Ultimate Gospel Illustrations #2: the gift

We’re in the middle of a series sharing some of the ultimate gospel illustrations for using with children and teens. See #1 in this post.

“The gift” is a great way of explaining that the good news about Jesus is something which requires more than mental assent—it’s to be enjoyed! (Thanks to Wayne Harris from Crossteach for telling us about it.)

Here’s how it’s done—you’ll need a box of chocolates (with enough in for each member of the group), that’s been wrapped up.

Stage 1

Tell the group you have a gift for them. Let them see the wrapped box, but do not give it to them.
Ask if they like the gift. Are they enjoying it?
Try to draw out that something else needs to happen before they can answer these questions: they need to accept the gift.

Christians believe that what God offers through Jesus is available to everyone, but each person must decide whether or not to accept the gift from him. If we don’t personally accept God’s gift, it’s no good to us!

Christians believe that what God offers through Jesus is available to everyone, but each person must decide whether or not to accept the gift from him.

Stage 2

Give the gift to one person, but tell them not to open it.
Ask the questions again. Do they like the gift? Are they enjoying it?
Try to draw out that something else needs to happen before they can answer these questions. They need to open the gift.

Christians believe making a response to God is more than just saying yes to the free gift and then ignoring it. We’ll want to unwrap it, understand it and look at it closely—that is, we need to understand it as much as we can and realise that it has implications for our whole lives. We need to commit to becoming a follower of Jesus.

Stage 3

Have someone open the gift and let everyone take a chocolate and eat it.
Ask the questions again: Do they like the gift? Are they enjoying it? Hopefully this time the answer is yes!

God wants us to enjoy his gift! We can enjoy our relationship with Jesus, by doing things like reading our Bibles, praying, and spending time with other Christians at church. Doing these things does not make us a Christian, but they are how we enjoy the gift that God has given us. It is by responding to God’s offer of the free gift that someone becomes a Christian.

Recap that to fully appreciate a gift and get the most from it we have to do 3 things:
1. Accept it
2. Open it
3. Enjoy it

The same is true with God’s amazing gift of forgiveness and relationship with him! Of course, a biblical understanding of salvation is that it is God's work in us and entirely under his sovereign control! Nonetheless, this illustration is useful for explaining the response that the gospel calls us to.

Did you know that we run a whole host of training events throughout the year for anyone involved in youth and children’s work? Growing Young Disciples training days are jammed full of spiritual encouragement, practical tips and fresh ideas.

Plus, The Bible-Centered Youthworker Conference is our annual residential conference for youth, children’s or families workers, and returns Monday 25th – Thursday 28th January 2016.