Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Matthew 13:10-17
Parables are stories with secondary meaning usually a moral one. Stories are perhaps one of the best ways we learn. Don’t believe me? Why did Jesus use them so much? People are drawn to a ‘good’ story, either in word or by a theatric play or a movie. I remember as a child having many record albums with children’s stories on them. I would play them over and over listening to them, often pondering their meaning. My children grew up listening to radio shows that also told stories with characters that you could relate to. Stories are powerful and meaningful in our lives. If you allow Him …the Holy Spirit will teach you many things through the stories that are around you in movies and books. The Holy Spirit teaches us the Truth of things no matter what source is presenting the story.
The enemies of God also use stories, some with truth mixed in. The Holy Spirit is your ‘decoder ring’. He is able to tell you what are lies and what is Truth. Without Him the stories can create a great ‘confusion’ in those that listen / see it. We can draw all sorts of the wrong conclusions from stories. Just like when you read the Bible the Holy Spirit SHOULD be your Teacher and translator when you read or see stories. He is the One who can tell you what is genuine and what is counterfeit. But that means you have to be able to ‘hear’ Him for those explanations. Is the Holy Spirit constantly teaching you about what is right and what is wrong? How many times have you been deceived? Those are the times you could or should have listened to Him. None of us get it ‘right’ all the time. We all are still learning this relationship with Him. All of us have the opportunity to grow and mature more this side of Heaven.
Have you ever had the Holy Spirit give you a story? Does the Spirit of God work stories in you? Are you one of His ‘stories’? Has He called you to write stories? Does He help you write stories?
The Body of Christ NEEDS good stories! We need those inspired by the Holy Spirit to continue to share His heart through stories. I am reminded of some of my favorite authors, like Bill Myers, Frank Perretti, and Randy Alcorn and how much their stories have impacted me. So many of the great classics are infused with God, like Robinson Crusoe, Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Ben Hur. There are SO many great authors. CS Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia. JRR Tolkien’s works. There are great authors exploring very interesting Biblical and scriptural topics like Brian Godawa with his Chronicles of the Nephilim series, and so many more.
I encourage if you are a natural story teller to …write!!! Then ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you and help you with your story. Allow Him to interject into your story.
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ANNOUNCEMENT: I have written another novel. Hopefully soon to be available to you all. My goal is to make the digital copy FREE. So that all who want to read it can. Obviously the print version will cost – as it costs me. This novel is historical fiction set in the time of 58AD to 65AD and tells the story of Eutychus from Acts 20:7-12. Who was Eutychus and what happened to him after that event. It is a look at the first century Church. Be on the look out for when this novel will be ready! Pray for my graphics arts designer and website creator / administrator Robyn Hodgdon as she endeavors to honor Jesus through her work. Thank you Robyn!