Sermon Central
-
There Was Once A Pastor Who Decided He Was Going ... PRO
Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007 (message contributor)
There was once a pastor who decided he was going to do something different for a change, so instead of a sermon, he gave everyone two sheets of paper.
On one sheet, the heading read, “THE PROBLEM IN THIS CHURCH IS …” and on the other sheet, the heading read, “WHAT THIS CHURCH NEEDS IS …”
He had them fill them out and hand them in. The next Sunday, he gave the results. On the sheet that listed the PROBLEMS, such things were listed as:
• Should not serve coffee in church
• Should serve more coffee in church
• Should have shorter sermons
• Should have longer sermons
• The music we have is terrible
• It’s terrible we don’t have more music like what we have
On the sheet with the heading of WHAT IS NEEDED, things were listed like:
• Need to spend money on more chairs
• We don’t need to spend any more money
• Pitch all the songs and start over
• We need a new preacher
We can see the humor in that illustration, but there is something else we can see, too. We can see the unhappiness of those in the church. We can see the lack of unity as a body of Christians, and there is one more thing … we can see a church that has dropped the ball in its teachings, because nobody mentioned Jesus Christ.
I would say the biggest problem that church had was that everybody was focused on what they wanted, and nobody was focused on what Jesus wanted. Too often, we are mainly concerned with what we want, and sometimes that is not healthy for the church.
I am reminded of the little church that needed a pastor, but they were small and couldn’t afford to pay very much. The only one they could afford was a 74-year-old pastor. He and his wife moved into the very small and very old one bedroom, one bathroom parsonage next door and he began to ready himself for his first sermon.
Come Sunday, he got up and spoke for exactly 30 minutes. Later that afternoon, the elders came by the parsonage and praised him with many praises, then asked him how everything was going. He told them the bathroom was too small and when he and his wife were getting ready for church, it was very difficult. The elders just kind of let that go over their heads and they bid goodbye for the day.
The next Sunday came and the pastor got up and again spoke a very good sermon for exactly 30 minutes. Later that day, the elders again came by...
Continue reading this sermon illustration (Free with PRO)Related Sermon Illustrations
-
I Read An Account Of A Man Named James Matlock. ... PRO
Contributed by Doug Lyon on Sep 11, 2004
I read an account of a man named James Matlock. (He has nothing to do with the old Matlock TV series starring Andy Griffith!) James Matlock was a Puritan who lived in New England in the 17th century. Apparently he was placed under church discipline. And the reason was because he wasn’t having ...read more
-
She Was An Energetic Young Woman Whose Life Was ...
Contributed by Thomas Cash on May 18, 2004
She was an energetic young woman whose life was forever changed by an accident. Because her spinal cord was severed, she first struggled to survive. Forced to live her life as a quadriplegic, she nearly lost the will to live. Slowly, she achieved the impossible. She painted by holding a brush with ...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
-
The Great Anglican Bishop, J. C. Ryle, Said Of ...
Contributed by Robert Walter on Dec 24, 2004
The great Anglican Bishop, J. C. Ryle, said of these first seekers of truth (the Magi), “We read of no greater faith than this in all the Bible. It is a faith that deserves to be placed side by side with that of the penitent thief. The thief saw one dying the death of a malefactor and yet prayed to ...read more
-
Finding Nemo
Contributed by Darrin Hunt on Feb 5, 2007
Many of you have seen the movie, “Finding Nemo”. •It’s a powerful story of the love and determination of a caring father. •It’s the story of being lost, and then found. •It’s a story that can help us understand our Heavenly Father and His love for us. In the movie, Nemo’s father Marlin loved ...read more
Related Sermons
-
-
The Blueprint For The Church Series
Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 15, 2016
Grace is THE blueprint for God's church, and without it you do NOT have a church.. But what is so important about grace and how could we miss having it in our church?
-
The Walking Billboard Series
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Apr 9, 2017
Why would Jesus show up 4 days late for the funeral of one of His best friends? What was Jesus trying to teach and what can we learn from this miracle/"sign"?
-
Christ's Second Coming, Heaven And Hell Series
Contributed by Dean Courtier on Mar 6, 2010
Both the Old and New Testaments speak of how the world we know will end and that God is working out His purposes until then. When Jesus comes again, believers will be judged and then enjoy eternity with God in Heaven. Unbelievers will also be judged and t
-
Sanctified Saints Series
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jul 17, 2016
Sanctification can be a very intimidating word. But why is that? What does it mean? And how can I be "sanctified?"
