A good preacher will always have three points. Or so I’ve been told.
Now, not to get all Gen Z on you, but what if preachers illustrated their points with emojis?
In recent weeks and months, I’ve spent a good deal of time with a preacher of the past. A self-identified “Preacher” who lived almost three thousand years ago and often preached three-point sermons.
Here’s one example:
REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR. Pretty soon, your days will be over, and you will return to dust. Ready yourself by setting your mind on the One who made you and who will carry you to the end.
BEWARE OF UNBIBLICAL “WISDOM.” The words of the wise are words of Truth, which means that they ultimately come from God himself. Watch out for people, books, and words which claim to be wise but are not of God.
FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDS. We fear and obey him, and he judges rightly. End of story.
Okay, so maybe Solomon would be appalled at my emojification of Ecclesiastes chapter twelve. But y’all, here’s what these emojis do for me:
1. Emojis push me to know the text! I didn’t read Ecclesiastes 12 and just randomly select an emoji that seemed to fit. I spent months in Ecclesiastes and hours on this particular chapter, and then “discovered” Solomon’s three points, and then wrote a summary for each, and then carefully selected from the limited available emojis to capture the content and main takeaways of the Preacher.
2. Emojis are visual! When spending time in the Word, I love to use all my senses and to experience the Word in as many different ways as possible. Setting the text to image or emoji challenges my mind, allows me to use my imagination, and helps me to meditate on the Scriptures in a fresh way.
3. Emojis are memorable! I don’t think I’ll soon forget the main points of Ecclesiastes chapter twelve, because these emojis have a way of sticking in my brain when words don’t.
So, the way I see it . . . if preachers can preach three-point sermons, Bible-loving Christians can emoji the Scriptures. Whatever it takes to get the Word of the living God stuck in your mind and in your heart!
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Other suggestions for using emojis:
1. Emoji an entire verse! This works great with narrative or with verses which are full of imagery.
2. Study the Scriptures with a friend or group of friends, and test each other by sending emoji clues! This also works great as a Scripture memory tool.
3. Choose one emoji for each chapter of the book you’re studying! This will help you keep track of the content of each chapter.
photo credit: unsplash.com]
Journey of the Word 