In Sermon Illustrations: "Christians"

Early African Converts To Christianity Were ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Feb 22, 2010

Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect ...read more

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Pentecostal

Graduates From Christian College Heading For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 31, 2010

Graduates from Christian College Heading for Mission Field Receive Unexpected Gifts Just last May (2009), John Ortberg, pastor of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California, found himself and his family in Azusa, California, because one of his kids was graduating from Azusa ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Missions

Francis Chan: Radical Christian Living

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2010

FRANCIS CHAN: RADICAL CHRISTIAN LIVING Pastor Francis Chan, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California wrote in his latest book entitled, "Crazy Love". He has already sold one million copies worldwide; a figure he says demonstrates the extent to which he is not alone in ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:34-38

Tags: Discipleship

One Of The Great Paradoxes Of The Christian Faith ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jul 7, 2010

One of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith is that God wants us to talk to Him about everything that is going on in our lives, even though He already knows everything. So why pray? If you’ve ever wrestled with that question, perhaps the thoughts of the 19th-century preacher, R. A. Torrey, ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Baptist

Christians Seems To Have Forgotten The Values And ...

Contributed by Vincent Olaer on May 1, 2011

Christians seems to have forgotten the values and Biblical teachings about divorce and marital relationship. This is because people has been so concerned on the exemptions rather than the Biblical teachings itself. As a result, more and more people wants to justify their own personal view to ...read more

Tags: Marriage Commitment

Denomination: Baptist

What A Contagious Christian Looks Like  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2011

WHAT A CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIAN LOOKS LIKE Bill Hybels, Becoming a Contagious Christian: "Recently, I saw a letter written by a relatively new Christian to the person whose life had influenced hers so greatly. She actually lists about a dozen qualities she found contagious in the life of this older ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:8-15

Tags: Christian Witness

How Did You Become A Christian?  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 21, 2011

HOW DID YOU BECOME A CHRISTIAN? A couple of years ago a 22-year-old woman spent the night at our house before flying out of San Antonio to return to her country of China. She was a Chinese Christian who had come to America to translate some Christian literature into Chinese for the house churches ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Divorce Rate Myth Among Christians

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 30, 2012

DIVORCE RATE MYTH AMONG CHRISTIANS A common myth going around is that the divorce rate is the same among Christians as it is among non-Christians. But such just isn't the case, when you take a closer look. According to the "Americans for Divorce Reform," the divorce rate among the general ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:1-12

Tags: Divorce

Downward Trends In U.s. Christianity

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 15, 2012

DOWNWARD TRENDS IN U.S. CHRISTIANITY In George Barna's new book on U.S. Christians called Futurecast, he tracks annual changes from 1991 to 2011 and shows that all the major trend lines of religious belief and behavior ran downward except two: More people claim they have accepted Jesus as their ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16

Tags: Church Practices

Ayn Rand Vs. Christian Community

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2014

What we observe in that early community of Christians stands in stark contrast to the philosophy of Ayn Rand, who has been getting a lot of press lately. She is known for her belief in what she called Rational Egoism which translates Rational Self-Interest which she described as "The Virtue of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Selfishness, Atheism, Capitalism

Christians Aren't Any Different

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 5, 2016

CHRISTIANS AREN’T ANY DIFFERENT “We find there is very little difference in ethical behavior between churchgoers and those who are not active religiously. The levels of lying, cheating, and stealing are similar in both groups. Eight out of ten Americans consider themselves Christians, Gallup ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15-16

Tags: Morality, Ten Commandments, Church In America

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Do Not Jump To Judge Other Christians

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 14, 2019

Don't Jump to Judge Other Christians This is God's message for us in Romans 14:3-4, where Paul said: 3. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:3-4

Tags: Judging Others, False Assumptions

Denomination: Baptist

Eight Tests Every Christian Will Face

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 20, 2019

Below are brief descriptions of eight types of tests that every Christian will likely face: • Fiery trials: intense encounters or struggles; bursts of anger, grief, or lust • Infirmities: physical limitations and illnesses • Reproaches: ridicule and rejection on account of faith or ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:1-9

Tags: Faith, Tribulation, Tests, Trials, Temptations  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Stop Offering A Comfortable Christian Message

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

Most evangelistic appeals today pitch the gospel as the way to have an abundant life. “Jesus came to offer you abundant life. Trust in Him and He will give you peace, joy, and a truly happy life.” While all of those claims are true if properly defined, what the salesman hasn’t told the potential ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:12, Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 1:16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Commitment, Discipleship, Truth, Suffering, Greasy Grace, Comfortable Christianity  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christian Mass Media Reaches Adults In Surprising ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Dec 31, 2001

Christian Mass Media Reaches Adults in Surprising Numbers ** (Baptist Press) -- More adults experience the Christian faith through Christian media, such as radio, television or books, than by attending Christian churches, according to a new study by the Barna Research Group. The survey found that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12

Tags: Entertainment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christians Do Get Divorced. Some For Biblical ...  PRO

Contributed by James Wilson on Nov 23, 2000

Christians do get divorced. Some for Biblical reasons. According to researcher George Barna, the ratio of Christians who have been divorced is higher than the percentage of non-Christians. In his sample of almost 4000 adults, Christians led non-Christians in divorce by a margin of 3 percentage ...read more

Tags: Faith, Divorce, Marriage Commitment

Denomination: Baptist

Americans Read Christian Books: Barna Research ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Americans Read Christian Books: Barna Research Group found that 48% of all U.S. adults and 51% of teens read at least one Christian book other than the Bible in the past year. Moreover, 35% of all U.S. adults and 34% of teens bought at least one Christian book in that same time period. 50% of all ...read more

Tags: Entertainment

Christian Bookstores Saw A $100 Million Decline ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Christian Bookstores saw a $100 million decline in their retail sales of Christian products from ’00 to ’02 while general retailers experienced an equal sales increase of Christian merchandise. Plus 271 of the 2,700 or so Christian retailers in the U.S. closed their doors in ‘03. The Christian ...read more

Tags: Entertainment

A Christian Man Is The Most Free Lord Of All, ...  PRO

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Apr 3, 2001

"A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one." ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God, Love Of The Disciples, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Baptist

George Barna Is A Christian Pollster. He Took A ...

Contributed by Matthew Sullivan on Feb 18, 2008

George Barna is a Christian pollster. He took a survey in which he found only 44% of people who claimed to be Christians believe in absolute truth. The survey also showed that only 9% of teens who claimed to be Christians believe in absolute truth. We have a culture that believes there is no ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ