Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Apr 12, 2008
Carl S. Dudley wrote: “In a big world, the small church has remained intimate. In a fast world, the small church has been steady. In an expensive world, the small church has remained plain. In a complex world, the small church has remained simple. In a rational world, the small church has kept
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Apr 12, 2008
“Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, But the Church of Jesus, Constant will remain; Gates of hell can never ‘Gainst that Church prevail; We have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail”. (Sabine Baring-Gould in William
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Apr 12, 2008
5411 The Key … After 29 Floors
Three men, John Newton, Louis Weatherford, and Samuel Preston, were out to find the best that this life had to offer. Willing to try anything, they were now on their way to New York City to “to the Ambassador Hotel, a twenty-nine floor building. Upon entering the
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Apr 5, 2008
William Barclay, “Here is a great eternal truth. Life cannot be divided into compartments in some of which God is involved and in others of which he is not involved; there cannot be one kind of language in the Church and another kind of language in the shipyard or the factory or the office; there
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Apr 5, 2008
Professional golfer Tommy Bolt was playing in Los Angeles and had a caddy with a reputation of constant chatter. Before they teed off, Bolt told him, “Don’t say a word to me. And if I ask you something, just answer yes or no.” During the round, Bolt found the ball next to a tree, where he had to
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Apr 5, 2008
“Accustom your children constantly to this [the telling of the truth]; if a thing happened at one window, and they, when relating it, say that it happened at another, do not let it pass, but instantly check them; you do not know where deviation from truth will end.… It is more from carelessness
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 29, 2008
based on 1 rating
| 1,118 views
Illustration: Heart Buried in Africa
There is a story of the great missionary David Livingstone. The body of David Livingstone was buried in England where he was born, but his heart was buried in the Africa he loved. At the foot of a tall tree in a small African village the natives dug a hole and
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 29, 2008
Illustration: 4408 Eternal Loss Or Temporary Pleasure.
There’s a story of how money can blur vision: A certain tribe in Africa elects a new king every seven years but it invariably kills its old king. For seven years the member of the tribe enjoying this high honor is provided with every luxury
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 29, 2008
Illustration: God will often allow crises into our lives to show us where we put our confidence. There was a farmer who one day went happily and with great joy in his heart to report to his wife and family that their best cow had given birth to twin calves, one red and one white. And he said, “You
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 22, 2008
based on 3 ratings
| 1,062 views
Quote: “Though it is largely a subjective proof, the endurance of the church of Jesus Christ through over 2,000 years is evidence of His resurrection reality. His church and His Word have survived skepticism, persecution, heresy, unfaithfulness, and disobedience. Critics have denounced the
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 22, 2008
Quote: The historian Thomas Arnold of Oxford has written:
“The evidence for our Lord’s life and death and resurrection may be and often has been shown to be satisfactory. It is good according to the common rules for distinguishing good evidence from bad. Thousands and tens of thousands of persons
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 22, 2008
What can we see from Paul’s life in regards to the impact of the resurrected Christ? One commentator noted:
“The truth and power of the resurrected Christ had brought three great changes in Paul. 1) First was deep recognition of sin. For the first time he realized how far his external religious
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 8, 2008
“Love for our neighbor consists of three things: to desire the greater good of everyone; to do what good we can when we can; to bear, excuse and hide other’s faults”. (Barton, B. B. (1993). John.
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 8, 2008
“Left to ourselves, we seek our own. Movie stars marry movie stars. Doctors seek out doctors. Middle-classers seek out middle-classers. Bikers seek bikers. But when Christ comes, that changes. In the church of Jesus Christ, we discover that the people we love and with whom we fellowship are
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 8, 2008
Alexander Maclaren describes what happened because of Christ’s command:
“Barbarian, Scythian, bond and free, male and female, Jew and Greek, learned and ignorant … sat down at one table, and felt themselves all one in Christ Jesus. They were ready to break all other bonds, and to yield to the
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 1, 2008
As J. Oswald Sanders comments, “The Master expects from His disciples such conduct as can be explained
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 1, 2008
based on 3 ratings
| 2,350 views
Illustration: How does adoption change things? Here’s a secular example:
In 1952 a probation officer in New York City tried to find an organization that would assist in the adoption of a twelve-year-old boy. Although the child had a religious background, none of the major denominations would assist
...read more
Scripture:
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 1, 2008
What happens when we pattern our Sonship on those around us?
Illustration: 4276 Imitating Each Other Or Christ
In the British Museum a Greek writing tablet, earlier than the Christian era, is shown. It is the classical equivalent of a child’s copybook. The headline has been written by the master.
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Feb 23, 2008
Archibald Hart said: “Forgiveness is relinquishing my rights to hurt back” (Zuck, R. B. (1997). The speaker’s quote book : Over 4,500 illustrations and quotations for all occasions.
...read more
Denomination:
Other
Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Feb 23, 2008
There’s a story of soldier, that while still a young boy, formed the habit of praying beside his bed before he went to sleep. He became an object of mockery and ridicule in the barracks. One night, as he knelt to pray after a long, weary march, one of his tormentors took off his muddy boots and
...read more
Denomination:
Other