In Sermon Illustrations: "Active Faith"

Akiane: The Gift Of God

Contributed by Major Gerardo Balmori on Apr 2, 2011

AKIANE: THE GIFT OF GOD Akiane Kramarik is only 12-years-old, but she has abilities far beyond her years. Her mother chose to give birth to her underwater at the family home on July 9, 1994 in Mount Morris, Illinois. The family now lives in Idaho. Akiane speaks four languages, writes poetry, plays ...read more

Tags: Miracles General

Denomination: Salvation Army

Standing On The Door

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 4, 2011

STANDING ON THE DOOR You see, when we Christians do a poor job, then people don't want to have anything to do with our Christ. God's own name as well as the Christian faith itself is on the line. When we disrespect our supervisors, then our supervisors disrespect our Savior, and we become a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 16:17-19

Tags: Evangelism How To

What If There Was No Christmas?

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 5, 2012

WHAT IF THERE WAS NO CHRISTMAS? Lets ponder the what if - say- the antichrist powers would have defeated Christ at birth and therefore eliminated Christianity? what would have been lost? i. There would be no Christmas joy ii. There would be no kids smiles iii. There would be no Merry Christmas ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

King Tut Vs. William Borden

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 31, 2012

KING TUT VS. WILLIAM BORDEN In 1922 Howard Carter discovered the burial chamber of King Tutankhamen. King Tut had died at around age 19 and his tomb had been untouched for over 3000 years. Buried with him were solid gold chariots and thousands of golden artifacts. His gold coffin was found within ...read more

Tags: Apologetics Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

A Timely Testimony

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Feb 23, 2012

A TIMELY TESTIMONY Jim Cymbala tells an amazing story of one Sunday in his church: (Fresh Faith pp. 78-82) During the choir anthem, Pastor Jim was touched by the words of one of the young men who was featured as a soloist during the song. As the song concluded, Pastor Jim was strongly prompted ...read more

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus

Denomination: Lutheran

Ken Wales: Christian Integrity

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2012

KEN WALES: CHRISTIAN INTEGRITY Ken Wales is a TV and film producer, who has produced several, award-winning TV series and films, including Christy, East of Eden and the highly-acclaimed movie Amazing Grace. Wales has enjoyed tremendous success as a producer, but he started his Hollywood career ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Thoughts On The Church

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 20, 2012

THOUGHTS ON THE CHURCH Here are some thoughts on The Church from a few 30 on down in age, individuals from the book "The Relevant Church": Quotes: Tyler Watts, "I think I disconnect from the Gospel of Jesus Christ when I'm not involved in close relationships with other believers." Philip Evans, ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Glory To God First

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jun 25, 2012

GLORY TO GOD FIRST A man came to Pastor Chuck, the church that I went to for several years while in California, and he said to the pastor that he wanted to make a large donation - about one million dollar donation. The pastor said to that, "Wow -- that is a lot of money. Let me go first and pray ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:21-39

Tags: Principles

Denomination: *other

Pastoral Ministry Crisis

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 30, 2015

2009 Statistics Of Why Pastors Leave the Ministry by Fuller Institute, George Barna and Pastoral Care Inc, Focus On The Family. 1,500 pastors leave the ministry permanently each month in America. 4,000 new churches start each year in America. 7,000 churches close each year in America. 25% of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-29

Tags: Pastoral Leadership, Pastoral Ministry

I'm Ready To Move

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 3, 2015

Alan Robertson- When my brother Jase got out of high school, one of the first things he did was make a list of some of his high school buddies- not to settle old scores, mind you. Jase wanted to see them come to Jesus. So he took his list and started praying for them and sharing the good news of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:10

Tags: Savior, Unexpected, Personal Evangelism, Everyday Evangelism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Renewed Like The Eagle  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 24, 2016

RENEWED LIKE THE EAGLE When the Psalmist mentions the renewal of the eagle, he may be referring to the "molting process" in an eagle’s life. As eagles age, their beaks and talons become encrusted with calcium. Thus, neither is as sharp as they once were. When this happens the aging eagle cannot ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-5

Tags: Eagle, Crucified Life, Waiting On God, Lie, Revival, Renewal  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Titanic And The Importance Preparing Ourselves For Growth

Contributed by David Simpson on Apr 17, 2018

Growth is a natural part of growing up! The Lord wants us to grow up…to feed on Him and get growing! Ephesians 4:15 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Col. 1:10 "And we pray this in order that you may live a life ...read more

Tags: Immaturity, Be Prepared, Growth, Preparation, Maturity, Selfishness, Disaster  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian Church

Praying The Armor Of God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 12, 2019

PRAYING THE ARMOR OF GOD This is a prayer I shared with our congregation after teaching a series on Spiritual Warfare based upon an exposition of Ephesians 6:10-18. "Good morning, Lord. It’s going to be a great day because I am preparing to win spiritual battles for Your glory and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Prayer

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Open Rebuke Is Better Than Secret Love.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 25, 2021

The Scripture tells us that "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:5-6).   Rebuke means sin is not only pointed out, it is condemned. The church really doesn’t do this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Sin, Preaching, Repentance, Rebuke, Pastors, The Word Of God, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Drastic Decline Among Americans Who Live With A Biblical Worldview

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Mar 30, 2023

The year was 1999 and George Barna just wrapped up his latest study on the status of the Worldview of American adults. He was shocked to discover that only 12% of American adults were living their life with a Biblical worldview. He knew that if this trend did not change then it would mean a rapid ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:6, Matthew 9:37-38

Tags: Evangelism, Harvest, Statistics, Biblical Worldview, American Adults  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No More Sin!

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 8, 2023

David Brooks in his book “The Road to Character” says this about sin... Today the word sin has lost it's power and awesome intensity. It’s now used to refer to desserts... fattening desserts. Most people in daily conversation don’t talk much about individual sin. If they talk about human ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23, Romans 1:18-20, Ephesians 2:1-3

Tags: Sin, Salvation, Gospel, Depravity, The Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Emily's 9-5 Struggle

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 19, 2024

Emily, a young woman from the MZ generation, recently started her career with a standard 9-5 job. She quickly finds herself feeling trapped and miserable in this routine. Every morning, the thought of going to work at 9 AM and staying until 5 PM feels unbearable to her. She often voices her ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:17-22

Tags: Letting Go, Spiritual Growth, Comfort, Purpose, Danger  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Young 12 Year Old Girl Saved By Lions

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Jul 1, 2025

Several years ago I read a headline straight out of the heart of Africa, a story that grips your heart and soul. It is the story of a 12-year-old girl, stolen from her village, snatched by cruel men who beat her, tormented her, and planned to sell her into the world of human trafficking. She was ...read more

Scripture: Zephaniah 3:17

Tags: The Lord Stands Guard, Protection, Salvation, Lion Of Judah, Mighty To Save  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Last Week, Bernie Came To The Church Door. He ...  PRO

Contributed by Bill Sullivan on Oct 9, 2002

Last week, Bernie came to the church door. He showed up about five minutes before I was getting ready to leave for an appointment, and my first response to his arrival was, oh, no, not now. Bernie had been drinking – I could smell it on his breath. He was sweating profusely and was a little bit ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:13-20

Tags: Fellowship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jim Jones – He Started Out As A Pastor And Became ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Nov 3, 2004

Jim Jones – He started out as a pastor and became deceived and it lead to the death of 100’s. This was a Christian destructive, doomsday cult founded and led by James Warren Jones (1931-1978). Jim Jones held degrees from Indiana University and Butler University. He was not a Fundamentalist pastor ...read more

Tags: Cults

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational