way.

A bottle is then something that will look after what is given to it in areliable way. We are often given things; do we look after them prop-erly? Even our time is something that we have to care for; do we use itwell? And if we are Christians, our faith is also something that we needto care for, such as by prayer, reading the Bible and going to church.

But the bottle is not only something that looks after what it has, but italso needs to be looked after. If it is dropped and broken, it can do a lotof damage. Do we look after ourselves well? Of course, we are morelikely to look after a bottle if it is full of something useful, not if it isempty. We too will look after our bodies if we feel that we are doingsomething good with our lives.

Looking at the outside of a bottle cannot always tell us what is inside.The outside of a bottle, like the appearance of a person, can deceive.To find out what is inside, we need to experience what is there. [Thebottle can be filled with something unpleasant like turps or petrol, andsomebody asked to smell it.] In the same way, you can only see what


people are really like by looking at what they do. Remember, that alsoapplies to you!

Now a bottle is always full of something, if only air. In that case it isbasically worthless, but it can be filled either with what can do good, orwhat can do a lot of harm. What do we fill our lives with? Note that ifwe want to fill our lives with good, it is only possible when this drivesout what is worthless or harmful. And of course, filling our lives withwhat harms drives out what is good. If we fill our minds with goodthoughts, and our lives with good deeds, the evil has less room. But ifwe allow ourselves to take in bad ideas, then we are bound to be able todo less good. Let us carefully watch what we read and look at! Eitherway a decision is involved, either to let God fill our lives with what isgood, or to reject what He wants to give us.

A bottle may have had what it does changed, from carrying somethingharmful to doing good. [particularly if a whisky or brandy bottle; it isnow a useful visual aid] That is what Jesus does to us when He saves us

47

24. BREAD

Visual aid: Loaf or a piece of bread.

READING: John 6:47–51 or John 12:23–26 or Philippians 2:5–11

Have you ever been without food for any length of time? Not only doyou get hungry but also start to feel cold and weak. Food gives strengthand energy.

Now one of the most common foods is bread. Where does bread comefrom? Wheat is crushed into flour and the bread is made from that andbaked before we can eat it. The wheat dies for our benefit. In a way it issacrificed for us.

We are more than bodies, and our minds also need to be strengthened.This takes place at school, and here again the teachers have to sacrificetheir time and ability for the sake of those who are to be educated. Italso costs the parents who have a lot of expenses for uniform, booksetc. [This point can be particularly emphasized in a school setting.]

This is equally true spiritually. We do not grow spiritually without acost being paid.

a. Jesus was prepared to leave the glory of heaven and come to earthfor us and go through the experience of the cross so that we can besaved and gain eternal life. For Him the cost was enormous.

b. Salvation costs us nothing, but if we want to grow we have to putsome effort in. Eating bread strengthens us, but we have to put inthe effort. We do not pay for the wheat of the bread, it is gift of


God, but we do put the effort into its preparation, and finally,even eating it requires some effort. At the very least we have toreceive the bread before we can eat it; the gift of God’s salvationhas to be accepted. God gives the strength, but we do need to taketime to pray, read the Bible and so on.

[In a school setting] Education as well does not come naturally butrequires our work, time and effort if we are to be successful.

When we do eat, we do not expect to feel strong immediately; thattakes a while before the effect of digestion is felt. Actually because ofdigestion, we may even feel more tired for a while after we have eaten.In the same way, when we accept salvation from Jesus, we do notexpect that everything will be wonderful immediately, but it does takea time before we become spiritually strong. Moreover we may well findthat the devil particularly tempts new Christians. However the otherside of this is that just as most people do enjoy the actual experience ofeating, so a new Christian will very often feel a tremendous initial joyafter conversion.

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25. BREATH(suitable for Pentecost. See also “flame”)

Visual aid: small piece of paper

READING: Ezekiel 37:1–10, or John 20:22

There is something that every one of us is doing all of the time, and yetwe are hardly aware of it; but if we stop, then we notice it very quickly.If we hold our breath, we can only do so for about a minute, and thenwe just have to breathe again. If we are prevented from breathing, thenvery quickly we die. We cannot see our breath, except on cold days (!),but it is essential for life. The Holy Spirit is similar; we cannot see Himat all, but without Him, we cannot be Christian, we cannot have newlife.

When we held our breaths, what did you notice? It was very quiet!Nobody was able to speak, because speaking needs breath. That is onevery important thing that the Holy Spirit does: He enables us to talk toGod, and without His help, we are just making noise.

So if we are Christian, the Holy Spirit must be with us, and then Hehelps us in our Christian lives. What does He do?

a. [blow a small piece of paper] The Spirit helps us to go in the rightway. It is always hard to walk against the wind, easy to go with it.The wind can even drive things along, like sailing ships, and wetoo can be driven and guided by the Spirit. Like the wind, we can-not control His power, but it is available to us.


b. If we work hard, walk fast or run, we find that we breathe faster.That helps us keep going. That is also what the Spirit does for us,aiding our effort, giving us the strength that we need.

c. Something else that we need a lot of breath for is something thatwe do a lot of in church. We sing! In fact without the movement ofair, music is impossible. The Spirit thus helps us to praise God;indeed without Him, we just cannot praise at all.

One thing that we like about music, and especially singing, is thatwe all do it together. That again is something that the Spirit does,giving unity in Christians. By ourselves we are so different, butwith Him we can be united.

So even if we cannot see the Spirit, we can see a lot of what He does.And when we sing, it makes everybody look! Let us ask him to fill us allso that His work will be done and His Church grow.

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26. BRICK

Visual aid: a brick.

READING: Genesis 2:4–9, or Matthew 19:16–19.

Most people have watched builders, or perhaps even done a bit ofbricklaying themselves. It is good to work with our hands!

The brick itself has a number of lessons for us. This is not surprising,after all the Bible tells us that we are made from the dust of the ground,and that is exactly the same as the brick; it is formed from clay which isformed into the right shape and them baked hard in a kiln.

The thing that is different is that we are alive while the brick is dead.Have we thanked God for the gift of life? Without it we are of even lessvalue than the brick!

The brick is useful in building for two reasons:

a. It is consistent. All the bricks are basically the same size, so that thebuilder can select any brick from his pile to build his wall; he doesnot have to examine each carefully before selecting one. Are wereliable? Nobody should have to ask whether we are reliable beforegiving us a job (assuming of course that we are in fact capable ofdoing it).

b. It is strong. What made the brick strong? Clay alone is weak, butthe firing gave it strength. In a way it suffered; and it was becauseof that suffering that it is useful to us. What is so wonderful is thatwe ourselves do not need to suffer, even if sometimes God does


allow us to in order to strengthen us. We do not have to suffer,because Jesus suffered for us, not just so that we can be saved, butalso so that we can have strength for daily life.

What job does the brick do?

a. It supports other bricks and other parts of the structure. It is rarethat a brick is used alone. Most walls are double, or sometimeseven triple brick thick. We should therefore support others, loveeach other as Jesus commanded us. We should be with others forexample in church. Remember that the building is weak if one ofthe bricks is not there. Are we fulfilling our role in church andsociety, or leaving a gap?

b. It does the job permanently. Once it is in position it will not bemoved again; indeed if we try to remove a brick it is probable thatwe will damage the whole structure. God wants us to serve Him allthe time, not just for an hour or so a week; after all the life that Hegives us is eternal! Our relationships should also be permanent;God hates divorce.

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27. BRICKS

Visual aid: a few bricks. It may be easier to use small wooden blocks. Ihave some miniature bricks for this talk.

READING: 1 Corinthians 3:10–5.

When people want to build something, such as a wall or a house, theyvery often use bricks. By laying them carefully, a strong wall can bemade. What Christians should want to do is similar, to build a strongChristian life.

The very first thing that has to be done to build the wall is to make agood foundation. It does not work to just start on the ground! The wallmay look fine for a while, but quite quickly it will start to lean, andthen it will fall over. Many people try to make a good life, but unless itis built on the foundation of Jesus, it cannot succeed for very long.

The thing about bricks is that each one is quite small, and hardly addsto the wall. But as each is laid, progress is made, and the wall does infact grow. People sometimes get discouraged because they seem tomake little progress in their lives, but many little acts do add up! Nodeed is insignificant, just as if any particular brick is not there the wallcannot be completely right.

Of course, if the bricks are not properly cemented together, it will beeven more discouraging, because the wall can never look right withoutmortar, and can easily be knocked over. Unless the Holy Spirit guidesus and helps us to build a good life, we can never succeed.


Building a wall takes a lot of effort. Even though the bricks are quitesmall, they are still heavy, and it needs a lot of strength to lift them andthen to push them into place. Nobody must think that they can build agood life without putting a lot of effort into it. Of course, it is easier tobuild with somebody else to help us, and indeed one thing that we cando as Christians is to help one another.

Before a person starts to build a wall, there must be a plan to follow.We cannot just start to build without knowing what we have to do.Bricks are not just put down in a haphazard way! And if they are, thatwill cause us even more trouble, because the muddle is going to have tobe unmade before it can be done properly. Our mistakes do have to bedealt with, which is why Jesus died to have our sins forgiven.

For our lives, God has given us a plan to follow in the laws and advicethat is in the Bible. These show us what we should do. That does notmean that every wall is going to be built in exactly the same way; thereare many ways of arranging the bricks to give pleasing effects. [Thebricks can be put down in different ways] God does not want us all tobe exactly the same, but He does want us all to be built up to be goodand strong.

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28. BRIEFCASE(This is a suitable message for ascension.)

Visual aid: Briefcase. Three pieces of paper: two carry the message“God loves you”, while the third is blank.

READING: Acts 1:2–11

Christ came into the world to give us a valuable message which Heshowed us by His life, teaching and example. That message was “Godloves you”. [Show paper.] But at the end of His life Jesus was taken upinto heaven and left us. [Put paper into briefcase.]

Now that Jesus has gone, it is the duty of Christians to show that loveas clearly as we can. In fact, we should as far as possible be copies ofChrist [show second paper], so that we can share the message as clearlyas we can for as long as we live. [Put second paper into briefcase.]

The problem is that some people do not show that message [showblank paper]. Now if a paper does not carry a message, it is really notmuch use. I only keep papers if they are valuable. At the end of time, inthe judgement, people who do not carry the message of God will belost [crumple up the blank paper and throw it away].

Actually I do keep papers that are blank, even on one side or even on apart of a side, because I can use them to write on. They are able to con-tain a message, and so can become valuable. Paper is too expensive,both for me and the world, to just waste it. But if I am packing, ortidying up, I will not mind too much if I have to throw it out. It is themessages that are the really valuable things. In the same way God


allows people to remain who still keep rejecting Him, in the hope thatone day they will repent and believe, and then become really valuable.But if they continue to refuse, then at the end of time, God will nothesitate to throw them out.

What of the papers in the briefcase? I only put things in there if Iintend to bring them out again. It may be a very long time, but eventu-ally I will take them out again. In the same way, although we do notknow when, we do know that one day Jesus will come back again [takeout one paper], and so we can look forward to that day. We also knowthat if we belong to Him and carry His message, we too will rise fromthe dead [bring out second paper], and will then live for ever.

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29. BUILDING

Visual aid: Tool such as trowel or spirit level, brick, clock or watch,tape measure.

READING: Joshua 24:14–15 or 2 Corinthians 5:18–21 or Ephesians2:19–22

We all want to make something of our lives, to do something that willbe really lasting. We want to do something for which we will beremembered. It could even be a building, but of course could be some-thing else as well.

The audience is asked what things are necessary to construct a build-ing. Obviously materials are necessary [show the brick] and tools [showthe tools]. Then strength [flex the arm muscles]. But there are otherthings very necessary as well. It needs to be done carefully according toa plan [tape measure]. Do you want to be remembered for making amess or a building that fell down? Time [the clock] must be available;without this, building is impossible. But there is one further vital mat-ter before a building can be made, even if everything else is available,and that is determination, a decision to proceed. Without the will tobuild, nothing will get done.

God is seeking to build something worthwhile with us. He has the plan[tape measure] we are the materials [brick] He has given us a certainamount of time [watch] for our lives. The tools [tools] that he hasgiven is the Bible, the Word of God and the strength is that of theHoly Spirit. But there is one more thing that is essential if we are to be


built up into what God wants, and that is our decision to be built up.Without that, nothing will get done.

Are you the sort of person who delays doing things, and prefers to putdecisions off until tomorrow? Do you think that there will always beplenty of time? Of course this is not the case; everyone has a limitedamount. Moreover we find that the longer we put off decisions, theharder it becomes to get started.

The other thing that we find is that the longer we delay, the more diffi-cult the job gets, as the materials tend to spoil; for example the cementgets hard and has to be broken up before it can be used, and it then willnot be so good as if it were fresh.

So many people think that they can delay making a decision for Jesusuntil later in life. Sometimes they find that it is too late, often they findthat it is more difficult to change, and usually people regret that theydo not commit themselves to Jesus when they first had the opportu-nity.

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30. BUTTONS

Visual aid: a jacket or other garment incorrectly buttoned up. It shouldpreferably have a large number of buttons.

READING: 1 Peter 5:6–11 or Psalm 119:9–16 or Matthew 7:13–14

Point out that the garment is incorrectly buttoned up and so is totallywrong. How can it be put right [start to unbutton]? The only way toput it right is to undo it totally. Even if we discover the error when par-tially dressed the only way to sort it out is to go right back to the begin-ning and start again. The only cure to start again.

With the garment unbuttoned, show that there is a wide choice. Thebutton can fit any one of the holes. And yet only one of them is theright one [put one button in the right hole]. But now the choice issmaller, it is easier to get it right. [Undo the button, do up the wrongone.] But if the wrong choice is made, two results follow:

a. The garment must end up wrong. One error means that it is allwrong. There is no way to get the garment buttoned up right ifeven one button is in the wrong hole.

b. [Continue to do it up wrong.] Even if one button is wrong it is stillpossible to put some of the buttons in the right holes. However, asthe number to be done up decreases, it eventually becomes impos-sible to make any right choices. So it is with sin. We find ourselvesin such a position that we cannot do right.

Like the buttons, we all have to make many choices:


a. It is better to do the right thing at the very beginning. Experimen-tation with sin is dangerous. Likewise it is better to accept Christ atthe start of life, not to “have fun” first. It may become too late.Then of course we do have to continue to make the right choices ifwe want to be perfect.

What is wonderful is that when we accept Jesus, we are born again,and do have a new start!

b. If we have sinned (and everybody has!), that sin must be dealtwith. Jesus is able to forgive us, but we may also have to put rightwhat we have done, at the very least by saying sorry.

c. Once temptation has been overcome once, it is easier to overcomeit the second time. It is much easier to continue to do good once agood start has been made. In the same way, once a single sin hasbeen committed, it is easier to sin the second time. Temptationwill surely return.

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31. CANDLE

Visual aid: a candle. A light bulb would also be a help.

READING: Psalm 119:105, or Matthew 5:14–16.

When it gets dark, many people use candles so that they have light tosee so that they can read or find their way around. Without this, lifewould be very difficult. God wants us to be like candles, providinglight for those around us.

A candle is made of two basic parts, although sometimes it also hasscent added to it. These parts are the wick and the wax in which it isembedded. Both of these are essential; there can be no light if there isonly one. We two have two basic parts, the spiritual and the physical; ifwe are to give light, both of these are needed. It is no point if we arejust physical, doing good deeds, or just spiritual, only praying forGod’s help; both aspects are needed.

If the candle is to do its job, it must also have enough air. If it is cov-ered up, then it will go out. We also need help from outside, or we willbecome weak and useless. Of course, if there is too much air, such as ina wind, then the candle will also be useless, because it will be blownout! We must not ignore the things of the world, such as good food,but on the other hand, we must not over-indulge!

The candle must also be kept upright. It is no good trying to guideothers if we are going wrong ourselves.

Before the candle can do its job, it must be lit. A person can only leadothers in the right way if they have truly given their lives to Jesus. Of


course a candle can be used to light others, and one of the best thingsthat we can do to make this world a better place is to tell others aboutJesus, so that the number of lights is multiplied. One candle by itself isnot much use!

Then once a candle is lit, it has to be kept in the open; it cannot be putaway in a pocket! Once we do belong to Jesus, we should not hide ourfaith.

If we do have to use candles at night, we will be looking forward towhen we can have a better light, such as from electricity. Candles givesome help, but it is not strong. At present, God is showing His way bypeople, but there is not much that we can do. However, the day willcome when He returns, and then nobody will be ignorant of his waysany more, and certainly nobody will be able to ignore Him.

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32. CARPET

Visual aid: a small rug or piece of carpet, preferably of many colours.

READING: Isaiah 53:4–9 or John 1:33

One of the many things that people like to buy to put in their houses isrugs and carpets. They make the house much better. If we let Jesus intoour lives, they too will be much better!

What are carpets made of? Years ago they were all made of wool, andeven today the most expensive, the Persian, are still of wool. Again thisreminds us of Jesus, the “lamb of God”. Modern materials are oftenused as substitutes, but they are not so warm, just as a sweater made ofreal wool is the warmest. This reminds us that there have been manyother religions apart from Jesus, but none really work.

a. A carpet is made to be walked on. It is there to help us; that isexactly why Jesus came into the world, to help us. More exactly,the carpet suffers for us, which is just what Jesus did for us on thecross.

b. A carpet is put down to deaden the sound in the house. Otherwisethere are always sounds of shoes complaining when they hit thefloor. When we look at Jesus and what He did, it should stop uscomplaining; what we suffer is nothing compared to what He wentthrough for us. And nobody can complain if they are not saved;Jesus has made salvation available for all.

c. Many young people can only afford to buy a small carpet; theythen put it in the middle of the room. That is like Jesus, who


should be in the centre of our lives. It is better if it is fitted wall towall; Jesus died to cover the sins of the whole world, so nobodyneed be left out, unless they choose to be.

d. A carpet is put down for its beauty; surely when we understandabout Jesus and what He did for us, He must be seen as the mostbeautiful! Sometimes carpets of only one colour are put down, butusually there are several; this can remind us that what Jesus did iseffective for all people; it does not matter what race or culture.

e. When we put down a carpet, that is not the end of the matter,because it needs to be cared for, and especially to be cleaned. Wecertainly need to care for our faith, by prayer and so on, but we donot need to care for Jesus; He cares for us! And in particular, thereis no dirt of sin on Jesus; rather, just as the carpet takes a lot of dirt,He takes our sin so that we too can be clean. It is because He is sin-less that He is able to do that for us.

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33. CEMENT

Visual aid: Plastering trowel, jar with cement powder, jar with water.

READING: 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 or Philippians 2:12–13

If someone wants to make a concrete path, there are a few very simplesteps that have to be followed. Firstly the area to be concreted has to beprepared; once that is done, it is possible to give up on the job and gono further. Secondly the cement powder has to be mixed with stonesand sand in the right proportions. Even at this point it is possible tostop; the mixture can be put away and kept. But the next step is one ofcommitment! The water is added. There is no return from this point;either the job is continued to completion, or the cement will set andthe cement will be wasted. There is no real way of keeping it wet with-out it setting. [Actually if it is kept moving it can be kept for a while,but that is not really practicable.]

Then once that commitment has been made and the job is continued,there are some more things that have to be done. The mixed concretehas got to be pushed and worked into the space provided. It has thento be smoothed with the trowel, and finally the dogs and cats kept offuntil it has fully set. If these steps are not done, and the concrete is justpoured into the space and left, the job will be a failure, and the materi-als wasted.

The same is true for us. Once we are committed as Christians, that isnot the end of the matter. If we do nothing further we will really justmake a mess of our lives. It is far better to continue to do somethingpositive, to work on our lives and push them into the shape that God


has intended for us. Then we have to continue to make them beautiful,just as the worker will smooth the surface of the concrete. These thingsare done by such methods as prayer and worship, reading the Bible andby fellowship with other Christians.

And finally, the dogs and cats have got to be kept off the concrete, or itwill be spoilt. As Christians it is necessary to avoid temptations,because if we yield to them, we are likely to carry the “footprints” ofsins for the rest of our lives.

Nobody is going to take that final step of adding water to the cementuntil there is somewhere prepared ready for the concrete. That finalstep of preparation is only after all the preliminary work has been done,and this may well take a long time. A person will never make a com-mitment unless there has been preparation beforehand. God will pre-pare a person by the Holy Spirit, showing the need of salvation, andpeople will also have communicated by word and deed.

But if a person has never ever made that commitment to Jesus? If waterhas not been added to the cement, either it will eventually go hard any-way and be wasted, or if it is left in the open, the wind will blow itaway. Either way, without that commitment it is wasted and lost. Thatis just the same with us.

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34. CHAIN

Visual aid: length of chain, not too light a grade.

READING: Romans 5:6–11 or John 8:34–8 or 10:17–30

How do we keep ourselves and our things safe from thieves? One waythat is common is to lock or to chain them up. Some people keep bigdogs, which themselves wear a chain. For a Christian, it is the love ofGod that gives security, but just like a chain.

Ask if anyone is able to break the chain. Chains are very strong, cannotbe broken, except very deliberately. But conversely, a chain can veryeasily be bent; it is designed to be flexible, so that it is made up of anumber of small links. So what is a chain for? It is to fasten two thingstogether, very strongly, but so as to allow flexibility. That is like thelove of God, which binds us to him.

a. Love is comprised of a lot of small links. We show love not in someonce-for-all act or statement but in small deeds of love and con-cern. We know that God loves us in His provision for us day byday, and of course above all in the fact that Jesus died for us on thecross.

b. The love of God is flexible. It binds us to God, but some peoplefeel that it is a very rigid thing, so that Christianity involves lots ofrestrictions, and stops us doing what we really want. However it isnot a lot of rigid rules, but is a relationship. As in a marriage, thereare few things that are laid down; what matters is to please thepartner, to show love and to respond to love. How that is done isinfinitely variable. In fact it is liberating, just as the lock and chain


on a bike saves us from the fear that the bike will get stolen. Wefind that we do not want to do the things that displease God. Ourlives are rather enriched.

c. Of course even though the chain is light and we do not find it tobe restrictive, we will still be aware that it is there. We must beaware of the love of God seen in the sun and the rain, the trees andthe flowers—and above all in Jesus and what He did for us. Weknow that whatever happens, He ultimately cares for us.

d. We find that the bond between us and God, through His love, is avery strong one. Nothing can separate us from His love. Yet if onesingle link on the chain is cut, the entire bond is broken. In thesame way it takes just one deliberate sin to spoil the relationship. Itis vital for us not to sin, but if we do, there is hope. Just as it is pos-sible to mend the chain, so we can quickly confess and restore thebond of love between us and God. That will of course take a bit ofwork, and the forgiveness that God offers us was not without a lotof cost and effort on His part, in fact the suffering and death of HisSon. But just like the chain can be repaired as good as new, so whatJesus has achieved for us makes us perfect in His sight.

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35. CHEQUE (1)

Visual aid: Cheque.

READING: Ephesians 2:4–7 or 3:14–19 or Philippians 4:17–20 orJames 4:1–4

[For some groups it will be necessary to explain how a cheque works.]If someone writes a cheque for a small amount, then the bank willhonour it, but if I wrote out a cheque for R1000, it is likely that thebank will not pay it, but send it back to you, because there is notenough money in my account. So I am not going to write out a chequelike that!

Now it could be that some very kind person has paid R10,000 into myaccount. Will it be of use to me [ask the audience]? The answer is thatit is of no use at all unless two things happen:

a. I know about it. If I know nothing about any payment, then I willnot write a cheque myself because I believe that it will be rejected.Imagine how I would feel if I wanted money desperately, while allthe time I had money in the account that I could have used. Bywriting my own cheque, I am accepting that there is money in myaccount. I may go without the things that I need if I do not knowthat the money is there.

b. Even if I know about the deposit, it is no use at all to me unless Iwrite a cheque and use some or all of the money. Incidentally, Ihave to do that myself. I cannot ask someone else to spend themoney as long as it is in my account; I have to sign the chequemyself.


This is also the case in our faith. Christ has died for us and the love andprovision of God is available in so many ways. But that is no use to usat all unless:

a. We know about it. It is the job of the Church and every Christianto make sure we all know of the “deposit in our account”. Wemust by our lives and by our words show that the love of God is areality.

b. We use it. We are not automatically saved, nor do we receive auto-matically. We must ask of God. He is always ready to give, but wemust ask. We must do it ourselves; nobody else can accept salva-tion for us. We must no forget, as well, that accepting Jesus as sav-iour is not the end of the story. Just like the money from myaccount buys something that goes on being useful, so there is a jobfor God that only we can do.

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36. CHEQUE (2)

Visual aid: Cheque.

READING: Romans 4:16–25, especially 4:20–22

A cheque is a very convenient way of giving money to someone else,particularly if the money has to be sent in the post. If we receive moneyby means of a cheque, it is rather like receiving salvation from God.

a. The reason why people use cheques is that they are safe. Even ifsomeone steals the cheque, they cannot have the money because itis made out to a specific person, and only that one can get thefunds. In the same way, nobody is able to steal salvation from us.Of course we can destroy the cheque ourselves, but that is our ownchoice.

b. The cheque is safe because it is made out to only one person,whereas cash is usable by anyone. God is concerned with every oneof us as individuals.

c. The cheque is a very useful way of sending money. We do not haveto meet the person who pays us in person. We do not need to meetwith Jesus to receive His salvation, but we can receive it neverthe-less.

d. A cheque will be accepted by a person in payment if they trust thename of the bank that issues the cheque, and if they know that theactual person who signed it has enough money. Without either ofthose, the cheque could be completely worthless; it is just an


empty promise. But we can trust our salvation, because we knowthat God is trustworthy.

e. One very important feature of a cheque is the date on it. The bankwill not honour the cheque if the date is either too long ago or it isstill in the future. In the former case the cheque is “stale” and willnever be any use, and in the latter, the date on the cheque must bewaited for, because the bank will not pay before that time. Thistells us that we must beware of waiting too long before we acceptJesus as our saviour; the day will come when it will be too late. Onthe other hand we know that many of the benefits of trustingChrist will only be received in the future, when we get to heaven.

That does not mean that salvation is no use to us now! If we have alarge cheque, people will give us credit now; and salvation is some-thing that we can enjoy to some extent even in the present.

f. The cheque is ultimately no use to us unless we do take it to thebank. It is not money, but only a promise. The fact that Jesus diedfor us is a promise that we can be saved; it is no use at all to usunless we claim it for ourselves.

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37. CHRISTMAS SPANNER

Visual aid: A large spanner which I had been given as a Christmaspresent. The talk can be adapted for other gifts.

READING: John 4:10 or Galatians 4:4–5.

Do you like Christmas? I am sure that everybody looks forward toChristmas and thoroughly enjoys it. But what do you like about it?Some people enjoy a time of holiday and a break from the usual rou-tine, others enjoy being with the rest of the family. Others enjoy thefood, but most people enjoy the presents that they get.

One year I got a really nice present; it was a large spanner. Why did Iappreciate it so much?

a. It was a present really suitable for me, because I like working oncars. Would it have been a suitable present for a girl? Very unlikely!And many things that could be given to me would just not be suit-able [such as a skirt, or a razor (I have a beard)].

b. It enables me to do things that I otherwise would not be able to do.I cannot loosen nuts with my fingers, but have to have a spanner.

c. It is a present that lasts, that can be used again and again. A gift offood is eaten and quickly forgotten, but this gift is useful for a verylong time.

d. This is a quality gift. The spanner is well made and is strongenough. I can rely on it to do its job.


But why do we give gifts at Christmas? Why do we remember it in thisparticular way? It is because we remember that God sent His Son Jesusto us as a present, and ever since the Shepherds and the Magi, we toogive gifts to each other. But the present of God to us is like that of thespanner to me.

a. It is suitable. All of us have sinned, and so need our sins to be for-given. The present of God to us does just that.

b. It lets me do something that I otherwise cannot do, get rid of mysins. There is no way that I can get to heaven by myself, but Jesus’sacrifice on the cross did for me what I cannot.

c. It is a gift that lasts, for it gives eternal life that goes on forever andever. Its benefit never ends.

When we get a present, we do not just snatch it away, but make surethat we thank the giver in appreciation of kindness. Likewise we mustthank God for such a gift. In fact what we usually do is to exchangegifts. We should also give gifts to Him; what He most wants is our loveand obedience.

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38. CLEANING(can be used after “Paintbrush”)

Visual aid: Rusty tin, tin with label stuck on (use contact adhesive)muddy tin, scraper, brush. Plant growing in tin.

READING: Hebrews 9:22–28 or Romans 6:22–3

How we clean something up depends on what sort of dirt is stuck to it.Some dirt is superficial and can be removed very simply [use the brushon the muddy tin]. Other forms of dirt are more securely fastened soneed more drastic treatment [use scraper on the label]. Some dirt isstuck on tightly, but with effort it can be totally removed. But withsome problems there is no way of removing the dirt [show the rustytin]. The dirt has become part of the very tin itself. There is no cureexcept throwing the tin out.

But this does not mean that the tin is useless. It may be damaged, andso cannot be used for many things, and it will always be ugly. But itcan still be used for some purposes [show plant].

Now in our case:

a. There are some things that we do wrong which we feel are simpleto get rid of, and we should. If we do not deal with them, they getworse. [Point out that a dirty tin more quickly rusts.] If we remainin a situation where there is a lot of sin and we are exposed tomuch temptation, we are more likely to get damaged ourselves.

b. But in fact sin is never superficial, it sticks hard to us. It was noteasy for God to forgive us; it cost the death of Christ; but cleansing


is possible. Bad habits may still take a lot of effort to get rid of.Forgiveness may have been received, but that alone does not makeus perfect!

c. If we have fallen into sin, and it has damaged us, the situation isharder. Our past lives may well have resulted in damage which wewill have for the rest of our lives. Although He may not put thatright until we die, God can still use us once we are forgiven. Maybethis will not be in the way we want, or in the way that we couldhave been used before we were damaged by sin, but a good use isstill possible.

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39. CLOTH

Visual aid: a piece of cloth, such as a handkerchief.

READING: Matthew 16:13–20 or Romans 8:9–11

Cloth has got two basic uses. The most common is that it is used tomake clothing, which can cover us, so protect us from cold and fromwet. It also stops us from being embarrassed. But it can also be used toclean things, because it is very good at absorbing liquid.

Those two uses are just what Jesus did when He came to us. Firstly hewanted to clean us by taking away our sin. He was able to take intohimself all the sin that we did. All we have to do is to bring our sin intocontact with Him. Then He also wants to protect us from harm day byday. If we are protected by Him, we will not be embarrassed when wecome to the end of our lives and stand before Him.

The reason that Jesus is able to do these things for us is that He is at thesame time divine and human, in one and the same Person. That is justlike a piece of cloth. If we look at it, we can see that it has two sets ofthreads going across each other, totally meshing and forming onewhole piece of cloth. A single thread just will not work.

The cloth is made up of a lot of threads; it is not just one thing. Thesame is true of our lives. Our human life is supported by lots of smallactions, such as eating, and our relationships with other people isformed of a lot of small things, like greeting people regularly. Our spir-itual lives likewise are supported by many small activities, such as regu-lar Bible reading and prayer; we use eyes to read, feet to go to church.


In a piece of cloth, it does not matter too much if the odd thread ismissing, but it soon becomes apparent when a lot are. The same is trueof our lives; missing something occasionally, even a meal (!) is not seri-ous, but too often becomes serious. Just as eating, prayer and Biblereading is best regular. Of course, if threads are missing, the cloth isnot so able to do what it should, and it is weaker than it should be.And if every part of our lives are in place, we too will be strong bothphysically and spiritually. We will be better protected, both from phys-ical harm, such as disease, and from spiritual harm, temptation.

When we become Christian, we become like Jesus, for we too have twoaspects to our lives, the spiritual and the material. Now in a piece ofcloth, the two sets of threads hold the whole cloth together, and stopsit from unravelling. It is the same with us. If we want a good life, thespiritual makes the material complete and stops it “unravelling”. Simi-larly, if we want a good spiritual life, we must not neglect the material,so need to look after our bodies.

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40. CLOTHES HANGER

Visual aid: wire coat hanger

READING: 2 Timothy 4:1–5

Quite often going to church on a Sunday is an opportunity to wearone’s best clothes. If we are meeting with somebody important, we liketo look smart, so how much more if we are meeting with God?

But when we get back home, what do we do with those clothes whenwe take them off? Do we just drop them on the floor and leave them? Ifwe do that then the clothes will get dirty very quickly, and also theywill get crumpled and creased. That will mean that they are not fit tobe worn the next Sunday. Then perhaps we will not want to go tochurch at all.

That is rather like being a Christian, for it is easy to be dedicated on aSunday, and please God by what we do, but so many drop that way oflife when they get home, and only try to act as a Christian again whennext Sunday comes round! But they find that if they do that then it isquite hard to change back, and then perhaps they do not want to go tochurch again.

There is an easy solution for the clothes. If they are put on a hanger,then they keep their shape and so do not get creased; they are kept offthe ground and so stay clean, especially if they are also put into a ward-robe. What the hanger does is to keep the clothes in the right shapeduring the week, so that on Sunday they are still right.


The hanger has got two sides to it, of course one for each shoulder.This can remind us that there are two basic things that we can do inorder to keep our spiritual “shape”; the first is to read and study theBible, and the second is to worship God in prayer. It does little good toput your clothes only on one side of the hanger, and both Bible readingand prayer are needed. After all, God sent both Jesus, the Word ofGod, and the Holy Spirit, to us. Of course, it is also better if we stayaway from temptation, like the clothes in a wardrobe are out of thedirt.

Just as the hanger costs almost nothing, but is very effective in what itdoes, so keeping ourselves in “shape” also costs almost nothing, but iscertainly worth the effort.

Then most hangers have wire between the two sides as well. This isvery good, because it gives somewhere to put our trousers! Thisreminds us that one thing we can do to keep in “shape” is to go andserve God. Incidentally, that wire also supports the two sides, and wefind that if we serve God, then it helps and encourages both our prayerand our Bible study.

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41. CLOTHES PEG

Visual aid: Item of washing, such as a nappy; clothes peg.

READING: Romans 8:1–5.

One of the jobs that has to be done regularly is the washing. Once ithas been washed, it is clean, but it is not yet ready to wear because it iswet; it must be dried off.

Firstly it is clear that it cannot dry itself off. It needs the action of thesun and especially the wind to remove the moisture from the clothing.Secondly if it is just put down in the wind and sun in a bundle, it alsowill not dry off; it must be opened up and hung up so that the sun andthe wind can get to it. One thing that helps is a clothes peg; but thispeg in no way dries the washing; all it can do is help the wind and sunto do the job.

It is the same as regards education. It is very hard, if not impossible fora person to educate themselves. They need help such as books andinstitutions such as schools. But these things will not educate; evenbeing at school day by day will not be effective. The only thing thatworks is for people to open themselves up to education, to read and lis-ten intelligently. Not even the teacher can educate a person, but likethe peg can be a help to enable people to open themselves up to theprocess of learning.

When it comes to salvation and to changing to become a better person,it is likewise impossible to do it alone. Only God can save, only Godcan make us better. Just like the wind dries the washing, so the work-ing of God’s Spirit (the same word in many languages) is essential for a


person to change. It is also worth noting that just as the washing comesout of the water wet and needing the wind to act on it before it can beworn, so the water of baptism is only the start of the process ofimprovement.

But what we must do is open ourselves up to the working of God’sSpirit. Little will happen if we deliberately exclude Him from our lives,but we can make ourselves willing to be changed.

Then just as the peg is helpful in drying the washing although it doesnot do the job itself, we can go along to church, to Bible studies, readthe Bible and so on. These things cannot save us or even improve usunless we ourselves respond to them, but they can certainly be a greathelp in enabling the action of God’s Spirit upon us.

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42. COMB

Visual Aid: Comb.

READING: 1 Corinthians 12:14–26 or Ephesians 4:11–14.

Like a lot of tools, it would be not immediately obvious what a comb isfor if we had not seen one before. But everybody knows what this isfor; it is to make people more beautiful! The same is true about ourfaith; that too is to make us more beautiful! So how do they do it? Thefunction of the comb is clear, it makes hair tidy, and it does it by sepa-rating one hair from another. The way faith works is the same; amongother things, it separates one action from another. By doing this,wrong actions can be rejected, and a person will lead a better life, bemore “beautiful”, and the world will be a better place.

The comb is an example of cooperation. It only works because it has alot ot teeth working together. A comb with no teeth is almost useless!But the teeth have to be separated; the comb cannot work if all theteeth touch. A church works better if all the people cooperate, but theymust still work as individuals.

The individual teeth are held in place by the one piece that links themall together, and in the same way the people in the Church are held andwork together by their relationship to Christ. Incidentally, that piecethat holds the teeth in the right place is usually made of the same mate-rial as the teeth, and it is significant that Christ is also fully human, justas we are.

The comb will not work quite as well if some of the teeth are missing.It may be fairly good, but never as good as a perfect comb. In the same


way, a church with some people missing can still be effective, but ifsome people are not there, it can never be as good at making the worlda better place. What is also important is that if one tooth is missing, theones next to it are far more likely to break and be lost themselves. Somake sure that you are in your place in church, both for the effective-ness of the group, but also for others close to you.

Have you noticed that most combs are made up of two sorts of teeth?Churches are the same, with both men and women making them up.Neither group is more important. In fact all the teeth are exactly thesame height; because all Christians are saved in exactly the same way,by faith in Christ, all are of equal importance in the sight of God. Mostcombs also have two much thicker teeth, one at each end; these do notdo the work themselves, but have the job of strengthening the othersand so helping them to do their work better. They are rather like theministers of a church.

So why do I keep a comb? Not because it is a beautiful thing in itself,but because it has a job to do. But it will never do that job if it is keptin the pocket. It only makes me more beautiful if it is taken out of thepocket and used. The Church may be a good thing in itself, but Godwants it to make the world a better place, and to do that it must get outand work for God.

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43. COMPACT DISC

Visual aid: Compact disc.

READING: Ephesians 1:15–23, or 3:1–10, or James 1:22–5, or 1John 4:7–12

One of the wonders that modern science has given is the compact disc,which most people know as a means of storing music in a much morereliable way than either a tape or a record. A single compact disc canplay for well over an hour. The CD connects us to the music so that itcan be ours. That is what our Christian faith does; it connects us toChrist, so that his life can be ours as well.

But if I give you a disc, can you play it here? It is totally useless to youunless you have the machine that is needed to play it. It may containgreat music, so brings to us the work of a great number of musiciansand technicians, but all of this is wasted unless we are able to put itonto the right machine that can transfer it to us. The great work thatJesus did is much the same; he did a wonderful act in coming to thisworld, and especially in dying for us on the cross, but unless we acceptit for ourselves by faith, it is wasted.

If we look at a compact disc, it contains a great deal of information,but again we cannot read it by ourselves. That information remains asecret. Now Jesus came in order to reveal secrets to us. Firstly, unless hehad come, we could not be sure what God is like, and especially thatGod really loves us. Secondly, it shows us what we are like [show that itis possible to see one’s face in the CD, that it acts as a mirror]. Whenwe see Jesus, we see what a perfect human being is like, and then realize


how imperfect, and how sinful we are. Jesus shows us how much weneed saving, and then provides that salvation for us!

Something that is as wonderful as a CD needs to be cared for. It shouldnot be badly treated or allowed to get dirty, or it will not work properlyany more. It thus needs to be kept clean and away from dust and dirt,preferably in the proper case. If our faith is allowed to get dirty, we willhave an imperfect relationship to God, and we will no longer appreci-ate His wonders. We need to protect our faith, and keep away from thesin that would dirty us.

All CDs look much the same on the outside, so we need to be verycareful that we have the right one, or we will get the wrong music!Some people also think that the various religions of the world are alsomuch the same, but of course they will not give the same results; theywill not give that relationship with God, and so not the peace and joythat Jesus gives us, and especially they cannot give eternal life. OnlyJesus saves!

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44. CROSS

Visual aid: Two sticks arranged to give a cross shape.

READING: Joshua 24:14–16

We see crosses on churches to show that they are Christian. The reasonfor this is of course that we are saved because Jesus died for us on across, and because this is so important, the cross has become the sym-bol of Christianity.

But we do see crosses in a number of other places, with different mean-ings, but they also help us understand what Jesus did for us on thecross.

a. A cross means that a choice has to be made. When people vote,they do so by putting a cross on a piece of paper to show theirchoice. (Incidentally, when there is an election or a referendum, weshould pray that the right choice will be made, and specifically thatGod will guide our choice if we can vote.) It also appears on theroad sign when two roads intersect at a crossroads, but the mean-ing is the same; when the driver approaches the crossroads, achoice has to be made.

b. At school, the cross on the bottom of the page means that you havechosen, but chosen the wrong answer. The cross means that some-thing is wrong. (Incidentally the need to vote also means thatsomething is wrong!)

c. If a person writes a letter to someone that they love very much,they may well put a cross on the bottom. That cross does not


mean, “you are wrong!” but it does mean “I have chosen you” andparticularly, “I love you!”

Although the cross must remind Christians of the suffering of Christ, italso means the same three things.

a. It means that God loves us, so much that He died to save us, andwants us to love Him in response.

b. It means that something is wrong. That thing is sin, but we havethe means in the cross to be forgiven if we repent of our sins andask Him to forgive us through His cross.

c. It also means a choice. If Jesus had not come to this world, wewould have no choice at all; because we are sinners we would belost without hope. But the cross means that He has chosen us, sothat we too have a choice; we can choose to accept Him or to rejectHim.

But if we reject His choice of us and His love we will most certainly bewrong!

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45. CRUTCHES

Visual aid: Crutch (it is probably possible to borrow one from a hospi-tal).

READING: 1 John 1:8–10

Many people have had the experience of having had to use a crutch fora time. Perhaps they slipped and fell, broke a bone or did some otherdamage. Then they may well have had to put the leg in plaster, and usea crutch for several weeks.

Everyone slips spiritually from time to time, and falls into sin. Whatdoes the crutch teach us about this?

a. The crutch reminds us that we need help. The foot just will notheal itself without aid from the doctor and support from thecrutch. If the injured person tries to keep walking, the foot just willnot get better, but permanent damage will occur. We cannot saveourselves from sin but need the help of God who alone can forgivesins.

b. More than this, it will remain painful for a very long time unless itis helped. God and our consciences keep telling us that somethinghas to be done, and it will be painful if we just ignore what they aresaying. Ultimately of course, we no longer hear those voices, butthe damage is done.

c. The crutch tells us that something had to be done. In this case thefoot had to be supported. God could not simply forgive us our


sins, but something had to be done about them. Jesus was sup-ported on the cross for us.

d. Perhaps the thing that people mostly find difficult about having touse a crutch is the fact that they are awkward, and lose their free-dom. There is a lot that they cannot do, or only do with difficulty.That is what sin does to us. Many people feel that Christianitytakes away our freedom, but in fact the opposite is true.

e. Healing usually takes a long time. In the same way, real improve-ment in our lives, sanctification, is a process that takes time. Weare not perfected immediately.

f. A crutch is adjustable for all heights and is adequate for all weights(and races and sexes!). The cross also is effective for all sinners, tall,short, fat or whatever.

g. When a person is using a crutch, the thing that is really looked for-ward to is the day when healing is complete and the crutch isfinally discarded. We look forward to full and total salvation in thefuture.

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46. CUP

Visual aid: Cup or beaker. It provides some amusement to bring it outof a pocket at the appropriate time. Mine also had a broken handle,which helps to make one of the points.

READING: Deuteronomy 6:12–3 or 10:12, or Hebrews 12:28

When I get to work in the mornings there are always two things that Ilike to do at the start of a day’s work; the first is to spend some timereading my Bible and praying, but the second is to have a cup of coffee.What do we have to have to drink coffee? Obviously coffee and hotwater, then some also like milk and sugar. But then something else isneeded; we do not like to drink out of our hands! People make cups tohelp them [produce from pocket]. In the same way, God has made usto serve Him. Now the qualities of a good cup are also those of a goodperson.

a. If the cup is to do its job, it must be upright [hold cup upside-down]. A good person will also be upright, which means honestyand integrity. In particular, a cup which does not stay upright willspill the coffee, but a good cup looks after what has been given toit. We have also been given many things, such as health, minds,and of course possessions. To please God we should care for these.In any case if the cup spills it makes a mess, and we should notmess up our surroundings either.

b. If the cup is a good one, it will not steal any coffee for itself! Itsinside is glazed so that the pottery does not absorb the liquid, andalso a good cup will keep the coffee hot and so will not steal the


heat. A person who serves God well will not steal in any way, eitherfrom God or from other people.

c. If the cup is dirty, it will not please the person who wants a drink[show the inside of the cup]. Likewise if we are to please God wemust be clean, not just on the outside, but like the cup, mainly onthe inside. We can be clean from our sins through faith in whatJesus has done for us in dying on the cross for our forgiveness.

d. The handle is what links a person to the cup, and prayer is whatlinks a person to God. Without these, service is possible, but it isnot really satisfactory. Very many people are like cups withouthandles, because they rarely, if ever, pray to God. They can dothings which God likes, but not really well.

e. (Perhaps optionally) The cup has a limited capacity; it can onlyhold so much. We too are only able to do a certain amount forGod. If we try to do too much, we will make a mess!

If the cup stops serving well, perhaps by being broken, or getting verystained, it will just get thrown out. In the same way if a person hasnever pleased God, especially because they are stained with sin, theytoo will ultimately be thrown out and will not be able to enter heaven.

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47. DEFLATED BALL

Visual aid: deflated ball, pump. (The best for this is the sort of ballwhich has a plug which can be totally removed. Alternatively, but notat all so good, a balloon can be used.)

READING: Ephesians 5:15–20 or John 3:3–8 or Romans 8:9–11

The deflated ball is completely useless as it is; it cannot bounce, and istotally the wrong shape. Now it can be blown into with the mouth,which will at least produce the right shape. [A balloon could be par-tially inflated.] But even if the ball is the right shape, it is still no usebecause it will not bounce. It may look all right but be useless. A per-son may look like a Christian, but the change is not really any use.

The ball needs to be pumped up really hard. [Pump the ball.] The dif-ference is not one that can be seen, but can be seen in the way that theball behaves. [If a ball is used, it remains the same size.] Christiansshould act differently from others. If Christians are to serve God, theymust be filled with the Spirit, just as if a ball is to be used, it must befull. God gives the Spirit to enable us to be saved, but also to empowerus for service.

What we cannot do by ourselves is to pump the ball up hard. We needto use a pump, or a garage air-line. Only these can give the pressurethat is necessary. We cannot save ourselves, or fill ourselves with theSpirit; it is only God who can do that.

[Here the ball can be deflated again and it is seen that nothing visiblewill come out.] Nothing is seen to come out, but that does not meanthat there was nothing in the ball. In the same way, when a person


becomes a Christian, no visible change takes place because the changeis spiritual. [It could be pointed out here that the same word is used for“wind”, “breath” and “spirit” in Greek, Hebrew and in many otherlanguages.]

A ball that is pumped full is able to resist the attacks on it. [Punch theball.] It bounces back. Our faith enables us to resist temptation; in factGod never allows us to be tempted more than we can bear (1 Cor10:13). But note that it is not the ball that resists the force on it, butthe air inside. It is God who empowers us.

Indeed the ball itself does not gain anything by being pumped up. Itdoes change its behaviour and become useful, but does not benefititself. Christianity, although of course it does ultimately benefit us,often does not seem to help us in the present (although it may well doso). Indeed it may even be a reason for suffering and persecution; theball will only be kicked and bounced when it is hard.

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48. DICTIONARY

Visual aid: Dictionary, preferably English to the local language; coin.

READING: John 16:12–15, or 2 Timothy 3:13–17

[Indicate that a coin is being put on the floor.] Is every word that isspoken understood by the hearers? That would be very unlikely! [If theaudience indicates that it does understand every word, then one or twounusual words could be used to prove the point.] The question is thenwhat should be done about the words which are not understood.

a. They can simply be ignored. That would be like walking past acoin that is lying on the floor. There is simply no benefit in doingthat, and an opportunity is wasted. [Particularly in a school situa-tion, the opportunity of education could be stressed.]

b. Guess what the meaning is. The trouble is that there is no guaran-tee that the right guess will be made. Even if it is a guess based onother information, there is a likelihood of making a mistake. Anexample of this is a butterfly, which has no connection with butter,and is not a fly!

c. Ask someone, but again there is a real chance of being led astray,and not understanding the word.

d. Look it up in a dictionary.

It is a good thing to learn English and to improve knowledge of thelanguage, but the things of God are much more important to under-


stand as they will affect us forever. But there will always be some thingsthat are not understood; what should we do about them?

a. Ignore them. But if it was foolish to ignore words, it is more so toignore these.

b. Guess. The problem here is that human nature is sinful, and in anycase does not readily understand spiritual things, so there is a like-lihood of being deceived.

c. Ask someone else. This is better, but again it is necessary to becareful. There are very many cults and strange beliefs around thatcan so easily lead us astray, and even if we are sure to ask otherChristians, they may not really know.

d. The best thing to do is to look it up! God has given us the Bible sothat each one of us can read it for ourselves. God has promised theHoly Spirit who will help us. There are also good books written tohelp us understand the Bible. As long as we read for ourselves,there is less chance of going wrong.

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49. DOOR HANDLE (1)

Visual aid: Door handle unscrewed from door.

READING: John 10:8–10 or Revelation 3:19–22

Have you ever been in a situation where you are stuck in a roombecause the handle of the door has been broken or come off in yourhand? That is like a prison, where often there is a handle only on oneside. All you can do is to make a noise and get someone on the otherside to open the door for you.

For non-Christians, Jesus is on the outside, asking to get in to give sal-vation, and even for Christians there will be areas that we need to giveHim. He wants to help us run our lives for the best. Now He will notforce the door open, but He stands asking for entrance, for we have tolet Him in voluntarily. God never forces us to respond to Him. Heoffers us eternal life, but nobody has to accept. There will be nobody inheaven who has been forced in! He offers us help, but does not force usto take it!

a. Most people knock at the door to get something. Jesus is onlyknocking at our lives because He wants to give.

b. When people knock at the door, they very often have to wait. Dowe make Jesus wait? We are the ones who lose out! Of course,when we pray, He does sometimes make us wait, as sometimes Hesays no, but that is only ever for our good, because He loves us.

c. When people knock at a door they might be refused. Do we refuseJesus? He will never refuse anybody who comes to Him!


What do you do if you hear someone knocking, asking you to open thedoor? It is foolish to just open the door before checking to see if yourecognize who it is asking to come in. In a prison there is a little win-dow so that the warder can see who is knocking. There are many peo-ple around who only want to come in to take something, or to doharm. That is after all why we lock our doors. The same is true of thedoors of our lives; before we open them to anyone, to any teachings,we need to know about them. It is right to be cautious. We should noteven think about toying with ideas such as witchcraft, which want totake control of our lives if they can.

What we must then do is to find out all we can about Jesus, and tosome extent about the other ideas that are seeking to take root in ourlives, but which will do us harm. And then of course, open our lives upto Jesus.

But it is also foolish to keep someone out who only wants to help us, orto give us something. Jesus comes in to bring something for us, helpfor our lives, and life everlasting.

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50. DOOR HANDLE (2)

Visual aid: Door handle from convenient door.

READING: Matthew 11:20–24 or Revelation 3:19–22

There are three important parts to the door handle: it has the handlewhich can go up and down (or turn), it has a keyhole, and it has screwholes. There are three things corresponding to this that may stop usgetting through the door.

a. Keyhole. The door may be locked, in which case the handle will beineffective. However, when it comes to our salvation, Jesus hasdied for us so that the way of salvation is unlocked. (And the key isthrown away. The lock does not prevent us.) There is nothing tostop us from being saved and going to heaven if we want to. Godwill never change His mind.

b. Screw-holes. If the handle is not fastened to the door obviously itwill not work. In this case it is as if the handle on the side of Jesusis absent, so that He has to ask for entry. We have control over Hisentry into our lives, and our entry to eternal life. But on our sidethere is a handle, and nobody can unscrew it!

c. The handle itself. It is so easy to push down a handle to open adoor that even a child or an animal is able to do it. But the doorwill not open unless this is done.

Notice that to open a door, three things have to be in the right order.There is no point pushing down the handle if the door is locked.


a. God made it possible for us to be saved. He unlocked the door bythe death of Jesus on the cross for us.

b. The handle has to be in place. Before we can accept Jesus, we needto be made aware of our need to be saved and how it is possible.Most handles are bright and shiny so that they are attractive. If youare a Christian, is your life attractive, so that others see the value ofaccepting Jesus into their lives?

c. The handle has to be pushed down (or turned). We do need to actby repenting (turning) from our sin.

We can then push the door open and invite Jesus into our lives. Hedoes not force His way in, but once we agree to Him, He enters ourlives and saves us completely.

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51. EGG (1)

Visual aid: Egg, advisedly hardboiled (two of different colours are help-ful). Stone, egg-shaped.

READING: John 3:1–8 or 1 Corinthians 15:42–54 (perhaps only apart) or Matthew 6:25–29

A new Christian is rather like an egg. Eggs come in various shapes, sizesand colours [show different eggs]. But they are all essentially the same.

a. The egg has a hard outside which protects the valuable parts inside.When a person becomes a Christian, God pays the price for us,and as we belong to Him, He looks after us in what we do. Thereis no temptation that is too strong for us; God does not allow it.Nevertheless the owner of the egg knows that it is fragile and takescare that it is not dropped or otherwise come to harm. We do notput it in dangerous places. In the same way, we should not unnec-essarily expose ourselves to temptation.

b. All that can be seen of the egg is the outside shell, but this does notmean that it is like a stone that is the same all the way through[show the stone]. The white and the yolk are there even if theycannot be seen. The soul or spirit of a Christian are likewise realeven if it is not possible to actually see them. Likewise it is true thatJesus died for us, even if all we can see is the death itself. Themeaning of it is hidden.

c. The egg carries new life. Again, that cannot be seen at first, but willbecome evident later. The growth of the egg is slow, but it is cer-tain, even if it cannot be seen from the outside. Our spiritual


growth as well may be slow, and often is not evident from the out-side, but salvation is certain if we have trusted Him. Incidentally,the egg has got to be kept warm if it is going to grow properly. Wecan trust God to look after us, but we do need to care for our spir-itual lives so that they will continue to grow.

d. The egg is only a temporary phase, and our lives here are likewisetemporary. The egg will become a new chicken, and in the sameway a person who has become a Christian will be transformed andbe given a spiritual body at the end of time. We look forward tothe transformation to the life to come.

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52. EGG (2)

Visual aid: Two eggs, one raw, one hard-boiled. If possible a table orother surface on which the eggs can be spun.

READING: 2 Corinthians 5:1–10 or James 2:14–17 or Matthew7:16–20

Can the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian be seenjust by appearance? Basically the answer is no, although I believe aChristian should appear happier and more joyful. The basic differencebetween Christians and non-Christians is due to an inward change, sois not visible. A Christian is “born again”, or re-created, so changed,something that only God can do. Similarly the difference between rawand hardboiled eggs is inward, and so not visible on the outside.

[At this point I like to tell the story of an old colleague who regularlybrought a hard-boiled egg for lunch, and cracked it on his head. Oneday a raw egg was substituted…!].

But there is a very simple way to tell the difference between the twoeggs. [Ask if anyone can see the difference—and be prepared to risk itby hitting it on the head? (If this is done, a spare pair of eggs is neces-sary).] If a raw egg is spun on a table it immediately falls over becausethe spin is not transmitted to the liquid interior. A hard-boiled egg willhowever keep spinning for a long time. So the difference between theeggs is seen not in their appearance, but by the way in which theybehave. Some people can also feel the difference, as the raw egg feels abit unstable, while the cooked one feels firm; the point is the same, asthe eggs behave differently.


Likewise Christians should be identified by the way in which theybehave. Just like the cooked egg continues to spin, a Christian shouldalso act consistently. The egg keeps on obeying the person who spun it,and we should keep on obeying God. Just as the raw egg immediatelystops spinning, the non-Christian is effectively in a state of disobedi-ence.

Finally when a person dies, it involves as it were a loss of the body. Thishappens to everyone sooner or later. (I was using this talk repeatedlyover a period of several weeks, and keeping the egg in my pocket. Oneday when I reached for it, it had got so bad it broke!) Imagine if a rawegg loses its shell; the result is a disaster. But if the hard-boiled egg losesits shell, it is not so serious as the egg survives, because it has beenchanged within. So it is with death. The changed person will survive,the unchanged is lost.

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53. EGG (3)

Visual aid: Egg, preferably hard-boiled

READING: John 3:1–7, Philippians 1:21–6

We all have to stay in temporary homes from time to time. It is nice tohave a change, but we miss the permanence of our real homes, such asour own beds, knowing where things are, and so on.

Actually we are each in a temporary home, because this world is notmeant to be permanent for us; our permanent home is heaven.

An egg is also a temporary home; the embryo stays inside for just ashort time before it hatches out to a permanent home.

Why does the embryo have to stay in the egg? It is there because it isdeveloping and growing; we to are in this world because we are gettingprepared for our permanent home. This means that we should bedeveloping.

Not all eggs will hatch. For some, it does not matter how long they arekept warm, no growth will take place, because they are not fertile. Inthe same way, not all people will develop in this world, but only thosewho are born again of God.

The egg is protected by a shell, whether developing or not. God pro-tects and cares for us in this world, and in fact it does not matterwhether we are Christians or not, God still cares for everyone. (Ofcourse, shells can break; disasters can still occur to anyone in this life!)


If the egg IS fertile, one day a noise will be heard from inside it. [Tapthe egg gently.] That is the chicken, ready to come out into the world;the time has come for it to hatch. The same is true for everyone, thetime does eventually come to die. At that point, two things happen:

a. The chicken leaves its shell and takes no further interest in it. Inthe same way, once we get to heaven, this life is of no further con-cern to us; we happily leave it behind.

b. The chicken looks around and runs to the mother hen. It is sohappy to be with it and wants to be with it always. The same thingwith us; we will see Jesus and will be so happy to be with Himalways. Why does the chick run to the hen? Because it is itsmother! It was the source of the chick’s new life. We will rejoice tosee Jesus, because He is the source of our new life.

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54. EGG (4)

Visual aid: Egg, advisedly hardboiled; bubble blower

READING: Jude 12–13 or Ephesians 4:14–16 or Matthew 10:26–32

The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian may be com-pared to that between an egg and a bubble.

a. Both are basically the same shape, and in many ways Christiansand non-Christians are often very similar. A Christian cannot defi-nitely be recognized by outward appearance, although of coursethere should be some difference. The peace and joy that Christian-ity gives ought to reflect in appearance.

b. The bubble is very attractive, and often a non-Christian way of lifeis superficially a very attractive thing. This is not to say that the eggis ugly, but certainly its attractiveness is different.

c. The most important difference is that the egg has something valu-able inside whereas the bubble contains only what is worthless (Iput it there!). The most valuable thing of all is life, which the eggmay have, but the bubble certainly does not.

d. Whereas the bubble cannot do much good, the egg, if it is fertile,will produce a new life, or even if not, can feed someone now.Which would you rather eat, the egg or the bubble? A Christianlikewise will have a new life in the future and in this life should bedoing good. It is shameful that often the non-Christians do moregood than God’s servants.


e. Both are very temporary, but whereas the bubble is very easilydestroyed, the egg, with its hard shell, is more robust. At the end oftime the non-Christian will be lost, while the Christian lives on.Even in this life, just as people look after eggs, but never bubbles,God cares specially for His own. More than this, just as the egglooks to the future for its purpose in being, Christians should beable to see things from the perspective of confidence in the future,and this should strengthen them.

f. The bubble is readily driven about by any wind, the egg will not.Whereas Christians are stabilized by their relationship to God andfellow Christians, the non-Christian can be more easily upset bythings going wrong, or by temptation, so is likely to be morestressed. A non-Christian can be subject to any strange new idea,and without knowledge of God can well be led astray.

How does the egg get all this? Only from its parents! Christians like-wise can differ from the bubble because they are born again of God.

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55. ELECTRIC PLUG

Visual aid: Electric plug removed from an appliance.

READING: Hebrews 12:18–21, or 12:28–9.

To get through our lives, and to deal with all the problems that we arefaced with at home. school or work, we need a lot of strength. Wecould really do with a source of power outside of ourselves. In fact, asChristians, such a source of power is available to us from God; all weneed to do is to be connected to it! This is like electrical power; it isavailable in the sockets in most buildings, but we need a means ofbeing connected to it.

That is what the plug is for; it is a safe means of getting the power.

a. The plug has two main pins; when the power is coming from one,it is returning by the other. This reminds us that we do not justreceive from God, but at the same time give our love and obedi-ence to Him. A plug cannot just receive, and neither can we.

b. Many plugs have a third pin; this is an earth, and is to prevent usbeing harmed by the power. Electricity is dangerous and must behandled with care. God as well is very powerful, but does not wantto harm us when He helps us. Of course, it is stupid to touch theplug when we have wet hands. If we are seeking God’s power, weneed to make sure that everything else in our lives is in order.

c. If we are going to get power, we have to plug it in. Likewise wecannot expect to receive power from God unless we are really com-mitted to Him. That is an act of faith; it seems illogical to expect


power from a set of holes in a wall! But if we try it, we find out thatit does work. It is also necessary to have the plug connected tosomething; if there is nothing to use the power, it will not come.That is also the same with us, as God will bless us in our service forHim; He does not just provide power for no purpose.

d. Electrical power cannot be seen, but it is really present in the wires.It is not usually like the power of such as a fire, that is obviouslythere. The power that God provides by means of the Holy Spirit islikewise something that usually cannot be seen at all, although it issometimes visible. However, like electricity, the effects of God’spower can be amazing!

Once we have seen the wonders of electricity, we wonder how wecould ever have lived without it! That is just the same as God! Let usreceive what He can do for us.

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56. EMPTY VESSELS

Visual aid: Two plastic jars, one with a few marbles (or stones); theother packed tightly full.

READING: Philippians 4:10–13 or Isaiah 30:15 or 1 Timothy 3:1–3

All of us get disturbed from time to time [shake the jars]; what hap-pens? Do we complain and make a lot of noise? It is a jar that is not fullthat makes a noise when it is shaken, whereas one that is full is quiet.When a car has a hole in its exhaust, the system is not complete and soit is noisy.

For there to be a noise, there must be a disturbance, and there mustalso be something that is loose or insecure. Now we are all subject tomany disturbances, whether we are Christian or not, simply due tobeing in the world; they are a part of life. Whether we make a noisedepends on whether we are secure.

People who are not Christian are not complete, they are insecure[shake the non-full jar]; they have no relationship with God [shake thejar]; they have no hope for the future [shake the jar].

But Christians are complete, so they do not have these lacks. Whateverhappens to them, they know that they have eternal life; they know thatGod will not allow them to be tempted too much. They know wheretheir security is and so do not have to struggle and fight. They can becontent, and should not continually make a noise and have no need tocomplain like a non-Christian.


Nevertheless a Christian should not simply be docile, not just meek.Jesus did get angry with sin and disease; He did cast out the moneychangers. Making a noise can well be a good thing, as when a noise in acar tells us that something is wrong.

We should make a noise:

a. When wrong is being done we should not just remain quiet aboutit. If we cannot solve the problem, we should make it known sothat it can be.

b. We have a message of salvation to share with the world. So oftenpeople are just not aware of their problem. They are perhaps awarethat something is not right, but not what is actually wrong.

Christians can spread their security. They can help people to becomecomplete, and so secure. Moreover, they should be peacemakers, andso prevent other disturbances.

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57. EXAMINATIONS (1)

Visual aid: Examination paper. (The talk is obviously most effective inan educational institution where the audience will readily recognize thepaper.)

READING: 2 Peter 3:8–13 or 1 John 2:28–9 or Matthew 25:1–13

When students start to study at school or university, one thing thatthey know for sure is that at the end of the year there will be an exami-nation. Now at the beginning of the year, very few seem to take toomuch notice of this, it is just for the future.

By half-year, some are starting to be aware of the examination, butthere are always some who seem to wake up to the fact only shortlybefore the time, and then wonder why they cannot answer the ques-tions.

Wise students take heed from the beginning. Everyone knows thatthere is an examination. It is folly to let it creep up on us. So it is withthe second coming of Christ, or at the very least, the fact of death.Everyone knows that it is inevitable and needs preparation for it, buthow many take it seriously until the last moment?

Wise students do more than being just aware that there is an examina-tion coming. They look at the paper in detail, to see the kind of ques-tions that must be answered, the number that have to be done, and ifthey are really thorough, look at several past papers to see what themost likely topics are. [When I did my first degree, several of the ques-tions were actually identical to those in past years.]


Thus also wise Christians know that at the end of time comes thejudgement, and they can see from Christ the standard by which theywill be judged. There is no excuse to be caught out and for pleadingignorance of what was expected. One reason why Jesus was sent wasthat we can see what we should be like. We should practise doing thethings that will really matter, spend time in prayer, helping others andso on.

Incidentally, we do not spend all our time just studying for the exami-nation. We do other things such as sport, but even these help in pre-paring our bodies so that they give of their best in the examination. Weprepare in a variety of ways. What matters is that we do not waste ourtime, but live in constant preparation for the examination. Similarlyour lives as Christians are not spent just in prayer, but in a variety ofways; what matters is that we are always aware of that coming judge-ment, and live to please God in whatever we do.

We all have a lifetime to prepare for this examination. Let us use thetime valuably.

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Visual aid: Examination paper (if easily recognisable), bottle contain-ing some water.

READING: John 5:19–24, Romans 8:26–28 or Hebrews 9:27–28

Ask if anyone can say what today’s date is. That will be easy, but then itcan be asked how many days there are until the exams start! The time isgetting shorter, and the day of the examination is approaching, so thatmany people are getting worried. BUT there is another examinationthat everyone will have to undergo at the end of time. We do not knowexactly how many days it is before that exam, but one thing is certain,it is coming! Moreover it is much more serious than a school exam; theresults will affect us for eternity, and there is no chance of a repeat try.We should be preparing for our earthly exams, but much more for theheavenly judgement!

When it comes to our school exams, how would it be if it were possibleto take in our teachers to help us write the test? It would certainly giveus much more confidence, and it would be so much more likely thatwe would pass! Even better would be if we could take the examinerinto the test to help us. In fact, that is exactly what we can do when itcomes to the final judgement. If we are Christian, it is not us who arejudged, but Jesus who is judged in our place, and we know that He willpass: He is after all the judge Himself.

Again in the school exams, it would be a lot easier if there was only onequestion to answer, and especially so if you know what that question is.Now that is also the case at the end of time. Judgement is on a single


basis, so the important question is, “have you received Jesus as yourLord and Saviour?” If the answer to that is “Yes”, then you pass theexam and can enter heaven. So it is possible to know now, in this life, ifyou will pass!

If you are really a Christian, you will pass the final judgement and getto heaven, but what of the coming exams in this life? People often askthe minister to pray that they will be successful. But what can the min-ister do?

a. If you are not a Christian, the minister can really be of very littlehelp. Praying for a person who has rejected God is useless, just likepouring water out on the floor.

b. If you are a Christian, then you have the assurance that God willhear your prayer, and will respond. The water is then of value[drink some]. Many have seen that God does help and guide themin their study and in the exams. It does however not mean that youwill inevitably pass; perhaps that is not the will of God for you atthis time. What you do know is that if you have committed theexams to Him, then whether you pass or not is absolutely the bestthing for you.

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Visual aid: Examination paper. This talk is obviously most effective inan educational establishment where the audience will readily recognizethe paper.

READING: 1 Timothy 2:3–7 or Romans 3:21–26

Nobody seems to like examinations, but many people do them. Thereason is that if they pass their examinations, they get something thatthey want, perhaps promotion in school or in a job, perhaps a pay rise.And there is another examination that everybody must take, at the endof time. Many people do not want to take that one either, but if thatone is passed, the result is life after death that goes on for ever!

But there are several big differences between the judgement of Godand the examinations that we write:

a. We always have a choice about exams; we can enter or not. Theneven when the time for writing comes, we can still decide not toturn up, or perhaps we are sick on the day and just unable to write.For God’s exam there is no choice; it is something that everybodymust do, and there is not escaping or putting it off.

b. Then in our ordinary exams, what is the pass mark? 70%, 50% oreven 30%? Just think how much we are able to get wrong and stillpass! We certainly do not have to be perfect! Yet God’s require-ment is perfection: 100%. Nobody is able to pass His examina-tions, except one person; only Jesus has ever led a perfect life.


c. We do not prepare for this exam; perhaps more exactly, all of life isa preparation. It does not need any learning to pass. What it doesneed is commitment to Jesus; that is the only way of preparation.

d. In ordinary exams there is often a second and even a third chance ifwe fail the first time, but the examination of life there is no repeat-ing; there are no second chances.

e. We can know that we have passed before the examination, becauseit is what Jesus has done that matters, not what we have done. Infact, Jesus is the one who “writes” the examination for those whoare Christians. God declares us perfect because of what Jesus hasdone for us. If we accept Him, we pass our examination and enterheaven. Everyone who accepts Jesus passes, but also everyone whorejects Him fails.

f. The result of exams affect us for a while, but the judgement of Godwill affect us for eternity. This is the examination that really mat-ters, so this is the one that we must get right, and every Christiandoes!

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60. EXERCISE

Visual aid: None. The speaker provides the visual element. In a schoolsituation a well recognised book of examples can be used.

READING: 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 or Philippians 2:12–13 or 2 Peter3:11–14

Quite frequently we see people jogging in the streets [“jog” a fewsteps.] Why are they doing it? It takes quite a lot of time, it is hardwork and tiring, but people do it because they are caring for their bod-ies. Certainly Christians should also be concerned for their physicalhealth, perhaps not by jogging, but certainly by exercise of some kind.

One reason for exercise is that what we don’t use, we tend to lose.[Especially in a school situation.] Part of education is practice doingexamples in mathematics or other subjects. If we don’t practise, wedon’t really gain or maintain the ability. It is particularly true withother languages; if we don’t practise, we deteriorate! There was once anIndian who tied his arm to a stick above his head and kept it there forseveral years. [Hold hand over head.] When he eventually released thearm, he found that the muscles had withered, so he could no longer usethe hand at all.

If we don’t take the trouble to write to people who have moved away,we quite quickly get out of touch and the friendship is lost. [In theSouth African situation, apartheid meant that the races did not reallyunderstand each other because they had little practice at contact, andso the relationship deteriorated.]


The same is true of our spiritual lives; we must persist in our relation-ship with God. [“jog” a little.] If we don’t take the trouble to read theBible and pray regularly, we find that the relationship with God isgradually spoilt. What is not used, is lost.

a. Exercise is a lot easier if we are not overweight; if we are over-weight, we do not want to exercise, and the situation is likely to getworse. How can we be spiritually overweight? By too much con-cern about our possessions, or by sin that is unconfessed. The firstthing that we need to do is to repent of these.

b. Exercise is harder when a person is not used to it; the worst thing isusually getting started! We can do the same thing with prayer; startwith a little, and soon we will get used to it and able to do more.We will probably even find that we want to do more; we enjoy it!

c. When we want to exercise, we need to wear the right clothing sothat we are comfortable. The same is true with prayer. There is noneed to kneel; but we do need to pray!

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61. FLAME(suitable for Pentecost. See also “breath”)

Visual aid: match or lighter. A candle is helpful.

READING: Acts 2:1–4 or John 16:8–11 or Hebrews 12:29

At the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down on the Church.Now the Spirit cannot be seen, so on that day, the disciples heard a felta great wind, and then they saw tongues of fire coming down. Theseflames then show us something of what the Spirit is like.

We use flames to give us light [light the candle], and the Spirit doeswhat light does for us.

Just like we use light to guide us, so He guides us in the way thatwe should go.Just like light can be used to warn us, like brake lights on a vehicle,so the Holy Spirit warns us, especially of the danger of not accept-ing Jesus.Just like we use light to see, so He helps us to see what God isdoing in the world.Just as light shows that power is present, so the Spirit shows thepresence of God (as by the gift of tongues).

[put finger over the flame: ouch!] We use flames also to give us heat,and the Spirit also does what heat does.

Just as the top of the candle has become soft with the heat, so theSpirit works on changing us to be more like Jesus.Just as we use heat to cook our food so that it is more easily


digested, so the Spirit helps us to understand and digest God’sspiritual food, the Bible.Just as we use a very hot flame to weld and join metal together, sothe Spirit joins us onto Jesus so that we can share His eternal life.Just as petrol burns in an engine and provides power for the vehicleto move, so the Spirit gives us power for service.

Light and heat are a blessing, and the Spirit has come to bless theChurch. But let us also remember that flames can also burn things up[perhaps set fire to a piece of paper].

For those who are not Christians, then the Spirit will come injudgement, and they will be totally burned up. If we are Chris-tians, the Spirit wants to burn up all the things in us that are bad,so that we are more like Jesus.

It is so necessary to accept Jesus as Saviour, but then to allow the Spiritto make us more what we should be, as well as providing what we needto serve Him.

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62. FLASH GUN

Visual aid: Camera flash gun, preferably that can be set off withoutcamera.

READING: Matthew 5:14–16 or John 12:35–36

We are told to be the light of the world, and to shine for Jesus. Ofcourse, there are different kinds of light; bright, dim, of variouscolours, and different kinds of Christians. One sort of light, a flash, issometimes used with a camera. Christians should in some ways be likethis.

a. [Here the audience is asked to look while the flash is set off.] Whena flash goes off it usually produces a reaction; even anticipating theflash can have an effect. Do we have an effect in those round aboutus? Our light and witness for Christ should not harm other people,but it may illuminate things that are wrong and so change them.We should act as consciences.

b. A flash light really benefits nobody that it shines on, but only theone who is taking the photograph. Other forms of light can bemore useful. Is our Christian life helping others, or only us?

c. The flash, because it gives a very bright light, leaves an impressionon the retina of the eye [flash again], and in the same way Chris-tians should be memorable to all those who see them. Note that itis quite safe to look at the flash gun, although it can do harm tolook at other bright lights such as the sun or electric arc welding.


d. A flash usually has to be pointed in one specific direction; we toowill be more effective if we concentrate on God and are not dis-tracted by other things.

e. Putting things in front of the flash will stop the light. In the sameway we must not let anything prevent our light helping others. It istoo easy to let things that we say or do spoil the witness that weshould have.

f. The big drawback of the flash light is that it is quick and over in afraction of a second. Some Christians are also like this; they areable to shine brightly, but only for a limited time. We need to beconsistent in our witness and in our life for God, as well as beingbright enough to be effective. God is consistent and faithful andwants us to be the same; His light is then more like the light of thesun.

g. When a flash gun goes off, everyone knows that a photograph isbeing taken, that something is being recorded for a future date. AChristian witness also should be a constant reminder that there is afuture and a judgement. Just as a camera makes temporary thingspermanent, so a Christian should bring the realization of eternity.

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63. FRUIT AND WOOD

Visual aid: A fruit that comes from a tree, such as an apple or anorange. A piece of wood suitable for carpentry (i.e. not just a twig orbranch).

READING: Galatians 5:22–26 or Ephesians 4:11–14 or John 5:21–24

The audience can be asked what trees give to us. Many answers are pos-sible such as shade, gum etc, but the main things are wood and fruit.Both of these are very useful to us. There is however one big difference.If I need a piece of wood for a job, it is often not really important whatsort of tree it comes from, whether pine, oak, apple or orange. They allhave their distinctive features, but basically all can do the job. But afruit can only be obtained from one sort of tree. It is no use looking forapples on any other sort of tree whatsoever apart from an apple tree.

As Christians there are two sorts of things that we produce. On the onehand, like wood, we can do good works and so be useful to those whoare round about us. On the other hand, we do also produce what theBible refers to as “fruit”, listed as love, joy, peace and so on. Both ofthese are really necessary for us and for society.

Now there are many people going around doing all sorts of very goodwork [show the wood]. There is nothing at all wrong with what theyare doing, but the fact that they may be doing good works does notmean that they are Christians, or that their work will earn them a placein heaven. Just like wood can come from many sorts of trees, so goodworks can be done by non-Christians as well as Christians; they do notprove faith.


But just as only one sort of tree produces a particular sort of fruit, soonly Christians can really please God. What pleases Him, and resultsin eternal life, is faith in Christ, but this should then naturally result in“fruit”, as Christians become better people. It should then also result ingood works, as good or better than those of a non-Christian.

Even the best of trees can only produce a little wood; it has to be cutdown, or at least part chopped off to give it. But a tree can producefruit, and continue to do so, year after year, because it is alive. It is ourlife, and our consistent faithfulness which really pleases God. In anycase, the fruit contains seeds, from which can come new trees, and soeven more fruit and wood. The fruit is really more valuable.

Both the fruit and the wood are produced naturally by the tree, just asthese things are really God’s action in us. However, neither fruit orwood is useful without effort. The wood will need to be cut andshaped, while the fruit usually needs to be peeled. If we are to really beuseful to God, we must put the effort in!

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64. GLASS

Visual aid: Piece of glass, preferably not too thin so as not to be toofragile. A pair of spectacles.

READING: Romans 8:28

Most of the talks in this book use something that is very easily seen.Here we have something that can hardly be seen at all; the point ofglass is that light can go through it easily, and this makes it almostinvisible. However, it is something that is really very useful, such as inwindows and in car windscreens. Faith is also something that cannotbe seen, but it is nevertheless useful, even essential.

What does glass do? It has two basic functions:

a. It protects us. Imagine how hard it would be to drive a car withouta windscreen, or how unpleasant it would be to live in a housewithout windows to protect us from the rain and the wind. Ourfaith is the same, for God does proect us from harm, often in thislife, but ultimately in giving us eternal life.

b. It helps us to see better. If we try to drive without a windscreen wewill find it very difficult to keep our eyes open, and in a house thewindows let the light in. Again our faith helps us to understandwhat is happening in the world. Life is a mystery without God.

If we develop the glass [show the spectacles], these things are much bet-ter. We improve our sight, and the glass is more convenient for us (wedo not have to hold it up). As Christians, we need to develop our faithas much as we can, by Bible reading and attending church.


One problem with glass is that it is fragile and so very easily broken. Ithas to be looked after very carefully. The same is true for our faith. Ittoo has to be cared for.

What else do we have to do for glass, such as in windows and in specta-cles? It has to be clean. Dirty glass is very difficult to see through. If ourfaith is to be really useful to us, we have to be clean. We can come toJesus regularly and ask for his forgiveness.

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65. GLOVE (1)

Visual aid: a pair of gloves.

READING: Matthew 22:36–40 or James 2:8–13

Every one of us carries around a pair of hands [hold up hands]. Theseare what we mainly do things with; what we do can do good or harmso very easily. It is then not surprising that God is concerned aboutwhat we do, and so He has given us some things that our hands canremind us of. Our hands are equipped with five fingers each, ten in all,which remind us of the ten commandments. These are like a pair ofgloves.

a. A good pair of gloves exactly fits our hands. They have exactly theright number of fingers, not eight, not twelve. but ten. They areneither too big or too small. That is what God has done in the tencommandments; they are exactly what we need.

b. Some people do not like the commandments, because they feelthat they stop us doing what we want to. A pair of gloves also stopsus to some extent; we cannot use our fingers as well with them on.But if it is cold, we are very grateful for the gloves! We cannot dothe right thing if our hands are cold, so gloves help us; in the sameway we cannot do the right thing without the commandments tohelp us. They are not a hindrance, but a help to us.

c. Gloves are not really any use if we put only one or two fingers inand leave the others out. The hands will still be cold. All the fingersmust be in. The commandments are the same, for it is not too


much use keeping only one or two, because that means that we arestill sinful! We need to keep all of what God wants.

d. What matters about gloves is that we put them on. God gave thecommandments to help His people, but if they were to be helpedthey had to decide to obey Him. For us as well, the best thing thatwe can do is to decide to obey. It would be very stupid for some-one with cold hands to keep a pair of gloves in a pocket and try towarm up by blowing on the hands or rubbing them together. Thething to do is to put them on! It is equally stupid for people to tryto run their lives without obeyng God’s solution. Just like thegloves help, so God has given us the commandments to help.

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66. GLOVE (2)

Visual aid: a pair of gloves, a coin.


A pair of gloves can remind us of the ten commandments. The glovesfit the hands, and God has made the commandments just right for ourneeds. The gloves help us, and God has given us the commandmentsto help us have a better life.

a. A pair of gloves by itself is not very useful. They do not make ourhands warm! If we put them on a piece of wood, or something elsethat is dead, it will stay cold. What really matters is the handsinside them; it is they that are alive. It is not the gloves that makeour hands alive, and neither does keeping the commandments giveus life. Keeping the commandments is good, but what really mat-ters is the life that we can have by accepting Jesus as Lord and sav-iour.

b. What gloves do is to hide what the hands are really like inside.They can be dreadfully damaged and dirty, but nobody knows. Itis the same with us, for if a person keeps the commandments, itcan look as if they are really good, but what actually matters iswhat we are like on the inside. Jesus said that it is our thoughts andmotives that really matter, and nobody can see them.

c. We cannot even please God just by keeping the commandments,just like we cannot use our hands properly with gloves on. [Drop acoin and show that it is hard to pick it up.] What pleases God isthe new life which Jesus died and rose to give us. [The only reason


that we can pick up a coin at all is that our hands are alive!] That iswhy when it comes to gloves, we are not so much aware of the factthat there are ten fingers, but that there are two gloves. That is thesame with the commandments as well, for Jesus said that there aretwo basic things that we should do: love God, and love our neigh-bours as ourselves.

What really matters is the life that God gives to us. The command-ments are good, and are given to help us, but they are no use to us at allwithout that life.

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67. GOLD

Visual aid: Item made of gold, preferably a wedding ring

READING: Psalm 19:7–10 or 1 Peter 1:3–9

Gold is one of the most precious things in the world. It is so soughtafter that it has caused fighting, wars, murders and thefts by peoplewanting to possess it. People have been prepared to endure great hard-ships for it.

Why is it so precious? It is beautiful to look at. It is soft and easilyformed into intricate shapes. Then it does not corrode, but always staysbright.

So what is it used for? It has two basic uses. The first is jewelry, and inparticular wedding rings and other items which speak of love of one foranother. These should not spoil with time. Of course it does wear, butGod’s love for us never does. And in modern days it has another use,for it makes excellent electrical contacts for the keys of computers andother equipment. Again it speaks to us of relationships which are reallythe most precious thing in the world, especially our relationship toGod. Then just as we try to please our wife or husband, so as “married”to Jesus, we should always seek to please Him and do what He wants.It does not corrode; nothing can spoil our relationship with God.

Sometimes it is alloyed with other metals. This makes it harder, butdoes not stop it being precious, or make it corrode. Our faith may beeven more valuable if combined with education or other abilities, suchas in a Christian teacher.


It is produced from ore, where all the rubbish is removed by a hardprocess; the metal has to be purified. That is one reason why it is soprecious. The same is true of our relationship to God. It is produced bya hard process; it cost the death of Christ. That relationship needs to bepurified, and we too need to work to draw closer to God. We too arethen precious to God.

Gold is too precious to be used it for many things that we would useother metals for. God will not ask us to do things that are too difficult,and He too will take care of us. We are precious to Him; but remem-ber that the most precious of all to Him is His Son, and Jesus did themost useful thing that the world has ever seen!

And what is the most dangerous thing for gold? Imitations. Peoplehave often been deceived by other metals, which looks like gold. In thesame way, the thing that will spoil our relationship to God is false reli-gion and anything else which will attract us away from a close walkwith God.

One other thing that makes gold precious is that it is quite rare. It is ashame that real Christians are not more common, but if they were,they would be no less precious!

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68. GRASS (1)

Visual aid: some grass, preferably with a root attached

READING: Matthew 6:30 or Revelation 2:1–7.

Grass is one of the commonest things that there is, so much so that wehardly notice unless it is not there. It occurs almost everywhere inmany different forms. God’s Church is also found almost everywherein many different ways. It is often ignored, but if it is not there thenthe effect can be quite serious.

Grass is something that helps the world; just like all plants, itmakes oxygen, and without that, other life would not be possible.Just as God sent Jesus to give life to the world, He continues tospeak to the world through the Church.

One thing that grass does is bind the soil together to prevent ero-sion. The Church should also hold society together by showing acorrect way of life and upholding morals.

The Church had a very small beginning but spread throughout theworld. This is just what grass does; from a small seed it grows andspreads. A grass plant has two goals, to grow as big as possible, and tospread as widely as possible. Some grasses send out runners, and allproduce and send out a lot of seeds. This is just what the Churchshould seek to do.

Many people have tried to get rid of the Church and its message bypersecuting it, but the Church has never been defeated. We find thatgrass is very hard to get rid of once it is established. In fact, cutting


grass is a good way of encouraging its growth, and often the Churchhas in fact flourished under persecution.

The secret of the grass’ success lies in what cannot be seen, in the rootsunderground. The Church as well has its strength is that is hidden, forit is not just a human organisation, but is filled with the power andstrength of God.

However, there is one situation in which grass does not grow very well.If it is under trees, or when there are other plants which choke it, thenit liable to get weak and die. The Church can well be choked, and evendie, if the Christians are too involved in other things, letting them intotheir lives so much as to choke off the love of Jesus. The Church needsto concentrate on Him.

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69. GRASS (2)

Visual aid: a piece of grass, and a pair of scissors

READING: Romans 7:23–8:3

Most people prefer to have grass in their gardens rather than concreteor bare earth. It is much more beautiful. In the same way a good Chris-tian life can be a very beautiful thing.

Sometimes the grass just sits and does not grow at all. If it is to grow, itneeds food, water, fertilizer, and warmth from the sun. If we are togrow in our Christian lives, we too need to be fed, by reading the Bible,going to Church, and Christian fellowship. Otherwise we will just sitand make no progress. Actually, as any gardener knows, what reallymakes a lawn grow well is rain; and what makes us grow in our Chris-tian lives is not so much our effort, but God’s action.

If the grass sits for a long time without being fed, it starts to go brown,and then it does not look at all nice. Lack of spiritual food will alsoquickly show in our lives as well.

If we are to have a really nice lawn, then we have to put in effort. Aswell as feeding and watering the grass, we also have to watch out forweeds, and as soon as we see one, pull it out, otherwise it gets biggerand multiplies. If that happens, then getting rid of the problem ismuch harder. Sin also creeps into our lives, and we must get rid of itquickly before it gets big and spreads.

We also have to cut the grass. When it gets too long it gets untidy.Often we too have to suffer if our lives are to be really nice. We do not


like it, but it is for our good. Cutting the grass makes it grow better,and makes it more beautiful.

When it does need cutting, what do we do? If we just use our barehands to tear the grass, or, a little better, use a pair of scissors, we willnot do a good job, but more importantly, we are not likely to finish. Bythe time we get halfway, the first bit has grown again! The only waythat really works is to use a mower. Here the power comes from out-side of us. The same is true if we want a good life; if we are to succeed,the power comes from the Holy Spirit. Of course we control themower, but it does the work; we do not control the Spirit, but He willonly work if we ask Him. What is stupid is if a mower is available to us,and we do not use it; but that is what many people do!

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70. HAMMER

Visual aid: Hammer, which should have a claw to remove nails. Largenail.

READING: Jeremiah 1:9–10 or Hebrews 12:5–11.

What is this tool used for? It can do two things, either build somethingup, or knock something down! That is like God, who wants to build usup, or if we are doing wrong, to stop us doing that. The hammer isused much more for building up, and that is what God seeks to dowith us; He does not like disciplining us, even if it is for our good. Ofcourse, at the end of time, God will destroy those who have disobeyedHim throughout their lives and refused to accept the offer of salvationthrough Jesus.

The way in which this hammer usually works is to put nails in, or totake them out. That is like what God does for us as well. He tries toput good things, good habits, into us, but also take away bad things,such as bad habits, from us. Even when the hammer is used to take outnails, the aim is to do as little damage as possible, and to have a goodresult.

The hammer never puts in, or takes out, more than one nail at once.This is often how God works as well. Although He does act on com-munities and nations, He very often works in individual lives. Cer-tainly He is concerned for us as individuals.

Particularly when it comes to driving nails in, the hammer works byhitting the nail, and giving it a shock. If a person just pushes the nail, itwill not go in at all, but will probably just bend. If it is being used to


break stones or concrete, it is no use just to push it, but hitting itquickly does what is wanted. Quite often, God has to shock us as well,so that we listen to Him and obey Him. Sometimes God allows us tobe sick, or some disaster to happen to us, just so that we will start to lis-ten to what He is saying to us.

Also, the hammer works slowly. It does not put the nail in with a singleblow, but uses many smaller hits to drive the nail home. It is the samewhen a nail is taken out; it is usually taken out slowly so that the woodis not damaged. If concrete is being broken, it is more effective to hit itat the side, and to gradually break it up. That is how God usuallyworks; He does not do everything in us at once, but works on usslowly, putting in what He wants a step at a time, and gradually purg-ing us of wrong habits.

Tools are good, and vital to us; we use them all the time to do what wewant. Perhaps the danger is to treat God as just another tool that we tryto use for what we want! God is not like that at all; He cannot beforced, such as by special praying. Rather, we are tools that God uses todo what He wants to do in the world. The question is then whether weare available for His service.

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71. HANDCLASP

Visual aid: None; the listeners provide their own. (This is a good talkfor an exceptionally hot or cold day.)

READING: Matthew 7:13–14 or Romans 12:1–2

When the weather is very different from normal we do not like it, butreally what we do not like is the change. If it were always hotter orcolder we would acclimatize to it and like that situation.

Among the Black peoples of Southern Africa it is considered bad man-ners to give things with the left hand. For other people it seems strangeto always have to transfer to the right and often they do not like it, butfor those who have that custom it seems wrong if it is not done.

Clothes that were in fashion a few years ago now seem very odd; ifshort skirts are fashionable, long ones feel strange, and vice versa. Simi-larly the width of ties, lapels or trouser bottoms.

Try an experiment: clasp the hands together, and look which thumb ison top. [At this point the audience should be asked which thumb is ontop, left or right. About half will be one, half the other]. Now reverseyour clasp and put the other thumb on top. It feels all wrong, but itcannot be wrong because half of the people in the world do it that way.It is just a coincidence which feels wrong, but it does feel wrong.

Try something else. Close your eyes and clasp your hands. They willnaturally tend to go the way you are used to. It takes effort to change.


Now for a lot of people the Christian way of life seems very wrong andthey reject it, but that is because they are not used to it, but have beenbrought up to do things a different way. A change seems wrong at firstand it may take a while before it starts to feel right. We should remem-ber this if we ask someone to come to church with us. It will perhapsfeel strange and uncomfortable. We need to help by explaining what isgoing on, and even beforehand by explaining what to wear.

The change to be a Christian is like not the clasping of hands. In thatcase it really makes no difference at all which is done. They are equallycorrect. But in the case of the Christian way, the opposite, although itmay feel good at first, is very definitely wrong and leads to destruction.

When you clasp your hands, it has to be one way or the other; it can-not be both at once, and cannot be neither. In the same way, we areeither Christian or not; there is no middle path.

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72. HEIGHT

Visual aid: Measuring tape, at least six feet (2 metres). The author isquite tall (6' 4", 196 cm) and uses this to illustrate the talk.

READING: Romans 8:38–39, or Ephesians 3:14–18.

The talk can be introduced by asking who is the tallest person present,and then who is the shortest. Their heights could be guessed, asked, ormeasured. Compare their heights with that of the tallest person in theworld (about 3 m), and then with the highest thing in the world:Mount Everest (about 9 000 m).

If a person is quite tall there are a number of advantages. That personcan see easily in a crowd, and also can be seen easily (sometimes a dis-advantage!). That person is able to reach high things that other peoplestruggle with. That person is likely to be very well known because of adistinctive appearance.

At the same time, being tall has a number of problems. It is sometimesdifficult to buy clothes that fit well, perhaps many beds are too short,and probably the tall person will keep bumping against tops of doors.There are big advantages in being short!

But really there is very little difference between people. [The tallest andshortest can be compared.] People are actually very much the same. Inthe sight of God all people are equal; a tall person can be seen easily,but God sees all equally, a tall person can reach higher, but all Chris-tians can reach God equally in prayer. There is no reason for the ordi-nary person to feel inferior! In particular, Jesus came as a very ordinary,average person in an insignificant area of the world. Moreover He died


for everyone equally; if only one person had sinned, that person isimportant enough for Jesus to die for that one alone.

Each person is special in the eyes of God. Each is absolutely unique,such that there is a job for God that only that one person can do. Wemust each one seek to find out what we alone can do best.

Although Jesus came the first time as a very ordinary person, when Hecomes the second time He will be absolutely special and distinct.Everyone will see Him, not because of His height but because He willcome in glory. And at that time everyone will be judged by Him asindividuals.

The talk can be closed by asking if anyone knows which is the shortestverse in the Bible. It is John 11:35 “Jesus wept”, and although it isshort, it contains a very big truth. He wept because of His love foranother; in fact He loves each one of us so much that He is willing todie for us.

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73. HELMET

Visual aid: Motorbike crash helmet.

READING: Ephesians 6:13–17 or Romans 8:28–32

One convenient way for people to get around, especially in a city, is bymotorbike. If they do this, it is sensible to wear helmets (in some coun-tries it is illegal not to wear one). Everybody is also on a journeythrough life. This includes Christians; they are saved, but still on thatjourney. What a Christian now has is a helmet of salvation. This hasseveral features:

a. A hard outside [knock the shell with knuckles] and a soft, paddedinside. This is designed to protect the wearer from damage in anaccident. It will not prevent the accident. Being a Christian willnot prevent unhappy events, but ultimately they do not matterasChristians have eternal life.

The fact of wearing a helmet does not mean that we should not becareful! We still need to take all the usual precautions as we travelthrough life; God will help us, and has promised that everythingthat happens to us will ultimately be for our good. But He will notstop us from taking the consequences of our actions.

b. It has an opening for eyes [put on helmet back to front]. The hel-met is designed so that the wearers can see where they are going.Their concentration should be on where they are going. Christianslikewise know that their destination is heaven. They should thennot be too worried about what has happened in the past. Sins havebeen forgiven, and in any case the past cannot be changed.


There is usually a visor, which stops flies, dust and stones enteringthe eyes. If that is not there it is very hard for the rider to watch theroad ahead. That is the trouble with many non-Christians; they donot really appreciate what the future holds for them.

c. It has a chin-strap. It is no good if the helmet comes off in an acci-dent. You can take it off, but it cannot be taken from you. Salva-tion cannot be lost no matter what disaster occurs to the wearer.The chin-strap should be tight if it is to be effective. Our faithshould be close to us; it should be an important part of our life-style.

d. It usually has a bright colour. People who claim to be Christian areoften watched very carefully by those around them to see if theyare consistent, just as the helmet is made so that its wearer is easilyseen. Actually the helmet tends to disguise who the wearer is. Arethose who look at you conscious of you, or do they see Jesus?

Remember: a helmet has got to be put on! Let us put on the salvationthat Jesus offers us!

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74. HINGE

Visual aid: Hinge taken from a door, can of oil (sealed to avoid acci-dents!)

READING: Philippians 2:1–11 or Romans 12:14–21

A hinge is something that has been manufactured for just one reason.It has a job to do. Why has God made us and put us here? We too havea purpose, to serve God.

The hinge is made of steel to give it strength, not something weak suchas wood which would soon wear out or break. It needs to be firm andreliable. We should also live in a way which is reliable and dependable.It we promise to do something, there should be no doubt but that wewill in fact do it.

The purpose of the hinge is to move easily. It must resist the door aslittle as possible; indeed it must work harmoniously with the door andnot quarrel with it! For us as well, we have to seek to live harmoniouslywith those round about us, and the best way to do that is to give way toothers, not to resist them. We should not push in front of others, orsteal and cheat, but live at peace with others as far as we can.

In fact the hinge itself is made of parts, which need to move freely witheach other. We too must act consistently, not act in one way to somepeople, and differently to others. In that way people as a whole willwork well together, just as the door opens easily.

One part that is absolutely necessary is the holes in the steel. Withoutthose there is no place for the screws that fasten the hinge to the door


and the doorframe. Some metal had to be removed so that the hingecan be useful. In the same way something has to be removed from us inorder for us to be useful to God. Our sin has to be cleansed to enableus to be saved, which is why Christ died for us.

The hinge does its work secretly. We rarely notice the hinges on doorsthat we open, as long, that is, that they are working well. We tooshould do our service quietly and efficiently, and not draw attention toourselves. We can have pride in our work, but not the sinful pride thatexalts ourselves.

The hinge does not do its work without help. Eventually it starts tocomplain and make a loud noise. It needs oil! This reminds us that wetoo need the help of God every day. We cannot save ourselves, and nei-ther can we get through our lives without His help day by day.

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75. HITCH-HIKING

Visual aid: Signal used by people when asking for a lift.

READING: James 4:1–4 or 2 Timothy 2:3–7 or Romans 5:6–11

Very often, driving along the road, I see people asking for a lift [hitch-hiking sign]. Sometimes I stop and pick them up, sometimes I do not.There are a number of reasons why I might not stop:

a. The car is full.

b. I know that I am shortly going to turn off the road.

c. Maybe I am travelling quite fast, or just don’t want to stop.

d. If it is raining, people are perhaps less likely to stop. Nobody likeswet people and muddy feet in their car!

To get to heaven we have to be “given a lift”. There is no way we canget there by ourselves. So we ask Jesus.

a. He always has space for me.

b. He will definitely get us to heaven.

c. He is always willing to stop.

d. Even when we were unpleasant to Him due to our sin, He was stillwilling to come and to die for us.

Now if I see someone by the road and they do not signal, then I do notstop for them. Christ also desires that we ask; He will not save us with-


out our wanting it. Perhaps rain makes people more eager to ask for aride, and if we are aware of our sin, we are more likely to come toChrist.

If I pick someone up, what is the next stop? Do I charge them? Ofcourse not! Likewise there is no charge of any sort for our salvation; weare justified as a free gift. Of course the driver has every right to stopand tell the hitch-hiker to leave, but Christ will not do that; He com-mits Himself to us.

I do expect is that they stay with me and not suddenly change theirminds and want to get off, also I expect them to behave themselves inthe car. Therefore Christ does expect that we stay committed to Himand not suddenly change our minds, also that we seek to obey Him inour daily lives once we are committed as Christians. I do not expectthat the hitch-hiker will do the driving, so when we commit ourselvesto Christ, He is the One who controls the details of our lives.

What most drivers also expect is to talk to the person who has beenpicked up. When we are Christians, Jesus also expects us to talk toHim regularly in prayer.

BEWARE! Some people have been robbed by hitch-hikers, and somehitch-hikers by drivers. Even if a person is desperate for a lift, theyshould not simply accept any offer; it could be dangerous. In the sameway, there are many false religions and cults around which are ready todeceive and to hurt us.

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76. HYPODERMICSYRINGE

Visual aid: Hypodermic syringe discarded by doctor or hospital.

READING: John 6:47–51

People go to the doctor or hospital when they are sick. That is quiteright; Jesus also healed the body, even if the main reason that He camewas to heal us spiritually. The doctor uses a variety of methods, but forserious problems a hypodermic is often used. But it has to be used inthe right way if it is going to work. Does it do any good to squirt at aperson [depending on the audience this can be effective]. Does it doany good to inject a different person? The only effective use of medi-cine is that it has to enter a person thoroughly. The hypodermic can dothat, which is why it is such a powerful weapon.

When we have to take medicine, it will only work if it becomes a realpart of us, so if we want to be saved, Christ has to become a real part ofus also. When Christians meet for communion they eat bread anddrink wine, and take it into themselves, to remind themselves thatChrist has come right into their lives. Eating is a good picture of whatit means to be committed to Christ. It does us no good if Christ staysoutside our lives, or if He enters the life of a different person. It doesyou no good if your friends, or even your parents, are Christian, butnot you. They are saved, but they will leave you behind!

Are you scared of the prick of the needle? Some people get sick but donot go to the doctor; then they are in danger of suffering further, evenof dying. They are perhaps scared of the treatment, or perhaps they


cannot afford the doctor. There is no healing without some cost toyou. Even if the healing is done through the doctor or the drugs, thereis still something that you must do yourself. Some people are alsoscared of commitment to Jesus, but there is really no need, as the resultof this is joy and peace. And certainly it does not cost anything; thegrace of God is absolutely free. It is ridiculous to continue to sufferwhen healing is available. Some people are also scared that the doctorwill do the wrong thing. It does happen, but in general we trust thedoctor. Even more so can we trust Jesus for our lives.

The big difference from Jesus is that all doctors ultimately fail; every-one dies! All they can do is to extend life and to make it more pleasant,but they cannot do it forever. But the healing of Jesus lasts forever.

Another difference is that some diseases just cannot be healed by thedoctor. But there is nothing that cannot be forgiven by Jesus, exceptone thing; refusal to come to Him for healing.

153

77. JACKET ANDTROUSERS

Visual aid: Jacket and trousers, preferably that belong together. It isprobably better not to wear them. [Lady speakers, or people who donot like jackets, can easily adapt the talk!]

READING: Ephesians 2:11–16 or 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1

We all wear a number of different articles of clothing. As I am a man, Iam wearing a jacket and trousers. [Remove, or show jacket.] Nowunless the jacket is actually being worn, it cannot do anything at all, infact it cannot even support itself. [Hold up the jacket and punch it!]The same is true for us, as without God within us, we are really power-less. But when I come out, I always do wear clothes! Jesus wants towork in the world, but He usually only does it by means of His people,the Church.

However, if we do put on the jacket, we have to do it properly, other-wise it becomes a hinderance to us. [Put jacket on badly.] If we reallywant to be helped by our faith, we need to be wholehearted in it.

If we look at a jacket and a pair of trousers they are very different in theway that they are made. They fasten up differently, they are different insize [the length of the leg and sleeve could be compared]. In fact theyare so different that if they were people they would have little or noth-ing to do with each other, just as there is always friction between peo-ple of different races, classes or other groups. But the jacket can beworn by me, and so can the trousers. They have to come togetherbecause they are both worn by one person.


a. People of different backgrounds or races can be one because of acommon relationship to Christ. In the ancient world the big divi-sion was between Jew and Gentile; but because Jews were saved byChrist and reconciled to God [show jacket] and Gentiles likewise[show trousers], they could be reconciled to each other. People ofdifferent backgrounds can be friends, but in Christ. It is alwaysremarkable how the Christian faith does bring together peoplewho would otherwise have little to do with each other.

b. There is no reason for unity if neither or only one of a pair isChristian. This is why it is so important for Christian young peo-ple to consider marriage only to Christians. Other attractive forcesmay fail, as many marriages end in divorce, but a Christian mar-riage should not fail, because reconciliation is possible in Christ.

155

78. KEYS

Visual aid: Bunch of keys

READING: 1 Corinthians 12:14–20 or Revelation 3:19–22 or Mat-thew 25:14–30 or Romans 10:14–7

Whenever I leave home, I check that I have all the things that I need,such as a pen, and especially my keys. Without these, there are a lot ofthings that I just cannot do. They give us access to places and things.The point of a key is that the person who owns it can do somethingwith it that nobody else can. Nobody can use the car, or get into thehouse, without the owner’s permission. We do not even usually thinkof using a house or a car unless we have been given the key to it. Manythings are like keys; education can be seen as the key to a good job, andof course Jesus is the key to salvation.

But people are also very much like keys. [Shake the keys] When theyare together they make a lot of noise. [Probably before the meetingstarted there was a lot of conversation.] God wants to bless, such as bygiving people entrance to heaven, or making a better society. He hasmade it possible through Jesus, but then usually makes this known bymeans of others, such as us. He wants to make us into keys that He canuse to help other people.

a. There is no point in a bunch of keys all being exactly the same.Every one is different. They are made so that they cannot easily becopied, although people do try to copy keys so that they can get inwithout permission. People are different as well, so what one per-son cannot do, another may well be able to. There is no shame in


not being able to do a particular thing, no key can open every lock.Each key is made to fit just one lock and one only. God likewisehas a plan for us and our lives so that it is very important for us toseek the right thing for us to do with our lives.

b. There is no point in owning a lock with no key, or a key with nolock, or even a key that is never used. Do you use the ability andtalents that God has made you with, or are they really a waste?

c. If the owner of a house wants to let you in, then you will be giventhe key; but only if you are trustworthy! You will only be allowedin if you accept the rights of the owner. And God will only makeus into His keys if we want to serve Him. If we are to be God’skeys, we must be trustworthy.

d. Ask if the key can open a door (the answer will be “yes”), thenpoint out that it cannot, because the door has to be pushed. Thekey’s job is not to open the door but simply to make it possible forthe door to be opened. We can help people realize that God hasprovided the opportunity of His help and salvation, but they mustopen the door themselves by accepting what Jesus has done forthem. That is their rsponsibility!

157

79. KNIFE

Visual aid: Knife, preferably large. Piece of paper or string.

READING: Romans 1:16–17 or Hebrews 4:11–13

A knife is one of the commonest tools that we have. It has a such agreat number of uses that some people use one every day. It is used incooking, and in many other ways.

What makes a knife so valuable? It basically has two features: a bladewhich can be sharpened so that it is very narrow and sharp, and a han-dle so that a lot of force can be put on the blade. It is effective if both ofthese are in operation.

A non-Christian is a bit like a knife without a blade; even with a lot ofeffort it will have little effect in the Kingdom of God. But even with ablade, if a knife is blunt, a great deal of effort achieves very little. So ifwe are Christian, we need to be “sharpened”; a knife is sharpened byrubbing the edge on something hard and rough, and often Christianshave to suffer before they can be really useful for God.

Of course, a knife cannot be all edge, but must have the rest of theblade and a handle. Not everyone can serve God as ministers or mis-sionaries, but others have to support them in prayer and by giving. Thehandle is also essential to guide the edge, and we too need to be guided,whether directly by God, through the Bible, or by other Christians, ifwe are going to be useful.

The blade is narrow and seems a very small thing, but because of theforce behind it, it has great results. It is a very simple matter to cut


something, or even someone, with a knife, but putting the cut piecesback together is often impossible or nearly so (cut a paper or string; itcannot be repaired). A sin may be small, but with all the force of evilbehind it, it cuts us off from the life of God, and only God can repairthe damage. But on the other hand, a decision for Christ may alsoseem a very small thing, but it breaks the power of evil in us, because ithas the power of God behind it, and nobody can undo it.

A knife is very useful, but it can also hurt and do harm. It has greatpower for both good and evil. In the same way, if we try to stop a knife,we will be cut; if we resist God, we will certainly get hurt.

The blade has got to be securely fastened to the handle, otherwise it isdangerous. Likewise we have to be securely fastened to God, or we toocan be dangerous. One of the safest knives has a blade that can foldinto the handle; the closer we are to God, the safer we will be.

159

80. LEAF (1)

Visual aid: Leaf from a tree. I used a leaf from a palm branch for a talkon Palm Sunday.


A leaf is a very small thing; it seems almost too small to be of any use atall. It would seem much better to have a whole branch, just as thecrowds did when they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.(People often do the same thing today in political demonstrations.) Yetwe should care for the environment and not destroy more than we haveto. In fact each leaf does make a contribution, and each little bit addsup to make a pronounced effect. That is like people in a church or insociety as a whole; the contribution that each makes may be very smallby itself, but it is still valuable, and especially when taken with all theothers. The leaves all work together and make a valuable contribution.

What does a leaf do? There are several things that it does that giveimmediate benefits; for example it makes oxygen, and it is beautiful.Then there are a number of things that is does which have their effectslater; it takes energy from sunlight which is used to build up the tree.This also enables it to produce its fruit which can be eaten and whichcontains the seeds from which can eventually come a new tree.

People are the same. What they do should help others both in animmediate way and in the longer term. There are many good deedswhich can be done which can be an immediate help to people, such asacts of charity. Then there are things that have a longer term benefit,such a teaching, which build up the church over a period of time, and


should also result in other people hearing the Word of God and receiv-ing new life.

The only way that the leaf can do all of these things is by being alive. Ifit were not, some of them would not be possible at all. Although otherthings are possible, such as giving shade, some require real life. Thesame is true for people. If they are not Christians, there is still a lot ofgood that they can do, but much that they just cannot. In order to doreal good, a person must have the power of God by having been bornagain.

A leaf is a small part of a tree, which has a distinct and separate iden-tity, but which also came from another tree. In a very real way, all treesare related, both the ones alive today and also those in the past. Theyall have the same life! That is the same as Christians; they are distinctand separate individuals, but are organically related to all other Chris-tians by having the same life of God, Churches may be separate, butare also in a very real way definitely one.

161

81. LEAF (2)

Visual aid: leaf from a tree or bush, preferably on a twig. It is even bet-ter if there are buds coming.

READING: Galatians 5:22–3.

It is always delightful in the spring-time to see what looked as if it weredead breaking out into bud and then new life. We knew that the treesand bushes were not really dead, but now they show it! God may wellhave given us new life in Him quite a long time ago when we put ourtrust in Jesus, accepting the forgiveness of sins that He purchased for uson the cross, but what really gives Him joy is when we show that weare indeed alive.

Of course what the bud and leaf are doing is reflecting the fact that itbelongs to a whole plant which is alive. If they are separated from theplant, they may well look alive for a while, but quite soon they willwither and die. Our life is only maintained by our relationship withGod in Christ. Without Him we wither. It is also quite unlikely for aleaf to grow all by itself on a tree; in fact if the rest of the tree has died,that leaf is not likely to survive either. We need the help and mutualsupport of other Christians if we are to do well.

What the leaf then does is to help the plant by using the energy of thesun, and turning it into food for the whole plant. Our concern shouldbe to benefit the entire Church in its goals. The plant wants to:

a. grow as big as possible. Obviously the Church should have asmany people in it as it can.


b. produce fruit, such things as love, joy, and peace.

c. propagate itself, making new plants. Each church should try tostart new churches.

At the same time the leaves on the tree are also doing good by provid-ing shade; it is not their main purpose, but still benefits other plantsand animals. Are we doing good even if that is not specifically our aimat the time?

Even if the leaf starts as a bud, what it does is to try to grow as quicklyas possible to reach its full potential. We also should take every oppor-tunity to develop our gifts and talents as quickly as possible to helpothers.

Even when the leaf dies, it continues to help, because it rots to givecompost and so food for other plants, so that they might grow. Itwould be so good if when we die what we have done will continue tobe of help to the Church and the world for a very long time.

163

82. LETTER

Visual aid: Envelope, with no address already written on it; possibly alabel, stamp.

READING: Luke 15:8–10, or 2 Corinthians 3:1–11 or Ephesians2:8–9

We all like to send and receive letters. We use them to keep in touchwith special people. What we do is to put our message in an envelope,and then send it on a journey to that special person. We too are likethat letter; we are on a journey to be with that special Person, Jesus.

Before we post the letter, we must make sure that we write the properaddress on the envelope. Something must be done or the letter will notarrive! This might mean that we need to remove or cover over an oldaddress with a label, for otherwise it may go to the wrong place! Wetoo had the wrong “address” on us before we became Christians, and sowe were not on the way to heaven. When we are converted, the oldaddress is covered over, and the new one is written on.

The letter cannot travel by itself, but must be taken. The same is truefor us; it is only by God’s action that we can get to heaven. In order totravel, a price has to be paid, and unless that is done the letter will notbe sent. The same is true for us; if Jesus had not paid the price for us,we could never get to heaven. What happens is that we put a stamp onto show that the price has been paid; we wet the stamp to fasten it tothe letter. Our baptism is a sign that we are fastened to Jesus, and so weget to heaven with Him.


Usually the letter travels with many others, and we too are not the onlyones on the way to heaven. For all the letters, the price is the same,wherever they are posted, and the same is true for us. Jesus paid thesame price on the cross for everybody. Actually, even if there was onlyone letter, the price would still be the same; Jesus loves us so much thatHe would still have died if only one person needed to be saved.

Very often, we post a letter to a place that we have never seen ourselves;we too have never seen heaven! What we do is post the letter in faiththat it will really get to its destination. We too commit ourselves toJesus in faith that we will indeed get to heaven.

Getting a letter usually gives a lot of joy to the one who receives it.There is great joy in heaven when one person accepts Jesus and is ontheir way to heaven.

165

83. LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Visual aid: A person’s own hands and eyes.

READING: John 1:1–5 or Philippians 2:5–11.

The listeners are asked to put their hands over their eyes but to keeptheir eyes open. Although everything goes dark, it is almost impossibleto cut out every chink of light. The light is still there and always seemsto get in. In the same way, when it is dark, one little bit of light can beseen for miles. It seems that light is stronger than darkness. Light willalways overcome darkness, but it is hard for darkness to overcome thelight. And when it is dark, we easily notice and so readily appreciate thelight. This tells us:

a. Even if God does allow darkness and suffering, it is then that wereally appreciate Him and His light. It is often when people have aneed that they turn to God.

b. No matter how much we do try to ignore God and to shut Himout from our lives, He is still there! Evidence of Him can still beseen, by which He tries to tell us more about Himself.

c. Good is always stronger than evil. Just as light ultimately over-comes darkness so good ultimately overcomes evil. So evil willeventually become defeated, even if it sometimes seems to be verystrong. Jesus is going to come back and he will assert His control.Evil will be abolished.

So let us not be on the side which will lose, but on the side thatwill win, let us go with Jesus!


When we do put our hands over our eyes, we may be able to see thelight, but can we see any detail? Is it possible to see the trees, or thecars? If we do try to exclude God, we cannot seal Him off completely,but we will not be able to understand Him in any detail. It is clearfrom the world that there is a God, but to know more, we need furtherrevelation, as in the Bible.

In the same way, the one thing that can overcome the light is a greaterlight, just as the stars cannot be seen once the sun is out. When there isonly a little light, it is lost unless there is general darkness. Once we dosee what the Bible tells us about God, we do not need the little under-standing of God that we get from the world.

167

84. LIGHT BULB (1)

Visual aid: Light bulbs, of different colours if possible, and optionally asmall hammer.

READING: Matthew 5:14 or 1 John 2:15–17 or Ephesians 4:22–24or Ephesians 5:8–13

Light enables other things to be done round about it. The Christianfaith is like this; if it declines in society, it is in darkness and problemssoon develop such as thieving, violence and so on, but if Christianity isstrong, people care for each other. Why is this? They see needs moreclearly, and so society will run better. (It is a fact that many social func-tions, such as schools and hospitals, were started by Christians.) Thusthere is a need for Christians to be light in the world.

But what is it about a light bulb that actually gives the light? It doesnot all shine, but only the filament inside. That is inside a glass enve-lope. What does the glass do?

a. It enables light to come from the filament. Jesus reminds us thatwe are the light of the world, and so we should live so as to showthe world what is right. Of course then also the filament will beseen easily. If Christians are giving out light as they should, theywill be conspicuous, just as eyes are drawn to a light in a darkroom. Some glasses are not transparent, but nevertheless the pres-ence of the filament will still be obvious. Christians have to be surethat they are worthy of God because they are sure to be watched.Many people are put off Christianity just because Christians arenot living worthily of Christ.


Some glasses are coloured, and then the light that emerges is alsocoloured. It is the same inside the glass, but different when itcomes out. This is like the different denominations and differentcultures; the Christianity is the same, but manifests differently.

b. The glass keeps the air away from the filament. God protects us,but we must also seek to keep out temptation. It is not there just toprotect the filament from damage, but even if the glass is brokenvery gently [pretend to hit it gently with the hammer] the light isgoing to go out very fast. If we let the world and its temptations getat us, our light for Christ will go out. The filament must be sepa-rate from the air, we too must be separate from the world.

c. The glass enables the whole bulb to be put in the right place; thebulb is held by it. If the bulb is to be effective, it must be in theright place, and so needs to be moved. When we become Chris-tian, we should expect that God may want to move us to the placewhere we will be of most use so we can shine there.

169

85. LIGHT BULB (2)

Visual aid: Two different shapes or colours of light bulb, wire withbulb socket and plug.

READING: Acts 17:29–31 or Romans 6:5–8 or Ephesians 2:12–13 orRomans 8:9–11

Our duty as Christians is to give light to the world, and to live in a waythat is pleasing to God. We cannot do that in our own strength butneed to receive the power of God.

A light bulb if it is to give light must do two things:

a. It must be put in contact with the power. [Push the bulb into thesocket, but do not turn it, so that it comes out easily.] As soon ascontact is broken, power does not flow and the light goes out. Wemay give light for a while without changing the way we live, but itis only really effective if backed up by a change in our lifestyle;what we say has to be backed up by the way in which we live.

b. It must turn. [Put the bulb in, and turn it so that it stays.] To be aChristian means repentance, turning away from sin and the oldlife.

Note that repentance without contact with Christ is useless, it does notgive light. [Hold the bulb away from the socket and turn it. Of coursenothing happens.] It is necessary to both turn (repent) and be in con-tact with (trust) Christ in order to receive His power and to give light.


It can also be shown that two different types or colours of bulbs have todo exactly the same to work. People may be different, but spirituallywe have to do the same thing.

Once the bulb is in place, it is held securely by the fitting, so that itcannot fall out. Christ does hold us, as well as empower us. Actuallywhen it is on, and giving light, it gets hot, and cannot easily beremoved! If we are really working for God, our spiritual lives shouldbenefit, and we will not be so subject to the power of temptation.

171

86. LIGHT BULB (3)

Visual aid: Ordinary light bulb, torch battery, banana (or some otherobject), wire with bulb socket and plug.

READING: Matthew 5:14 or John 15:4–7 or Romans 8:9–11.

I was driving at night once when the car broke down, but it was sodark I could not see what to do. What I needed was light. (I was soonrescued by another motorist; God always provides.) This is what peo-ple need in the world; solutions to the problems of the world are onlygoing to come if there is light. The duty of Christians is to give light tothe world. But they soon find out that this is not easy. They cannot dothis in their own strength. They find that they need the power of Godto help them.

A light bulb, if it is by itself, is useless. It does not give out any light atall. Can it give light? It may well have all the parts necessary to give outlight, the filament, the glass, connections, but these by themselves arenot enough. The bulb needs power. It must have power put into it;otherwise there is no light. We too have many things that are needed ifwe are to give light to the world; we have hands, feet, voices, but if wedo not have the power of God, these will not ultimately help.

[Put the banana to its end.] Does the banana give power? Yes, of a sort;the banana will give strength to us, but will never light the bulb. It isthe wrong sort of power. The power needs to be electrical. There aremany things in the world which give power, such as money, or evenmilitary might, but these will never really fix the world.


[Put the torch battery to the end of the bulb.] The torch battery is bet-ter, as it is electrical, but it is still not right for the bulb. It is the wrongvoltage, and direct not alternating current. Now there are things whichwill help the world, such as education, but they cannot solve its prob-lems by themselves. They can even help us to know about God, butcannot enable us to know God, to have a relationship with Him.

Then if the bulb is going to work properly, there must be a good con-nection with its holder. If we are to serve God properly, and give thelight that we should, we too must be properly “connected”, so reallycommitted to Him.

What the bulb needs is mains power. [Connect the battery to thesocket, obviously it is best, although not essential, if it is “live”.] So toreally be light in the world we must have the right power, that of God.Other things are good but to really be light in the world needs spiritualpower, that of God. Then the other things, such as money or educa-tion will also be of use.

173

87. LOCK AND KEY

Visual aid: Lock removed from a door, or a padlock. Its key, and a dif-ferent key, obviously the wrong one.

READING: Romans 2:1–11 or Ephesians 2:4–9.

How can we unlock the lock? [Hold it up.] Obviously a key must beused. [Display the wrong key.] But the lock will not open with thewrong key, or the lock is useless. The point of a lock is that only onekey works. It needs the right key [display]. Now if we use the wrongkey, whose fault is it? Is it the fault of the lock? Hardly! The rule is touse only the right key; that is the rule of the lock. The rule is notwrong, and we do have to obey it.

Now there is a second condition. [Push the key at the lock but in avariety of wrong places.] The key actually has to go into the right place.If we do not put the key in the right place, whose fault is it? The faultof the lock? Hardly! Again the only fault is with the user of the lock,not in the rule. (Some keys then have to be the right way round aswell.)

Then there is a third condition. [Put the key into its hole and turn itthe wrong way.] The key has to be turned in the right direction. If wedo not obey that rule, it is not the fault of the lock.

All these rules are not just there for just fun, but so that the lock isusable. They enable the lock to work. And if any one is broken, thelock will not work.


There is of course a fourth condition, that the mechanism is all inorder. Thus to open the lock, all the conditions have to be met, and ifany of them is not, the lock will not open. But only in this last case canwe blame the lock for not opening; everything else was not its fault.

So it is with us. Sometimes things go wrong with us, and we are natu-rally inclined to blame God for it, but it is possible that things did notwork out for another reason. There is usually more than one condition,so the first thing to do is to see if there is another cause of the problembefore we blame God. We need to ask ourselves if we are breaking evenjust one of the rules of the world; if we are, then we cannot blame God.He is not to blame if the car will not go without petrol. He is not toblame if we fail the exam without working.

And most importantly, God will not save us if we do not repent andput faith in Him. These are essential conditions. It is very simple, justas opening the lock is simple, but we do have to do it God’s way.

175

88. LOLLIPOP

Visual Aid: Lollipop on stick.

READING: Hebrews 2;16–18.

Most people would like to eat a lollipop. They enjoy the taste andsweetness and especially that the enjoyment takes place over a longperiod of time. As they eat the sweet, it gradually becomes a part oftheir body. Now that is what Jesus did when he was born in a stable atBethlehem. He identified with us and became a part of our human life.This is something that we do individually as Christians, gradually hav-ing Jesus become more and more a part of us. Indeed, just as the lolli-pop, the presence of Jesus makes our lives sweeter, and gives us theenergy that we need for what we have to do.

However, like any illustration, there are some things that are just notright!

a. As time goes on the lollipop gets smaller, whereas it should be thatas we go on in the Christian life, Christ should rather get bigger, somore important to us. In fact quite soon the lollipop even comes toan end, but of course Christ is eternal and never comes to an end.Indeed, if we belong to him, we will enjoy Him not even for a longtime, but for eternity.

b. It is possible to share a lollipop with others, but this is really quitedifficult; it is made for one person only. However, Christ can beenjoyed by as many as wish to receive Him as Lord and Saviour.


c. Lollipops can do you harm, particularly if you eat too many! Theywill rot your teeth and make you fat. However, belonging to Jesuswill not harm us. Of course, just as having a lollipop may meanthat some people get jealous and attack us, so being Christians mayalso lead to a measure of persecution, albeit temporary.

d. Although it is very little, the lollipop does cost something, but thecost of belonging to Jesus was all paid by His death on the cross.We will of course soon find out that belonging to Jesus requirestotal commitment, but the initial cost to us is indeed nil.

Let us note that most lollipops come attached to sticks which make eat-ing them a lot easier. Even if they are not essential, it is difficult to eatthem otherwise. In the same way the Bible and Church are not essen-tial to being Christian, but again it will be difficult without them.However eventually they can be discarded (but do not litter!); whatmatters and lasts is the sweet, or Christ himself.

Finally we see that most lollipops come wrapped up. They are alwaysready when we want them. In the same way Jesus is always ready for us,even if we are not always ready for Him. What however matters is thatwe do receive Him sooner or later, and preferably sooner!

177

89. LOLLIPOP AND BREAD

Visual aid: A lollipop and a piece of bread.

READING: Luke 10:25–37 or John 6:30–5.

Today I was lucky; I had breakfast. Is there anyone here who did not?(Note: in some groups some will indeed not have eaten, so this intro-duction cannot be used.) The problem is that it will not be too longbefore we will want to eat again. Now what food do we like? [producelollipop] Would we like a sweet like a lollipop? Maybe we would, but ifwe had to have lollipops every meal we would soon tire of them and wewould also find that we are not properly fed. Lollipops do not reallybuild us up.

So what did I eat for breakfast? [produce bread] But the problem isthat I do not really like to eat bread just by itself. I like to put some-thing sweet on it, like the lollipop is sweet.

The point is that there are two things that we want when we eat food.On the one hand we need it to build us up and to make us strong, buton the other we want it to taste nice. Now Jesus is the bread of life, andthis bread does both these things for us.

a. We eat bread and other foods like it because they build us up andgive us strength. We want their benefit for the future. Our faith inJesus gives us life that goes on for ever. Just as if we never get realfood we will eventually die, so if we never get faith in Him, we willdie, but this time for eternity.


b. Faith in Jesus is not just something that prepares us for the future.We like our foods to taste nice in the present. Indeed God helps usright now; He makes our lives sweet immediately. Indeed if every-one actually lived in the way that Jesus wants us to, life would bemuch sweeter; there would be no crime, all would care for oneanother. Life would be so much better!

Of course whether our food is aimed at tasting nice in the present, or atbuilding us up for the future, what we have to do is actually to eat it! Itdoes no good if it stays on my plate or in my pocket, but only when Icommit myself to it and eat it. Jesus will do us, and society, no gooduntil we are really committed to Him and make Him a real part of ourlives.

179

90. MAGIC (RUBIK) CUBE

Visual aid: Rubik cube (there are a number of possible alternativesavailable.) It is an advantage to have two, one completed, one disor-derly. If possible, the book which gives the method for putting thecube right.

READING: 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 or Romans 6:5–11 or 1 John 1:8–2:2.

The frustrating thing about a Rubik cube is that if it is done, it is veryeasy, and only takes a couple of moves, to reduce it to complete disor-der. But if the cube is disorderly, it is very difficult to put it right.Indeed some people have tried for days, even weeks, and have failed todo it. There is a book, a set of instructions which have to be followedexactly, and this will put the cube right, but even this process is quitelengthy and tedious.

The cube illustrates a principle that goes right through life (it is called“entropy”). Things move easily towards disorder and chaos, but it isvery hard to give order. Actually the cube could, just possibly, be doneby chance, but in life there is no solution. Buildings tend to fall down,never put themselves up. Gardens get weedy, never tidy. Vehicles rustand deteriorate.

Spiritually the same is true. It is very easy to fall into sin, and once thathas happened, it is very hard to get out again. Even worse, although wecan get the cube quite correct once again, we can never put ourselvesback to how we were before we sinned.


So what do we do if we sin (move one portion of the cube)? The bestthing to do is to put it right quickly before another false move makes itdifficult. Mistakes can be put right, if they are dealt with quickly beforethey accumulate. If we slip up and sin, it is wise to confess at once andseek God’s forgiveness so that we do not deteriorate quickly and getinto deep trouble.

But what do we do if we have got the cube in a muddle? We can gethelp from the book to help us put the cube right; we just need to fol-low its instructions exactly, even if they seem strange. And for sin, Godhas also given us a book, the Bible, which tells us what to do to besaved. It will help us to lead a life which is right.

My son has a cube which is very easy to do. One of the panels is loose,and can be removed, and then the whole cube can be easily taken apart,and put back together in the right way. This is what God does with us.He does not go through a long process of putting us right, but He rec-reates us, and gives us new life in Christ.

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91. MAGNIFYING GLASS

Visual aid: Magnifying glass. (Mine has a light in it, which makes anextra point to the talk, but this is not essential.)

READING: 2 Timothy 3:14–17 or Psalm 119 (many of its sectionsare suitable, especially v9–16 or v97–104).

When we want to look at something closely, or perhaps to read verysmall print, a magnifying glass is very useful. It does not change whatwe are looking at, but does alter the way in which we see it. The Chris-tian faith, and especially the Bible, is similar; it helps us understand, or“to see” more clearly. For example most people know the things thatare wrong, and perhaps can give reasons why they are wrong, but asChristians we can see clearly why they are wrong; it is because God hasmade us, and so what He wants is right. [Examples could be givenhere, such as premarital sex, divorce etc.]

[(If the magnifying glass has a light) Also the Holy Spirit helps us tounderstand further. He “illuminates” what we read.]

But the magnifying glass affects us in other ways.

a. When we look at something with the magnifying glass, it makeswhat we are looking at bigger, but there will be some things thatwe just do not see at all. The things that are under the area towardsthe edge of the glass will be lost; we just cannot see them. Likewiseour faith enriches our lives dramatically, but it causes some thingsat the edge of our lives to disappear. Wrong things must go.


b. We do not use a magnifying glass when we want an overall view ofthings around us. When we use a magnifying glass, we must con-centrate, so look at one thing at a time. In the same way whendealing with our lives it is advisable always to deal with one thing,or aspect at once, and not try to correct everything all at one time.

c. The magnifying glass can be used in other ways as well, such as forlighting fires. The Bible also can be used in other ways, some good,but others not. It is not meant to be a prop for a table, and not atalisman to take an oath, although even there it may remind us ofGod. Its main purpose is to be read.

My magnifying glass was given to me 35 years ago, but I have hardlyever used it in that time. I wonder how many Bibles are like that;hardly ever used? Or is your Bible like mine; nearly worn out?

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92. MAP

Visual aid: Map. A Street map or route map is preferable.

READING: John 14:1–6 or 1 Thessalonians 3:11–13.

Suppose we are suddenly told that we have to leave where we are, andset out for a new place. We have never made the journey before, andthere is nobody that we can ask. It does not help to be told the name ofthe place, it does not even help too much if we are sent in the rightdirection! It is a hopeless situation, unless you have a map [show it].That is the situation that everyone is in. We must leave this life sooneror later, so we will be on a journey. In fact we are all on a journeyalready, so the most valuable thing that we can have is a map of theway. We all want heaven, so we need to know the way.

A map does several things for us:

a. It enables us to find the way entirely by ourselves. On the journeyof life we are essentially alone. Nobody else can make the decisionsand act for us. Our decision for Jesus is a personal matter. We doneed to be able to read the map, at least to some extent, so we doneed some help. Here the Bible shows us the way, and of coursethe Holy Spirit other Christians are a great help in understandingit, but ultimately the responsibility is still ours.

b. A map shows the variety of possibilities of getting between twoplaces. Very often we look down on people whose experience is notquite the same as ours, perhaps in a different denomination, buttheir route may be quite legitimate. (This is not a reference to the


validity of different religions, as Christ is the only way, but of dif-ference in details.)

c. A map does not show us exactly what it is like on the way. It doesnot show us what the trees or hills are like, or the various views,but does provide essential information. God’s guidance also doesnot give us all that we want to know, but all that we need to know.

What is the map that we need? Christ is the way. He leads us by Hisword in the Bible and by the Spirit so that we will be led clearlythrough life. Without these we are lost. A map is something that hasbeen drawn by other people who have been to the place, so we areguided by Christ and other people especially those who wrote the Biblefor us. We are following where other people have already gone.

Remember, a map is no use at all unless we obey it. It is certainly nouse thinking that we know best.

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93. MATCH

Visual aid: A match. (It is better to have a matchbox as well so that it isclear what such a small object is.)

READING: 1 John 1:1–4 or 1 Corinthians 15:12–19 or John 20:26–31

Ask the audience what the object being held up is. Then ask what it isfor. Now it seems very unlikely that a piece of wood can produce fire,so ask how it is known that the match can produce fire.

This is only known by one of two ways:

a. We have been told that matches burst into flame, probably by oth-ers who have experienced this.

b. The best way is that we ourselves have seen matches burst intoflame.

We really only know because other matches the same have also burstinto flame. The question is however, will this particular match alsoburst into flame?

There is only one way of being really sure about this match. Try it![Strike the match.] But of course that is a definite commitment; once ithas been tried, there is no going back.

Now the same is true of receiving new life as a Christian. It seems veryunlikely that it is possible. Yet:


a. We are told that it is possible, probably by others who have seen ithappen.

b. We know others who are also Christians.

But the only way we can be really sure that it is a reality and not just anidea is to try it! But that is a definite commitment. There is no goingback after that.

Once the match has ignited what can be done with it? It can be used tostart other fires! But of course for it to do this, it must certainly bealight itself. If we are Christians and have new life, we can tell othersabout it, but we cannot really do it unless we have experienced new lifeourselves.

To strike a match, two things must happen. There must be movement,and that movement involves the head. When a person becomes aChristian, it must start with the head, as the Gospel must be heard, butit also involves action in repentance. However, even if the fire startswith the head and must involve action, the power that gives the flameis not in that motion but in the chemicals of the head. In the same way,the power of salvation is not in what a person does, but in God hasalready provided for us.

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94. MICROPHONE

Visual aid: A microphone. An electic plug can also help.

READING: Ephesians 2:13–18.

The microphone must be one of the greatest wonders of the modernage. It has enabled music to be recorded, communication by radio andtelephone, and voices to be amplified in churches and other places.Without them, much communication just would not be possible.Without prayer as well, we would not be able to communicate withGod. In a way, that is an even bigger miracle, for by it we can be heardby the creator of the universe!

A microphone can be used by anybody, no matter what language theywant to speak. It can be used at any time, day or night. Prayer is likethat as well. And when we use prayer, there is no need to shout or raiseour voices, the quietest whisper can be picked up and heard. Of coursewhat we do need to do is to open our mouths and actually speak! Howmany people know about the possibility of prayer, yet never use it?

Having a microphone is all very well, but just having it by itself is use-less. It must be connected to an amplifier, otherwise no matter what wesay into the microphone, it will not get any further. The rest of theequipment just has to be there. That is what Jesus has done for us. Bydying on the cross for us, He provided the means by which we cancommunicate with God. Without Him, there is no possibility ofprayer. And if the amplifier is not turned on, there will be exactly thesame result. It was no good for Jesus to have died for us on the cross toprovide the means for us to talk to God if we have never accepted this


for ourselves. God only provides power to those who have really giventheir lives to Him.

Even if we take the microphone apart, we cannot really see how itworks. But even if we cannot understand it, the fact is that the micro-phone does work; we do not need to understand first. It is also hard tosee how speaking in prayer is heard by our Father who we cannot see.Again we can accept it in faith. Of course, once we have seen for our-selves that it works, or perhaps we have heard others tell how prayerhas worked for them, then we can have more confidence in praying forourselves.

Have you ever noticed when a microphone is set up, it is always tested,usually by tapping it on the end? Only then does the speaker or singerhave confidence that all is in order. Unless of course the microphonehas just been used, because then the next person does not need to test itagain. Exactly the same is true of prayer; it is much easier to trust it andso pray, when we are with a group of people who are already praying.

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95. MÖBIUS STRIP

Visual aid: Piece of wood, large seed (such as an acorn), möbius strip (astrip of paper with its ends glued together to form a loop, but with ahalf twist). A second strip of paper, scissors and sellotape or glue.

READING: Genesis 1:1–5 or Psalm 93:1–2 or 103:15–19 or 1 Timo-thy 6:14–16.

Everything has to have a beginning. [Ask the audience where the woodcame from, then where the tree came from, then where the seed camefrom.] Ultimately things can only exist because there is a God who cre-ated the world at the beginning. [For some groups it must be pointedout that to say things evolved does not help, for we still have to havethe question of where the original matter came from.] Now some peo-ple have a problem at this point; if all comes from something else, whomade God?

[Show the möbius strip.] Now it is quite possible for some things tohave no beginning and no end. [Show that the strip is continuous, andin fact has only one edge and one side.] God is like this, He is eternal.A little reflection shows that the world cannot be like that; it is chang-ing, things get used up, wear out and so on. We, and the world, aretemporary, have a beginning and an end, but God alone is eternal.

That may be depressing, but what God can do for us is to change us.Naturally, we are like a strip of paper [show the second strip, with abeginning and end, but if we put God at the end of our life as He wasat the beginning, that is, aim to please God in all that we do, then wetoo shall have eternal life. This means that we must repent. [turn (the


meaning of “repent”) the paper so that it has a bend, and put thebeginning to the end] Note that by doing this, the Christian in a waybecomes like God; through their faith, Christians are adopted as chil-dren of God.

Any strip of paper can be used; anyone can be a Christian. But there isone problem [cut a piece off the paper]. If the paper is shorter, it is nowharder to make the möbius strip, but still possible. It will be smaller,but that does not matter, as it will still be endless. But if the paper isshortened too much [cut off some more], eventually it becomes impos-sible to fasten the ends together. It is too late! This piece of paper cannow never become endless. We need to become Christian while we dostill have the opportunity, as eventually it will become too late, and wewill have lost the chance.

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96. MOTOR CAR PART (1)

Visual aid: Small piece of motor car that is essential for it to go. (I usedan oil seal; such parts as a spark plug or points can well be used.)

READING: 1 John 1:7–2:2 or James 3:1–5

Hold up the part and ask if anyone knows what it is. It is quite likelythat very few will know, in which case it would need to be brieflyexplained what the part is and what it is for. Many parts are never seenexcept by mechanics, but if they are not correct, the car just will not goat all. It may be a very small thing, it may be never or rarely seen, but ithas a great deal of effect. It must be working before the vehicle is ser-viceable.

The same is true with sin in our lives. It may seem to be a very smallthing, so much as to matter hardly at all. It may well be a hidden thing,only known about by ourselves and of course by God. But whether it isvery small, or very hidden, it does what a defective motor part does to acar, it makes us as unserviceable and unable to make progress in ourspiritual lives.

Suppose the part wears out or breaks. Some parts do not prevent thecar from being used, but it will almost certainly go badly, and quitepossibly only for a short time, and probably it will then also cause otherdamage. Some faults, such as in the brakes, are very dangerous. Itbecomes a priority to put them right so that the vehicle can be usedagain. The mechanic has to find out where the fault is and fix it. For usalso it should be a priority when something goes wrong to confess itand put it right.


How do we find out what is wrong? If we know nothing about cars, wewill just know that there is a problem. Mechanics however do haveways of finding out what is wrong, and tests that they can do. We toocan test our lives against God’s law.

One good method of finding the fault is to compare the car with onethat is working. We too can compare our lives with that of a matureChristian. Paul says that we should imitate him.

One thing that is certain is that it will require a bit of work, and proba-bly some time and money, to find out what the real problem is, butonce that is known, a sensible person will fix it as quickly as possible.Similarly, a sensible Christian deals with sin as soon as possible.

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97. MOTOR CAR PART (2)

Visual aid: Three small car parts. One should be essential, one moder-ately so, and one not really necessary. (I used a spark plug, radiator capand ashtray, because all are easily obtainable or removable and easilyrecognizable.) All should be about the same value.

READING: 1 John 2:22–25 or 1 John 4:1–6 or Galatians 4:8–11.

Hold up the three pieces of car and ask if they are all equally impor-tant. [It will probably be necessary to explain what they all are.] Nowask which is the nicest or cleanest (probably the best is the ashtray).Then ask which of the three is the most important, seeing that they allcost about the same amount.

Probably the spark plug should be seen as the most important becausethe car will not go at all if it is broken or missing. The radiator cap ismoderately important because the car will go for a while without it,but would break if the car drove too far without it and without atten-tion. The ashtray is unimportant for the running of the car.

The same is true about what Christians believe:

a. Some things are vital, and if they are not believed by a person, thatperson is no Christian. For example every Christian must believethat Jesus is really the Son of God.

b. Some things are also important but are not essential. Often Chris-tians disagree on these because the Bible is not clear. Examples arewhether children or adults should be baptized, or whether aChurch should have bishops. Just because it is possible to differ on


some things does not mean that it is right to differ on everything.There is a minimum for the car to go, and a minimum of belief isnecessary. However, Jesus does want us to be united, so it wouldbe better to agree if at all possible.

c. Other things are not very important at all, but even these need tobe considered from time to time. An example of this is what timethe Church should meet, and how often.

The thing that is absolutely essential for the car is a constant supply ofpetrol. We too need to receive from God regularly if we are to functionwell as Christians.

The car also needs a driver to control its direction! We too need to beled by Christ if we are to really do what He wants.

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98. MOTOR CAR REPAIRS

Visual aid: Spanner or similar tool. Workshop manual for car. Bible.

READING: Genesis 1:26–28 or Colossians 3:5–10.

Sometimes I need to do motor car repairs [show spanner]. I also have adog which likes to be there with me! Can the dog mend the car? Whynot? What is the main problem with repairing a car? Having the tools?No. I can let the dog have the tools. (Actually a while ago my dog stolea screwdriver.) Is the problem having the strength? No. My dog is cer-tainly strong!

The dog has two problems which stop it from mending the car:

a. It is not equipped to use the tools. It is differently made, so cannotuse the tools. The car was made by people to be used by peopleand to be fixed by people.

We are not dogs! We do not eat what dogs eat, or walk on fourlegs, or do many of the things that dogs do. So we should notbehave like dogs. We are not the same as the animals so should notlive the same as them. And yet people often live like dogs in manyways. Dogs push in front of others, such as when they see food.Dogs steal if they get a chance. One dog will mate with any num-ber of bitches, and vice versa, with no ill effects. But we have ourown set of rules (the Bible) which says that we should respect oth-ers, that we should not steal, that there should be one man for onewoman. If we transgress this, we will suffer, such as from venerealdisease or AIDS.


We are made in the image of God, and should live in the way thatHe wants.

b. The dog does not know what to do. One of the big problems infixing cars is simply knowing what to do. Does the dog even knowwhat the engine is, let alone know how to fix it? So it is essential tohave detailed instructions for the specific car that is being workedon. I will do damage if I neglect the rules for a car. It is no goodfollowing the instructions for one sort of car when working onanother. (Here nearly everyone will know the engine of a VW bee-tle is at the back whereas for most other cars it is at the front.) Nowthe dog is just not able to follow the rules for the car, but we are.

Now the same is true for us in life. We are given a set of rules byGod to follow, and if we do so we will live well. We have our ownset of instructions (the Bible). The dog does not obey them, andcannot be blamed for that, but we can, and if we do not we areguilty.

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99. MOTOR FAULT

Visual aid: A selection of car parts such as a clutch plate, a rear viewmirror, or door handle. Bicycle parts could also be used.

READING: Matthew 23:23–26 or Ephesians 2:8–10.

Suppose one day you want to use the car (or bicycle etc) and it does notgo. A part is broken or worn out. What should be done? Does it do anygood to adjust the mirror? Does it do any good to take off the doorhandle? Does it do any good to polish the car? Obviously not, theproblem must be fixed before the car will go.

It even does no good at all to find out how to fix it, or to study theworkings of the car. This is only of value if the job is then actuallydone. And that requires a bit of effort! Remember that to fix us took alot of effort by Jesus in His coming to the world and dying for us. Itshould be no surprise if the Christian life also takes a lot of effort, butJesus is ready to help us.

Now this does not mean that it is of no value to adjust the mirror or fixother parts, but doing this is really useless unless the car will go. Theyare good things to do but only if the car goes. The priority must be thatthe car functions. If the car is not fixed, then doing all these things isreally a waste of time. It is effort that is really wasted. Why spend allthat time on something that will just be thrown away? How many peo-ple paint cars that are nearly worn out?

They will improve the car, make it beautiful and attractive. It will bemore pleasant, and will make the world a nicer place, but this is stilluseless if the car does not go, as very few people will appreciate it.


Once it goes, then they are worth doing. The ideal is that the car isrestored to what it was like when it was new, before it was damaged bywear and all the things that happen day by day.

People do the same thing with their lives. They do good deeds [showmirror], go to church [door handle], and do a lot of things which arevery good, but if they do not attend to the real problem they are reallywasting their time. The real problem is one of sin, and this can only bedealt with in one way, by repentance and faith. What needs to be doneis to be born again, to be restored to what a person was like beforebeing damaged by the world and sin.

It even does no good at all to learn about God, unless what is learnt isput into practice. Once a person is converted, then that knowledge isof value.

Thereafter the other good works are of value. They will make the worldbeautiful and attractive, and a nicer place to live in. The world willwork better.

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100. MOUSETRAP (1)

Visual aid: Mousetrap.

READING: Romans 6:23 or 1 Corinthians 10:13

Mice are nice little creatures, but if they get into our houses they cando a lot of damage, eating and spoiling food, and causing damage bygnawing things. It would be all right if they kept a few simple rules, butwe may try to talk to them, but they just do not listen. And so we findourselves having to get rid of them. That is the same with us; God hasa number of simple rules, but so often people just do not listen!

One way that people use to try to get rid of mice is a trap. It has to beset, and baited with something that mice like very much. Then the trapis put somewhere where the mice go, and they will quickly gettempted. We too often get tempted, and God does allow these tempta-tions, noy only for our good, but also so that the world will get better.

Now if the mice never go near the trap, they will not get tempted!Then they will not fall into temptation and get caught. The same istrue of us; if we stay away from places where we know we will gettempted, we are far less likely to fall into sin.

If the mouse does come, it smells the bait, and is tempted. Maybe it isscared at first and runs away, then it has no problem. But if it yields totemptation, it may get a bit of the bait, but will almost certainly becaught and killed. Maybe it even waited a long time before comingback, but once it did yield, it was caught. It was not the temptationthat got it, but giving in to it. It was not forced to take the bait, butonce it did, it was caught. And, of course, just once was enough!


Just as for the mouse, the result of our yielding to temptation, and fall-ing into sin is death. For the mouse it is quick, for us probably a longtime, but just as certain.

Of course, the mouse does not know that taking the bait will be fatal; itis not immediately obvious to it. If it was, it may well have stayed away,and would still be alive. People also do not believe that sin that sinleads to death; it is not immediately obvious. But just as for the mouse,not believing does not change the situation; sin still leads to death.

For the mouse, the only safety is when the trap has been set off; it can-not kill any more. If we do fall into sin, we can be forgiven becauseJesus has taken the punishment of our sin for us. Far, far better, how-ever, is to keep right away from temptation as much as we possibly can!And if we ask Him, the Holy Spirit will help us do that as well.

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101. MOUSETRAP (2)

Visual aid: Mousetrap of a non-lethal type.

READING: Romans 5:6–11

One of the things that we really do not like doing is getting rid of pestslike mice. They are cute and furry! We do not so much mind killingcockroaches or ants, but mice seem different; we like them and wantthem to live. The problem is that they do damage, and really cannot beallowed to continue.

God has the same problem with us. He really hates the things that wedo wrong, but loves us. He only destroys us if there is really no alterna-tive.

When it comes to mice, there are a number of possibilities of gettingrid of them apart from the normal sort of trap. Some of them just catchthe mouse, then keep it until we come back to the trap.

When the mouse it tempted by the bait, it finds that it cannot get outagain; it is caught! That is often what happens to us when we fall intotemptation; once we have sinned, we find it almost totally impossibleto get free. Actually the mouse enjoys being caught for a while, becauseit still has the bait. The same it true for us, because we do enjoy sin fora while. But after a time, it no longer is so enjoyable, and being free ismuch more attractive.

But the mouse just has to wait, because it is totally dependent on uscoming back to let it go. We are not able to get out of sin ourselves, butrely on God’s grace to help us.


The whole point of this sort of trap is that it does not kill the mouse,but nobody is just going to let it go again; it will just return to doingdamage, and it probably will not allow itself to get caught a secondtime. Rather we take the trap and the mouse a long way away and let itgo somewhere where it cannot do any damage. If we want God torelease us from sin, it really involves repentance, a commitment not tofall into sin again. Otherwise, why should God just let us go?

One of the problems of this sort of trap is that the mice quickly learn,and then stop being caught. Even if the bait is really nice, they justavoid it. The problem is that people are not as clever as mice! Evenwhen people are told over and over again about the dangers of sin,somehow they still seem to fall into it over and over again.

Then if that sort of trap no longer works, we use a different sort. Peo-ple should not be surprised if God does the same, and deals with us ina more severe way. He does love us, but will not allow just to keep ondoing sin and spoiling the world forever.

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102. NAIL (1)

Visual aid: Nail, preferably large; a selection of other fasteners such aspaper clips, staples, sellotape, glue. Pieces of wood, paper, steel asrequired. Nut and bolt.

READING: John 15:12–17 or Luke 23:35–41 or Romans 6:15–19

Ask the audience what they would use to fasten for example, two piecesof paper together. There will be a number of possible replies, such aspaperclips [show paperclips]. They will work, but even a small force isenough to pull them apart. We can never be absolutely confident inthem.

Then ask what could be used for a different job, such as two pieces ofmetal. [It is best if the objects to be fastened are shown.] Would thepaperclips be able to hold them? This is unlikely, as it takes only asmall force to pull them apart. A nut and bolt is better [show it]. Butwhatever is used can actually be broken, if enough force is used. Noth-ing is absolutely secure.

Now sin is something that holds people, but it too can be broken, butonly by a strong force. The power of God is able to break sin, as it didat the cross of Christ.

Death as well is a strong force, but it too can be overcome, by a greaterpower, as happened when Jesus rose from the dead in the resurrection.

Then ask what was used to fasten Jesus to the Cross. The answer willbe “nails” [show the nail]. Now ask if nails can really hold the Son ofGod to the cross. Even at the time the priests realized that if Jesus was


really the Son of God, He could come down from the cross. So whatreally held Jesus to the cross was not the nails, or any other possible fas-tening, but it was love. Not of course the love of suffering; Jesus didnot want the pain; but love for us. The love of God is the strongest fas-tening of all and absolutely cannot be broken. It was only this that heldJesus securely to the cross.

But on the other hand, if the love of God is able to hold Jesus to thecross, nothing whatsoever will be able to separate us from Him. Wecan be absolutely confident.

Now Jesus wants us to be obedient to Him, not because we are forcedto do so, like two things which are forced to stay together [show a pairfastened]. What He wants is that we are held by the strongest force ofall. God wants us to serve Him out of love and thanks for what he hasdone for us.

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103. NAIL (2)

Visual aid: A selection of different size nails.

READING: Acts 17:24–27 or Romans 2:4–11.

Nails come in lots of different sizes, and to some extent differentshapes, but they all have one purpose, which is to fasten two thingstogether. They fulfil that purpose by the work of the carpenter.

People too are all different, with various lengths and shapes, but allpeople have one purpose, which is to glorify God. God made us forHis glory. And like nails, we fulfil that purpose at the hands of the Car-penter. God made us so that we shall have eternal life, which we receivethrough Christ.

But if nails are not used, it is not long before they deteriorate and rust.The longer that they are left, the more likely they are to deteriorate.Eventually they become useless for what they were intended and willonly get thrown out. Far better if they are used when they are new.Likewise we too, if we do not fulfil the purpose for which God madeus, will become less and less able to do so, and will eventually find our-selves unable to fulfil that purpose and will be rejected by God in thefinal judgement.

But nails will not deteriorate if they are kept properly. If they are keptdry, and with a little oil, there will be no problem. It is only if they getwet that they will spoil quickly. I do not buy just enough nails for ajob, but I like to keep a few so that if I suddenly want one it is avail-able. I will not waste them, but keep them for the right job. In thesame way, God sometimes does not give us a job to do immediately,


but may want us to wait. In this case, what we have to do is to bepatient, and also to keep ourselves free from any sin which will make usdeteriorate.

Incidentally, even when they are being used, nails can still deteriorate,and then will suddenly fail. However this is perhaps less likely than ifthey are doing nothing as they are protected by the wood and thepaint. If Christians are working for God, they are perhaps less likely tofall into sin, but it can still happen.

The basic difference between nails and people is simple. Nails do notrefuse to fulfil their purpose. They may bend and buckle and go in thewrong way, but they do not refuse. People on the other hand do refuse,and refuse frequently, which is a tragedy. They so often disobey, andfind themselves in the wrong place.

However, if a nail is in the wrong place, it can be taken out and put inthe right one. But it is not so likely to do a good job. Far better to be inthe right place the first time!

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104. NAILS AND HAMMER

Visual aid: Nails of different sizes (one should be big, preferably rusty),hammer.

READING: 1 Peter 2:21–25 or John 19:23–30 or 2 Corinthians5:17–21 or Hebrews 12:2–4.

There is nothing wrong with working with hands; it is a very goodthing. Indeed Jesus worked with his hands as a carpenter. [Here thegroup can be asked to list the sort of things that a carpenter uses; theywill soon suggest nails and hammers.] Now in many carpentry jobs it isnecessary to have someone to help. Jesus came to help us, and we tooshould be willing to help others. [At this point a volunteer should becalled for to help with the talk.]

For some jobs a one inch nail is quite adequate, but it cannot fastenanything very big. For bigger jobs, bigger nails are needed, but for thejob I have in mind a really big nail is necessary. For this job a little bitof rust on the nail does not matter. [The volunteer should be asked toput a hand flat on a board, and then the speaker makes as if to drive thenail into it. The victim will no doubt snatch the hand away.] For a bigjob like nailing a hand to wood a big nail is needed, but the volunteer isnot prepared to help! Obviously the pain will certainly be quite a lot!

Now this is exactly what Jesus was willing to undergo for us. Heallowed nails to be driven into His hands and feet. He suffered the painof scourging and thirst and all that crucifixion entailed. A nail is usedto stop something from moving, to take away its freedom. Jesusallowed them to take away His freedom, so that we could be really free


ourselves. In particular, He suffered the cost of exclusion from thepresence of His Father, and did it all for us.

Just as a volunteer was necessary for this demonstration, someone tohelp, so we cannot get to heaven by ourselves. We need God’s help. Infact there is nothing that we can or need to do; He has done it all for usalready.

Also, he died in our place, so that if we reject Him as our saviour, wehave to bear our own punishment, so it would be as if nails were driveninto us, we suffer as He did. Clearly we do not want that, so we shouldaccept what He has done for us.

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105. NUMBER PLATES

Visual aid: Number plates from cars. [Note: in South Africa the regis-tration number identifies the province of registration eg EC is EasternCape, GP is Gauteng. Alternatively the disc denoting the country oforigin may be used, or cardboard replicas made.]

READING: Romans 8:5–8 or John 1:5–9 or Galatians 5:22–26.

The number plates are shown to the audience who are asked torespond by identifying where the cars come from. When the carschange their country or province they have to change the plate thatthey wear, so that they display where they belong.

In the same way it is possible to see where a person really belongs by hisphysical appearance or the way in which he dresses.

Now every person is naturally “registered” here on earth because webelong to the human race, but when we are converted we belong toheaven. Now it is possible to change the place where our car belongswithout changing the number plates, but that is illegal; and it is possi-ble to say that we accept Christ without any change in us, but thatwould not really be a genuine change. We should show that we reallybelong to heaven and we do this not by wearing a number plate, or bywearing a badge, or different clothes (such as a “dog-collar”); we could,but that is not a real change. Do we show it by a big grin? That is bet-ter—unless it is not real! We show it by the way in which we live. Weshould love one another, exhibit the peace and joy that comes with sal-vation. In that way all will know where we really belong.


Notice that cars have their number plates on at the front and at theback. Our faith should affect the way in which we intend to live ourlives, and where we are going to. It should also be clear in the thingsthat we have done in the past.

Modern number plates are also made out of a special material whichenables them to reflect the light of other cars, so that they show up wellat night. We too should reflect the light of Christ in the way that welive. We do not shine in ourselves, but by Him.

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106. NUTS AND BOLT

Visual aid: Bolt and several nuts to fit it. These should be as large aspossible. One of my children has a large plastic set which is excellentfor this talk. An alternative is to use screw-top jars.

READING: John 10:27–30 or 2 Timothy 2:3–6 or Mark 1:14–15.

There are many ways of fastening things together, such as glue, nails,and so on. When a lot of strength is needed as in cars or othermachines, then something with a thread, such as nuts and bolts areusually needed. If we are to live forever, we need to be fastened securelyto God.

The stem of the bolt has a thread on the outside, while the inside of thenut has a thread to match. The bolt and nut are made to fit each other.Each is of limited use without the other. We are made to be with Godand so be saved, to have eternal life. God has made us, like a bolt witha thread, to “fit” into heaven. Heaven will not be fully heaven if you arenot there, and you will be wasting the life that God created for you ifyou do not get there.

The nut and bolt are not made together but separately. They then haveto be fitted on to each other. We are not naturally saved but need to besaved. (Just as in a school the pupils do not naturally get educated!)

But the bolt and nut have to fit in a particular way. The nut cannotsimply be pushed onto the bolt. [Try to push it, and show that it willnot go on.] It has to turn, so that the threads engage [demonstrate].Likewise people have to turn, or repent, before they can be saved. Faithby itself is not enough.


If the nut is in the wrong place, it will not fit, no matter how muchturning is done. [Hold the nut away from the bolt and turn it.] A per-son can only be saved in the right “place”, that is through Christ.Repentance alone is not enough. Just as to put a nut on a bolt it has toboth be in the right place and to turn, so both faith in Christ andrepentance are needed for salvation.

Every nut has to get on the bolt in exactly the same way. There is noexception at all. [Here my plastic nuts are of different colours, and Ican point out that colour, or race is irrelevant.]

Lastly, once the nuts are on the bolt, they cannot be just pulled off.Once people are saved, they are held by Christ. [N.B. Christians differas to whether people can be lost again once they have been saved.]

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107. OLD AND NEW COIN

Visual aid: A small coin. I used an old coin and the new one whichreplaced it when the currency was changed.

READING: Romans 5:6–11.

A coin is a very small thing, and not very valuable. Nevertheless if I seeone lying on the ground [drop it on the ground], I will always stop,bend down and pick it up. I do not mind that it may be dirty, or bent,or damaged in some other way; it is still a coin, it has some value to meand so is worth bending down to pick it up. That is the same with us;we have each one fallen, but into sin, and so in God’s sight we must bevery unpleasant, but nevertheless we still have value in His sight. Heloves us so much that He sent His Son to pick us up.

One coin by itself is really not very valuable. It cannot buy very muchat all. So why do I keep it? It is because if I put it with some others,then together they are valuable enough to buy something that I want.God does not want us to be alone, but to be with other Christians in achurch. Together Christians are much more valuable and effective thanChristians who remain alone.

The old and new coins are different sizes, thicknesses, weights, colours,but they are all worth exactly the same amount. People are all differentin height, weight, colour and so on, but in God’s sight they are allabsolutely equal. Christ died for each one equally.

One other thing that is different about the coins is their ages. One isold but another is new; this makes no difference at all, they are still ofthe same value. A person may have been a Christian for over twenty


years, but is still of the same value as someone who has only just beensaved.

Who does the coin belong to? Not really to me; it does not have myname written on it, but the name of the country. It is only valuablehere, not in another country. In particular, I cannot keep it with mewhen I die. All I really have is the use of it for a while. It belongs to thecountry, so that the country as a whole will function better. If therewas no money, things in the country would be difficult. In the sameway everything that we own is not really ours, for our exclusive use, butis to help us and those who are round about us. We do have a duty todevelop ourselves and our talents, but not so that we will get rich, butfor the good of all.

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108. PAGES OF A BOOK (1)(This can be used after “Banknotes”)

Visual aid: An old book. This gives more impact than a magazine,although such could be used. I used an old “Reader’s Digest”.

READING: Matthew 10:29–33 or Hebrews 10:23–25

A piece of paper may be valuable all by itself such as a letter or a ban-knote, but most pieces of paper are valuable in conjunction with oth-ers, such as a book. [In a school situation it can be pointed out thatbooks are essential to education and used every day.] In some ways,people are similar to pages in a book. The latter are basically similar,insofar as they are all the same shape, all the same thickness, and allhave printing on both sides. Likewise people are similar. They haveheads at the top, feet at the bottom, are all much the same size (com-pared to ants or elephants).

To belong in the book, the page must be the same as all the others. Itmust not be a different size [use a larger sheet of paper]. So when Jesuswanted to help us, and die for us, He wanted to belong to us, sobecame exactly one of us; He was a real person. We cannot be saved bya dog or a chicken, but by a real human being.

But the value of the pages of a book is that they are different. God lovesvariety; that is why He has made each one of us different. No twoleaves are the same, no two snowflakes. He made us with differentheights, different weights, different colours; it is more interesting likethat!


[Here a page of the book is torn out.] Without one of its pages, thebook is very damaged. To be useful it must be complete. We some-times feel insignificant, too small, lost among so many others to bereally valuable, and yet, like the page of a book, we are vital. The infor-mation that each gives is not the same as that of its neighbours, so eachone is needed. God cares for each one of us as individuals, we are allvital to Him.

Because we are different from each other, we cannot save one another.(In any case we could not because we are all sinners.) But Jesus can,because He is sinless; and because He is God, He can save each one ofus. If only one of us had sinned, Jesus would still have died to save us.

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109. PAGES OF A BOOK (2)

Visual aid: An old book; single page, preferably from the book.

READING: Hebrews 10:23–25 or Ephesians 4:11–13 or 1 Corin-thians 12:14–26

A page from a book is valuable thing even by itself. It contains goodinformation. Are we giving good information about God to thoseround about us? What is most valuable however is the collection ofindividual pages, all different in their right places in the book as awhole.

Now one page out of the book is a flimsy thing (the page can be bentor folded); it can easily be damaged such as by being torn. However allthe pages together are strong. The book cannot be bent or torn becauseall the pages support each other. We belong in the Church which thenis able to care for us and protect us. Once we are out of the group, weare easily led astray, tempted and damaged.

But the strength of the book is not simply in numbers, the fact that alot of pages are together—a book with 1000 identical pages would beno book—but the fact that each page supplements the others and pro-vides what the others lack. We can only do so much ourselves! Whenwe sing, it is not so good if everyone sings exactly the same tune but agreat effect is achieved when we complement each other by harmony.

No single page in the book is too full, but excess matter goes onto thenext page. The book does not contain some pages with too muchmaterial, and others with none, but it is shared out. Are we sharing theburdens of others in the Church?


Therefore it is important that we do all participate in the Church. Notonly are the meetings better because there are more of us for singing,but we can support each other in our prayers. There is a real value inunited prayer. Most importantly, in the Church we complement eachother, so that the lacks in one person are adequately made up for in thegifts of another.

That means that if one person is missing there will be a lack and thewhole Church will be spoilt; each one of us needs to pay our full part.Moreover we need to live for God with our whole lives; if part of that ismissing to God, we will be incomplete, and the church will be incom-plete. The Church is not just a group of individuals, like a pile ofpaper, but interrelated individuals, as the pages of a book.

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110. PAINT

Visual aid: Paintbrush, possibly a paint tin.

READING: 2 Corinthians 5:17–21.

We all have a great number of possessions, which we have to make ourlives easier and more comfortable; sometimes we need them just to liveat all. But one we have possessions, it is sensible to look after them,otherwise we will not have them for very long!

One of the ways that we look after some of our possessions is to paintthem. We do this for two reasons; to make them beautiful, and to pro-tect them. People often do good deeds for the very same reasons:

a. They think that their good deeds will protect them, by earningthem salvation for the life to come. But paint, although it doesprotect to some extent, does not protect fully. If something gets abig bang, or a deep scratch, the paint layer is broken, and damageoccurs. In any case, after a time the paint wears off, and again theprotection is lost.

The only way of protecting totally is if the protection is not onlyon the surface, but goes right the way through. Something made ofaluminium will not rust like something made of steel.

That is how Jesus protects us, by changing us right the waythrough! If we are Christians, we are a new creation.

b. People also do good deeds because they feel that they will makethem beautiful, and indeed we are must better if we do good deeds.But it is no good putting a beautiful layer of paint on a surface if


that is not good; after a while the paint is just going to come offand it will look even worse than before. The surface has to be pre-pared; once again, there has to be real change!

Another thing about paint is that eventually it discolours, andneeds to be done again. We have to keep on doing good deeds. Weneed a change that is eternal, and that is what God does for us.

God is concerned with what we are like on the outside, but it is muchmore important that we are right on the inside. Once that is right, thenthe outside is worth attending to.

If we do paint something, the paint takes a while to dry, and until thenit is very easily damaged. We have to take special care of it. It is thesame with us, for we need God’s care day by day, and perhaps particu-larly if we are new Christians, before we can do what pleases Him.

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111. PAINTBRUSH

Visual aid: Paint brush and paint tin

READING: Matthew 23:23–28 or Hebrews 12:5–9 or 1 Peter 5:6–10

Many people have cars which go quite well but they look rather sad.They are getting old and perhaps a bit rusty. If they are really going tobe good they need to be protected from rust and made more beautiful;they need to be painted.. Just a thin layer of paint is enough to coverdefects and to protect something from damage for a long time. Salva-tion also covers our sins and protects us. Then just as paint does notjust protect, but makes beautiful, so people become beautiful for Godonce they are saved. But there are a few things to note about paint:

a. Painting is not something to give to anyone, such as a small child,but needs to be done by an expert if it is really going to be good.Only Christ can save us fully!

b. If paint is put onto just any surface it is unlikely to last long. [Herethe paintbrush can be painted to a suitable surface nearby.] Ifpainting is to be effective the surface must be well prepared. Inorder to be beautiful, it is no good just having a superficial changelike painting does, but the inside must be fixed up. It is no goodjust painting over defects; they must be properly repaired. Simi-larly once the defects have been fixed up and the surface prepared,the paint must be put on quickly, or all the effort is wasted. A per-son must not just show good deeds, but must be really born againof God. For salvation, both repentance and receiving new life areessential; either by itself is really useless.


Nevertheless, once painted, it is very difficult to actually removethe paint and its protection. In the same way, a person, once saved,will not be lost.

c. To be really effective, it is necessary to paint all of a thing, not justpart of it. It is not much use to be perfect in just one area of ourlives and to neglect others. [At school it is no use to concentrate onone subject and neglect the rest.]

d. Paint is quick to put on. Similarly a person’s acceptance of Christas Saviour is a very quick decision but protects them for a longtime. Of course painted things will not last forever, even if they arerepeatedly painted, but if we are born again, we will live forever.

e. It takes a while after painting before the paint dries, and evenlonger before it hardens completely. In that period the surface isperhaps even more vulnerable than it was before. People whoaccept Christ very often find that life is harder when they firstaccept Christ than it was before. They seem to get more tempted.Christians do not become instantly perfect, but full maturing takesa long time, in fact the rest of their lives.

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112. PAPER CLIP

Visual aid: Paper clip, several pieces of paper, preferably of differentcolours, piece of wire.

READING: Matthew 5:9 or Ephesians 2:11–14.

The paper clip may be a very small thing, but it is useful; in fact it hasbeen made just so it can be useful. Are we useful in our lives, or wouldwe not be missed? If the paper clip gets lost, it can be quite serious.

What does the paper clip do? It holds papers together; that is what Godwants us to do with people. Just as he sent His Son to reconcile us toGod, so He wants us to bring people together in peace. Certainly Hedoes not want us to fight and quarrel.

Notice how the paper clip does it:

a. It does not damage the papers, like glue would. The reconciliationof God does not harm us.

b. It does not hide the papers like an envelope does. The reconcilia-tion of God is not a secret thing but is open to all.

c. It holds together all shapes, colours and sizes of paper. LikewiseChristian faith is the means of bringing together all kinds of peo-ple, even those of different races.

How is it possible for us to act as peacemakers? There are two basicsteps.


Firstly we must actually have a paper clip if the papers are to be heldtogether. It is no good expecting that the peace of God will be mani-fested by us if we do not belong to Christ ourselves. We can talk andtry to achieve something, and may even be effective, but that will notbe in any way the action of God. Many people in the world are tryingto solve problems like this.

Secondly we must be in the right form to be used of God. It is possibleto own a piece of wire, but unless it is the right shape, it cannot holdthe papers together. It is however possible to bend the wire into a shapethat will work. [Demonstrate by bending the wire and holding thepapers together.]

Many people are still at the first stage in their Christian lives. They areindeed saved and so they belong to God, but they have not yet allowedHim to work on them and to change them into a form in which theycan be really useful to God.

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113. PAPER AEROPLANE

Visual aid: Paper, prefolded so that an aeroplane can be quickly made.Two coins.

READING: Romans 3:21–6 or 6:15–19 or Matthew 5:17–20

Everyone and everything is subject to the law of gravity [drop thecoin]. It does not matter who we are or where we are, it always operatesin exactly the same way. All that can be done is to overcome the law bythe operation of another one. [Make the aeroplane.] The laws of aero-dynamics do not contradict the law of gravity but mean that aeroplaneswill not fall. In fact if there were no gravity the aeroplane would not beable to fly; the paper plane is a glider and so the motive force is pro-vided by its weight.

God’s justice is a law which is always applicable, and we have all failedto keep it. But there is another law which means that we will not bepunished for our sin, the law of grace. Christ died for us so that oursins are forgiven. The death of Christ does not remove the Law of God,so we are still under obligation to obey, but it does mean that if weaccept Christ we will be saved. Once again we can see that the law stillholds, otherwise Christ would not need to die as a punishment. It isbecause the law stays in operation that He had to suffer for us.

It does not matter who we are, we will all be judged on exactly thesame basis. [Drop two coins of different value. They fall in exactly thesame way.] Incidentally, we will all fall [drop the coin], because we areall sinful. All are condemned.


The coin has no ability in itself to stop itself from falling. It can onlystay up if is supported by something else. We can only live if we aresupported. In day to day life we are dependent on other people for allsorts of things, and ultimately we are dependent upon God for every-thing.

In order for the air to support the paper, it had to be folded in exactlythe right way. We too have to be born again, re-created by the Spirit ofGod; there is no other way for us to overcome the law of sin and death.

Moreover the law helps us in our Christian lives. We are not saved bykeeping it, but it does show where we need to improve, so it provides amotivation for us to live well. Then once we are motivated to improve,it is the Spirit who enables us to do so.

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114. PASSPORT

Visual aid: Passport, driving licence, TV licence or other official docu-ments

READING: Romans 5:1–2 or Ephesians 2:17–20 or 3:8–12 or Luke7:1–10

When we are children we constantly need permission to do things,from teachers or parents and from a lot of people in authority. Chil-dren look at adults and think that their lives are freer, without peopleconstantly telling them what to do. In fact that is not the case. Adultlives are full of permissions such as passports, and other licences [showand explain what each one is]. We cannot simply go and do the thingsthat we want, but we are all under authority.

But let us not look at this as restrictive. It is not so much a question ofbeing forbidden to do things but being able to do things and beinggranted rights and privileges. These let us do things that we otherwisewould not be able to. If we get to the border of a country without apassport, they will simply turn us back; the passport gives us permis-sion to cross. Of course there are some restrictions, like having to carrythe passport, and renew it from time to time, but these are quite small.

In the same way many feel that being a Christian is restrictive, withmany rules to stop us doing the things that we want to. However,being a Christian is not so much restrictive upon us but lets us dothings that we could not do beforehand—it gives us entry to eternallife [as a passport], it lets us pray to God as a Father, to communicateto him [show a telephone bill?] Being a Christian even enables us to


understand what would otherwise be a mystery to us, whereas the Bibleis often obscure to non-believers [a TV enables what is transmitted tobe picked up; a licence gives permission to do that.]

Of course usually for these permits there is a fee to be paid [give indica-tion what the fee for each permit is], but the “permit” to be a Christianis absolutely nothing, but is a gift of grace. Then while the permit isheld, there are rules to be kept; having a passport is no good if it is leftat home, having a driving licence does not give permission to break thespeed limit! Christ offers salvation, but he does expect us to be obedi-ent to Him.

Most licences are only valid for one person; in particular a passport isonly able to be used by the person for whom it was issued. If it werestolen it would not really be of any use to the thief; in any case the thiefcould get one anyway! In the same way, salvation is only of value to thebeliever; nobody else can be saved by their faith, they need to believeby themselves. And nobody can steal our salvation from us; it is themost secure possession that anyone can have!

Many permits, such as a passport, have expiry dates; the permit cannotbe used after that time. The offer of salvation that Jesus gives is likewisetemporary. One day it will be too late, so let us accept Christ now.Remember, most permits have to be applied for!

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115. PEN

Visual aid: A number of pens (if possible one should be expensive, butthe inside should be removed (in order to be honest!)), paper, nail.

READING: Isaiah 1:12–17 or Romans 6:5–11

The pen is one of the most useful things that we have. I rarely go outwithout one. It is so necessary that at times, such as when writing anexamination, some people make quite sure that they have a pen thatwrites by carrying a spare.

Pens come in all shapes and sizes, kinds and colours, but if they arenever used they do no real good. Now just like pens, there are manydifferent types of church, but if you never go to one they will do youno good at all. A pen that stays in the pocket is really no good to any-body.

Or perhaps you go to church just for show, because it is expected ofyou. The appearance is good, but there is no reality. That is like a penwhich is carried just for show but does not work. It may well be verybeautiful, but unless it is used it is little more than an ornament withno practical use. Now religion can be like that, simply an ornamentthat does no real good at all. The usual problem with a pen is that itneeds a new refill; what a person needs is new life within.

Some pens can be very expensive [show the expensive one]. Religioncan also be very expensive in terms of time and even money, tellingpeople to do things that they do not want to do, but if it does no goodit is useless. The joy of being a Christian is that we will want to serveGod, and it is not a burden to us.


For most purposes, a pen should not only leave a mark on the paper,but that mark should be permanent. If the mark does not last, the penis not much use. Likewise a religion that does not have a permanenteffect is valueless. In fact, most things that we do are of only temporaryuse, and will not last very long, but our faith is one thing that has eter-nal results.

Or perhaps, just like having two pens, you are following two religionsjust in case one of them fails you. However, if you are really trustingGod, He will never fail you. You can, and should, reject all otherbeliefs, as they will in fact spoil your real faith.

Now some things, like a nail, have a different sort of use; they can beused once to fasten something together, and that is it. A pen on theother hand produces more and more effect the more it is used. The inkkeeps coming. Likewise the more reliance we put on God and our reli-gion the more effect it has on us (and it will never run out!). We shouldbe continually progressing in our Christian lives.

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116. PENCILS (1)

Visual aid: Two long pencils, two short ones, preferably of a differentoutside colour.

READING: John 1:1–5, 9–13 or Colossians 1:15–20

[The background to this talk is that in African culture, a father isalways represented as greater than his son, which gives problems indealing with the Trinity.]

The pencils are displayed, and listeners are told it is a family, and askedwhich are the parents, the long ones or short ones. Usually the reply isthe long ones, but if not it can be suggested that this might be the rightanswer. But then the group is asked which pencils are the older, andclearly the shorter ones. This would mean that the shorter pencils arethe parents! The point is that although it is possible to compare twothings, it is unlikely that one is superior to another in all respects.

Then the question is put as to which pencils are greater, the longerones or the older ones. In this case there is equality as all write equallywell. Both the long pencil and the short one are equally pencils; if bothare lying on a table, it does not matter which is chosen, as they canboth do the job of a pencil equally well. The only reason that one pen-cil is shorter is that it started to write earlier, but they will all write thesame amount in the end. It does not matter which colour is on the out-side; they both write equally well. In the same way two people may dif-fer in very many ways; they will look different, they will have differentabilities, but they are absolutely equal as regards being people; there isno difference. All are equally in the image of God.


This is just like God. The Father and the Son (and the Holy Spirit) areequally divine, and so must always be treated as equal, just as I canpoint to my father and say that we are essentially equal, as we are bothmen.

However there is one big difference between God the Father and anearthly father. The short pencil, the “father”, is nearly finished. Anearthly father is likely to be closer to dying than his son, whereas Godthe Father is eternal. What is amazing is that we can share in His eter-nal life by belonging to Jesus; this is because Jesus Christ is fully Godand therefore just like His Father He is also eternal. It is only throughHim can we get the life of God. Our earthly lives, like the pencils, willcome to an end, but the life of God never can.

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117. PENCILS (2)

Visual aid: New pencil, old pencil, penknife or sharpener.

READING: Ephesians 2:8–10 or Romans 5:3–5 or Galatians 5:18–24or Philippians 2:12–15 or 1 Corinthians 15:10–11

It is always nice to have something fresh and new, even if it is small likea pencil. The problem is that a brand new pencil is very nice but it isuseless for what is intended. It is beautiful, but it cannot write. Thelead is surrounded by the wood. It is necessary for the pencil to beworked on with a knife or sharpener before it can be used. Indeed mostnew things are similar; they need to be unpacked before they can beused. New Christians are usually the same. They are often criticized asbeing no use at all or acting the same as everyone else. God must workon them and often remove from them what will hinder their service.[Here the pencil could be sharpened.] This may hurt but is ultimatelygood, as it leads immediately to a better life, and ultimately to heaven.

Just note that I do not just take any pencil and attack it with a knife;that is dishonest. The ones I sharpen are the ones I have bought. Christdied for us to pay the price for us, and He does not use people who arenot really Christians.

A sharpened pencil may be less beautiful, but if I want to write some-thing, and have to choose between a pencil that is new and one that isalready sharpened, I know which I will pick up. A Christian life maynot outwardly seem to be so attractive, but in God’s sight it is very pre-cious.


But once it is sharpened the pencil is vulnerable. If it is dropped it islikely to break, whereas before it was safe. This is what Christians oftenfind. As they make progress in the Christian life there often comesincreasing pressure from other people because of their stand for God,and they are even subject to increased temptation. Of course once apencil has been sharpened, I will take particular care of it, just as Goddoes take special care of those who really belong to Him.

However, just as pencils do get broken, Christians do sin! [Here theend could be broken.] But not to despair; just as a pencil can beresharpened, so if Christians confess their sin God will forgive themand then will continue to work in their lives so that He can use them inHis service.

After all, what is a pencil for? It has to write and leave a mark that ispermanent. Are we doing something that will last forever? It is onlywhat we do for God that is really going to last.

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118. PHOTOGRAPH

Visual aid: photograph, preferably of a person, large enough to beclearly seen. I used one of my wife.

READING: John 5:22–29 or Romans 2:6–11 or Revelation 20:11–15

We are often in a situation where we need to make judgements, or todecide between two or more options. God also judges each person foreternal life; how is judgement done? [Show the photograph] Can wejudge this person shown in the picture?

a. Having a photograph is a good thing because we so easily forgeteven what a person is like. The camera remembers exactly andshows everything, so a proper judgement can be made. What wecan be sure of is that God knows everything about us; His judge-ment will be perfect and without any mistakes.

b. The other advantage of a photograph is that we can take our timeto study it; there is no need for us to make a hasty decision whichcan then so easily be wrong. God knows us completely from beforethe day when we were born; His decision about us is not a hastyone.

c. One of the problems with a photograph is that it does not showthe person completely. There are parts of the person that are offthe picture, such as the back of the head, and of course the cameradoes not show what the person is like on the inside. God howeverknows a person completely, even better than they know them-selves.


d. Nobody wants a picture taken of them when they are scowling;everybody smiles at the camera! We always want to remember thegood things of life and to forget the unhappy things. God howeverknows about everything that has happened to us, the bad things aswell as the good, so that His judgement will be balanced.

e. A photograph can easily be lost, can fade or be destroyed, and thenwe may well forget completely. One thing that we can be sure of isthat God will never forget!

Although a photograph may deceive us, God can never be deceived, sowe know that His judgement will be correct. However the best way ofjudging a person is to have a relationship with them [the photographwas of my wife]. Thus God knows each one of us perfectly; after all,He made us.

It is much better if we can each have a relationship with God throughwhat Jesus did for us. We can know Jesus, not only as a picture, butbecause He has risen and is alive. It is that relationship which gives useternal life, and we will then not be judged at all; we already have aplace in heaven!

237

119. PILLS, HAMMER ANDKNIFE

Visual aid: Bottle of pills, hammer, knife (large if possible).

READING: 1 Timothy 4:4–5 or Romans 7:7–12

We have all been grateful for pills from time to time when we have hada headache or some other problem. Everyone uses a hammer for allsorts of things; modern life cannot proceed without it. And how couldwe cope without knives? In the kitchen and in many places in thehome they are essential. All of these objects do things that cannot bedone in any other way.

And yet people are frequently being stabbed and killed with knives,hammers do a lot of damage, and pill overdoses are quite common. Allthese tools, and many others, are good, but can be abused, when theywill do real harm. But the fact that they can be abused does not meanthat they should be rejected; they are still good.

Many people reject the Gospel because it has from time to time beenused wrongly. In the Middle Ages it was the inspiration for the Cru-sades and a lot of loss of life. Then it inspired heresy hunts when peo-ple were burnt at the stake. Even today it is accused of being the“opium of the people” and a means of oppression, a way of keepingpoor people in their place. Such things may be true, but this does notmean that the Gospel is a bad thing. It can still be good even if it mayhave been abused from time to time.


Christians may well have done a lot of harm, but that is because justlike everyone else, they are sinful; that is why they need Christianity!Just like the pills, hammer and knife, it does things that cannot bedone in any other way. The churches contain sinners, but sinners whoknow that they need help.

Even when the pills, hammer and knife are used properly they can stilldo some harm. The pills can have side-effects (as aspirin can causeulcers), the hammer can hit our thumbs, and the knife can slip and cutus. Christianity also can have bad effects, such as splitting up families,causing people to lose their jobs when they refuse to do somethingwrong, and so on. But this is not the fault of Christianity, but of thereaction to it. Ultimately it never hurt anyone, but only benefits, bothby giving people eternal life, and a better life now. God does care forthose who belong to Him, and does turn to good even the mistakesthat they make.

Most damage is done when things are not used properly. It is herewhere Christianity has done most harm, such as when people havebeen misled into thinking that Jesus is coming back immediately, andthen have acted irresponsibly, or when they are told that God is alwaysgoing to heal or give money to Christians simply for the asking. Just aswe have to be careful to use things in the proper way, so Christianityalso must be used in the way in which God intended.

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120. PLASTIC BAG

Visual aid: plastic bag as provided in shops

READING: 2 Corinthians 5:17

We are often provided with plastic bags by shops to put our purchasesin. They are extremely common, especially blowing around the streets,so much so that somebody once called them the “national flag of SouthAfrica”! Although they can be a nuisance, the shops provide them forvery good reasons.

a. They are very useful.

We use them to carry our purchases. We would find this impossi-ble without one. God also carries us, providing what we need dayby day, and especially our salvation. Getting to heaven would beimpossible unless God takes us.

Bags are a gift, and so is what God gives to us—we do not pay forit. Are we gracious to others?

They help us to get what we have bought to our home. That iswhat God does, helping us to get to heaven, our real home. Are wehelping others to find Jesus?

They are little trouble in themselves as they crunch up very small.How much trouble are we to God?

They protect our shopping, such as from rain. God protects us; dowe protect others from harm?


b. Most plastic bags carry an advertisement, which is also useful tothe shop. We too should be an advertisement for God by the wayin which we behave.

c. Once the plastic bag has done its job, it is often thrown away. Dowe treat God like this, something that is useful for a while but canthen just be thrown away?

There are however some firms that collect them and recycle themso that they can continue to be useful. That is what God wants todo with us; when we come to the end of our life, He wants to rec-reate us, give us a new body which will last for ever. He certainlydoes not want to just discard us, especially not as litter! But recy-cling is only done by the firms that can do it; recycling of our bod-ies can only be done by God once we really belong to Him asChristians.

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121. PLIERS

Visual aid: A pair of pliers, preferably with insulated handles.

READING: Jeremiah 1:4–10.

Among all the tools that can be used, a pair of pliers is one of the mostuseful. Essentially it does what we just do not have the strength or abil-ity to do ourselves. We may want to hold something tightly, such as topull a nail out of wood, but our fingers are not strong enough. That islike God; He can do things that we would like to do but are unable.We may want to go to heaven, but simply cannot in our own strength.Being saved is something only God can do for us.

The way that the pliers are made is just so that they can hold on tight.They have teeth [show them] so that they will not let go. It is the samewith us; once God is holding us, He will never let us go!

A pair of pliers can also be used to pick up things that otherwise wouldhurt us. If we wanted to pick up something that is hot we would not beable to without burning ourselves. If we want to touch an electricalwire that is “live” (not a good idea, but sometimes we have to!), we can,as long as the handles are insulated. Thus the pliers protect us. Thatalso is what God does; day by day He protects us and provides for us.Often we do not even know it; we cannot see that a wire is “live”, andoften cannot see that an object is hot, but the pliers still protect us.Similarly, we are often unaware of God’s hand on us for good, but it isstill there.

Why can the pliers do this? They are effective because the metal thatthey are made of is strong, and the plastic on the handles is an insula-


tor. In the same way, it is only because God is who He is that He cansave us and protect us. There is nobody and nothing else that can do it.

But notice, although it is the pliers that do the job, it is the hand thatguides them. God may be willing to save us, but we have to ask Him.His ability is available for us, but so many people try to get throughlife, and even try to get into heaven, without God. It is hardly surpris-ing that they fail!

There is one more thing that most pairs of pliers are able to do. Theycan cut wire to the right length [show the cutters], or bend things.That is also something that God does. He can form us so that we canbetter be used by Him.

But also remember, He can also cut off those who are disobedient toHim in judgement.

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122. PRAYING HAND

Visual aid: a hand. A musical instrument would help; many childrenlearn to play a recorder, which would be appropriate.

READING: Luke 11:1–13.

When people pray, they very often use their hands to help them. Per-haps they put their hands in the air, raising them to God, as the Israel-ites in the Old Testament often did. Perhaps they open their hands toGod, indicating a desire to receive from Him. Many people put theirhands together, either putting them palm to palm, or clasping them, asa demonstration of the fact that we are begging God to listen to us.There are certainly very many ways of praying! What matters is that wedo.

But our hands can also let us know what we should pray for. Manypeople do not know what they should put in their prayers, apart fromjust asking for things, but there are many other aspects of prayer. Thefive fingers of a hand give one possible guide.

a. The first finger is the one that is used to point with. This can beused to point upwards, like the steeple of a church. The first veryimportant aspect of prayer is that we remember God and who Heis, and then worship and adore Him.

b. The thumb is the means by which we hold onto things. It is diffi-cult to grasp things without one; have you watched dogs and otheranimals trying to hold things such as bones? We need to realizethat God has given us everything that we have, and so a vital aspectof prayer is thanking Him.


c. The second finger is the largest one. Perhaps the biggest thing thatwe have to do is to remember that we all have sinned and need toconfess and ask God for His forgiveness.

d. The third finger is the ring finger. This reminds us of our relation-ships with other people and that we should pray for them. This isnot only those close to us, but other people as well.

e. Lastly, the little finger is weak. This reminds us that we are weak inourselves, and so much need God’s help in what we do day by day.

All of these are necessary. For many things, all the fingers are used.Most musical instruments, all the fingers have a job to do, and themusic will not come out right unless they all do their job. (Some, like apiano, can be played with one finger, but the result is not very good!)

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123. PUMP AND BALLOON

Visual aid: Bicycle pump, fitted with a non-return valve (such as from acycle tyre). Balloon, which can be put over the end of the pump.

READING: 1 John 1:5–9 or Romans 6:1–4

The pump is pumped a few times without the balloon, and it ispointed out that nothing all appears to be happening. There is littlevisible effect; it would be easy to believe that nothing at all is happen-ing. Sin is like this; we often do not appreciate that what we are doingis wrong, and particularly do not see all its effects. In fact something ishappening when we pump because air is coming out; this can be felt,but cannot be seen. So it is suggested that the process can become morevisible by putting the balloon onto the end of the pump.

Now a single stroke of the pump has some effect on the balloon, butnot very much, just as usually a single sin does not have a great effect.[Of course some sins have a tremendous effect even if only one is done,but most sins are not like that.] Now the pump is worked a bit more,and the balloon inflates a bit. Sin is seen to be cumulative. It must alsobe pointed out that the process of blowing up the balloon is irrevers-ible. Once a sin has been committed, it is done and cannot be undone;it may be forgiven, but it still remains. Even if there is no more pump-ing, the air is still in the balloon. There is no way that air can get out ofthe balloon once it is in. The same is true of sin; once it is done, it can-not be undone.

At this point the audience is asked what will happen if the process con-tinues. [Pumping is resumed, probably slowly to build up anticipation,


until either the balloon comes off or preferably, it bursts. (A rubberband round the neck of the balloon on the pump may make it burst).]Then it can be pointed out that continued sin may seem to matter verylittle indeed, but eventually the process will lead to disaster.

One cannot undo the sin that has been committed, and sin becomesprogressively more dangerous. We need to deal with the sins that wehave committed, and try to avoid sinning further. The best thing is toconfess sin and put it right if we can as soon as possible after the wronghas been done. And of course the sinner must come to God throughJesus, as that is the only way that sins can be forgiven. Then we can askGod to help us avoid temptation, by the power of the Holy Spirit, sothat we sin as little as possible in the future.

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124. PUMPKIN (1)

Visual aid: Pumpkin, not too large to be carried easily. Large knife.

READING: Romans 12:1–2 or 2 Corinthians 6:14–18 or John17:20–23

People often complain that the Christian life is a hard one, with manytemptations and difficulties. They even ask why they cannot go straightto heaven once they have been saved. Perhaps the pumpkin can give usthe answer; after all, like us the pumpkin is waiting to go to its finalhome, in this case, inside us! But like us, it has to wait. Let us see howit copes with the wait.

One of the great benefits of the pumpkin is that it can keep for a longtime. It has a good thick skin which stops the water drying out. [Herethe pumpkin can be cut open and the skin shown.] But once it hasbeen cut open, it will no longer keep well, because the skin is broken.

Christians are like this. We are living in a hostile world, full of tempta-tions and difficulties, but God gives us strength to resist them. We aregiven strength to resist temptation, and He enables us to overcome dif-ficulties. They are not so important because our real home is heaven.But if we let the world in, like the pumpkin we are in trouble. This canhappen in two ways:

a. [Pretend to stab the pumpkin with the knife] If we let sin take rootin our lives, like a blemish or a beetle breaks the skin of the pump-kin, just like the pumpkin we will spoil quickly. Christians mustnot let the world enter in or they get into trouble. Sin, and badpractices must be kept out of our lives; they will harm our Chris-


tianity, and are likely to shorten our lives. Have you noticed as wellthat the pumpkin itself does not have roots to the ground? It getsits food from the plant. As Christians, we must not be too directlyconnected to the world.

b. [Make as if to cut open the pumpkin] As the pumpkin dries uponce it is divided, so if the Church is divided into opposingdenominations or parties then it loses its strength. God’s desire isthat we are united. Positively, we should take the time to meetwith other Christians, both from our own church and from others,whether to worship, or to have fellowship together.

The pumpkin aims to be as big and as perfect as possible, with noblemishes, so that it is best fitted for its final destination. Is that ouraim as Christians as well?

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125. PUMPKIN (2)

Visual aid: Pumpkin, not too large as to be unwieldy. Large knife.

READING: Matthew 28:16–20 or Acts 1:6–9 or Galatians 5:22–23

The pumpkin is a wonderful plant for food, one that can be stored fora long time. But if it is just stored, it is really not much use. While it isby itself it is achieving nothing. Fruit is only useful when it is eaten,coming into a relationship with someone; something has to be donewith it. In the same way Christians who sit and do nothing are notreally much use. They may be safe, but do not achieve anything. Theyachieve their purposes by being in relationship with God and others.

Now when we cut the pumpkin, what do we find? Lots of flesh, fruitthat can be eaten, but also lots of seeds. What are they there for? Sothat lots more pumpkin plants can grow and so produce lots morepumpkins. The pumpkin thinks that being a pumpkin is so good thatit wants the whole world to be full of pumpkins! In the same way aChristian must be concerned to spread the faith, to make the gospelknown as widely as possible. Do we feel that Christianity is so greatthat we want to spread it as widely as we can?

But if you know the pumpkin, you will know that does not just propa-gate itself by seeds. A pumpkin plant sends out runners which root andso produce other plants. The plant gets bigger. We must be concernedas Christians not only to make more Christians a long way away forexample by sending missionaries, but must be concerned for peopleclose by, for our neighbours and those that we meet every day.

A pumpkin plant has three aims, just as a Christian:


a. To grow big strong pumpkins. It wants to produce a lot of fruit.Our goal is not to be physically bigger, but to produce much of thefruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, and so on (Gal 5:22)).

b. To grow a big plant by sending out runners. This is so there ismore opportunity to grow pumpkins. This gives more fruit. Theworld would be a far better place if there was more of the fruit ofthe Spirit!

c. To send seeds out for new plants. Again the purpose of the seeds isto give more fruit, while the fruit enables the seeds to be spread.Witnessing for Christ is more effective if we are showing the fruitof the Spirit!

Incidentally, most of the seeds that the pumpkin produces will fail.Will the seed that God is planting in you fail to produce fruit? Butof course when even one seed produces a plant and pumpkins,then it is all worthwhile.

251

126. PUNCTURE

Visual aid: Nail. I also had an inner tube which had been badly dam-aged due to a puncture.

READING: James 2:10–13 or Luke 13:18–21

Riding along in the car I suddenly got a flat tyre. It had been caused bya small nail which had had very great effects. This is very like the effectsof sin, or of a decision to follow Christ, which seem to be small initiallyand often can hardly be seen, but have large results.

Because of my puncture, the inner tube was destroyed, and if I hadcontinued to drive, the outer tyre would also have been damaged. [Dis-playing the inner tube here was very effective.] Some sins, such as lazi-ness, take a very long time to have their effects, but others are different.One very small sin can have very great effects which can last a very longtime. Just a moment’s sin with a boy (or girl) can have an effect (ababy) which will last for a very long time.

Once I had had the puncture, the ride became more difficult becauseof the flat tyre, and because of the damage being done, continuing todrive became more and more expensive. That is like sin, which makesours lives much harder and even more expensive if we continue in it.Incidentally, the way in which I realize that there is a flat tyre is thatthe car feels heavier and loses power; God often shows up our sin byhardship in our lives. If the puncture is in a front wheel, the car is likelyto suddenly swerve; sin is the same, as it makes us lose our direction inlife.


Why was the tube so badly damaged? The reason is that it was drivenwhile it was flat. If the puncture had been fixed immediately, the dam-age would have been slight. We need to deal with sin quickly before ithas a chance to cause damage. This may cost a little, as dealing with sinis costly, but ultimately is worth it. (Of course the main cost was paidby the death of Christ; the “cost” to us is our repentance.)

The reason that the tyre was flat is that it had lost its air. If we try torun our lives without the power of the Spirit, we too will not only fail,but are likely to do damage. Even riding with too little air is likely todo harm as it may well cause a puncture; we need to keep close to Goddaily. Incidentally it was the loss of air, not the nail, that really did thedamage; sin harms us mainly because it breaks our relationship withGod, although especially in the case of some sins like murder, it doescause a lot of harm to others.

However, on the other hand, a decision for Christ seems a very smallthing and does not seem to have immediate effects but the long termeffects are enormous—eternal life. And just as the little nail destroyedthe tyre, so this little decision will destroy the force of the devil in a life.We will have the power of the Spirit to resist temptation.

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127. RADIO

Visual Aid: Portable radio.

READING: Ephesians 2:8–10 or Hebrews 11:6

The audience is asked to be very quiet and to listen, because the air isfull of music, speech and other sounds. [Cup hand over ear] But theycannot be heard, so can it be believed that the sounds are really there?[Produce radio] But with a radio, the sounds can be heard, and so it ispossible to believe that the sounds are indeed real. The same is true ofGod; we cannot see God, we cannot hear Him, and so people find ithard to believe that there really is a God. But just as having a radioshows that radio waves are indeed real, so having faith convinces usthat God is real.

If we do not have a radio, then picking up radio waves is simply impos-sible. No matter how much we try, or how much we want to, it justcannot be done. The radio waves are available, but just cannot be cap-tured. The same is true if we do not have faith, because without it, it isimpossible to please God. Without faith, it is impossible to be saved.Salvation is available, but it does need to be captured.

The main thing that I use a radio for is to listen to the news; there areother ways of keeping informed, but without a radio, I would find itdifficult. I use the radio every day, and probably several times a day,just for that purpose. In the same way, although it is possible to strug-gle through life without faith it is really very difficult. We just needGod’s help. It is for that reason that I pray every day, and more likelyseveral times a day, for without this, my life would be very difficult.


Now of course having a radio costs money, and even running itrequires the purchase of batteries now and again. For the benefits ofhaving a radio, few people begrudge what it costs. Salvation, and thedaily help of God is even more valuable, but in fact that costs nothing.It does not have to be bought, as Jesus has done all that is necessary.We just have to accept it. What we do have to do is care for our faith,just as we must care for the radio; we do that by being obedient toGod.

One thing about a radio is that it is impossible to listen to two stationsat any one time. The radio does not pick up two at once, and even if itdid, we would just get confused trying to listen to more than one. Inthe same way we cannot have two faiths! But in any case one is quiteadequate.

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128. RECORD

Visual aid: record (as common before compact discs).

READING: Psalm 1 or 2 Thessalonians 3:6–13 or 1 Corinthians 5:9–13

Some young people will not know what a record is; what is this largeblack disc used for? It has a very wonderful use, but can it be used foranything else? Some suggestions could be an umbrella [hold up overthe head], a wheel [spin with something through the hole], or a tablemat (to put things on). But if the record was used for all these things,which is quite possible, they would spoil the record for its real purpose,which is making music. It is the same with us. We can do all sorts ofthings which are not really good. They are quite possible, but that isnot the purpose for which we were made. The record is not damagedby being used for making music, but only if it is abused, even by a littlething like being jolted while being played, which will leave a scratch onits surface.

The record has been made for a special purpose, but it can only fulfilthat purpose if it is used in the right way. We were made for God, butto fulfil that function we have to be where He wants.

Can the record make music by itself? [run a finger over its surface] Nei-ther can we live a good life by ourselves; we need God. The record hasto move at the right speed, with the right equipment connected to it.We too must live in the right way if we are to give of our best. Therecord has to be free from dirt and any imperfection. Christians should


also keep themselves as far as possible free from sin and live as perfectlyas possible.

The best place for the record is to be on a record player, and the betterthe record player, the better the sound will be. In general Christiansshould try to be in a place that will help them; they do not give of theirbest if they choose company which will be a temptation to them, or ifthey choose to do jobs which they know are not pleasing to God. Inparticular they need to attend a good church. If we know that our com-pany or our job or other environment is wrong, it is foolish not to dosomething about it, or we will find, like the record being used wronglywill no longer play properly but is permanently damaged, so we toowill bear the scars forever. It is foolishness to say that we will reformlater; the longer the abuse of a record lasts, the worse it gets. It is thesame for us; we need to accept Christ and to reform as quickly as possi-ble. Of course God may send us to a difficult place to work there forHim, but in that case He will enable us to cope with that situation.

(Incidentally, the music that we listen too is part of our environment.We need to listen to the right sort if we can. [I used a record of Chris-tian music as my visual aid.])

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129. RED

Visual aid: Article of red colour. I wear a red shirt or red tie.

READING: Isaiah 1:18–20 or Romans 3:21–6 or Hebrews 9:17–22

The audience is first asked what colour sin is. It is not usual to associatesin with a colour, but the reading gives it as red (interestingly, Zulushave an aversion to the colour).

Why is sin red? One reason is that we associate the colour red withwarning signs, which mean “stop”, and “danger”. Sin is dangerous; itwill stop us living, and so must be stopped. When we see a wound, it isred because of the blood, so we realize the danger, and try to stop thebleeding.

The audience is then asked what colour humanity is (a particularlypointed question in South Africa). The answer again is red. In Hebrew,the word “Adam” is the same basic word as “red” and also the life ofhumanity is seen by the Bible as red. Also of course, without our skins,all people are reddish in colour.

Thus both humanity and sin are red, and the basic nature of people isto be sinful. We show our essential nature in what we do. People dooften try to hide what they are really like, such as by being kind, doinggood deeds and so on. People can cloak a sinful nature, but that willnot change what they are like inside.

Perhaps a better guide to what people are really like is when they haveto work hard; what colour do they get? The exertion makes them red-der! Another guide is when a person gets damaged, and especially when


the skin is broken, which shows what colour is inside; again red! It istimes like this that show what we are really like, but as Christians, weshould be behaving differently. Do we work hard and serve others will-ingly, without complaining? Do we suffer injury without rebellingagainst God?

It is therefore not surprising that salvation has to be associated with thecolour of sin and the essential human nature, so that red blood had tobe shed for us. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were done so that sinscould be forgiven; there was no other way apart from the shedding ofblood. This was fulfilled in the cross of Christ where His life had to begiven so that we might be redeemed.

The fact that Jesus suffered, and then that He shed His blood and died,shows clearly that He is “red” like us; He is really human, althoughwithout sin. Because He is human, and also divine, His death can bean adequate sacrifice for the sins of the world.

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130. ROPE IN A BAG

Visual aid: A long piece of rope (mine was 10 metres) is coiled up in abag or briefcase with the end sticking out, such that it can be freelypulled out.

READING: 1 Peter 1:22–25 or Hebrews 9:24–28

Briefcases are very common things, and can be found to have all sortsof things in them. Mine has something that is most unusual, a lengthof rope, which can be seen to be there by an end sticking out. This endwill look a bit like a tail; are you glad that people do not have tails?They may well be useful to animals, but tails just ask to be pulled! [Pullthe “tail”.] Now the tail of an animal is a fixed length, but when this“tail” is pulled, it gets longer, and a length of rope appears. However,the other end will still be in the bag. The group is then asked whetherthey want the tail pulled again. [Pull the “tail” again.] When this isdone, the “tail” becomes still longer. The group is further askedwhether they think that another pull will produce the end. Some willreply “yes”, others, “no”, and it is stressed that nobody can know. Itcould be very short, but also could be quite long. All that we can knowis that there must be an end sooner or later, and we can have some ideaof the maximum length of the rope simply from the size of the bag.[The “tail” is then pulled again. This is repeated until the end of therope finally emerges from the bag.]

Everyone does something similar to this every day. Everyone pulls outa little bit of their life, but nobody knows when the end of that life willcome. However what is known is that, just like the rope, a life mustcome to an end sooner or later. We also know approximately what the


maximum life is likely to be; very few people live more than seventyyears, and most a lot less. It could even be very short. [I tell the storyhere of once when I gave this talk at a school, and that very day one ofthe boys was knocked over by a bus. His “rope” was very short.] Ofcourse it is to be hoped that any particular life will be a long one, butthe fact that it must have an end means that it is only sensible to pre-pare for that end, and the only way to do that is to commit that life toJesus. Such a life never ends.

Incidentally, when we pull out the rope, it neither comes out double orwith gaps, but continuously. Our lives come evenly as well; no matterhow much we try to cram into a day, or how lazy we want to be, wast-ing our time, we all have exactly the same amount each day!

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131. ROPE AND HOLE(a possible sequel to “Rope in a bag”)

Visual aid: Rope and a piece of board with a hole drilled in it just bigenough for the rope to be passed through.

READING: James 2:8–13

As we go through our lives it is as if we are pulling out a little morerope out of our supply. Things go well for much of the time. But whathappens when our lives are disrupted by temptation and by sin? It is asif a knot is put into our rope. [Here a simple knot is tied in the rope.]Now of course this does not only happen once, but repeatedly. [Twoor three more knots are put in the rope.] Here the rope is shown withits knots, and the audience is asked if this is a good or bad person. Ofcourse, even if we only sin once a day, then by the time we leave schoolwe will have sinned some 6000 times, not just three or four times.However it would be really exceptional to be so good, most people sinfar more than once a day.

See what the knots are doing to the rope; they are making it untidy,and very difficult to be used for anything else. If we need a rope, we donot want it with even a single knot, let alone a large number of them!And the more knots that there are in the rope, the less useful it gets,until it becomes totally useless. That is what sin does in a person’s life;it makes that person far less beautiful, and less likely to be useful. Issuch a person fit for heaven?

At the end of life comes judgement, where people are assessed on whatthey have done. Only if they are good enough can they enter heaven


[here the rope is pushed through the hole until it is stopped by a knot].The knots stop the rope going through the board, and sins stop a per-son from entering heaven. [Then the rope is removed and the knotundone, but when the rope is put back though the hole, it is stoppedagain!] Only one single knot stops the rope going through the hole,just as one single sin will prevent us entering heaven, as God is perfect.There is nobody good enough for heaven, and nobody can take awaytheir own sins. Even a single knot in the rope cannot be removed eas-ily, let alone thousands! And we are not able to remove a single sin inour lives, let alone thousands.

Our only hope for heaven is to have all our sins forgiven, and to bedeclared perfect [undo all the knots in the rope so that it is able to goright through the hole]. This is something that only God can do for us.We can have our sins removed through the cross of Christ, and oncethat has been done we are able to enter heaven.

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132. ROTTEN APPLES

Visual aid: Several apples (or some other fruit); one should be bad, orappear so.

READING: Hebrews 4:14–16 or 1 Corinthians 5:9–13

If two apples are put together, a bad and a good, what is going to hap-pen? They are going to affect one another, but in what way? Will thebad one improve, or will the good one deteriorate? Only one thing everhappens, the good one will go bad; it never happens that the bad onebecomes good. Similarly it is easier to pull someone down than to pullsomeone up.

A person should stay away from bad people and evil influences; themost likely thing is that the evil will corrupt the good, rarely that thegood improves the bad. It is the same with diseases such as AIDS; cleanpeople will not cure one who is infected with the virus, but will bereadily infected themselves.

But suppose two good apples are put by the bad one, or even three, orfour? Numbers here will not help. The only relevant factor in this caseis goodness, not numbers.

Why is it like this? The basic reason is that all apples are in the processof going rotten. Some are further along the path than others, but all arereally the same. The good one has no way of helping the others; it hasno life in itself that it can share, it has nothing to give. The harmfulaction can be slowed down in various ways, such as by isolation or byrefrigeration, but it cannot be stopped. In the same way, all people areessentially sinful; their sin can be reduced, but not eliminated.


The one thing that does slow down the process is the skin on the apple.If that is removed, the apple goes rotten very quickly indeed. We tooare given some natural defenses, such as our God-given consciences,which will warn us when we are in particular danger, but this will notprevent us from sinning.

There is only one solution to this. How did the good apple come intobeing? It grew on a tree which itself is living, and ultimately God madeit, because He is living. This means that if we want to reverse the cor-ruption of sin in our lives, we have to be in contact, or relationshipwith God, the source of life. This we can do in Jesus; He was not cor-rupted by sin, but overcame temptation. It is only through Him thatChristians have the power of God to resist, and even to overcome evil.There is no other way.

Incidentally, the power of God over sin and its effects is so great thatJesus was able to cure disease, and heal the sick. Sometimes His ser-vants can also do that, but not by their own power, but because theyhave the life of God.

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133. RUBBER GLOVES

Visual aid: pair of thin rubber gloves, preferably surgical type.

READING: Genesis 3:14–19, or 1 Corinthians 10:13, or Hebrews9:14.

Most people know that the main way of getting infected by the HIvirus is by sexual intercourse with somebody who has the virus, but it isalso possible to get it by contact with blood or body fluids, if they canget into the blood stream through a cut. If we need to help somebodywho has been in an accident or is bleeding, it is necessary to be verycareful, and so if possible to wear rubber gloves. We need that protec-tion to avoid infection; in the same way we need to be protected fromsin in the world. This is more serious, as it kills forever.

The protection that rubber gloves gives is necessary because somethingis wrong. Because there is sin in the world, it is likely to affect us, andso we need to be protected from it. Just like there is always likely to besmall cuts on our hands, probably that we are not even aware of, ourown willpower and strength is just not adequate to protect us from sin;we need God’s help. Nobody should think that they are just so goodthat they cannot be affected by temptation. Of course, even with thegloves we still need to be careful, and being a Christian does not justtake away the need of us doing what we can to avoid getting into trou-ble. [Condoms are not a total protection against the HI virus.]

Of course, what we then need to do is actually to put on the gloves,and we need to ask God for His help. Putting the gloves on is not thateasy, but it is certainly worth the trouble, as they can stop us from


receiving a lot of suffering and an early death. The protection thatJesus gives us is even more valuable, as it saves us from a lost eternity.

The gloves are so thin that they do not really stop us doing what weneed to do; it may be thin, but it IS enough to protect us. God’s pro-tection does not stop us enjoying life, at least in the right way.

A rubber glove is made to fit anybody. [ask the audience to count howmany fingers they have!] We are all basically the same and have to dealwith essentially the same sorts of temptations, just because we are inthis world.

On the other hand, the rubber glove is made for people; it will not fitdogs or any other animals. When Jesus came into the world to save us,He did not come as an angel or in any other form, but came as ahuman being just like us. It is because of this that He is able to help usin our need.

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134. RUSTY TIN

Visual aid: Rusty empty tin, clean glass, water

READING: Luke 11:37–41 or 1 Samuel 16:6–7

[Pour some water into the tin and make as if to drink it.] Would a per-son choose to drink out of an old tin full of dirt and rust? Surely mostwould prefer to drink from a clean glass. [Pour water into the glass.]The glass was made specially to be drunk from, while the tin was not.Good deeds should come naturally to Christians; are you, if you areChristian, doing what you should be doing?

However, the job can be done just as well by either! Many things canbe done equally well by anyone, whether they are Christian or not. Itreally makes no difference to the job.

So why will people choose the glass? They would not use the rusty tinbecause they know that through germs caught in the dirt and the rustthey may catch something serious. It is quite hard to clean the tin wellenough to be used. Another reason is that the edge of the tin is likely tobe sharp and may cut us. The tin may give us a drink, but do harm atthe same time. The motive of a person who is not a Christian is alwaysliable to be suspect, so that non-Christians are more likely to do harmto those around them.

People will also choose the glass because it looks nicer. A good deeddone by a Christian should be better, as done in the name of God. AChristian should show the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy and peace,which are pleasant for those around. Of course, unlike the tin, dirt onthe glass is very conspicuous! In the same way even a little sin in a


Christian shows up. But on the other hand, a little dirt on the glass isquite easily removed.

But now if the tin were cleaned and preferably boiled, would a persondrink from it? Yes, because despite its appearance, it really is clean.Now the glass could be just the opposite. We would readily drink outof it even though it may still actually be dirty. So the appearance neednot be directly linked to whether it is clean or not. A person may bejustified in the sight of God, and still be outwardly dirty, wear a frownand generally look suspicious, while a well-dressed person, clean andwith a pleasant face may be thoroughly wicked. We cannot be surewhat a person is like from the outward appearance; only God can reallyknow.

Nevertheless although appearances may deceive us, they will generallytell us the truth. The reason why we are ready to drink from a glassrather than the tin is that it is a fairly safe assumption that the glass issafer than the tin. In the same way people who are Christians shouldstart to manifest the fruit of the Spirit, and so their appearances shouldbecome more peaceful, happy, joyful and so on. We just cannot beabsolutely sure.

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135. SAFETY PIN

Visual aid: Safety pin, as big as possible.

READING: 1 Timothy 2:3–6 or Romans 6:5–11 or Colossians 2:13–15

A safety pin has a very important function, which is to prevent acci-dents! That accident is annoying, but the most serious accident thatcan happen is if a person is not saved, because the results of that go onforever.

How does the safety pin work? Simply by fastening two things togetherso that the accident will not occur. We are saved in the same way, byuniting with Jesus. Thus the safety pin is like our faith which joins usto Christ. Note that the pin itself does not prevent the accident, andneither are we saved by our faith. It is the nappy that stops the acci-dent; what the pin does is to hold it. Similarly it is our relationship toGod that saves us; the faith that we have holds us to Him.

Mothers actually use many different ways of fastening the nappy roundthe baby. However all nappies work essentially the same way, and allneed the pin (or a substitute for it). In the same way there are manydifferent churches, but in all churches a person is saved in exactly thesame way, through faith in Christ.

Sometimes the pin does not hold the nappy as accurately as it should,especially if it was put on by the father! But it can still be effective.Sometimes our faith is not what it should be; perhaps we have beenbadly taught. But if we have a relationship with Jesus, that will still save


us, even if we actually believe things that are not right. We shouldhowever try to have a correct faith.

Now often people are scared about the consequences of their faith.After all the point on the safety pin is sharp and could do a lot of dam-age. But the design of the pin is such that the sharp end just cannotstick into the baby. People are concerned about what they might haveto give up for Christ, but the changes we make in our lives because ofour faith do not harm us, but are for our benefit. More than that, thereis no mother who ever charges her baby a price for changing it. It isdone out of pure love. That is also the motive for Christ’s death for us.We do nothing except accept the benefit. Even the faith we put inChrist is really a gift from God.

Obviously the pin works best if it is closed, and our faith as well is bet-ter if it is total. Actually if the pin is not closed there is a real dangerthat the baby will be hurt; likewise a partial Christianity does not workso well. It will not benefit us as much; we may well find it has effectsthat we do not like.

Some people feel they should delay committing themselves to Christ sothat “they can have a good time first”. Now it is also possible to delayfastening the safety pin to a baby, but then accidents do happen. Thepin is put on the baby first, before other articles of clothing. Whatthere does have to be is some point of commitment, when the pin isactually fastened. We too need to make a definite commitment toJesus, before it is too late. Nobody knows when the day of reckoningwill come.

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136. SALT

Visual aid: Salt cellar.

READING: Matthew 5:13

This is one of the examples that Jesus himself gave to show us how weshould live in the world. In his day salt was a very precious thing; itmay not be so today, but people are still all precious in the sight ofGod. Just as people valued and cared for salt, so God cares for and val-ues each one of us.

a. Salt is something that adds taste to food. Without it the food tendsto be tasteless, so the salt helps. God also seeks to help us, and sooften He does it by means of other Christians. If we are to be salt,we should seek to help each other. Certainly a Christian faith notonly helps, but it makes life more “tasty”, more interesting. With-out it, life would be dull!

b. Although not so much in these days of refrigerators, salt can beused for a preservative. In Biblical days, it was vital so that foodcould be kept from going bad. If we are salt, we also have the roleof preventing society from “going bad”. We have to point out thatit is wrong to, for example, steal, showing others by word and byexample how a good society should operate.

c. If we eat salt, it makes us thirsty! [Put some salt in the palm of thehand and lick it up.] We will want to drink soon after. One of thethings that Christians should do is to make people thirsty, notphysically, but for the water of life, for Jesus himself. We should


life in such a way that people see that they have a need of Jesus. Hehas helped us, and can help them also.

If salt is to do these things, two things are necessary.

a. We need to use the salt. It does no good if it stays in the salt-cellar.We need to act if we are to be salt for Him, by speaking and bydoing good.

b. The salt-cellar needs to stay upright or the salt will be lost. [Holdthe salt-cellar upside-down so that some of the salt comes out.] Ifwe keep on tipping the salt-cellar, we will find that when we wantto use it the salt has all gone. We need to live lives that are also“upright” and free from sin, for otherwise we will find that whenwe do want to speak or act for Jesus that we cannot. We cannotexpect His help if we are constantly disobedient, and people willnot respect us if we are not seen to live ourselves in the way thatJesus wants. Then they will take no notice of what Jesus wants usto show.

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137. SANDWICH (1)

Visual aid: Sandwich, which can be in a case or in a pocket.

READING: Psalm 119:9–16 or 2 Timothy 4:1–4

The sandwich is taken out from where it was, and it is pointed out thatuntil that time, nobody knew that it even existed. The possibility ishowever that once it is seen, feelings of hunger may be experienced.However, even once its existence is known, various things may be doneto that sandwich.

a. It may be merely looked at, and admired, but never eaten. Sand-wiches can be very beautiful just to look at!

b. It could be sampled, or just smelled, still without being eaten. Allthat is happening here is that the beauty of the sandwich is experi-enced in a different way.

c. Then it is possible to open it up and to eat just the filling, withouteating the bread.

d. Even if the sandwich is eaten, the person who eats it can simplysleep it off and not really use the energy that it can give.

e. Finally the sandwich may be eaten and the energy that it gives fullyutilized.

f. There is even one other possibility, that people may like sand-wiches so much that they eat nothing else. In that case, without abalanced diet they are very likely to become unhealthy.


The Bible is often referred to as the “bread of life”, but can be treatedin exactly the same way as the sandwich. Firstly it needs to be knownabout before a hunger for the things of God to even exist. Next it canbe looked at as a beautiful book, simply to look nice on a shelf; someBibles are indeed very beautifully made. Then it may be dipped into,or sampled, without any real appreciation of what it is saying. How-ever, even when it is read, it is quite possible to ignore what is found tobe inside it. The only really valuable way is to digest it, and to respondfully to what it says. It is even possible to do nothing else apart fromreading the Bible and praying. That would not help anyone else, andwould even be quite unhealthy. It even helps to read other books.

One other thing about a sandwich. If you are hungry and ask me formine, then I can give it to you, but then I will be hungry! Perhaps wecan share it, but as it is quite small, then we will both be hungry! Butthis is not true of the Word of God; we can both read and be satisfied.And it is even less true of my faith; if I share it with you, then you ben-efit, and my faith even becomes stronger.

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138. SANDWICH (2)

Visual aid: a sandwich. Any item of food will do.

READING: Psalm 119:9–16; many other sections could be read.

How long is it since you ate last? Are you already thinking about food?It only takes a very short time before we feel hungry all over again. Onething about food is that we constantly need it. And the “bread of life”?We constantly need to feed on God’s word as well; we should neverthink that we have had enough.

In fact, very often we eat not because we are actually that hungry, butjust because it has come to that time of day when we do eat. But if wedo miss the meal, then we really do feel bad, and terribly hungry. It isalso best to be regular in our habit of feeding on God’s word. How dowe feel if we happen to miss that special time? What many people alsodo is to make the meal on Sunday a special occasion, and probably tryto share it with family and friends. That is just what many Christiansalso do, meeting with their heavenly family and having a special“feast”.

One thing that makes our food enjoyable is to vary it from meal tomeal. It gets boring if we always have the same thing, no matter hownutritional it is. Perhaps that is why the Bible is like it is, with so manydifferent types of writing within it. Of course a good diet must containall the major components that our body needs; if any one of them ismissing then our health will suffer. In particular, we need to includesomething that needs to be chewed on and is difficult to digest; becauseit is good for our digestive system and so for our health. This means


that we should look at all the Bible over a period of time, especially thesections that seem to be irrelevant and uninteresting, for they will begood for us, even if they take a bit of chewing first.

What our bodies need mostly is cheap basic food; the other is nice, butonly if we also eat what our bodies really do need. It is also the case thatwhat we need most of all is just to read the Bible. We can spend a lot oftime reading all sorts of good books, but that is a shame if we neglectthe basics.

Actually it is so good that much of our food is cooked and served hot.It makes it much more appetizing and easier to digest. That is one rea-son why we have books about the Bible, and why we have people whohave spent a lot of time seeking to understand it. They can “pre-digest”it for us, and we will not only find it easier to understand, but probablya lot more interesting as well.

It would be a great shame if we just had to eat and did not really enjoyit. We do not eat because we are told to, but because we enjoy it. Godsurely wants us to enjoy our times when we study and meditate uponhis Word.

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139. SANDWICH (3)

Visual aid: a sandwich. Any item of food will do.

READING: John 4:12–15 or Hebrews 5:11–14

If there is one thing that almost everybody enjoys, it is eating! Weenjoy it so much that when we want to celebrate something, quiteoften the way in which we do it is to share a meal with others. So itought to be obvious to everybody what eating is all about! Yet as everymother knows, a child has to be taught many things about eating.

As well as the fact that one of the main Christian services, the com-munion, is a symbolic meal, we also have spiritual food, the Word ofGod. As Christians, we also celebrate by “eating” in this spiritual way;one of the reasons that we go to church with others is to hear the Bibleexplained to us. Indeed eating is a sign of being alive; dead people nei-ther eat nor want to. But if we are alive, we have to eat! Perhaps if youdo not want to hear the Word of God, you should ask if you havegiven your life to Jesus, or if you have, then perhaps you are hibernat-ing! Not very exciting.

Perhaps the most obvious thing about eating is that we use ourmouths, although even here, babies seem to want to put their food inother places. We might think that this is different when we try to takein God’s Word, but in fact it is really the same. Many people just usetheir ears, and it seems to have little effect, but if we use our mouths,repeating verses and trying to explain it to others, it will become muchmore a part of us. We learn most not just by hearing, but by repetitionand application.


Then of course we must not eat too much. There is little point in over-eating; it will either make us sick, or at best we will not feel too goodfor quite a while. The best way to feed on God’s Word is also little andoften.

And of course, what we eat must be properly chewed if it is to bedigested properly. If we swallow large pieces of food whole, again wewill not feel so good, and the food will not do us much good either.The Word of God also must be “chewed” over by taking a while tomeditate on it. When we eat to celebrate, we expect the meal to take awhile!

It would be a poor meal indeed if we just eat without drinking; in factmany people enjoy that aspect more. We need to drink with our foodagain to aid our digestion. Now if the food is like the Bible, the drink islike the Holy Spirit, for we will only really benefit from hearing theWord if the Spirit helps us.

If we eat in this way, the food will help us, even becoming a part of us.It would be so good if what we eat spiritually is also a help and reallybecomes a proper part of us.

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140. SAW AND HAMMER

Visual aid: Saw, hammer and piece of wood. A woodcarving wouldalso be an advantage.

READING: 1 Peter 1:3–9 or 2:19–24 or Hebrews 12:7–11

Why should I attack this piece of wood with the tools? There are threepossible reasons:

a. I am making something from the wood, so I need to change itsshape. It is not the right shape for what what is needed now, so itneeds to be made right. Bits will need to be removed from it.

b. I need the wood in the course of making something else. It needsto be a support while I hit something else, or perhaps be a tempo-rary prop. Perhaps wood needs to be cut for a fire.

c. I am just attacking the wood for fun. What I am doing is of noultimate use. I am just being aggressive or vindictive. We need toask ourselves whether the pleasures that we have harm others, evenby being too costly.

Would the wood like to be attacked in these ways? It is suffering. Per-haps this shows us why we suffer:

a. God is seeking to improve us, both so that life in this worldbecomes better, and also for heaven. We are not yet perfect, andcertainly not ready to enter a perfect heaven, and so God needs tochange us. Perhaps this will involve a measure of suffering whichwe will not like, but will be for our benefit.


b. We might suffer for the sake of someone else. After all, Jesus waswilling to suffer for us so that we might have eternal life, andsometimes we too have to suffer for others. What is amazing is thatGod wants to use us, even when we are not yet perfect ourselves.

c. Quite a lot of suffering is just because of human wickedness. Wesuffer simply because we live in a sinful world with the results ofsin. We may suffer not because we are imperfect, or have donesomething wrong, but because others have. (An example could bea car crash where only one of the drivers had been drinking, butmany people suffered as a result.) Sometimes we suffer becausepeople are unkind, or even to give them pleasure; what we can besure of is that our suffering never gives God pleasure; He neverdoes this to us just out of spite.

What is good is that God uses even this last sort for His glory, and ispreparing us for our eternal home, where there will be no further suf-fering.

281

141. SCISSORS

Visual aid: Pair of scissors, knife (preferably large), piece of wood, pieceof cloth, paper.

READING: Genesis 18:22–26 or Matthew 25:31–46

If I want to cut things, there are basically two tools that I could use. Ican either use a knife or a pair of scissors, and these have different func-tions. What could I use to cut a piece of wood? The pair of scissors isuseless, but the knife will do the job. Now both of these are for separa-tion, and that is what God does in judgement, separation of the goodfrom the bad. So is God’s judgement like scissors or like a knife? A pairof scissors has got several features which make it like the judgement ofGod:

a. It cuts very accurately. A knife would tear cloth, and leave a raggededge on paper but the pair of scissors does the job well.

b. It does not damage either the user or what is being cut. Often aknife slips and does damage.

c. A pair of scissors cuts gently, with little force. Even a child can usethem (preferably with rounded ends).

d. What it does is usually permanent. Certainly it is difficult to joincut edges, and something cut certainly cannot be made as good asnew!


e. There is no waste. When a saw cuts it leaves sawdust, and someother tools also waste material, but a pair of scissors wastes noth-ing.

The judgement of God is like this:

a. There is no mistake. He will separate good from evil, not leavinggood with evil or evil with good. We need have no fear that aChristian will be left out of heaven. At the same time, although wemay deceive others, God is never deceived. No person who hasreally rejected God will enter heaven.

b. His judgement does not at all damage what is good. It is or thebenefit of the good in separating what is harmful. Although Godcould purge us with fire or treat us harshly, He is concerned toreform us. His judgement is for our benefit.

c. The final separation of believers from non-believers will be perma-nent.

d. There is no waste. Nobody is left neither saved nor lost, but all areone or the other. Everyone must decide either to accept or rejectChrist; there is no middle position.

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142. SCISSORS ANDMIRROR

Visual aid: Large pair of scissors, hand-held mirror.

READING: Matthew 22:25–30 or Galatians 2:16 or James 1:22–25

The author wears something that he has had for a very long time, infact he is very attached to it! [The author has a beard, but ordinary haircan equally be referred to.] The trouble with a beard [or hair] is thatfrom time to time it needs to be trimmed. How is this done? Twoguidelines are then followed, and with these two rules, the job is doneeffectively and efficiently.

a. Obviously it is done with a pair of scissors, but that is not all; ifonly a pair of scissors is used, the final result is likely to be a mess!A mirror is used to identify where attention must be given.

b. The other thing done is that hairs are not cut individually, other-wise the job would take hours, but they must be looked at overall.

The same rules are used when revision is done for an examination.What is important is that the student does not simply gaze at the book,thinking that something is going in.

a. The material is summarized. It is impossible to learn absolutelyeverything in the course, but it can always be compressed into alearnable amount.

b. The student has to identify problem areas. This is done in a varietyof ways. First if there are summary notes, these can be re-written


from memory—this will identify what has been forgotten. Sec-ondly, old exam papers can be tried.

This is just the same as God has done for us so that we lead a good life.

a. He has given us his law, not with the intention that we feel thatkeeping it is the way of salvation, but so that we will appreciatewhere we are falling short of what He wants of us.

b. He has given us a summary of the law: to love God and our neigh-bours. This is easy to learn and also to apply.

What God does not need is for us to obey every little rule slavishly, butto be in essential obedience to Him. When we do make a mistake, aslong as it is not wilful disobedience, we can ask Him to forgive usbecause Jesus died for us.

If we follow the two rules of summarizing and identifying problemareas, we will be beautiful people in our bodies, beautiful in our minds,and beautiful in our spirits.

285

143. SCREWDRIVER

Visual aid: Large screwdriver. The one that I used has paint up itsstem, but this is not essential.

READING: Matthew 6:24 or 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1.

What is this tool used for? [Show the stem of the screwdriver.] Actuallythis one has been used for all sorts of jobs; it has been a chisel, ascraper, has opened pots of paint, and then has stirred it. But there isone job that it has been made for, and that is the one that it does best;putting in and taking out screws.

A screwdriver can be used for all these other jobs, but on the wholethey damage it. [The paint is still up the stem!] Something like paintcan be cleaned off quite easily, as long as it is done quickly, but otherthings will actually damage the screwdriver permanently. This showsus that we too can do all sorts of things, but if they are not the thingsthat we are meant to do, then they will damage us, and sometimes per-manently. We should always try to sort out the problem as quickly aswe can, by confessing to God and asking for His forgiveness, and byputting it right if we have hurt someone else by our sin.

Just as a screwdriver is made to do only one job, so we are made foronly one husband or wife. Although it is possible to have sex with oth-ers, that will probably damage us, by such as AIDS. Condoms areeffective, but never totally. The only way to be sure is to do what Godwants, that both partners refrain from anyone else.

The screwdriver does need to be prepared for the work that it has beenmade for, by keeping its end sharp. Otherwise it will slip out of the


screw, which will damage the screw and probably also the screwdriveras well. We too need to prepare ourselves to do what is right, by study-ing the Bible, and praying that God will help us. Sometimes God maywant people to study at college in order to serve Him in a special way.Remember that although God does sometimes test us, He does notwant us to be damaged at all, but tries to care for us.

One thing that makes a screwdriver useful is always being able to findit. I have a special place for all my tools, and try to make sure that whenI have finished using them, they are put away. One thing that Godwants from us is that we are always available to serve Him when Hewants us. We should never be too busy for Him, try to put Him offuntil later, or refuse to obey at all.

My screwdriver is quite old and has served me faithfully for manyyears. The fact that it is old does not mean that it is useless; in fact itwill put in and take out screws just as well as one that is brand new.The gospel too is old, but has been the means of saving people foryears, and indeed is still the only way. We too are able to serve Godwhether we are young or old. The important thing is that we are pre-pared to serve Him and always be available for what He wants us to do.

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144. SEAT BELT

Visual aid: Seat belt removed from a car.

READING: Hebrews 9:27–8

I sometimes give a lift in my car to people who are waiting beside theroad. It is good to be able to help those in need. But I am alwaysamazed that even though I am wearing a belt, almost nobody who getsinto my car puts the belt on, but just sits down and rides.

The belt is there for a very good reason; if we do have an accident, it ismuch more likely that a person who is not wearing a belt will be seri-ously injured. The issue is one of safety, even possibly of survival. Nowthe situation is the same as accepting Jesus as a personal saviour, butwith one very important difference. When driving in a car, accidentsmay possibly happen, but when on the journey through life, judge-ment will certainly come.

a. Now a lot of people say that they will accept Jesus as saviour oneday, but they want to enjoy life until then. That is just like some-body saying that they will put on the seat belt in time before anaccident. We just do not know when an accident will happen. Itcomes on us suddenly, and it is not often that we will have anopportunity to put on the belt. That is what an accident is: unex-pected! It is the same with dying. It may happen that we know thatwe are dying and can then accept Jesus, but it is equally, if notmore, likely that it will be unexpected. It is just not worth taking achance.


b. The seat belt is not just there because of the chance of an accident,but if we go on a bumpy road, or suddenly have to swerve, it holdsus, and we are a lot more comfortable. People often say that theydo not want to put on the belt because they want the freedom.They do not want Jesus for the same reason! But in fact the belthelps us, and in any case, modern belts are made so that they donot restrict us. They only tighten up if the car jerks. Life with Jesusis always much better! He helps us deal with life’s problems.

How does a seat belt work? It fastens us to the car. This means that ifthe car hits something, it will be the car that takes the damage, and notus. Salvation works in the same way. If we are Christian, we are joinedto Jesus, and then He takes the punishment for our sins. If we do nothave the belt on, we will be severely injured, if not killed; if we are notjoined to Jesus, then we will be lost forever.

It is not worth taking chances! Put on the seat belt; it is there for ourbenefit! Put on Jesus; He died and rose for us! If I buy a car and it doesnot have belts, one of the first things that I do is get them fitted. AcceptJesus today!

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145. SEEDS (1)

Visual aid: seeds, preferably big enough to be seen easily. Possibly theycan still be in the fruit, such as in a pumpkin.

READING: Amos 4:7–9 or Matthew 13:18–23

The aim of the pumpkin or another plant is to send out its seeds sothat they will be able to germinate and grow into healthy new plantswhich can in turn produce their own fruit and more seeds. What Godwants for each of us is that a Christian life starts and grows to maturity.This does not just happen, but the seed needs water, air and a good soilto grow in, and in the same way a Christian life also needs the rightenvironment if it is to grow well.

Of course a person does not put life into the seed; it is there already,just needing encouraging. Neither can people make themselves Chris-tian; all that they can do is to encourage the life that God gives.

What does a seed need before it will start to grow? The one thing thatit has to have is water. But once it has water, it will start to grow any-where, even in a pocket. A Christian life can start anywhere; a persondoes not need to be in a special place such as a church. All that is neces-sary is to respond to God.

Once a plant does start to grow it needs a lot of care or it will quicklydie. It especially needs to be kept damp. New Christians especiallyneed to care for their new lives by keeping very close to God, especiallyby reading the Bible, and regular prayer and worship. Older Christiansneed to help and to encourage them.


[Put the seed on the floor.] Once it has started to grow, will it growwell on concrete? No. On steel? No. Will it even grow on solid soilpacked tightly? It can, but it is not likely to. What it really needs is bro-ken up soil. That is why the ground is dug over, to aerate the soil, bringfood to the surface but also to make the ground soft enough for theseed’s roots to get into. In the same way, what kind of people respond,and grow to be strong Christians? Those who have a firmly establishedstable environment, like concrete or steel, with all they need? Theytend not to see their need of salvation. But people who have manyproblems, with health or with money difficulties, or in unstable socialenvironments, they are often the ones who respond.

Sometimes God allows us to suffer so that our spiritual life will benefit.Bad circumstances are not all just bad, but they cause people to seetheir needs and so be fertile ground for the gospel. Much better ofcourse if we respond to God and grow strong without any need ofbeing “broken up” first.

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146. SEEDS (2)

Visual aid: an edible seed, such as a bean, large enough to be easilyseen.

READING: John 12:24–26 or Hebrews 4:14–16

If we only have one bean, that is good, but it is not much use by itself.It will not make much of a meal! The question is how we can get more.Of course most of us will just go to the shop, but the real question ishow beans come into being; where do they come from?

Can anyone make a seed? We can perhaps make something that lookslike a seed, of a correct weight, size, colour and so on, but it will not bea seed because it is unable to grow into a plant. If it is planted in theground, it will just stay there and rot; nothing will happen! Why?There is no life within it! People can look like Christians, act likeChristians, but if they do not have the life of God within them, theyare just the same as if a fake seed is planted in the ground. Nothing willreally happen at all. They can only be real Christians if they have thelife of Christ.

There is only one way to make a seed. A real seed has to be planted, thenew plant has to grow and itself bear seeds. So from one seed, which, asit were, dies, more seeds are produced. Now Christ Himself said thatHe is like a seed. Thus in order for there to be more people like Him,Christ himself had to die. His death had to occur, and then new lifehad to start in the resurrection, or a new life like that of Christ wouldhave been completely impossible. The wonderful thing is that we canshare in that life.


Now what this world needs is lots of good people; it would be muchbetter if everyone lived in a better way; the question is how that is pos-sible. Now beans can only come from other beans, and good lives canonly come from good lives. There is only one person who has ever led aperfect, sinless life and that is Christ. What is needed is that peoplebecome like Him; we all know that we should do good, but equally weall know that we cannot. We are all sinful.

In a similar way if we want to spread the life of Christ to still more peo-ple, we too must not be proud and selfish, something like a seed keptto itself, but must be ready to “die”, and swallow our self-centredness.Just as Christ shared His life with us, we can share it with others. Bytrusting in Christ we not only gain our salvation but we become usefulto others.

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147. SEEDS (3)

Visual aid: seed, of a sort that can be eaten, such as a bean

READING: Matthew 10:34–39 or John 12:20–26

Let us do something that seems to be really stupid; throw the bean intothe ground. Just throwing it into the ground seems to be a waste. Butwe know that in fact after a while the seed will germinate, a bean plantwill grow, and that ultimately it will produce more beans. The sacrificeof the bean will have proved to be worthwhile.

There is of course a delay; it is necessary to wait before we get the valuefrom the sacrifice. For a while we have no beans at all. But after a smalldelay until the plant starts to grow, we do know that it has been worth-while. Then after a longer delay we can harvest the beans. And it goeson being useful; we can take some of those beans, plant them and geteven more beans in turn.

People thought at the time that the death of Jesus was a waste. He wasdoing good, healing and teaching, and yet He died. But we do knowthat it was in fact worthwhile because His sacrifice was the means ofdealing with sin. We give up one bean for many, and Christ gave uphelping some for the sake of many (although He still helps today inmany ways). How do we know it? Just like we see the bean plant start-ing to grow, we see the resurrection of Jesus, which shows that it wasnot just a death but was a sacrifice, and shows also that it was acceptedby God.

Again there were delays; firstly between the cross and the resurrection.After this Jesus is able to help everyone who comes to Him as He is no


longer restricted to one place. Then secondly there is a delay after Hisresurrection. He died 2000 years ago, but has only helped me in thelast 30 years, and I am still looking forward to my full eternal life!

People also say that becoming Christian is a waste. They say that theyhave to give up so much! But in fact, just like the bean is so small, whatis given up is also small. Then the benefits start, but probably after adelay. First we do get benefits in this life; we start to show the fruit ofthe Spirit, love, joy and peace, and we do experience God’s help. Butthen after a longer delay we will experience the fullness of eternal life.Like the bean plant assures us of beans in the future, so we know thatwe have eternal life by the changes in our lives now.

If we are not prepared to plant our bean, we will not get the harvest,and if we are not prepared to commit ourselves to Jesus now, we can-not expect the harvest of eternal life.

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148. SHOE (1)

Visual aid: Shoe (the talk has more impact if it is worn out).

READING: 2 Corinthians 5:1–10 or Matthew 6:19–21

Let us all look down; what do we see? A pair of shoes! Actually in sum-mer I like to go barefoot if I can, something I can almost never do inEngland, where I was brought up. Why do we wear shoes? We soonfind out if we walk without them. Our feet quickly start to hurt. Westand on stones, thorns and we stub our toes! Our shoes protect ourfeet, and usually prevent us from slipping. Because of this they alsohelp us walk easily and quickly. Without shoes we are uncomfortableand much slower.

Life is like that. God protects everyone from all sorts of mishaps. Heprovides for us in many ways, feeds us, and protects us from harm.One problem is that just as we usually forget about our shoes, just tak-ing what they do for us for granted, and this is particularly so for thebit underneath that is doing all the hard work! In the same way weoften just forget what God is continually doing for us. If we are in factconscious of God and have committed our lives to Him, it is as if weare wearing a good pair of shoes; our progress through life is muchsteadier and more confident, knowing that He is with us.

The problem is that sooner or later our shoes wear out [show the shoe].They protect us for a time but the protection is temporary. We have toget new ones. [In a school situation it can be pointed out that theschool also protects for a while but eventually we have to get out intothe world.] What we would like is shoes that will not wear out, but so


far they have not been invented. However, God wants to care for usnot just for a lifetime but for ever, if we decide to put our trust fully inHim.

Of course the more we wear our shoes the sooner they will wear out,but the protection of God does not wear out at all; in fact the morethat we use our faith the stronger it gets. It is just like a living musclethat benefits from exercise.

Buying a pair of shoes is quite a decision, and we too have to make adecision to “buy a pair of shoes” that will last forever. Only Jesus cangive us that eternal life. Of course, like shoes, there are many differentkinds of church, but just like shoes are basically all the same, churchesall do essentially the same job if they present Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

The ladies in particular know that shoes have another purpose as well.Feet are not very beautiful, but shoes can be. If we try to run our liveswithout any reference to God, that can be very ugly, but a life trustingGod, receiving His salvation, should be a very beautiful thing. Chris-tians should ask themselves whether their lives are in fact as beautiful asthey should be.

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149. SHOE (2)

Visual aid: Shoe (of conventional design if the optional introduction isused, but this is not essential for the talk as a whole). It is good to wearsocks with holes!

READING: Hebrews 2:5–8 or 2 Corinthians 5:1–10 or 1 Corinthians6:13–14, 17–20

The talk may (optionally) be introduced by asking what is similar in ashoe to a person. Both have eyes (for the laces), tongues, and both havesoles (souls)!

The shoe is a bit like our body, it contains the life, but is all that can beseen. The life (the foot, or the soul or spirit) cannot be seen.

All the blemishes of the feet (such as corns) are also hidden by the shoe,and it also hides many of the details of our feet (such as the fact that wehave toes). In the same way when people look at us, they see only abody, but because they cannot see the soul or spirit, it does not meanthat it is not there, and certainly just by looking at the body does nottell us the state of our soul, whether it is sinful or in touch with God.We should not judge other people, because we cannot see what theyare really like inside; only God can do that, so only God can reallyjudge correctly.

We wear our shoes so that we can do more than we can without them.Without them our feet would not be able to walk so far for us in somany different places. God has likewise given us bodies for our owngood. We can do things with our bodies that benefit our spirits, such asreading the Bible. We are not just angels, but our bodies improve us.


We do good to others with our bodies. It is even a pleasant thing tohave a body; for example we all like to eat, one of many things thatwould be impossible if we had no body. We can thank God that Hegave us bodies in addition to our spirits.

On the other hand, if we damage our shoe, the foot will eventually suf-fer because it cannot walk comfortably. In the same way if we damageour bodies, it may not directly harm our souls, but must affect them.The Bible often treats soul and body as a unit. We should care for ourbodies by good food, avoiding things that will harm it (such as smok-ing), and taking a reasonable amount of exercise. That will also begood for our spirits.

I do however like to take off my shoes, and to walk barefoot when Ihave the chance. [Take off the shoes.] It is good for my feet; it tough-ens them up! We should also do things in our spirits such as prayer,which will also benefit us. Actually at the end of the day everyone takesoff their shoes to sleep. We too at the end of our lives put off our bod-ies, but at the resurrection God gives us new ones which will last for-ever.

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150. SHOE (3)

Visual aid: shoe.

READING: Galatians 3:13 or 1 Peter 2:24

If we never want to walk and make progress from one place to another,then we do not really need shoes. But if we do, then shoes are almost anecessity. What do they do for us?

a. They protect our feet from all the problems along the way, fromthorns and stones, and even, to some extent, from bigger problemssuch as snakes. Without the shoes, every little stone causes us painand trouble, and so slows us down. The shoes do not take theproblems away, but stop them bothering us.

b. What the shoe is doing is covering up our weakness by putting thesole between us and the ground. It takes the problems so that wedo not have to.

c. Because of the shoes, we can therefore walk a lot further than weotherwise could.

Our Christian faith is like that. We all want to make progress, and ourfaith helps us do so.

a. It does not take away all the problems of life, but enables us toovercome them.

b. Christ died for us to take away our sins, so He covers up our weak-ness. He also gives us strength for day-to-day living.


c. We can then do so much more in life than if we tried to live with-out Christ, and of course, we will live for ever.

Of course, if our shoes are going to help us in this way, they have to beused in the right way. The same is true of Christian faith.

a. The shoes must be worn. Christian faith is useless unless it is puton.

b. The shoes must be your own, and on the correct feet. Faith issomething that belongs to one person only.

c. The shoes must be in good condition (and preferably clean!). Wemust make sure that our faith too is in good order if is to reallyhelp us.

d. The shoes must be firmly fastened. If our faith is to help us, it toomust be a part of our lives, not something incidental to it. Youmay well take your shoes off as soon as you get home, but yourfaith is never discarded!

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151. SIEVE

Visual aid: Sieve as used in cooking, flour.

READING: Matthew 24:37–42 or 1 Corinthians 15:42–49

A sieve is used to take out something that is not wanted from thatwhich is. Sometimes things have come in which are definitelyunwanted, like weevils in flour, which must be removed before theflour can be used for cooking. Sometimes the unwanted things arethere more legitimately like pieces of food broken off in the cookingoil, but they must still be removed before the oil can be used again.

The sieve is like the judgement of God. God must separate the goodfrom the bad.

a. He separates people at the end of the world. He desires those wholove him and accept Him, but rejects those who reject Him.

b. He continually acts in judgement on us. He is continually remov-ing the parts of our lives which are displeasing to Him so that weare more perfect and useful to Him. He is sanctifying us by theSpirit.

c. Once the mixture is in the sieve, there is really no escape. There isno way to avoid either passing through or being kept, so no thirdalternative.

Of course there are also several differences:


a. The sieve is not always able to separate things, for example salt andflour.

b. Sometimes the sieve is just unable to work, as when flour is damp.

c. The sieve separates by keeping some things back while allowingothers to pass. However, God does not take away believers as soonas they are saved, but all wait until the judgement day.

d. The sieve separates imperfectly. It allows some things to pass thatshould not, and vice versa.

One other difference is that there are several kinds of sieve, of differentsizes, depending on what is to be separated. God has one judgementfor all on the basis of acceptance or rejection of Jesus, the only excep-tion being for those who have never heard of Christ at all.

But the sieve is not just an instrument for taking away, but by sievingflour it adds air to it, so that the cooking is more successful. In thesame way the judgement of God is not just negative, taking away fromus what is bad, but God is constantly creating in us what is good for us.When we get to heaven we will be perfect, not only with the bad takenaway but re-created in the way that is best for us. The very thought thatwe will one day meet with God, even that we will die, should changethe way we act now. (Actually people who realize that they might beabout to die often cry out to God; why not sooner?)

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152. SINK PLUG

Visual aid: drain plug from a sink, together with its chain.

READING: Psalm 103:8–14

What things did you do this morning after you got up? One of thethings that you probably did (I hope) was to wash. Perhaps you had ashower, but if not, you used a bath or a sink. So what did you do? Youturned on the tap to get some water, but before you did that, you putthe plug in the hole. You can wash without it, but it is difficult to do areally good job.

What does the plug do?

a. It makes the water accessible to us. The water is available, butwithout the plug it quickly disappears. That is what the Churchdoes. The message of God’s salvation is available to everybody, butis held in the Church, which makes it more readily accessible toeveryone. When we see a church building, and even when we see aChrist-like life, it reminds us of God.

b. The sink and the plug do not make us clean! It is what is IN thesink that does the job! The Church cannot take away sins at all,but holds the message of salvation. Of course, if people want towash, it is no good just having a sink, but it must be used. Thedirty hands have just got to be put in the water.

c. Without the plug, washing will use a lot more water. The plugstops unnecessary waste. God mainly uses the Church to make the


gospel known. Of course God does work in the world as a whole,but mainly in the Church that He has given us.

d. This means that the plug has to fit in the hole, not be too big, toosmall or the wrong shape. And it has to actually be IN the hole!The Church has to try to relate to the society in which it findsitself. If it just cuts itself off from the people round about, it willnot be effective.

e. Once a person has washed, the plug has got a most essential func-tion. While the washing was being done, it held the water, butonce the job is done, it lets the water out, and that lets the dirt outwith it. It is no good keeping dirty water; it even makes the sinkdirty. The Church must continually be cleansed itself. Sin must begot rid of as quickly as possible, and not kept.

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153. SLING (1)

Visual aid: Wear a sling on one arm. (I actually used this talk when myfoot was bandaged. A real injury is much more effective than just pre-tence.)

READING: John 8:31–8 or Romans 6:17–23 or 8:1–8

If we are hurt in some way and have to stay bandaged up for a while,often what really troubles us is not so much the pain but the inconve-nience. The pain is likely to be over quite quickly, while the inconve-nience can last a long time. While the healing is taking place, ourfreedom is restricted, and this is something that most people find verytrying. We find it difficult to do things with only one hand that areeasy with two. We see that healing is not something that occurs imme-diately, but does take a time. The same is true of our salvation; it tookJesus a long time suffering to atone for our sins, and it takes us a life-time of improvement.

Why do we have to wear a sling? It is only necessary because there issomething wrong, an injury. If we do not wear the sling, which we arelikely to have to do for a long while, then we will not get better. Ourfreedom is restricted now so that we get the full benefit in the future.In the same way, God keeps us in this world now so that we will bebetter prepared for the life to come. It is actually only then that we willhave real freedom.

The restriction of our freedom is clearly a good thing, for otherwise wewould not get better. This shows us that the laws that God has given to


us in the Bible are not simply to spoil our freedom, but are really forour benefit.

The experience of wearing a sling also shows us that real freedomrequires cooperation. There is much that we cannot do with only onehand, but which needs a second. We find this is true in life as well; it isdifficult to be alone. Thus we see that God made us so that we can bemarried; the couple help each other. We also do well to belong to achurch for the same reason. Especially, we only find real freedom inrelationship with God; He does not need us, but we certainly needHim. (Incidentally, one reason that God does not need us is that He isa Trinity.)

It often takes a problem such as an injury to make us really appreciatewhat we normally take for granted. One reason why God allows disas-ters to occur is that we will appreciate it more when they are not there.Of course, if we have never had something, it is likely that we do notmiss it and do not want it. If we have only ever had one arm, we willmanage very well without the other. Modern advertising does not sim-ply tell us what is available, but tries to arouse a desire in us that wasnot there. As Christians we have to tell people the benefits of a relation-ship with God when they really have no idea of what this is all about.

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154. SLING (2)

Visual aid: Wear a sling. (I actually gave this talk first when I had acold. Any visible physical problem or disease will do.)

READING: John 9:1–5 or 2 Timothy 4:1–5

When we are ill in some way it is a shame and people are sympathetic,but unless it is very serious, or the person is old, we are not concerned.[The audience can be asked, “Will this kill me?”]

Some years ago the situation was different. People died because ofcomparatively trivial illnesses, and the overall life expectancy was a lotless. The difference is that we are a lot more knowledgeable about dis-ease and have many more techniques for dealing with it. People in thepast have taken the trouble to study the human body and its diseases;today we benefit from what they did. In the same way we benefit fromthe work people have done in the past to understand the Bible andGod better. And of course we benefit from the education of ministersand those who teach us.

And yet, everyone eventually does die of some disease or another. Themedical people always fail in the end! Their education is not the finalanswer to our health problems.

Another problem is that some people, although they may be well awareof diseases and their effects, yet choose to ignore that knowledge.Examples of this is people who smoke while knowing its possibleeffects, and people who live promiscuously despite the danger of con-tracting AIDS.


It is not surprising that there is a similarity between bodily healing andspiritual salvation. After all, disease is caused by sin, sometimes directlyas VD or AIDS but more often indirectly, because we live in a sinfulworld. We can to some extent deal with disease in the body, but Christhas totally dealt with sin, so that we can have life which lasts forever.What does this similarity tell us?

a. Our education and knowledge is beneficial to us. People do notneed to know a great deal to be saved but the more they do knowthe more likely they are to appreciate the need and to accept.There is a need for Christians to be diligent in making the gospelknown, and to be engaged in personal Bible study.

b. We are not saved by what we know about the Bible and God.There is no secret to learn which guarantees our salvation. Peoplecan know a lot about God, but if they have no relationship withHim, are not saved.

c. What matters is our obedience to what God has shown us. If wechoose to ignore His warnings, we should not be surprised by theconsequences.

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155. SLING (3)

Visual aid: Wear a sling, or a conspicuous bandage.

READING: Luke 12:16–21 or Proverbs 30:7–9 or Hebrews 12:7–11

Why do we bandage an injury? There are two reasons, one is a verygood reason, but the other is probably the real reason.

Firstly, we bandage because the wound will get better more quickly if itis protected. We bandage to keep the medicine in, and to preventinfection. A further advantage of a bandage is that others see that wehave an injury, and then they avoid hurting it.

We go to church for similar reasons. Just like the contact with themedicine promotes healing, going to church helps our relationshipwith God, which saves us. Then the church encourages us to keep awayfrom evil. Moreover our presence in church shows that we acknowl-edge our need of help; we need the prayer and practical assistance ofothers. Incidentally, we change the bandage regularly if it is going to bereally effective; we do not need to change churches, but should attend(and pray and read the Bible) regularly.

Of course, the wound can heal without a bandage, and we can beChristian without the church, but both are unlikely. However, particu-larly with a break, the bones will not knit if they are not kept in properrelation to each other, and neither will we be saved without that rela-tionship to God.

Perhaps more to the point, unless we bandage we are likely to get morepain. We knock the wound or hit it, and it hurts, so we protect it.


Pain, therefore, is a good thing, and not a bad thing. Because of thepain, a great good occurs.

[An example of this can be seen with leprosy. The disease stops sensa-tion in the hands and feet, so when they get damaged, no cure is taken,so they get worn away and crippled. Not the disease, but the lack ofsensation does this.]

It is not surprising that when people get too rich, they tend to forgetGod because their riches shield them from a lot of the trouble thatmakes us remember that we are really totally dependent upon God.The pain reminds us that we are weak and need to allow God to workin the healing. God therefore allows some tragedy and does this for ourgreater good. It makes us realize that we are not independent, but relyon Him.

Going to church does not always stop pain, whether physical or men-tal. In fact it may hurt us in that we may well become more aware ofthe suffering in the world. However, it does show the ultimate solutionto suffering in what Jesus did for us. In His case, of course, pain alsoproved to be a good thing in that it is only by the suffering and pain ofJesus that we can be helped and gain eternal life. (So He died on GoodFriday.)

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156. SNAKE (1)

Visual aid: Short piece of rope (or toy snake)

READING: Genesis 3:1–7 or Romans 5:3–5 or 1 Corinthians 10:12–23

If this piece of rope were alive, what animal would it remind us of? Asnake. And snakes remind us of temptation (not sin; the devil cannotmake us sin, but only tempt us).

a. Unlike a rope, a snake is able to move, run away, hide and domany things that the rope cannot. Temptation is something that,like a snake, comes upon us without us realising it. Therefore weneed to watch for temptation. Snakes are often well disguised intrees (boomslangs) or on the ground (puffadders). It is often diffi-cult to see when we are being tempted.

There are places that we can go where we are very unlikely to meetsnakes, let alone be bitten; but other places are very dangerous. It isbest to avoid places where we are more liable to get tempted.

b. Snakes are things that everyone fears not because of what they arebut because of what they can do, and rightly so. Likewise tempta-tion should be feared, not for what it is, but because it can lead usto sin and death.

Snakes will usually run away if a person approaches; they usuallyonly bite if they are afraid. The devil is also afraid of what Christhas done; he has been defeated in the cross. That is why Christiansare often specially tempted. But remember that just as snakes are


actually weaker than people, the devil is weaker than Jesus. We donot have to yield to temptation.

c. Snakes may attack in two ways. They may bite and inject theirvenom, or they may coil around their victims and try to crushthem. In both cases, help will be needed if death is to be avoided;either by injecting serum or by release from the coils. In the sameway once a person has become entangled in temptation help willmost likely be needed to get out. The best help that we can have isthat of Christ; if you are being tempted, pray, and He will help!Other Christians are also ready to help.

Even if bitten or being coiled around, there is a delay before it isfatal, but action must be taken quickly. Being tempted is not sin,but if no action is taken against it, it will surely lead to sin and todeath.

d. Some snakes are not fatal, indeed are harmless, but all snakes dogood by eating rats and other pests. Temptation likewise may seema bad thing but unless we get too involved with it, it is good for usin that it strengthens us and makes us grow spiritually.

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157. SNAKE (2)

Visual aid: Toy snake or short piece of rope.

READING: Genesis 3:1–7 or 1 John 1:5–2:2

The story in Genesis tells of the first sin and associates it with a snake.There is much similarity between the two:

a. Snakes are really only dangerous when we are unaware of theirpresence. They are only really likely to attack if startled or cor-nered. If we take precautions such as by using a torch at night orby wearing strong shoes, snakes are really not much of a problem.Temptation is at its most dangerous when we are not alert.

Actually most snakes will even give a warning before they attack,and it is the same with sin and temptation; even Adam and Evehad a warning!

b. When a snake bites, the wound seems very small and insignificant.[Make the toy snake “bite”.] We do not see the poison enter ourbodies, but it is this that later does the damage. Sin too often seemsinsignificant. At the time it is often difficult to see what is wrong,but it has a great effect in that it destroys our relationship withGod and its effects may last a long time.

c. The best time to deal with a snake is not when it attacks, but whenit is as young as possible, even as an egg! It is better to deal with sinas quickly as possible, preferably by avoiding temptation. Remem-ber that snakes breed and produce more snakes, and sin generallymultiplies as well; for example we lie to cover up other sins.


d. If we do get bitten, rapid attention is essential by removing asmuch poison as possible and injecting with serum. Likewise sin isdealt with by stopping the sin, and if possible removing the temp-tation (it is surprising how many people just keep on, and com-plain about its effects), and by confessing and accepting theforgiveness which we have by the death of Christ. It is like aninjection with the life of God.

If we do get bitten, it will be very unpleasant before the actualdeath takes place. How many people really enjoy sin? Even veryrich people frequently complain that they are not really happy.

Everyone fears snakes, sometimes irrationally. Everything that Godmade is good, and even snakes do a good job by eating vermin such asrats. We should fear sin far more, because it can kill for eternity. (Actu-ally even sin has a good side in that it enabled salvation, which is agood thing, and certainly means that we appreciate salvation.)

315

158. SOAP

Visual aid: a bar of soap, preferably not white.

READING: Isaiah 1:16–18, Malachi 3:1–4 or 2 Corinthians 5:21

If you have been doing something dirty, the first thing that then needsto be done is to get clean. If for some reason you cannot wash, youreally feel bad until you have. We have all got dirty, not with ordinarydirt, but with sin, and we will never feel right until we are cleansed.

But if we have no soap, it is very hard to get clean. Some forms of dirt,like oil and grease, just will not shift. Nothing that we can do makestoo much difference. It is the same with our sin; we can try all that wecan, and indeed can make some slight improvements, but we can neverreally get rid of it without Jesus.

What does the soap do? It unites with the grime, and then the waterwashes both of them away together. Of course we do still need to rubour hands, and this will get the job done faster, but basically it is thesoap that does the cleansing. That is exactly what Jesus does for us; heunites with our sin, and carries it away. Without Him, we just cannotbe saved from our sin. Again we need to put effort in to improve ourlives, but He is the one who saves us. Of course, it is not only the soap,but the water as well. It dissolves the soap and applies it to us. That islike the Holy Spirit, who applies what Jesus did so long ago to our livestoday.

Soap is so good that it can clean anybody, and all kinds of dirt. Sometake a bit longer, but it always eventually works. [Show a pair of cleanhands!] Some dirt is quite hard, and will use a lot of soap; this is one


thing that is so much better about Jesus, as when He died, His deathwas effective for the sins of the entire world. There is no limitation, itwill never be used up.

Have you noticed that it does not matter what colour the soap is?Whether it is white, pink, green or blue, it gets you clean just the same!Even if Jesus was a male Jew, His death was effective for absolutelyeverybody. And the soap does not turn us into its own colour; we staywhat we were, just cleaner. To be a Christian, we do not have to adoptthe culture of Jesus, except to live without sinning as much as we can.

Of course one other thing that is also better, is that the soap only cleanson the outside! Jesus cleanses us throughout.

No matter what else you have to do, eating, writing or whatever, dirtyhands will be a problem, so they must be clean. Let us make sure thatour lives are also clean by Jesus.

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159. SOMETHING LOST

Visual aid: Banknote, pen or some article which is frequently lost.


If I have found something which has been lost, what should I do?

a. Keep it? No, that would be stealing. In many cases it is practicableto find the owner, such as of a pen dropped in a car by somebodywho was given a lift. We should even try to return a one cent coinif we know who lost it. Nothing is too small to be neglected.

(Of course nobody really expects us to try to return very smallthings, but in any case the amount of time and trouble that istaken is also something that should perhaps be used in a betterway. If I spend too much time, I am really stealing from that betterthing that I should be doing.)

b. Ignore it, and simply leave it lying where it is? People often feelthat it is just too much trouble to try and find the owner. Howeverthis might be the right thing to do when the owner is more likelyto find it than I am to find the owner; sometimes we see things putup on fences so that the owner can see them easily.

c. Try to return it, even if that is going to cause trouble? That issurely the Christian thing to do.

This is what God has done for us in Christ. Each one of us has losteternal life because of sin, but He has not just ignored us. Christ paidthe ultimate cost in His death to return it to us. He did not have to,but did it for us out of love.


But consider now if we were the person who has lost this thing andsomeone goes to a lot of trouble to return it to us. What would we do?

a. Would we refuse to accept it? Hardly, and yet so many people justdo not accept what Christ has bought for us. Part of the problem isthat often they do not realize that they have lost it. If we lost some-thing a long time ago, the chance is that we no longer miss it.

b. Would we take it but give no word of thanks at all? How manypeople have been baptized and confirmed and do nothing more?

c. Or would we accept with thanks and try to do something for theperson who has helped? What Christ wants from us is our love andobedience.

319

160. SPANNERS

Visual aid: Spanners of different sizes. Adjustable spanner. A large anda small nut and bolt.

READING: John 14:1–7 or Acts 4:10–12 or 17:29–31

When we work on cars or do other forms of mechanical work, one ofthe basic requirements is a good set of spanners to undo the nuts andbolts. Now each spanner is designed to open nuts and bolts of specificsizes only. [Show a large nut and bolt with a small spanner, and viceversa.] The spanner is useless for the nut of the wrong size. It is impos-sible to even fit a spanner onto a nut that is even just a little too big,and one that is too big will just turn on the nut. Actually if the spanneris just a little too big, it may well turn the nut, but is quite likely to slipand damage the nut (to say nothing of our hand!). Only one size reallyfits.

Now many people feel that religions are rather like a set of spanners.Only one religion is designed to fit one people. Thus Buddhism is suit-able for the East and nowhere else, Hinduism for India, and, so it isbelieved that Christianity is only suitable for white Europeans. Someeven believe that the Bible is a “white” book. If this is the case, mission-ary work is wrong, because Christianity will not suit other peoples.

[Produce the adjustable spanner.] But in fact, although it is true thatreligions do tend to belong to specific areas, Christianity is like anadjustable spanner. It will fit any people and any culture. The spannerstays essentially the same, but the distance between the jaws can changeso that it can fit any nut [demonstrate]. The basic truth of Christianity


is constant (like the nut has to turn on the bolt) but the cultural trap-pings are variable. It is true that an Asian church is different from thosein Africa, and would not fit there, but they are all real churches.

In fact, Christianity arose in an area that is not European, but in theMiddle East, a place where the different races meet. It rapidly spread inall directions, to Asia, Africa and Europe, where there are churches thatgo back to that time. Today Christian churches are found just abouteverywhere in the world. The reason for this is that there is only oneway by which people must be saved, and that is by Christ, so clearlyChristianity must be suitable for everyone.

Whatever the size of the spanner, its job is the same, to turn the nut onthe bolt. Wherever the church is, part of its job is to help people to“turn”, to repent, to accept Christ as Lord and saviour.

321

161. SPIRIT LEVEL

Visual aid: Spirit level, and perhaps some other tool used in building.

READING: Matthew 5:48

Building requires a great number of things. Obviously it requires mate-rials such as bricks and mortar, but also it requires tools. One tools thatis very important is a spirit level, because it is vital that the walls of abuilding are upright, otherwise it is not going to stand for very long.The problem is that if we just trust our own judgement, we are veryunlikely to build upright [move hand upwards at an angle], and thenthe walls of the building will lean. What we need is a reliable guide;here the spirit level is very useful [demonstrate how it works], as long aswe follow what it tells us, and not what we think is the case.

The problem is that it is so easy to compare with something else thatlooks upright but is not, such as a tree, or which looks level, such as theground. Then if we follow those, the walls will not be upright.

It is the same with life. If we just trust what we think, then our liveswill not be upright, and then we will quickly fall; we will not survive.We are very good at comparing our lives with those of others roundabout us and getting a false impression. We are deceiving ourselves.

If the guide for our building is not trusted, the mistake is likely to bevery expensive, and a lot of material will be wasted. The walls will haveto be rebuilt, and this time correctly. That is the same with us. If we donot see our mistakes in time, there will be a great deal of waste, espe-cially of our time. The only solution for our mistakes, our sin, is thatwe are rebuilt, be born again.


Once when building with the level, I found that the building wasgoing wrong. The level had been dropped and was not telling thetruth. It was not far out, but a small mistake in building can have avery big effect over a long distance. The level looked to be fine, but infact was not. It is the same with us; we may look as if we are alright, butwithin us there is a distortion due to sin, which leads us astray. Butthen the level could not fix itself, and neither can we. I had to fix thelevel, and God, through the death of Jesus, is the only one who cantake away our sin and make us perfect.

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162. SPOON

Visual aid: spoon. Possibly a few of different sizes would be useful.

READING: Job 1:20–22 or John 6:53–8.

Probably one of the first things that we learn to use when we are smallis a spoon, and we keep on using it right through our lives. It has manyuses, and if we do not have one when we need it, we really struggle. Ina way we are like God’s spoon, as He seeks to use us in the world. Sowhat does a spoon do?

The obvious use is to feed. Imagine trying to eat, or feed a baby, with-out one! That is one thing that God wants us to do in the world, tofeed it, both to share what material things we have, but more impor-tantly, the message of salvation. Of course, if the spoon is to be used inthis way, it must firstly be clean. We are not going to feed a baby witha dirty spoon, and neither will God use people who are not cleansedfrom their sin. Then the spoon has got to be the right way up. (And itmust not be really too broken, with holes in it!) Not seeking to followGod means that we are little use to Him. When we do use a spoon tofeed, it can only hold a little. That too is like us; we can only do somuch because we are limited.

Having a spoon is little use if we have nothing to put into it. That toois like us, as we have nothing of ourselves with which to help God. Allwe have is a gift from Him. And of course it is no use just to keep foodin the spoon; if it is not eaten it quickly spoils. Remember that we can-not keep anything when we die; what we have we cannot keep forever,so it is better to use it.


A second use for a spoon is to stir, to mix things together. If we putsugar into tea and do not stir it, it basically stays separate. When peoplecook, they use spoons. Christians should work so as to bring very dif-ferent sorts of people together. Remember, stirring may seem unpleas-ant, but it has a good result. It makes the food much better, and ourjob as Christians is to make the world a much better place.

A third use which every cook knows it that a spoon can be used tomeasure out the different ingredients. They have to be in the right pro-portions. As Christians we too have to measure and assess; for example,we must consider if a few minutes of sinful pleasure is worth all the suf-fering that may well result from it. Is sin worth a lost eternity? Onepoint of measuring is that it is repeatable; the spoon is reliable. Are wepeople who can be trusted to be reliable, or do we act in a haphazard,random way, so that people never know where they are with us?

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163. STAPLER

Visual aid: Stapler, paper clip, and two pieces of paper.

READING: John 10:27–9 or 1 Peter 1:6–8 or 4:12–7

What is a Christian? Many people think that a Christian is someonewho believes in Jesus; that is right, but being a Christian is more thanthat. A Christian is somebody who belongs to Jesus. What does thismean? It is a bit like fastening two pieces of paper together so that theybelong to each other. Now one common way of doing this is with apaper clip. This does indeed hold the papers together, but there are twoproblems with this method:

a. The papers are not held together reliably. It is easy for the papersto move about, and even for the clip to come off and the papers tocome apart. Being a Christian means that we should be reliable,and be steadfast. (Do we always do what we promise that we willdo?)

b. The papers are not held permanently. That is not like being aChristian; we know that God will never let us go!

But there is a better way of fastening the papers; they can be stapledtogether. If this is done, then they are held together reliably, and per-manently. This is more like being a Christian. But note what the sta-pler does:

a. The staple cannot be put in by hand like the paper clip, but needsthe machine. We cannot make ourselves Christians, but it is onlywhat God has done for us that gives us eternal life.


b. There only has to be one staple to hold the papers. We only needJesus, and no other religion, to be saved.

c. In order to work, the staple goes through the papers, and leavestwo small holes in them. It affects them. If we are real Christians,we must have an effect on what is round about us. Our homes,schools, and all that we come into contact with, should be betterbecause we belong to Jesus.

d. When the staple is put in, it is also changed, because the ends arebent round to hold the papers. If we are Christian, we should bechanged. Just like the staple is changed so that it does its job better,so God changes us so that we can serve Him better.

Notice that the staple is bent, so in effect suffers. God may well callon us to suffer, but if He does, we can be sure that it is all for agood purpose. Of course, when we put a staple in, we usually putthe bent ends behind, so that they cannot be seen. We too shouldnot boast about our suffering, but should hide it, just being gladthat we could do that for God!

327

164. STEERING WHEEL

Visual aid: Steering wheel from car (a toy car, or any piece of modernequipment can be used and the talk adapted accordingly.)

READING: Romans 2:12–16 or 4:20–25

[For a young audience, ask how many can drive a car, or for an oldergroup, ask whether children can drive cars.] Operating a piece of mod-ern machinery, such as a car, requires skill and training. It cannot bedone properly without some explanation beforehand. There is a lot toknow. It is not directly obvious why a car should have a steering wheel,and certainly the operation of the pedals is not clear; why should push-ing with the right foot make the car go faster? It is all very confusing.But is it impossible for someone who has had no experience of the caror other piece of equipment to operate it? The answer must be “no”,but it is still very unlikely that such a person can in fact do it.

The same is true about the Gospel message of salvation. It is notdirectly obvious why the death and resurrection of Jesus has anythingat all to do with our salvation. For many people they are simply eventsthat happened a long time ago. Of course very many people do noteven believe that Jesus lived, let alone rose from the dead. However, itis not impossible for a person who has never heard of Christ and Hisdeath on the cross to be saved. Abraham was in fact saved before theevent. Although many people feel that they have to be good enough tobe saved, all that Abraham did was to trust God for salvation, andappreciate that he could not save himself. He did not know how it waspossible, but believed nevertheless.


But when a person understands the car and becomes familiar with it,driving becomes easy. For most people, the principles, such as pushingthe accelerator and brake, and turning the steering wheel, are under-stood almost immediately. The same is true of the Gospel; the basicfacts of sin and of Christ’s death for us can be communicated andunderstood very easily, even if not accepted. In fact, the more peopleknow about the workings of the car, the better their driving should get.That is why it is vital to spread the understanding of the gospel, forpeople are more likely to be saved if they understand the message. Thatis also why we go to church and study the Bible. The more we under-stand of the Christian faith, the better we should become.

However, if the principles of the operation of the car are not accepted,and a person tries to drive in a different way (such as pushing the ped-als to turn, or turning the wheel to go faster), the car will crash. So it iswith the Gospel; if a person tries to be saved in a different way, disasterwill inevitably follow.

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165. STOOL

Visual aid: Three-legged stool


It is impossible for people to save themselves. They cannot be perfectbefore God. Therefore we must be saved by the gift of God, so all wecan do is to accept what He has done for us by faith. We cannot liftourselves up into the air [pull up on feet], something will need to do itfor us, like a stool [display the stool]. If I stand on the stool, it will liftme up.

Therefore I must trust the stool; if I think that the stool is not able tocarry my weight, will I stand on it? In the same way, I must trust Christfor my salvation. This sort of trust is actually something that we doevery day. We do not test our chairs before we sit down, we do notanalyze our food. We simply accept. Accepting what Christ has doneshould therefore be easy for us to do.

But faith is not simply trust, it involves more than that. [Put stool onthe ground on only one leg so that it is obviously unstable.]

If we say that we trust, that must be more than just optimism, but istrust in Christ. That means that my trust must depend on belief inwho Christ is. We trust the stool because we believe that the wood isstrong enough and that the stool has been adequately made. It is nogood trusting Christ unless we believe that He is God and so able tosave me from sin. So trust needs belief.


[Put two legs of the stool on the ground, but show that this too isunstable.] The stool will only work if put down in the correct way withthree legs on the ground. It does not work on its side, or upside-down.If we believe that Christ is God and our trust is in Him, that mustmean that we should also be obedient to what He wants us to do. Ourfaith means trust, belief and obedience, all three. Only then is it realfaith. So often people have felt that they need only believe, or onlyobey, or only go to church without it affecting the way they live. Allthese are like standing on a stool with insufficient legs.

However, the stool is quite stable with only the three; a fourth is notactually necessary. We do not need to add things to faith such aschurch membership. However most chairs do in fact have a fourth leg,partly for beauty, and if we add such things to our basic faith it too willbe more beautiful.

Incidentally, note that we do actually need to step up onto the stool.We need a step of commitment to Christ.

331

166. STORM CLOUDS

Visual aid: none, but the talk is applicable after a storm, or when onethreatens.

READING: Hebrews 12:5–11 or 1 Peter 1:6–9

Nobody really likes bad weather; most of us far prefer it when it issunny! But from time to time we do get a storm, and we have toendure that for a while.

a. The storm will sooner or later come to an end. If it is a real storm,it is usually past in an hour or so. Sometimes bad weather does goon for what seems to be a very long time, but even that does endeventually.

b. The storm is actually caused by the sun! In colder parts of theworld that are not so sunny, the weather can be bad and go on fora long time, but storms are more common where it is sunny. It isthe energy of the sun that causes them.

c. The storm is really for our good. We may not like the storm, and itmay even frighten us, but we know that it has good effects, such asproviding needed rain for the plants. And if the rain has come, theplants are better able to use the energy of the sun in their growth.

Now nobody likes to suffer; it is something that we avoid if at all possi-ble. Indeed, it is wrong to suffer deliberately. Yet God does sometimesallow us to suffer, and when it happens, the same things are true as forthe storms.


a. We do know that sooner or later the suffering will come to an end.Sometimes we do have to suffer for a very long time, even perhapsfor the rest of our lives, but we do know that sooner or later it willfinish. God may well allow it, but He loves us, and will not allowus to suffer forever.

b. Sometimes God makes us suffer. Nothing happens without Hispermission, but sometimes He actually causes what we wouldrather not have. If we are doing something wrong or foolish, it isonly right if we take the consequences. This does not mean that allsuffering comes from Him, because very often it is really our ownfault.

c. If it is God who has caused our suffering, or even if it is only thatHe has allowed it, we know that it is really for our good. Nobodylikes discipline, but this is only to help us. God disciplines usbecause He loves us! Perhaps He wants to show us that what we aredoing is wrong, and so a bit of discipline will improve us, and thatis surely good.

And once we have suffered, we are better able to enjoy God again;our relationship to Him should be deeper.

333

167. SUN

Visual aid: The sun.

READING: Genesis 1:1–5 or Matthew 5:43–48

Ask what comes from the sun. The reply will be “light” and “heat”.Life is totally dependent upon the sun for food, either directly (plants)or indirectly (animals), and without the heat of the sun everythingwould freeze to death. It is not surprising that many peoples have wor-shipped the sun from time to time.

Of course the sun is not God; we worship the One who made the sun.How do we know that the sun is not God? One way in which we seethat is so is that there is a great increase in skin cancer due to exposureto the rays of the sun. We can never get too much exposure to Him,although we do need a measure of balance; we should not get soobsessed with praying and church activities that we become totally use-less. Another thing is the fact that the sun is not seen for half the time,during the night.

We worship God, because He is the one who gives us all that we need:

a. He is the one who created all that there is.

b. He is the one who provides all that is necessary for life to continue.

c. He is the one who provides new life that is eternal through thedeath of Christ.

d. He is the one who is available to help us at any time.


Now the sun does not only provide life, but shows us all kinds ofthings. By its light we can see the way. It tells us the time, and indicatesdirection. God does the same for us. He guides us and tells us what isright and wrong by His word.

Just like we cannot look directly at the sun without using a very darksubstance for eye protection, such as during an eclipse, we cannot seeGod directly either. But we can understand what He is like throughHis son Jesus.

Have you noticed how people are basically happier when the sun isout? How many people want to escape the sun in their holidays? In thesame way life is happier and people are more fulfilled when they oper-ate in accordance with what God wants for them.

335

168. SUNGLASSES (1)

Visual aid: Sunglasses. The talk has more point if the particular oneshave never been seen by the audience before.

READING: Mark 10:45 or 2 Corinthians 5:19–21

It is pointed out to the audience that they have never seen the sun-glasses before, then they can be asked if they knew that those glassesexisted. The answer is of course no. Sunglasses are not usually seenuntil they are actually being worn. The same is true about God; manypeople find it hard to believe in Him. The fact is that sunglasses areusually seen only when they are with the eyes of the wearer, so God isusually only seen in the lives and activity of Christians.

Actually, if it were not for the needs of eyes, sunglasses would not existat all. The sunglasses need the eyes, but eyes can, and do, manage quiteadequately without the sunglasses; they do not need them. We needGod, but God in no way needs us! On the other hand, all of us needeach other.

In fact the eyes and the sunglasses do help each other. The sunglassesprotect the eyes and help them to see better, while it is almost impossi-ble to clean the sunglasses without looking. While we are alive, God isconstantly working for us, providing for us in very many ways, andprotecting us from harm and temptation. In particular, Jesus came andsuffered for us on the cross so that we can be saved. If we are in the suna lot, wearing sunglasses may well prevent the radiation of the sun fromdamaging our eyes permanently. God will save us permanently, to eter-nal life, if we put our trust in Him.


The sunglasses can be worn on a motorbike, when they stop the dirtand flies going in our eyes. They suffer instead of the eyes. Jesus suf-fered and died for us so that we can have eternal life. Are we preparedto sacrifice our time, money and abilities for others?

But we should also work for God. He made the world, but we have thejob of caring for it, trying to improve it, and making it a better place byhelping each other. Do you work for the benefit of others?

Some people only want to help others if they are helped in return; thisis not what Jesus did. The sunglasses will continue to do the job even ifthey are never cleaned and never cared for. God will still care for useven if we never acknowledge Him. Will you look after others even ifyou never get paid for it? But the sunglasses will do the job a lot betterif they do get cared for; and we will find that if we seek to love and fol-low God, that He will bless us even more!

337

169. SUNGLASSES (2)

Visual aid: Sunglasses.

READING: Ezekiel 3:22–4 or Revelation 1:12–7

Most people prefer to be in the sunshine rather than in the rain orcloudy weather, and especially they prefer it to the night-time. But ifthe sunlight is too bright, or we have to look directly towards the sun,then we have a problem, as it is too much for us. We cannot standlooking directly at the sun. One solution is to wear sunglasses. In thesame way we could not stand the experience of God directly. This iswhy God usually reveals himself to us in other ways, particularly by theBible.

If we wear sunglasses, they affect everything that we look at; everythinglooks darker. It should also be the case that reading the Bible affectseverything that we do. The sunglasses in fact help us to see and so dealwith the world better, and so should the Bible; if we are doing whatGod wants, that should be the best possible way, and we know whatthat is from the Bible.

The sunglasses should be comfortable to wear, and do not hurt us, justas our faith does not harm us; in fact the opposite, as they make lifebetter. And the sunglasses work better the closer they are to us; do wehold them away [demonstrate]? Likewise our faith works better thecloser it is to us.

What we must do in both cases is decide to put them on! We mustmake that bit of effort. And we must make sure that they stay there;that is what our ears are for! We will also find that we need to put in


some effort to understand the Bible if it is really to be a help to us. Weneed to have it explained; that is what our ears are for!

If we do wear sunglasses, it is obvious to everybody. Is it obvious thatwe read the Bible; it should be! What the sunglasses do is to make thewearer better looking; that is the main reason that most people wearthem, rather than for protection. Reading the Bible should also makeus more attractive to those round about us; we should be nicer peopleto have around if we really try to run our lives in the way that Godwants. Our faith does not stop our concern for others, but helps us ful-fil it.

339

170. SUPERCEDED COIN

Visual aid: Coin that has gone out of circulation.

READING: Deuteronomy 7:6–9 or Isaiah 55:6–9

If I see a coin lying on the ground I always stop and pick it up, no mat-ter how small it it. It is still valuable, and I want it. That is what Goddoes for us! But the coin has a problem; it cannot call out for help, so itcannot call attention to itself. If people miss it it can lie on the groundforever. We are not like that, because God will never miss us. If wewant to be picked up by Him, He will do it.

If the coin stays on the ground, it becomes scuffed and dirty as timepasses, so it is less and less likely to be found. Eventually it gets coveredup, and will be lost forever. That is the same as people. As time goesby, they are less and less likely to call upon God for salvation. Weshould call upon Him when we are young.

Finally, it really is too late for the coin [show it]. It may be of the rightcountry, it may be made of the right metal, but time has passed and itis no longer of value as money.

But when this one was found it was still picked up. Why was that?Because it could be of service? No, it was valueless (except as a visualaid!). Because of its beauty? Again no. This was picked up just becauseit is a coin, and people always like coins. That is the same for us. Goddoes not pick us up just so we can be of service to Him, although it isgood if we can. He does not pick us up because we are beautiful. Thereason that He picks us up is that He loves us!


And what was the first thing that I did after I picked up the coin? Icleaned it. It had been lying in the dirt for many years. And God doesthe same for us. We may have been lying in sin for a very long time, sowhen He picks us up He washes our sins away through the blood ofJesus.

Just remember, there is a time when it really is too late, when the coinhas got so corroded that it falls apart, or so that it can no longer be rec-ognised as a coin. Then even a person looking carefully will pass it by.There really will come a time when it is too late for us as well. Acceptwhat Jesus has done for us now, in case it becomes too late for us.

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171. TAPE MEASURE

Visual aid: Tape measure that will extend to at least 1,2 m.

READING: Matthew 5:13–16 or Ephesians 5:6–11.

How much do you measure round the waist? It is quite variable but Imeasure about 85 cms (put the tape measure around waist). My wifewould have been less than that. But one day my wife fell pregnant.There was a new life starting within her. Now initially that was notseen by anyone. Nobody knew. A while later she knew, and then Iknew, and before long her waistline started to grow. (Hold tape mea-sure a bit open.) After some months it was obvious to everyone thatthere was new life within her. (Hold tape measure well open. I got agood effect by walking a bit as a pregnant woman walks.) What wasinitially a secret thing became obvious to all.

Much the same happens when a person becomes a Christian and a newlife starts within them. It is initially only known by themselves and byGod but gradually as time passes it should become more and moreobvious until eventually it just cannot be missed by anyone at all.

Now putting on weight is hopefully is just a temporary thing, andbeing pregnant is also temporary, but the effect of this new life is some-thing that is permanent. As every parent knows, life is never the sameagain after a baby starts to grow. Moreover that new life will probablyoutlive us; it will continue to affect us for the rest of our lives. That isso with our new Christian life; not only does it last for the rest of ourearthly lives, but it continues to affect us for eternity.


The other thing that every parent knows is that the new life has got tobe cared for. It involves a measure of sacrifice, especially if it is going toreach its full potential. The growing child has to be cared for, fed andeducated. That is just the same with our Christian lives.

343

172. TAX DISC

Visual aid: Tax disc from car, fake disc (it should clearly be a fake).Out of date disc.

READING: Colossians 2:8–10 or Exodus 32:7–10

Every car has to carry a disc on it which shows that it has a right to beon the road. Every year the owner of the car has to pay a fee to receivethe current disc. They then demonstrate that they have paid by dis-playing the disc; it would be foolish to pay and not display it! They areliable to get into trouble with the police for nothing!

Now there are some people who do not want to pay the fee. They mayeither run their car with no disc at all, or make a fake one [show thefake] or keep the old one in place. If they do that they have no right tobe on the road and will be punished if they are found out. Can youimagine that they must always drive their car with a sense of fear in casethey are checked on by the police? They may of course get away withthe crime for a long time.

When we become Christians we gain a right to go to heaven. But thereare some people who:

a. Think they can be saved with no faith at all. [Ask audience if suchwill get to heaven.]

b. Think that they can be saved with the wrong faith. [Show the fake,and again ask if such will get to heaven.]


c. Think they can be saved if they made a decision a long time agoand have backslidden. (There are differences of opinion amongChristians on this point. Certainly the point can be made that afaith that is really beneficial should be kept active.)

Such people must always go through life with fear and a lack of secu-rity. We may evade the police for a while, but we will not be able tofinally escape God’s judgement. The tragedy is that nobody would runwith the wrong disc if the fee was paid for them, and Christ has doneall that is necessary for us to enter heaven.

There are of course also some who say that they are indeed Christians,but try to hide it. Surely such a person will eventually be ashamedwhen they do finally meet with God. Our faith is something to beproud of, and in any case should be displayed so that others will beaware of the way of salvation. It should also result in good deeds!

It is also noteworthy that the disc is usually displayed on the wind-screen, the thing that the driver always looks through to drive. If we areChristians, the fact that we belong to Him should influence all that wethink and do, every decision that we make.

345

173. TELEPHONE (1)

Visual aid: Telephone. (The sort with a dial, rather than buttons, ispreferable.)

READING: 1 Kings 18:20–39

My mother lives 10,000 kilometres away from me, but if I want tospeak to her, I can. I must just connect up the telephone and dial 09441234 853 857 [dial the numbers]. Then I have to wait for a few sec-onds while the call goes through, then while the phone rings and shecomes to answer it. Then I may find it is already engaged so I cannotget through, or perhaps I have made just one mistake in all the num-bers and I get someone else. Then I may find that there is nobody athome, so that the phone just rings and rings [make a ringing sound].Then if I get through I can speak to her, but there is only one moreproblem. Sooner or later I will get a bill [indicate the current rate perminute].

Praying to God is a bit like using the phone:

a. I still have to use the right method, but it is not a chain of numbersbut prayer through Jesus.

b. There is no delay while the connection is made. It is instantaneous.

c. God is always there to hear us; He is always there to hear ourprayers.

d. God is never too busy for us; we never find that the line is engaged.


e. It is free! Jesus has already paid the cost by dying for me on thecross.

Let us also remember that when we use a telephone the communica-tion can be two-way. We do not only pray to talk to God, but weshould be ready to hear Him communicating with us. Or do we nevertry to listen by such means as going to church and reading the Bible?Or is it that we are really afraid of hearing what He says because weknow that He will want us to change our lives in various ways? Let usremember that one day He will call for us and we will not be able toignore Him. Have you noticed how almost nobody is able to ignorethe ringing of the telephone, but is almost compelled to answer it? So itwill be at the judgement day!

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174. TELEPHONE (2)

Visual aid: Telephone.

READING: John 14:12–14 or 15:7–11

Have you ever thought how amazing it is that we can just speak withsomeone, even on the other side of the world, just by using the tele-phone? That is a sort of “miracle” but it is even more amazing that Ican communicate with God in prayer.

It always seems a miracle to me, especially when I hear someone elsetalking on the phone, that the phone is able to work no matter whatlanguage is used. The same is of course true for God; He will listen nomatter who prays to Him, or in whatever language!

It would be very stupid, and very expensive, if a person owned a tele-phone but never in fact used it. That is like a person who has become aChristian, so accepted the fact that Jesus died to take away their sins,but then never prays. They are missing out on a tremendous privilege.God is just waiting for us to speak to Him; although He knows allabout us and what we want, He still wants us to pray.

Some people do not want to pray because they find it difficult andawkward. Why is this?

a. It is always difficult talking to someone that we do not really know.Although God will hear the prayer of someone who is still not for-given, prayer is always awkward. There is no need for us to strug-gle, after all, Jesus has already died for us, so all we have to do isaccept His forgiveness, and then praying is not awkward, but a joy.


b. It is difficult if your hands are dirty, because you will leave dirtymarks on the phone! I sometimes have to ask someone to hold thephone for me, but it is always awkward, never very satisfactory.Much better to clean your hands first! In the same way, prayerworks best if our sins are really forgiven before you start! The firstthing we should do is to confess and ask God to forgive us; then wecan really communicate.

Where do you put the phone when you want to use it [hold it a longway away]? The phone works best if you hold it close to your ear; it isonly when it is close that you are able to hear, and the other personhear you. In the same way, prayer works best if we stay close to God.

349

175. THERMOMETER

Visual aid: a medical (clinical) thermometer

READING: Matthew 23:23–6 or Romans 3:23 or 7:7–12

If you fall over and cut or bruise yourself, or even break something, it iseasy to see what is wrong. All you must do is treat it and wait for it toheal. But what if you are just not feeling good? How do you know ifyou are sick? One thing is sure; you think that something is wrong!What you do not know is what the problem is, and so what to doabout it. It is then very frustrating if nobody can see that you have aproblem; no bandages, no cuts or bruises, no rash or spots! How canpeople know that you are really sick?

Usually there is something that shows what is wrong; perhaps youbreak out in a rash, or spots appear. These are symptoms of what iswrong, and then the doctor will know what treatment to prescribe.

One very simple tool that doctors use to indicate a problem is a ther-mometer. Everybody should have a temperature of almost exactly 37degrees. If it is above that there is a likelihood that you are really sick.Usually there are other indications, such as aching legs, or a headache,but the thermometer may give the only indication of a problem. Thethermometer shows what is happening inside, that we cannot see. Thisis the reason why God has given us the Law in the Old Testament, andsome teachings in the New. These are to show us that something iswrong; otherwise we may not know! Indeed, many people outwardlyappear to be very good, but the law of God shows that something iswrong within.


Of course, the way that we use the thermometer does take a little time,otherwise it cannot tell the truth. In the same way we do need to spenda while reading God’s law, or otherwise we cannot know what is right.

What we must realise is that taking our temperature does not make usbetter, and in the same way, keeping all the laws in the Bible does notgive us eternal life. Just as a high temperature only shows us that thereis a disease, and it is this that has to be treated, so breaking God’s rulesis only an indication of sin, which is the real problem. Then we takemedicine for the disease, and come to Jesus for our sin to be dealt with.

The thermometer can give an indication that something is wrong, butin fact we can be very seriously ill, and have an absolutely normal tem-perature. In the same way we can know what God’s law says, and betotally obedient to it, yet still have no eternal life. Nobody can live for-ever unless they come to Jesus; no matter how good people seem to be,without Jesus they are sinful, and so lost.

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176. TIE (1)

Visual aid: Collection of a few ties, the brighter the better.

READING: Romans 12:1–5

It is always nice to wear a colourful tie that complements the rest of theclothing. Many different ones are available, although all are basicallythe same; most are beautiful, some more than others. That is just likepeople, who are all basically the same even if they do come in manydifferent shapes and sizes, some beautiful, others not so much! Godloves variety, which is why he has made us of so many different kinds;notably of different races and colours—like ties the contrast makespeople more beautiful and interesting.

The tie is always worn around the neck and is dependent on that neckfor support. Without the neck, it just falls to the ground. We too aretotally dependent on God day by day. Without Him we too would justcollapse.

It would actually be possible to wear a tie in a different place, such asround the top of the head, round the waist, the arm or the leg [demon-strate]. It really only belongs in one place, however, and that is thesame for us. God has a purpose for us and so it is essential that we askHim in prayer to guide us into the right place that we were made for.

Even in the proper place round the neck, it is possible for it to be wornin a loose and untidy manner. An undisciplined tie is really not veryattractive and spoils the purpose for which it was made. Likewise ourlives should be disciplined and orderly if they are going to be reallyattractive and so pleasing to God and to other people.


If the tie is dirty, it will not be worn, but a different tie will be selected.If we are “dirty” with unconfessed sin, we too will not be used of God.The dirty tie must be cleaned, and our sin must be confessed and dealtwith by the blood of Christ, and then we can be used of God.

One thing that is clear especially when it gets a bit hot is that the tie isnot really necessary. It is often loosened or even taken off. In the sameway we are not essential to God, and just as the tie can make usuncomfortable, we too can offend God by our actions. However just aswe will take off the tie but will not throw it away, God will not cast usoff for ever but is always seeking to restore us to usefulness.

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177. TIE (2)

Visual aid: The speaker should wear a tie. A second tie, which shouldrelate to an institution, such as a school tie (it is best if it is recogniz-able) can be carried in a pocket (it could of course be worn instead ofthe other, but it is better to have the two). An old shirt, as scruffy aspossible.

READING: Titus 2:10 or Hebrews 10:23–5.

The talk can be introduced by pointing out that everyone present iswearing clothes, perhaps by asking if there is anyone present who isnot! We wear clothes for very good reasons; a jacket or sweater is wornfor warmth, shoes are there to keep our feet dry, and everyone knowswhy trousers or a skirt is worn! But a tie seems unnecessary. It does notkeep us warm or dry. In the same way people sometimes feel that goingto church is unnecessary; it may be felt to have no function, and isexpensive in terms of time and money. But people do wear ties for verygood reasons, and these are the same reasons why we should go tochurch.

a. I often wear a tie because by so doing I show respect to the peoplethat I meet. A scruffy person is saying that other people do notmatter! So by going to church a person is showing respect to God.

b. [show the school tie] Only certain people are entitled to wear sucha tie, because it demonstrates to other people that the wearerbelongs to that school (or other institution). Going to church is away of demonstrating to other people that we belong to God.


c. The most important reason for wearing a tie is that it makes thewearer more beautiful. If the tie is not worn, or worn badly [loosenthe tie], my overall appearance is spoiled, and those who see me arenot so happy. We go to church to worship God and to please Him,and if a particular person is not there, the worship will not be com-plete, and even be a bit spoiled.

Wearing a tie, like going to church, is important, but there are a coupleof requirements.

a. The tie has had to be bought. Now we are not talking about thecollection which is taken up in many churches, but it is true that aprice did have to be paid so that we can go to church. Jesus died togive us a relationship with God, which is seen in our worship inchurch.

b. The tie cannot be worn alone, and nobody will wear a tie on ascruffy shirt [produce old shirt]. Now many people are doing asimilar thing if they go to church on Sundays, but for the rest ofthe week they lead lives which will be offensive to God. A good tiewill be worn on a good shirt, and church on Sunday only makesreal sense if it is accompanied by a life worthy of Christ for the restof the week.

355

178. TINNED FOOD

Visual aid: Tin of food, label from another tin that can be held over thefirst. I also have a radio in the shape of a coca-cola bottle which canillustrate this talk. Anything made to look like something else addspoint to the talk.

READING: 1 John 4:1–6 or Philippians 1:15–8 or Colossians 2:16–19

The audience can be asked if they like baked beans (or whatever theloose label shows). [Hold up the tin with the loose label held over thereal one.] The problem is that the baked beans (or whatever) is notwhat is in the tin. The label is a fake. And how do we know that thelabel underneath is not a fake as well? [If other fakes are available theycan also be shown.]

Mistakes in labelling do occur, and sometimes fakes are made for fun,but what if this was a tin containing something cheap (like bakedbeans) but it had the label of something that was very expensive? Wewould be very angry and rightly so. The only way of knowing for sureis to open the tin, but of course we have to trust the label of the tinwhen we buy it. Generally speaking that is all right, as the manufactur-ing industry is honest.

But today we get a similar situation with what we believe. There aremany people with many different doctrines, all saying that they are bestand that they are right. Some are wrong because they are mistaken, butsome are out to deceive for their own benefit. The ultimate test iswhether their doctrine works, but by then the damage may be done.


(For example, some groups claim to heal, and then urge that medicaltreatment is stopped. This can have disastrous results.)

We must not simply believe all that we are told, even by ministers.(Even by this speaker!) All must be tested by God’s standard. If it iscontrary to the Bible it is surely wrong, and God will also guide us ifwe ask Him.

The important thing to remember is that labels do not always tell thetruth, even in religion. Fakes are possible. What matters is not whethersomeone says that they are really Christian, and what they say the truthis, but whether they really are, and whether what they say is in factright.

Are we genuine? Some try to give the impression that they are notChristians at all, perhaps because they are scared of being persecuted.On the other hand, others who are not really Christians at all try forvarious reasons to convince others that they are.

Perhaps most important is not what we say, but what our lives areshowing. Does the way in which we behave reflect what we really are?If we are Christians, our lives should reflect it.

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179. TIN-OPENING (1)

Visual aid: Tin of food, tin opener, knife, hacksaw, hammer and chisel.

READING: John 14:1–7 or Matthew 7:13–14 or Romans 2:12–16

Food comes packaged in various ways. One which is common is the tincan. Now why does the manufacturer put the food inside the tin? Is itdone just so that it will be difficult for us? Of course not; it is done toprotect the food, so that when we do want it, it will then still be goodto eat. The food stays inside the tin, and while it is there it is somethingthat we can look forward to. We have something to look forward to asChristians, that is our eternal life in heaven, and if it is not really goodwhen we get there, it will hardly be really heaven!

Everybody wants to eat, just as everybody wants to go to heaven. Butthe food is within the tin which must be opened. If you want to eat,something must be done; the tin just has to be opened. The food insidewill not miraculously transfer itself into us. Neither will anyone justfind themselves in heaven if they have never done anything about it. Itwould be stupid to starve when there was a tin of food available, and itwould be stupid not to be saved if the way of salvation was available.

Now the tin may be opened in a variety of different ways [pretend toopen with the various implements]. All of them will work althoughsome of them are more effective than others. In the same way some saythat all religions are really correct, so that there are many ways of get-ting to heaven, some more efficient than others. They believe that allwill be effective, like paths up a mountain will get to the summit.


But when it comes to eating the food once the tin is opened there isonly one way. It will not go directly to the stomach [push tin intostomach], neither can it go into the ear [put tin to ear], but there isonly one method of eating, which is through the mouth.

In the same way, although there are many ways of hearing aboutChrist, there is only one way of salvation. This is through faith inChrist who died for us.

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180. TIN-OPENING (2)

Visual aid: Tin of food, tin-opener, tools such as an axe, hacksaw, ham-mer and chisel. A second tin-opener is also useful.

READING: Ephesians 2:10 or Exodus 20:1–3 or James 3:7–12

The talk can be introduced by asking if the audience gets hungry bymid-morning, and then suggesting that the speaker is well-prepared[produce the tin]. The problem is that although food that comes in tinsis usually quite easy to get ready, the tins do have to be opened. Forthis a tool is absolutely essential; we cannot open the tin without one.Now God also uses tools to work for Him; we are those tools! But justlike I have to have the tool, we must be Christians if God is going touse us.

Now there are various tools which can open the tin [produce them].All of these will be effective although some are better than others.Some will even damage the food unless we are really very careful. Thatis like us; we are able to do a lot of good, but also much harm, and weconstantly need to choose to do what is right. We can use our abilitiesfor a variety of purposes, to do good or to do evil. Of course, if we usea tool in a way very different from the purpose for which it was made,it also is likely to be spoilt. We too will tend to suffer if we try to live ina way that is contrary to what God wants.

Then the audience is asked which tool is the best at opening the tin,and the answer is obviously a tin-opener. It is quick and easy, and doesno harm; that is because it was specifically made for that one job. If weare going to succeed in life it is necessary for us to be single-minded,


and not waste all our time and energy on things that are really no use.In particular, if we are really going to please God we must be single-minded and put Him first in our lives.

If we have a choice, we will ultimately discard all the other tools infavour of the tin-opener because it does the job in the best way. But ifwe do not have a tin-opener, we just have to struggle with a tool that isnot really right for the job. Is someone else struggling to do a job thatreally should be done by us? Each one of us is unique and special toGod, and there is something that we can do for God better than any-one else. If we do not do it, then God has to ask someone else, who willnot be able to do it so well.

I care for all my tools, not only for the ones having just a single pur-pose. In the same way God cares for all irrespective of good or evil byproviding food, warmth, and so on. But if a tool becomes useless, it isnot worth keeping [here I show a tin-opener that does not really work].I will then throw it out. If we get to the end of our lives and we havenever done what God has made us for, then we too deserve to bethrown out. God will ultimately reject all who oppose Him in his finaljudgement.

361

181. TOOLS

Visual aid: Tools, especially a clamp, pliers, spanner, hammer. Twopieces of wood.

READING: James 3:7–12 or Matthew 7:15–20

Many of the jobs that we do present a problem. Two things have got tobe fastened together, for example, these two pieces of wood must beheld together for a long time. What should I do? Now it is possible forme to stand here and to hold them, but that would be foolish becausethere exists such a thing as a clamp, which will hold it very adequatelyas long as I want it to. It would be foolish if I did not use it.

Now some people are just the same. They have the word of God, theBible, available to them and yet when they have a problem they just donot use it. God’s help is available, particularly from the Bible, but itmust be used.

What is a tool for? It is usually a way of using our own strength moreeffectively; I have to put on the clamp and tighten it up, then it doesthe rest. In the same way the Bible has been given to us so that we canuse our God-given abilities more effectively. If we obey God by doingwhat He has told us, we will be more what we should be like. And justlike the clamp fastens two pieces of wood together, so the Bible isintended to enable us to relate better to God, to fasten us to Him.

On the other hand, tools can be used the wrong way. It is nonsense touse a pair of pliers or spanner or even a clamp to drive in a nail, or (andthis is often done), a pair of pliers to attempt to loosen a nut. Some-times the use is obviously wrong, but in other cases it is perhaps not so


clear. Likewise the Bible is often used in a way that God neverintended. It is not intended to be a science textbook; people havethought that the Bible is wrong because it tells of the world in a waywhich seems different from modern science. But more importantly,they have gone to the Bible for guidance, which is good, but relied on asection which has nothing whatsoever to do with the problem in hand.A verse in the Bible cannot be forced to apply to any situation, just asone tool cannot fit every job.

Just like the clamp has been specially made for one specific purpose,the Bible has been inspired by God for the specific purpose of inform-ing us about Him. The clamp is different from other tools, just like theBible is different from other books.

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182. TOOTHBRUSH

Visual aid: Toothbrush, possibly also toothpaste.

READING: Matthew 6:1–6 or Luke 18:9–14 or 1 John 1:8–2:2

Our visual aid today is something that is very old, and has alreadylasted several years. Most of us want them to last a lot longer, even therest of our lives. [Grin and tap teeth.] We can help our teeth to last bybrushing them to get them clean.

Why do we have to clean our teeth? Particles of food are left behindwhen we eat, cling to our teeth, start to rot them, and eventually causeholes. Therefore it is a good thing, morning and evening, to thor-oughly clean the teeth to get rid of these particles. The makers oftoothpaste also claim that using it gives more efficient cleaning andmakes the teeth more resistant to attack than just cleaning them. Whatdoes this teach us?

a. Doing something good (eating) has some bad results (toothdecay). Because we are sinful, even the good deeds that we do arenever from the purest motives. We want praise and other rewards.Such sin needs to be dealt with.

b. Because we do sin frequently, either secretly or more openly, weneed to come to God frequently, perhaps morning and evening, toconfess and receive His forgiveness. He is ready to forgive, throughChrist, but we do need to ask Him. Note that if we only clean ourteeth once a week, it is still better than nothing, but it is unlikely toreally protect our teeth; but some people think that going tochurch only once a week is quite enough!


c. Just as our teeth are protected by frequent brushing, if we confessfrequently we think about what is right and we get into a habit ofdoing good rather than evil. If we do good, then it leads to moregood.

d. The good habit of teeth-cleaning means that our teeth last longerand so we can continue to do something good, to eat well. Thehabit of prayer, confession and a close relationship with Godmeans that we are better able to do the good deeds that we should.

e. Cleaning our teeth is a very small thing, but it has a very big effect.In the same way very small bad things, like little sins, can have avery big effect as well. [Another illustration of this is that droppingone piece of litter seems irrelevant; but if everyone did it….]

Note that although we do need to clean our teeth regularly, we do notneed to keep on and on cleaning them all the time; in fact that wouldbe bad for our teeth! Although it is obviously good to pray, we do notneed to pray perpetually. When the Bible tells us to “pray without ceas-ing” (1 Thess 5:17), it does not mean that! We do please God by doingother things as well.

365

183. TOOTHPASTE

Visual aid: Tubes of toothpaste, of two or three different makes. Tubeof glue. A toothbrush is also useful.

READING Psalm 103:1–5, Romans 7:15–23

Brushing our teeth is necessary to clean them from the particles of foodwhich collect and which then rot and destroy our teeth. Usually we donot simply brush our teeth, but put toothpaste on the brush which aidsthe cleansing process. We too find that we cannot lead a life which isclean and pleasing to God without His constant help. We can not beeffective simply by ourselves no matter how much work we put in.

It does however show the cooperation between us and God. The tooth-paste alone does not clean our teeth, and neither does brushing alonedo a good job. Nevertheless although the work of the Holy Spirit isessential for us, God asks for our work; it is not essential to him even ifHe wants it.

It does not matter whether we push the tube of paste at the bottom, inthe middle, or at the top; the toothpaste will still come out. It is thesame with our sinning. Some people seem to think that sin does notmatter if it is done in secret where no-one sees. God always sees, andsin is still sin, no matter where it is committed.

Once the tube is squeezed and toothpaste is put on the brush, it cannotbe put back into the tube. Once the squeeze is done, it is done. Thiscan remind us that sin is a serious matter, and once committed itseffects remain. Thus if a person contracts AIDS by immorality, thatperson will die. Once a harsh word is said to another, it cannot be


unsaid. The good news of the gospel is however that forgiveness is pos-sible and that a repentant sinner can still trust in Jesus for eternal life;the effects of sin will however last in this life; it is still a serious thing tosin even if forgiveness is available.

There are many different kinds of toothpaste, all slightly different, butall basically able to do the same job. In the same way there are manydifferent types of church, and it does not really matter which webelong to. We do however need to be careful; some things do look a bitlike toothpaste but are certainly not [hold up the tube of glue]. Whatmatters is that we go to a church that really worships Christ as Lordand Saviour, and certainly avoid groups which may outwardly look likechurches, but really are not.

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184. TORCH (1)

Visual aid: Torch.

READING: John 8:12–16 or 9:1–8 or 12:34–36 or Matthew 5:14–16

What do we use light for? There are several uses.

a. We use it to see the way. Have you ever tried driving on a moon-less night with no lights?

b. We use it so that we can be seen, like brake lights on a car. If theywere not there, driving at night would be extremely dangerous.

c. We use it so that we can see what we are doing. Have you evertried to do even a very simple job in the dark? [Preferably describesuch a job that the audience would be familiar with.]

d. We use lights for warnings.

Jesus said that He is the light of the world.

a. He said that He is the way. He is the one who shows us the rightway to live.

b. He wants to be seen, for He is the only way. One of the easiestways to drive safely on a dark night is to follow the car in front; butdo not follow it down the wrong way, and do not drive too close!

c. He shows us whether what we are doing is good or bad.

d. He is a warning to us that what we are doing may have bad results.


He said that we too are meant to be a light.

a. We are meant to show others the way by telling them of Jesus andthe way of salvation.

b. If we belong to Christ we will be conspicuous. People will continu-ally watch us to see if we measure up to His example.

c. Our example, like Christ’s, should show people what is right orwrong. People are often not aware of Christ, but they are aware ofus.

d. We are therefore a warning to the world.

What we needs to be sure of is that our light is not so dim that it can-not be seen, and so is very little use.

369

185. TORCH (2)

Visual aid: Torch. The batteries should be easily removable.

READING: Acts 1:1–5 or 8:14–21 or Romans 8:1–6

A torch is used so that we can see the way that we want to go, or to seethings more clearly, and it also has a number of other uses. If it is goingto do that, it must have power [remove the batteries]. Without the bat-teries it just cannot operate; it is useless. Now it would be possible for alight to have mains power, but this would not be very useful for a torchbecause the wires would stop it being carried around. The powersource needs to be internal. We must have the power available to usewherever and whenever we want it.

Christians likewise if they are going to be successful on their waythrough life need to see the way that they are going, to see thingsclearly. For that they need power. They cannot do things in their ownstrength. Likewise the power source needs to be within them.

This is why God has sent the Spirit to dwell within Christians. With-out him we are powerless (like a torch without batteries). The differ-ence can easily be seen by comparing Peter’s courage after the day ofPentecost with his fear before which led to his denial of Christ.

Even if the batteries are in the torch, they will still go flat after a while,so would have to be replaced, or if they are rechargeable, then theyhave to be recharged. We have to have a way to keep our spiritual “bat-teries” charged up. Recharging does take some time, and we have totake some time to be close to God regularly. This does cost a bit oftime, and particularly if we need to replace the batteries, can cost a bit


of money, so we must not think that keeping “charged up” will cost usnothing. But the results are well worth it, as we will see if we switch onthe torch with fresh batteries. Incidentally it is always better for thebatteries to charge them up regularly rather than to wait until we cansee that they are going flat; we too need to stay close to God always,not just run to Him when we start to feel that things are starting to gowrong.

Notice that even if the batteries are in the torch, the switch still has tobe pressed. So many Christians just do not use the power that is avail-able to them. They stagger in the dark, when all they have to do is touse what they have.

371

186. TOY WITH CLOTHES

Visual aid: Toy (I had a bear) dressed up in clothes. It should be as bigas possible. Preferably it can be undressed.

READING: Romans 2:25–9 or Micah 6:6–8 or Matthew 23:23–6 orJohn 3:1–6 or Romans 6:5–11

Point out that the toy is dressed up like a child. [If possible the toy canbe undressed, but keep the trousers on (“as there are ladies present”).]Then the audience can be asked if putting on the clothes of a humanchild makes the toy into a human child. Obviously the response is,“No”, and neither is it the case that when a girl wears boy’s clothes shebecomes a boy, or vice versa.

In order to become a child, or a boy or a girl, it is not enough just towear the right clothes, but it would be necessary to change inwardly. Inthe same way, to become a Christian is not simply a matter of outwardobservance such as prayers, Bible reading, going to church and so on,but the result of an inward change. Of course, just as nobody wants tobe found naked (even the toy?), the outward things are essential as well.God does not see just the outward appearance as we do, but He sees usas we really are; we cannot deceive God.

Now it is impossible for a sex-change, or for a toy to become a child,but the radical change necessary to become a Christian is possible byrepentance and faith in Christ. We are “born again”, or to use anothermetaphor, we must die and rise again with Christ.

Taking off a set of clothes, and especially putting on a different settakes quite a while; it can be a slow process. [Fumble with buttons or


other fasteners.] Thus the change in the outward appearance when aperson does become a Christian is not instantaneous. Being “bornagain” is immediate on repentance and faith, and the new Christianimmediately has eternal life and a place in heaven, but outwardchanges are slower. Even a sex-change operation takes a time. Simi-larly, the change in how a person lives will take a while; a new Chris-tian does not immediately become perfect. Such changes are of courseonly possible after new birth; the bear will never change as it is notalive!

Incidentally, putting clothes on and off is a skill that has to be learnt;we do not become perfect naturally. Thus one of the values of attend-ing church and of Bible study is learning how a Christian shouldbehave from day to day.

373

187. TRAIN

Visual aid: Toy train

READING: 1 Timothy 2:1–6 or Matthew 7:13–14 or Matthew 5:14–16

One difference between a train and a car is that the train is designed torun on rails and not on the road. Where it goes is therefore controlledfrom outside of it. The train driver has no control of the direction, butonly of the speed, and of course whether it goes forwards or backwards.It is only possible to control the direction by stopping the train andchanging the points, but this is something that would not normally bedone by the driver of the train.

A human life is like this. God has laid out what the destination shouldbe. He desires that all have eternal life and go to heaven. But we havecontrol of how quickly we make progress in the spiritual life. We canalso rebel against God; in this case we are going off backwards, a routethat will not take us to heaven.

If we are going forward and not rebelling against God, we then do nothave to worry about the details of the route. That has been designed tobe as good as possible. Thus a Christian should not complain if thingsseem to be going wrong. The responsibility of Christians is to makeprogress, it is for God to decide the exact route.

Notice that to make any progress at all, whether forwards or back-wards, does require fuel. The train will not go entirely by itself. We getour fuel as Christians ultimately from God, but practically we arefuelled for good by good influences, good friends, prayer and so on.


We can also be fuelled for backward progress by exposing ourselves tounnecessary temptations, bad friends, and by such things as watchingundesirable TV programmes or videos, reading the wrong books andso on.

If a train tries to go too fast or is too loaded, it might leave the rails,which is disastrous. One of the temptations for young Christians is totry to “go too fast” and spend all their time in prayer, Bible study meet-ings and so on, and neglect ordinary life. This is disastrous. It is alsopossible for a person to go “off the rails” going backwards (i.e. againstChristianity) too fast.

Finally, a train is strong, and unlike a car, has the power to drag lots ofcarriages with it. We too must be aware of the influence that each per-son has for good or evil in the people that are round about us. We dragpeople with us, whether for good or for evil.

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188. TWIG

Visual aid: Twig broken from a tree, jar and water.

READING: Romans 6:5–11 or 11:17–20 or 2 Cor 5:1–10 or John3:5–8

Everyone knows what will happen if a twig is broken off from the planton which it was growing. It may look as if it is all right for a little while,but soon its leaves start to wither. Sooner or later it will die, and in factit has started to die as soon as it has been separated. It receives its life byits contact with the rest of the plant, so as soon as the link is broken, itdies.

In the same way a person only lives by the life of God. Sin severs thatlink and so without that link, death is certain.

For the twig there is only one hope. It can perhaps be grafted backonto a plant. It is not easy but may be possible. For a person, a linkmust also be established once again with God. That is also not easy butit is possible through the death of Christ. That person must be “bornagain” or “re-created”.

Clearly a person does not die as soon as they sin, or nobody would livevery long. In the case of a twig it may be put into water [put twig intowater] and the grafting does not have to occur immediately. God looksafter everyone in this life for a while to give us a chance to repent andto accept life. Nevertheless the longer the delay is, the less likely thegraft will be successful, and the longer people delay in their acceptanceof Christ, the less likely it becomes that they will be saved. A twig hard-


ens where it has been severed, and a person too becomes hardenedagainst the gospel.

When the graft is done, the place where the twig was separated fromthe original plant will always be cut again. The broken piece will beremoved. If we are to be grafted on to Christ, the original problemmust be dealt with. We must repent of our sin and change what we do.If we willfully continue in our sin, we cannot really receive new life.

Note also that when a twig is grafted on to another plant, a cut has tobe made in the new plant. That plant must suffer to receive the newtwig, or it cannot give its life to the twig. In order to save us, Christsuffered for us on the cross. It was the only way for us to be able toreceive His eternal life.

377

189. UMBRELLA

Visual aid: Umbrella.

READING: 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 or 1 Peter 2:21–24 or Galatians3:11–14

Umbrellas are useful things for protection [put up the umbrella]. Insome parts of the world they protect from rain, in others they aremainly used to keep the sun off. How do they work? They put a barrierbetween us and the rain or sun, but notice [feel the surface of theumbrella] that it will get wet or hot so that you can keep dry or cool.They do not send the rain or sun away, but suffer it themselves. This isjust what Christ has done for us. God could not just ignore our sin, orthat would have been unjust, but Christ took the punishment for us sothat we can go free. This is the only way of salvation.

Incidentally, note that God does not stop trouble coming to us, butdoes enable us to deal with it.

But note as regards the umbrella:

a. We must hold it up otherwise it does not work. Our holding updoes not keep off the rain, but it must be done. It does no goodthat God provides solutions to our sin and other problems unlesswe use them! Note that the umbrella works best if it is held close tous; our faith works best if it is close, an important part of our lives.

It is no good if we just own an umbrella, or we just carry it withoutopening it. It is no good if we forget to use it. So many Christians


get into trouble and forget to ask God for help; that is like carryingan umbrella in the rain without putting it up!

b. An umbrella can be a problem at times, as on a bus, and can evenbe an embarrassment. In the same way some Christians getashamed of being a Christian from time to time. Yet people keepon carrying umbrellas because they help, and so does the Christianfaith.

c. The umbrella only protects the one holding it; ever tried to walkwith someone else under one umbrella? It will work for a baby, butonce it is big enough, the child will need its own. Our faith onlyworks for ourself (and our children when small).

We cannot use the umbrella in a strong wind, but Christ is always ade-quate for us. Another problem is that we can forget it, or it can be sto-len. Nothing will prevent God from saving us if we want to be saved,and our faith can never be stolen from us; once we have acceptedChrist, it is always available to us.

379

190. VENEER

Visual aid: Piece of chipboard with veneer (it should be clearly visible,so, for example, the edge must be visible); piece of wood.

READING: Luke 6:43–46 or 1 Corinthians 15:16–20 or Romans5:3–5 or 1 Peter 1:6–9

Sometimes, rather than use a genuine piece of wood, cheaper wood isused with a very thin piece of more expensive wood glued to its surface.Why is this done?

Basically it is done for cheapness. Genuine wood costs a lot. But peopledo not like to see “fake wood”, so the veneer hides the fact that thewood is not real.

Some people try to do the same with their lives, so seek to improvethem with a veneer of Christianity. But unlike the wood, where veneer-ing is done for cheapness, a veneer of Christianity can be quite anexpensive thing. People who do this often cannot do the things thatthey really want to, and they are expected to do things such as attendchurch, or give, that they do not want to. But especially, they get noneof the real benefits of true faith. They do not get real joy or peace, andparticularly, they do not get eternal life. They really only lose.

However, for society as a whole, it would be better if all pretend to beChristian and behave well. I would rather live in a society where every-one at least pretended to believe, than in one where everyone blatantlyrejected, but of course the best is that all really believe.


But the main problem with a veneer is that if it is damaged, the cheapwood underneath shows through and the benefit is lost, but even adeep scratch on real wood can be polished out and will not show. Tak-ing off the surface does not matter, because it is pure throughout. Gen-uine Christians do not mind some loss or damage because they knowthat ultimately they are secure. It is the response to suffering that reallyshows the difference between real and false Christians.

In fact the veneered wood is more likely to be damaged than the genu-ine, as the veneer is usually over soft wood, while the genuine is usuallyhard wood.

If it is a question of damage, the ideal however is something that is liv-ing, as it is able to repair itself if the damage is not too much. For a liv-ing thing, such as a muscle, working in fact only serves to strengthen itand improve it.

Real Christianity is living, and is not just skin deep. It not only resistsattack, but in fact benefits from it.

381

191. WARNING LIGHT

Visual aid: Red light (for example a torch which shows red) or the backlight from a car.

READING: Colossians 1:27–29 or Luke 12:54–56

Ask the audience what a red light means. The answer is “danger”.When the rear lights of a car suddenly come on it means that the car isslowing down, so there is the danger of running into the back of it. Orperhaps, again driving, one of the small red lights on the instrumentpanel comes on. It means that something is wrong with the car, so thatthere is danger of a breakdown. Or the red light of the traffic lightwarns us that there could be traffic crossing that we could collide with.

What do we do if we see the warning?

We can simply ignore it. After all for a while the car will continue togo, whether it is getting closer to the one in front or whether the warn-ing light for the engine is on. The light does not force us to act.

It is after all possible that nothing is wrong, even that the light is nottelling the truth. However if we continue to ignore warnings we willcertainly have an accident or cause damage sooner or later.

Just continuing would however be a foolish thing. Action must betaken, whether it is slowing down ourselves, or fixing the engine. Thelight tells us that we must do something, and the quicker the action istaken, the easier it is. If we do not brake until the last moment, we haveto brake suddenly. If we continue to drive, damage will be done to theengine.


The same is true of the warnings of God, whether by means of theBible or through the Church. People do tend to ignore these, becausethey can carry on living and it seems to make no difference. But just ascollision will occur, or the engine will break, so disaster will eventuallyoccur if we ignore God’s warnings. He does not force us to act, but it isvery foolish to ignore Him. Although warning lights possibly may notbe telling the truth, the warnings of God never lie.

Unlike the warnings of the red lights, God does warn repeatedly. Thisis not because His warnings are false, but because He loves us, buteventually there will certainly be a problem.

Incidentally, imagine how difficult life would be if there were no warn-ings at all. We would run into difficulty very quickly indeed. That iswhy there is pain in the world, and often why God allows suffering; Heis using it to warn us.

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192. WATCH (1)

Visual aid: Wristwatch or clock

READING: Psalm 119:9–16 or 2 Timothy 3:14–17

Nearly everyone wants to wear a watch. Of course people do thisbecause it looks nice; it is good to be attractive. They also do it becauseit is the thing people do, but most of all because it has a number of verypractical uses.

a. It tells the time, so I can do the things that I must do at the righttime. It lets me run my life correctly.

b. It reminds me that my time is limited. I do not have an infiniteamount of time to do what I have to do. Incidentally, punctualityis a good thing!

c. A strange use, but only if we have an analogue watch (not a digitalwatch, so one with hands). Which way do the hands go? Has any-one seen a watch with hands that go the opposite way? It remindsus that nearly all screws, nuts and bolts, jars and so on tightenclockwise. By lookng at the clock, we know which way to turn thescrew.

The Bible is just the same. Just as we look at our watches regularly, weshould also read the Bible frequently. If we do not look at them, nei-ther is going to do us any good.

a. It tells us that time is important. Jesus came into the world at theright time, when the world had been prepared, and died at the


right time (at the Passover). Sometimes God answers our prayers,but only later, as the time is not yet right.

b. It reminds me that I am temporary and only have a limitedamount of time in the world. [In a school situation this is clearer,as the end of school is more obvious than the fact of death.] TheBible starts with the story of creation and ends with the finaljudgement. The world is not eternal, and our life in it is certainlynot. Even Jesus’ life came to an end.

c. It informs me what is right and warns me against what is wrong. Itreminds me that there is usually only one way of doing thingsright. Just like if we insist on trying to turn things the wrong waywe will do damage, so if we ignore what the Bible tells us, our livesnow will not be so good, and will ultimately be damaged.

385

193. WATCH (2)

Visual aid: Wristwatch or clock

READING: Acts 17:10–11 or Hebrews 4:11–13

Most people like to wear a watch on their wrist. Why is this?

a. It is available to us. If we have one we can always know the time. Itdoes however need to be looked at, which is why people put themon their wrists. There are no watches (yet!) which tell us the timeunless we look at them (although what happens these days at hourintervals, sometimes at half-hours?—beep beep!).

b. It is beautiful. Most watches are ornaments as well as being useful.

It costs something to have this value. First of all we must buy thewatch, and then we must go on and put effort into winding it, cleaningit, repairing it, checking it, and perhaps putting new batteries in it.

The Bible again is similar (see “Watch (1)”):

a. It is available, and now in most languages. (Remember the peoplewho have given so much to translate the Bible into various lan-guages so that it can be read easily.) However it must be looked at.It does no good if simply put away on a shelf and forgotten. Thereis no need to carry it like a watch; it is not a magic charm. But itdoes need to be consulted regularly. Even better is if key parts arememorized, then it is carried with us.

Similarly, God’s help is available to us, but often we fail to prayand ask Him for help.


Just as time still goes on even if we do not look at the watch, God’slaws are still valid even if we never read them, and we will still bejudged by them.

b. If we obey the Bible we will be more beautiful in the way we live,and society will run more smoothly. Remember that God lovesbeauty; this can be seen in the world that He has made, but Heespecially wants us to be beautiful in our lives.

It requires effort to benefit from it. First of all we must buy or at leastborrow one. Then it takes time in reading, effort to understand it. It isuseless without this.

387

194. WATER (1)

Visual aid: Glass of water

READING: Romans 6:1–4 or 1 Peter 5:6–9 or Ephesians 4:25–32

Sometimes people get ill simply by drinking water. Many serious dis-eases, such as cholera, are transmitted by water (an experience person-ally known is a help here). There is more in the water than meets theeye.

If we look at a glass of water it usually looks perfectly alright, but whatwill happen if it is left to stand for a day or two? It no longer tastesgood. And if it is left out in the sun, it grows a green slime. Then if it isleft to evaporate, a deposit is left. There are a number of things in thewater which we cannot see with our eyes, although a microscopeenables us to do so. We cannot see these things but they are very realand sometimes when they get into our bodies they like it there, multi-ply and we get sick. Likewise sin usually enters our life in a very smallway that we can hardly detect and then rapidly multiplies.

We thank God for doctors with the ability to cure disease, but if weknow that water contains something that will damage us, will we drinkit? Of course not, and yet people trifle with sin and are surprised whenthey suffer. We are also grateful for Christ who died to forgive our sin,but that does not mean that we can ignore it. Sin is deadly; give it noopportunity whatsoever.

Part of the problem with water is that we are so used to drinking it thatwe do not think twice before drinking; and then we are surprised if weget sick. Likewise we are so used to many things in life that will lead us


into temptation that we fail to appreciate how dangerous they reallyare.

On the other hand we do not examine every drop of water that wedrink, but in general we accept it on faith. We know that the worldthat God made is in general a good place and that He cares for us.However we do not accept water if we have reason to believe that it isnot alright. Our faith must be based on facts. In the same way we canbe saved by our faith in Christ, but that faith is based on the facts ofHis life, particularly on the resurrection.

If we get sick from drinking water, let us remember that it is not in factthe water that makes us sick, but what is in the water; if those thingscould be removed, the water would be quite alright. It is not sinfulpeople that God hates, but the sins that they do; if their sin is forgiven,God can accept them. And their sin can be forgiven if they repent andaccept what Christ has done for them.

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195. WATER (2)

Visual aid: Glass of water

READING: Galatians 6:7–10 or James 2:14–18 or John 4:13–15

Water is absolutely essential for life so we must drink it in some formevery day. Our whole biological system is based on water; in fact ourbodies are nearly all water. If we never drink water, or if we do notdrink enough water, we will become ill. This is why Jesus referred toHimself as “Living Water”, because faith in Him is absolutely essentialfor eternal life. We need to come and “drink” from Him regularly.How do we do this? By such things as prayer, reading the Bible, and byfellowship with other Christians. Our relationship to Him is vital, andthat relationship is built up in these ways.

We drink water for two reasons:

a. When we work, we get hot and want to drink. We also perspire, soneed to replace that water. If we do not drink enough, we cannotwork well. Our faith in Jesus helps us to work well and properly.He strengthens and guides us.

b. The other thing that water does for us is to clean us. Not only dowe wash with it, but it carries away the waste products of the bodythat will otherwise poison us, and that is what our relationship toJesus does; it deals with the sin that would otherwise kill us.

If we are asked to help our father and refuse because we want to pray[drink a little water], is that prayer a good thing? If we don’t help ourmother because we want to read the Bible [drink some water], is that


reading a good thing? If we don’t do the work we should because we goto a meeting [drink some water], is attending that meeting a goodthing?

If we keep on drinking water too frequently, what will happen to us?We will start to feel ill. We must not drink too much, and neither mustwe only drink, but we must also do other things such as eating andexercising, if we want to stay healthy. Obviously we must pray, readthe Bible and do other things like meeting with other Christians, butour faith is also expressed in our help for others and in doing our workwell. Water is good for us, but not too much and balanced by otherthings, and our devotion likewise is good, but should be balanced byactivity for others. We in fact please God and draw closer to him inmore ways than in religious exercises.

391

196. WEDDING RING

Visual aid: a wedding ring

READING: Ephesians 5:29–33.

Getting married is one of the most important events in a person’s life,so it is vital that everyone is well aware of what marriage involves. TheChristian faith has high ideals for marriage which it expects Christiansto follow.

More than a marriage between people, the Bible says that being aChristian is like being married. The Christian is regarded as being mar-ried to Jesus. This means that the things that make a good marriage arethe same as make a good Christian.

a. In a marriage, each partner supports the other. They do not leadfully independent lives. Often the work that the husband does pro-vides an income for both partners, and particularly when there areyoung children, when the wife is not able to work. The support isnot just financial, but the husband and wife encourage and supporteach other in many ways. The Christian is supported by God inthe provision of daily strength, and in eternal life, and in turn sup-ports the Church by giving time and money.

b. In a marriage, each partner is committed to the other. The wifeusually changes her name, taking that of her husband, to indicatethat she is committed to him only. Likewise the husband should becommitted totally to the wife. Often both wear rings as a sign ofthis commitment. There can be no comparable relationship withany other person. At the wedding the couple promise to forsake all


others. Likewise a Christian cannot be involved in any other reli-gions.

c. In a marriage, each person tries to please the other, and naturallyavoids doing things that offend. If a Christian is seen as married toJesus, there will be no stealing, cheating, or anything else that Hedisapproves of. Likewise the Christian will try to do things thatwill please Him, such as seeking to help others, and of course par-ticipating in the life of the Church.

d. One of the main reasons for marriage is to have children. It is arare marriage where the couple decide that they want to be child-less, so usually children come after a year or so. In the same way,one of the purposes of being a Christian is to have spiritual chil-dren, so a Christian tries to tell others about the salvation that Godoffers through Jesus. Just as children are produced by both parentstogether, so spiritual children are the joint work of the Christianand of God, so that they become the children of God.

393

197. WHISTLE

Visual aid: a whistle such as is used in sports.

READING: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.

For a lot of team games, there has to be a referee, and if the referee is todo the job properly, a whistle is essential. When all the players are rush-ing around in the heat of the game, there just has to be some way ofcontrolling the game. We are also rushing around in life, and Godwants to get our attention, and one day to stop life as we know it. Hewill not use a whistle, but a trumpet will sound, which will have thesame result.

a. It announces that something is about to happen. In the game theremight well be a judgement given about a foul; God announces thatthere will be a judgement, with much more serious consequences.

What the whistle may well also do is announce the end of thegame; certainly God’s trumpet will announce the end of life as weknow it at the moment. In that case it announces the end of thebattle between the teams, and that one team has won; God’s trum-pet announces the end of the battle, and that He has victory overthe devil.

b. It will draw everybody’s attention to God. Whereas the game hasbeen going on ignoring the referee, suddenly the players can dothat no longer. At that time nobody will be able to ignore God,even if they have done so all their lives. The players just have toobey what the referee says, even if they do not want to, or agreewith the referee’s decision. The referee has the final authority. So it


is when God sounds His trumpet; whether people want to or not,they will just have to obey!

c. The whistle is not meant to be a beautiful sound; it is terrifying forthose losing the game. For very many people, those who haverejected God throughout their lives, it will be terrifying. Just likethose who did a foul regret it, so those who have disobeyed Godwill certainly be sorry, even if they have never been sorry before.Of course for those winning, the whistle is a good sound! At thefinal trumpet, God’s people will rejoice even more, because thetime of their final victory has at last come.

So it is very good that there is another use for a whistle. On a lifejacketthat is put on if a ship sinks or a plane crashes, there is a whistle. It isthere to attract the attention of anybody else who is near in the hope ofbeing rescued. At any time in our lives, we too can “blow a whistle”,not just hoping that God will come to our rescue, but knowing that Hewill. He is never too far away to hear us, or unwilling or unable to help!

395

198. WINDSCREEN WIPER

Visual aid: Sunglasses, windscreen wiper from car

READING: Romans 8:35–39 or 1 Corinthians 10:12–13

[Ask whether sunny or rainy days are preferred.] I always prefer sun,particularly as rain so often stops us from doing things that we wouldlike to do. One time when rain was a problem to me was when I livedin Durban (a sunny part of South Africa); because it was usually warmI used a motorbike quite a lot to get around the city. When it did rain,I got wet but the rain also caused another very serious problem.

When you ride a motorbike you have problems with things going intoyour eyes; not only are they relatively harmless things like raindrops,but stones thrown up from other vehicles and flying insects. They canmake it difficult to see, and so impossible to drive the motorbike. Theycan make it so bad that not only do we have difficulty in seeing the waybut also we are likely to fall off. Life can be like that; there are so manydifficulties that it is easy to lose our way, and ultimately to “fall” and belost.

The solution for a motorbike is to wear a pair of goggles; I used to wearsunglasses which did the job just as well. They stop the things fromgoing into our eyes. They do not actually stop the problems, but theydo stop them affecting us. The same is true of the problems of life; ifwe know Christ as saviour, He stops the problems from affecting us.He died to take the punishment for our sins that we should suffer, andday by day helps us to cope with the difficulties that we meet. No diffi-


culty will come upon a Christian that it is impossible to cope with inHis strength.

In a car the windscreen does the same job. It stops the driver frombeing hit by things flying through the air. It also has one very bigadvantage over the goggles on a motorbike. The problem is that whenit rains, although the goggles stop the drops from going into the eyes,they do splash on the glass and still stop the rider from seeing clearly. Itcan still be quite dangerous. Now on a car, that problem is solved by awindscreen wiper. It keeps the screen clean, so that the driver can con-tinue to see.

What is important with the windscreen wiper is that it works regularly.Similarly in the Christian life, regular (preferably daily) Bible readingand prayer helps us. They do not stop the problems, and neither dothey save us, but just as the wiper enables the windscreen to do its jobbetter, so they will help our relationship with God which is effective.

We can see our way ahead by firstly accepting Christ as Saviour, butthen also by a regular relationship with Him. Incidentally, goggles, andeven windscreens do not deal with all the problems that we meet, suchas when a big stone is flung up, but there is no problem that Christcannot cope with!

397

199. WIRE

Visual aid: Piece of wire; it should be bent, but not too much. Pliers;possibly two pairs may be needed.

READING: Hebrews 6:4–8 or 10:26–31

There are a number of reasons why Christian are not what they shouldbe, and why they are not as useful as they should be. They are like apiece of wire that is bent, and because it is bent it cannot be used;almost certainly a wire that is bent is not going to be what is needed.

When people become Christian, they repent, which means that theyturn from their old lives [straighten the wire].

Later they are tempted and perhaps fall back into sin [bend the wireback]. Now it is very unlikely that the wire can be bent back exactly asit was initially. Once people have accepted Christ they can never back-slide utterly, there will always be some effect of their past conversionremaining with them.

Then maybe they become convicted of their backsliding and againrepent and seek to serve God [bend the wire again].

This time perhaps it happens that the believer is scorned by a friend forbeing a Christian, and again tries to give it up [bend it back again].

It can be seen that the wire is rapidly becoming useless with all thekinks in it. One bend is not so serious, but repeated bends mean that itbecomes damaged.


Finally if the process continues too much more, the inevitable happens,and the wire breaks. [bend the wire back and forth until it breaks].

If people are to be contented and useful in their Christian lives, theymust be consistent. They must decide, and stick with it whatever theprovocation. Just like a piece of wire is more useful if it does not have alot of bends in it, so a useful Christian life is one that is consistent.

Incidentally, when the wire is first straightened, it may well be usable,but it will not be completely straight. It will show that it was bentbefore. It is possible to straighten it further, but it is likely to be a longand difficult process. When people become Christian, they are saved,but are by no means perfect. They need a long process of being workedon before they are “straight”. And of course the worse their lives werebefore their conversions, the harder and longer that process is likely tobe.

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200. YOYO

Visual aid: Yoyo. (A bit of practice beforehand is advisable!)

READING: Colossians 1:21–23 or John 10:27–29 or 15:1–7 or 1John 2:18–25

Many new Christians become disappointed because they do not see aninstant improvement in their lives. Very often an initial experience ofjoy is followed soon by increased temptation. In fact for most peoplethe Christian life is like a yoyo, with ups and downs, repeated experi-ences of joy and problems. But there cannot be experiences of great joywithout the corresponding downs. The relationship with God will notbe constant. Hopefully however, there is gradual developmentupwards.

When the yoyo does go down, it can be for one of two reasons. Eitherit has been dropped, or it has been sent down. We can be very sure thatGod will never let us go! But if the down is accidental, or our fault,then it may well be difficult to get it back up again. It may be necessaryto rewind the string and to start again. If it goes down because it wassent by the hand, then it is good; otherwise it is bad. Sometimes wehave problems because God has given them to us; and the reason Hehas done that is to bless us. The yoyo goes down so that it can come upagain.

The vital thing about a yoyo is that it is always moving. Like the yoyo,our lives are often in a rush, in a “spin”. Once it has stopped (like ayoyo at the bottom of its string), it cannot easily get moving again.


Christians likewise must be continually developing in their lives andrelationship with God. If they stop, it is not good.

But the important thing about the yoyo is not the spin, but the handthat is making it go. What is clear is that it is the hand which causes itto move, and in the same way it is our link with God which helps us inour daily lives. The power comes from without. Christians too are con-scious that their power is not of themselves but is from God.

The yoyo will not go without the string, which is the link between itand the hand. If this is broken, the whole action stops. Our links withGod are by meeting other Christians, such as in the worship situation,by our prayer and Bible study. If we break these links, our spiritual lifeand activity will decay rapidly, just like a yoyo at the bottom of itsstring rapidly slows down.

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