🎞️ Video Lectures and summaries

INTRODUCTION AND A THEOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION
Focus: God is a “communicating God,” and Jesus as the Word shapes our understanding of teaching and preaching. Psalm 29 and John 1 highlight the power of God’s speech; Luke 24:44–48 raises the question whether Scripture points to Christ or Christ to the Scriptures. Practicals: listen/read Genesis, Exodus, Luke, Acts, and Revelation, use the “Master Storyteller” resource, participation counts 30%, with key dates on November 11 (interactive) and December 3 (extended session).

JESUS AS THE KEY TO A THEOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION
The starting point is Jesus as the “hermeneutical key”: Genesis 1, Psalm 29, and John 1 show that God creates by speaking—creation and communication belong together. Four modes of communication are mapped (public, small-group, personal, internal) with Jesus modelling each: Sermon on the Mount and synagogue, explanations to the disciples, dialogues with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, and Trinitarian prayer (John 17) including Gethsemane. A case study in Luke 10 (Jesus and the lawyer) frames a hard yet central conversation about “eternal life,” prompting groups to list communication choices and character traits observed.

JESUS AS COMMUNICATOR: QUESTIONS, COMPASSION, AND THE POWER OF STORY
Jesus answers a question with a question, moving the conversation into the lawyer’s area of expertise—an empathetic, honoring way to communicate. He intentionally shifts from a text-based, propositional frame to narrative (the Good Samaritan), because story engages imagination, reaches the heart, and carries layered meanings (illustration, embodiment, identity). The takeaway for teachers/preachers: ask good questions, embody your message, and use stories wisely to form understanding and character.

ORALITY, SYMBOLS, AND THE SPIRIT’S POWER IN COMMUNICATION
The session highlights the force of “orality” and embodied message: God communicates not only through text but through voice, body, images, song, ritual, and time (Tabernacle, Sukkot, Sabbath) so people hear, see, and sense Him with multiple faculties. Jesus fulfills “tabernacling,” and the church becomes the Spirit’s dwelling—shifting us from mere reading to holistic participation where story, symbols, and song shape identity. Acts 2 shows the Spirit fills and enables speech; true authority in preaching comes from yielding wholly to the Spirit.

ORAL BIBLE STORYING AND A CASE STUDY (2 KINGS 6)
The session shifts from theology to practice by training oral Bible storying—tell, retell, walk the story with simple questions, surface truths, and apply—so Scripture lives in the storyteller’s heart. Using the floating axe head (2 Kings 6), the group maps choices and emotions, valuing accurate details over verbatim recitation. Application highlights proactive students and a humble leader (Elisha), and warns against “swinging without an axe head”: keep sharpening your axe (skills, Spirit-led ministry).

ORAL BIBLE STORYING: A FIVE-STEP PROCESS
The practice follows five steps: (1) tell the story, (2) invite a volunteer to retell, (3) walk back through the story with simple questions, (4) search for “treasures” (truths), and (5) apply it. Using Mark 4:35–41, the class maps Jesus’ and the disciples’ choices, stresses accuracy of details (not word-perfect recitation), and keeps the question flow brisk. Emotions in the storm (fear, panic, frustration) surface, leading to application: Jesus invites us; situations may become unstable; the invitation calls for trust.

WATER, TRUST, AND ORAL BIBLE STORYING
Mark 4’s calming of the storm echoes the ancient “chaotic waters” motif and Psalm 107, signaling that only God rules the waters—Jesus reveals that same authority. The pedagogy shifts from explanation to story and practice: trust, slow attention to the path of the text, and heart-formation through narrative. Story-learning steps: pray, read aloud, close the book and retell from memory, engage senses and body, then repeat and share with others.

THE WISE COUNSELOR QUESTIONS: LETTING STORIES REVEAL THE HEART
Practice involves telling and re-telling with actions so the story lives in your “heart pocket.” For long narratives, break them into sections, train to ~80% confidence, and practice with someone. The “wise counselor” tool asks in each scene: background/context; what was said/done; what choices were made; what alternative choices; what short- and long-term results. Applied to 2 Kings 4: choices reveal the heart; Elisha is approachable and compassionate, entering the problem without becoming “the solution,” pointing the widow to her own resources; her faith, humility, and later accountability signal maturity.

PRACTICUM: LET THE STORY LIVE IN YOUR HEART
Goal: integrate today’s learning—learn a Bible story in a small group, use the Wise Counselor questions, then share your story with another group. Flow: ~15 minutes to learn (tell, then tell again with imagination and hand motions), then move slowly and deeply through scenes (what’s said/done, choices/alternatives, outcomes)—depth over breadth. We’ll practice “missionary” exchange between groups; online teams use breakout rooms. Story assignments: Genesis 1:1–5; 2 Kings 8:1–6; Mark 12:41–44; Luke 10:38–42.

FIVE STEPS AND THE “WISE COUNSELOR” QUESTIONS — MAKING IT WORK
Review: (1) tell the story, (2) invite a volunteer to retell, (3) walk back through with simple checks, (4) dig for “treasures” using Wise Counselor questions (what was said/done, choices and alternatives, results, what these reveal about the heart), (5) apply: does this happen today, examples, has it happened to me/someone I know, what to learn for next time. With non-believers, frame a broader treasure (e.g., “life has storms”) and connect to their lived experience. Keep stories in your “heart pocket” to choose the right one for discipleship, small groups, and outreach—narrative often engages more deeply than worksheets.

BLIND BARTIMAEUS AND PREACHING THROUGH STORY
The Bartimaeus narrative (Mark 10:46–52) models faith that names Jesus as “Son of David,” articulates a specific need, and receives restoring action—the story itself invites crying out even when the “crowd” silences us. A preaching template emerges: walk the scenes with questions (what was said/done, choices made, outcomes) so listeners imagine the characters’ hearts, even without live audience interaction. Keep a single-story focus (rather than scattering texts) and balance the canon—start with narrative, then reinforce with the epistles.