In Sermon Illustrations: "1 John 5:1-6:12"

On Evangelism Tactics

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Apr 9, 2021

Many Christians have a wrong interpretation of 1 Corinthians 9:22. Paul would not have gotten a tattoo, a Mohawk, piercings etc. to witness to a group like that because it would have hindered him in witnessing to other groups. He spoke to them from their frame of reference, like all great teachers, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:22, 2 Corinthians 6:17

Tags: Evangelism, Separation, Piercings, Tattoos

Denomination: Baptist

A Great Testimony Of Salvation

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Apr 20, 2021

A Great Testimony of Salvation *William MacKay had a great testimony about how God rewrote the story of his life. In the mid-1800s, as a teenager in Scotland, William left home to go to college. *His mother was greatly concerned about his spiritual life, so she gave him a Bible and printed a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:23-25, Romans 1:15-17, Romans 10:8-15

Tags: Salvation, Gospel Power, God's Work, The Bible, Christian Testimonies, William Mackay, Revive Us Again  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

God's Family!

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jun 28, 2021

It is hard to get over the disappointment that God, having made an exception in my case, didn’t seem to call nice, accomplished, courteous, alert ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Luke 19:10, James 2:1-7

Tags: Worship, Salvation, Gospel, The Cross, Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

To Have Prayed Well Is To Have Studied Well." ...

Contributed by Paul Steffens on Dec 11, 2007

"To have prayed well is to have studied ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 4:7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Cost Of Redemption - Hosea Buys Back Gomer

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 27, 2022

One man started the bidding: “12 pieces of silver!” “13!” Said Hosea. “14 pieces of silver!” Hosea’s bid was “15!” The low bidders were beginning to drop out, but one man continued bidding: “15 pieces of silver and five bushels of barley!” Hosea said, “15 pieces of silver, 5 bushels of barley and a ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 3:1-5, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 8:38

Tags: Hosea, Redemption, Covenant Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Ten Rules For Improving The Church

Contributed by David Parks on Jun 3, 2022

TEN RULES FOR IMPROVING THE CHURCH 1. Tell yourself over and over that since you are not perfect you would not fit into a perfect congregation, if one existed. 2. Instead of picking out the worldly members to point to, pick out the sincere, dedicated, spiritual members and thank God for them. You ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-2, 1 Peter 4:8, Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Church, Encouragement, Judgementalism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Martin Luther And The Gospel

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 20, 2022

Martin Luther: 1483-1546 In 2017 – the 400th anniversary of the Reformation, I had the privilege to visit Wittenberg, Germany, birthplace of the Reformation. I walked the cobblestone streets, and even toured Luther’s home. The prodigious Martin Luther appeared headed for the legal profession but ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:17, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Galatians 1:1-9

Tags: Reformation, Salvation, The Cross, Justification By Faith, Gospel, Faith  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Preservation Of His People Through Two Dreams

Contributed by Richard Tow on Aug 1, 2022

The amazing story is told by the historian Josephus.xxxviii When Alexander began his campaign against Phoenicia, he sent messengers to Juddua, the high priest in Jerusalem, “demanding aid from the Jews and the payment of the tribute which they used to pay to the King of Persia.”xxxix Not wanting to ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 9:1-8, Romans 8:28, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Protection, Obedience, Jerusalem, Favor, Faith, Deliverance, Dream, Alexander The Great  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

The Bible Is Not About Science Or Philosophy

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Oct 8, 2022

The Bible has a single purpose. It was given to reveal the love of God as manifested in the divine provision of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is its aim, and sound interpretation must never lose sight of this aim. Consequently, it is a serious and misleading error to regard the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13

Tags: The Bible, Science, Love Of God, Philosophy, Exegesis, Inspiration, Interpretation, Human Authors, Hermeneutics  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Ted Turner Turned Away From God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 20, 2022

Cable television mogul Ted Turner criticized conservative Christianity and said, "Jesus probably would be sick at his stomach" over the way his ideas have been "twisted" by today's preachers, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Turner made his remarks at a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: False Professors, Bitterness, Apostasy, Deception, Denying The Truth, Unbelief, Last Days  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Redemption Through His Blood - Yellow Fever Story

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 3, 2023

There is a story...that may help Illustrate redemption...what Christ ...has done for us. In 1927, ...in West Africa... a blood specimen was taken from a native man named Asibi, ...who was sick ...with yellow fever. A vaccine ...was made ...from this original strain of the virus... obtained from ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18, Hebrews 9:22

Tags: Salvation, Redemption, Blood

Denomination: Anglican

Meekness: The Cutting Horse And The Mule

Contributed by Richard Tow on Mar 20, 2023

Meekness is strength under control. At one time in my life, I was heavily involved with horses. It is a beautiful thing to watch a well-trained cutting horse work. Just a gently touch of reign on his neck or a shift in the rider’s weight can ignite a quick turn in that powerful animal. He does ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:5, 1 Timothy 6:11, Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Meek, Meekness, Teachable, Submission, Submitted  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

What Percentage Will Go To Heaven?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 21, 2023

[Pastor Clendennen speaking:] For many years, in the church I pastored, we had an all-night prayer meeting the last Friday night of every month. One such Friday night, out of four-hundred members, there were forty-one of us present. As I was praying, I heard this Word from the Lord: “You are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:40-42, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Revelation 1:7

Tags: Bride Of Christ, Return Of Jesus, Rapture

Denomination: Charismatic

The Donkey And The Demon: A Tale Of Revenge And Remorse.

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Sep 22, 2023

Once upon a time, a donkey was tied to a tree when a demon came and untied it. The donkey ran into the fields and began destroying the crop. When the farmer's wife spotted this, she shot and killed the donkey. The donkey's owner was so upset that he shot the farmer's wife. When the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:37-39, Exodus 20:1-17, 1 Corinthians 13:13

Tags: Revenge, Ego, Donkey, Demon

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Handel's Messiah-The Back Story

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 9, 2023

George Frideric Handel's Messiah is one of the most beautiful musical renditions of Scripture ever created. What we don’t often hear about is the troubled back story during the writing of the Messiah. It was at this time that Handel was struggling financially because there was a shift in music, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7, Isaiah 53:3, 1 Timothy 6:15-16

Tags: Christmas, Despised, Handel's Messiah, Rejected, King Of Kings  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Anti-Semitism Meets Its Match

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 1, 2024

It was a sweltering August day when all three Cohen brothers entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan, offices of Henry Ford, the car maker, "Mr. Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the eldest of the three. "We have a remarkable invention that will revolutionize the automobile industry." ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 23:4-8, 1 Corinthians 5:7, Romans 11:11-32

Tags: Israel, Hatred, Anti Semitism, Israel's Future

Denomination: Independent/Bible

God's Mercy

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Nov 2, 2024

Henri Nouwen tells the story of a family from Paraguay. The father spoke out against the military regime and its human rights abuses. The police arrested his teenage son and tortured him to death. Enraged townsfolk wanted to turn the boy's funeral into a huge protest march, but the doctor ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-18, Romans 5:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-5

Tags: Mercy, Sin, Evil, Salvation, Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Gospel

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Dec 9, 2024

Pastor Martin Niemoeller confronted Hitler’s corruption of the German church and spent 8 years in prison. In 1945 he was freed by American forces. Remarkably he lived to the age of 92. A few days before his death he wrote - "when I was young I felt ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Galatians 1:1-5, Romans 1:1-5

Tags: Grace, Gospel, Discipleship, Devotion, Justification  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[032] A Message From A Poem – Before The Lord We Are His

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 21, 2025

[032] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BEFORE THE LORD WE ARE HIS To start with I want to say that all my poems are copyright in the sense that I own them and don’t want them altered without permission. All my poems God gave and therefore can be used in your ministry or for your enjoyment. I wish the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:16, Philippians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Tags: Savior, King, Poetry, New Bodies, The Rapture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[036] A Message From A Poem – Blessed Lamb Of God In Adoration

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 25, 2025

[036] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BLESSED LAMB OF GOD IN ADORATION This was written as a hymn that can be sung. The emphasis is on the Lord Jesus Christ not so much on us. I hate these modern songs where it is all about “me”. Let us get back to glorifying the Lord for who He is and for what He ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 4:11, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Ephesians 4:8-10

Tags: Compassion, Adoration, Lamb, Second Coming, Poetry, The Cross, Lamb Of God, Poem  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational