Matthew13:34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.
Cameron Townsend was a third era pioneer missionary. He was a scholar and a contemporary of Ralph Winter. In his effort to spread the gospel of Christ, he decided to travel to Guatemala. When he got there, he began sharing Spanish bibles. He gave the bible to an Indian man who asked him, "If your God is so smart, why can't He speak my language"? That unsettled Cameron Townsend. Because of this encounter, he ventured into bible translation. Later, he founded Wycliffe Bible Translators. He saw the importance of presenting the gospel to people in a language they understand.
The lesson I want to draw from this story is that as we preach, teach or communicate the gospel, we should aim at connecting with our audience. We should speak the language they understand and come down to their level. When you go to preach the gospel to sinners, don't speak Greek or Hebrew, don't try to impress with high sounding biblical words. All they need to hear is the gospel in the language they understand. Most times, when I preach on the mission field, i try my best to present the gospel in a way my audience can easily understand. That's why I use a lot of audio- visuals to pass the message across. A wise man said, "When you speak above the intelligence of your audience, you attack them. When you speak below the intelligence of your audience, you insult them".
I learnt this principle from my kids as well. Whenever I'm teaching them scriptures, I try to present age-appropriate knowledge of the scriptures with them. Sometimes ago, I tried to explain the concept of rapture to them. One day, as we watched one of their favourite cartoon series together, I saw the actor varnish into thin air. It occurred to me immediately that on the strength of that scene, I can use that to illustrate the concept of rapture. Jesus used parables that were relevant to his host culture to preach the gospel to his audience. Anywhere you stand to preach the gospel, don't let your audience see God as a man that is not smart enough to communicate to them.
I receive grace to preach the gospel without ambiguity in Jesus name.