Sermon Central
-
The Power Of God's Word In The Philippines
Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 17, 2024 (message contributor)
Joanne Shetler, a dedicated missionary, spent years living among the Balangao people in the Philippines. Her mission was to translate the Bible into their language and share the good news of the Savior. However, progress was slow.
One day, Ama, a man who had adopted Joanne as his Balangao daughter, picked up an English New Testament from her desk. He opened it to the genealogy section on page one of the book of Matthew and stared at it. Ama could read enough English to realize what he was seeing. Amazed, he asked Joanne, “You mean this has a genealogy in it?”
Joanne replied, “Yes, but just skip over that part so you can get to the good part.”
However, Ama’s eyes remained riveted to the page. “You mean this is true?” he asked, as he struggled through the list of names. Joanne took a piece of shelf paper and wrote down the genealogy from Adam to Jesus, from the ceiling down to the floor. Ama carried it all over the village, explaining, “We always thought it was the rock and the banana plant that gave birth to people. But we don’t have their names written down. Look, here are all the names—written down!”
The Balangaos were captivated by Matthew’s written genealogy. It provided tangible evidence that the Bible was true. Ama himself came to believe in Christ as his Savior. He became an enthusiastic evangelist, church leader, and Bible translator. When the Balangao New Testament was finally dedicated, Ama received the very first copy1.
This powerful story illustrates how the truth of God’s Word can transform lives, even through Scriptures that most of us in the Church do not pay much attention to, but they are still the inerrant, infallible, incredible WORD OF GOD!
- unknown
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
Moses Spend His First Forty Years Thinking He ... PRO
Contributed by Sheldon Boyd on Nov 30, 2004
“Moses spend his first forty years thinking he was somebody. He spend his second forty years learning he was a nobody. He spent his third forty years ...read more
-
Max Lucado, In His Book, "Six Hours One Friday," ... PRO
Contributed by Brad Bailey on Aug 3, 2004
Max Lucado, in his book, “Six Hours One Friday,” tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying ...read more
-
I Mentioned Brian Mclaren's Book "A Generous ... PRO
Contributed by Mike Wilkins on Feb 21, 2005
I mentioned Brian McLaren’s book “A Generous Orthodoxy” last week. The chapter after “Would Jesus Be a Christian” is titled, “Jesus, Savior of What?” In this chapter he argues that while Jesus did come to save us as individuals, we in the west have placed such a strong emphasis on personal ...read more
-
Author And Lecturer Leo Buscaglia Once Told About ... PRO
Contributed by Mitchell Skelton on Jan 1, 2005
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once told about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child; the winner was a four-year-old boy. His next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little ...read more
-
30% Of An Average Person's Anxiety Is Focused On ... PRO
Contributed by Robbie Shivar on Jun 4, 2004
30% of an average person’s anxiety is focused on things about the past that can’t be changed. If we were honest with ourselves, we all would say that there is something in our past that we regret doing and ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Hope In A Covenant Of Faith Series
Contributed by Dean Courtier on Feb 18, 2018
A Covenant of Faith and a man named Abraham. Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
-
The Grace Of God
Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Aug 14, 2017
God's grace as the avenue of salvation is sometimes seen as being in conflict with obedience of the believer as a requirement, without which salvation cannot be obtained. Which is it, or is it a combination? Can this dichotomy be satisfactorily resolved?
-
What Do You Have? Series
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jan 14, 2018
Peter said to the lame man "such as I have give I thee". What did he have to offer that made the difference that day, and what do WE have that can make the difference today?
-
Three Characteristics Of Jonah Series
Contributed by Tom Shepard on Jan 22, 2015
This sermon looks a three characteristics of Jonah: 1. Jonah is STUBBORN 2. Jonah is REBELLIOUS 3. Jonah is a BELIEVER
-
Living By The Word Of God
Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017
Trends in America toward less regard for the authority of Scripture are alarming. This message addresses that problem and sets forth four ways Christians should relate to the Bible.
