Saturday, April 29th, 2023.
Last week I wrote about the the importance of charts in teaching the Bible dispensationally. It came down to being able to show the right divisions in the Bible to make them easier to grasp.
Some of you opened the link to our chart lesson page expecting to see brilliantly designed graphics full and complete. If you did that, you were disappointed because the charts were drawn in the recorded lessons.
This week I want to encourage you not just to use charts, but to draw charts. Why? Here are some reasons.
- Simplicity – Charts can get complicated fast. Showing someone a full and finished printed chart can be overwhelming. Many have told me they do not know where to begin. It’s better to draw it for them, so they can follow along. Keep it simple.
- Progressively revealed – Drawing the chart communicates progressive revelation and right divisions much better than a printed chart or image with all the revelations permanently there. Drawing in real time allows you to draw elements as progressively as the Bible revealed them. You can keep certain things hidden and add them later just as God did in the Bible. You can also erase, strikethrough, or draw lines to parts of the chart you already drew. You would never do this with a printed chart.
- Better understanding – You may be able to explain someone else’s printed out chart, but you will gain more understanding of the Bible if you draw out your own. This is because when you draw you must consider all the details, connections, and make decisions on what elements to include or exclude. It forces you to study relationships you took for granted but never fully considered.
Printed charts and images are useful. They have the benefit of clear fonts and smooth graphics. We have some here:
https://graceambassadors.com/resources
Drawing your own charts is superior. The benefits of drawing a chart are why we draw them during our lessons instead of having a printed chart hanging on the wall and pointing to it.
If you have never drawn your own dispensational chart or summary of the Bible, you should. Much like giving your testimony, you may not realize what you think you know, but cannot utter, until you try to sketch it out on your own.
All it takes to start is a blank piece of paper or a whiteboard. Then practice over and over.
For your edification,
Justin “quickest draw” Johnson