In Sermon Illustrations: "Church Community"

Behind The Mask

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 27, 2010

BEHIND THE MASK In Basel, Switzerland each year the good Protestant townspeople have a festival in which they all don masks and go through the city doing things and going placed they would never consider doing/going under normal circumstances. The mask, which veiled their identity emboldened them ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience

Denomination: Brethren

Fighting The Wolves

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 27, 2010

FIGHTING THE WOLVES There was a pastor of a local Church who was concerned about some unsavoury business outside his local school. His protests finally led to a court case and the opposing barrister tried to do everything he could to discredit the pastor. "Are you a pastor?" the lawyer ...read more

Tags: Culture

Denomination: Brethren

Whyte In Prayer

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 13, 2011

WHYTE IN PRAYER Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought, "The preacher certainly won’t think of anything for which to thank ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tags: Gratitude

One Sunday Morning The Minister Asked The ...

Contributed by Bill Burress on Feb 25, 2012

One Sunday morning the minister asked the congregation, "Whoever wants to go to heaven, stand up!" Everyone stood except one man sleeping in the back of the church. When the preacher told them they could sit down he asked the question, "Anyone who wants to go to hell, stand up!" About that time ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

There Was An Ot Professor Who Taught Young People ...

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jul 5, 2012

There was an OT professor who taught young people that were preparing for the ministry. At the beginning of the class he would take off his coat and bow. He would bow to the class of his students. Some of his faculty members were upset at this gesture. And he said, "I bow to them because you ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:1-9

Tags: Humility, Luther

Denomination: *other

Christian Priesthood  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 1, 2013

From R. Paul Stevens: Christian priesthood is not a matter of being religious and Mr. Goody two shoes but of serving God and God’s purposes in the nitty gritty everydayness of life in the world, not a matter of sacred times and sacred places but ordinary times and ordinary places, not a matter ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:15-16

Tags: Everyday Life, Priestly

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Creche And The Second Coming

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Marques Silva writes, “In college I was surprised when a close friend explained her family crèche. It wasn’t the style or the model that caused me to pause. It was the addition of a figurine that I had neither seen nor considered before. This particular set included not only the baby Jesus but an ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1

Tags: Second Coming, Creche

Denomination: Methodist

Palm Sunday Funny

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 29, 2021

It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5 year old Sammy stayed home from church with a babysitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm fronds. Sammy inquired as to what they were for. 'People held them over Jesus' head as he walked by,' his father ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11

Tags: Palm Sunday, Seeing Jesus, Jesus The King, Jesus' Presence

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Best Tithing Joke Ever!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 31, 2022

BEST TITHING JOKE EVER! Two men were marooned on a deserted Island. One man paced back and forth worried and scared while the other man sat back and was sunning himself. The first man said to the second man, "Aren’t you afraid that we are about to die?" "No," said the ...read more

Tags: Giving, Stewardship, Pastors, Tithing

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Enthronement Of Jesus

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 5, 2026

Enthronement is foreign to us in the United States. We have discussed all the Hallmark movies featuring a reluctant prince who does not want to be enthroned. In the past and in the present, if you live in a culture where there is great political intrigue and folks are trying to take the throne by ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 110:1

Tags: Jesus, Promise, Enthronement

Denomination: Methodist

Hudson Taylor Learns About ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2010

Hudson Taylor Learns About Giving One wonderful testimony of faith from church history is that of Hudson Taylor, the first missionary to the interior of China (in the mid-1800s). He was a great evangelist because he learn “to move man, through God, by prayer alone.” To prepare for the loneliness ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:16

Tags: Giving Yourself

A Prayer Nag! (09.28.05--Teach Me To ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Sep 26, 2005

A Prayer Nag! (09.28.05--Teach Me to Pray!--Colossians 1:9) Does god ever weary of hearing our prayers? I mean, it’s the same old, same old–day in and day out. Does He really need to hear the same things over and over again? Being a “broken record,” the one that just can’t get over the rut in ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:9

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Lutheran

One Of The Saddest And Scariest Stories I've Ever ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

One of the saddest and scariest stories I’ve ever heard was about a young evangelist. He was just barely 21, on fire for God, effective in his preaching and soul-winning, and in great demand from local churches. He had preached several large crusades and was soon invited to an area-wide effort at ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Brad Hightower Shares The Following Thoughts On ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 9, 2008

Brad Hightower shares the following thoughts on proper worship from http://21stcenturyreformation.blogspot.com/2004/12/jesus-clear-theology-of-worship-part-1.html In John 4 where Jesus articulates a “Clear Theology of Worship”. In fact, Jesus as the great prophet, the one who proclaims the final ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The History Of Wwjd

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 9, 2008

The History of WWJD Wikipedia encyclopedia states this about the common abbreviation WWJD: The phrase "What would Jesus do?" (often abbreviated to WWJD) became popular in the United States in the 1890s and again in 1990s as a personal motto for thousands of Christians who used the phrase as a ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ben Hooper

Contributed by David Swanger on Jan 19, 2024

In Rising Above the Crowd, Brian Habour tells the story of Ben Hooper. When Ben was born in the foothills of East Tennessee, little boys and girls like Ben who were born to unwed mothers were ostracized and treated terribly. By the time he was three years old, the other children would scarcely play ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9

Tags: Christian, Encouragement

[040] A Message From A Poem – Chaotic Times Are Meant To Be

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 1, 2025

[040] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHAOTIC TIMES ARE MEANT TO BE This world is in chaos and your understanding of that depends on your assessment in the scriptures. Right now in the United States there is a new presidency under Trump, and the sick state of American society is being revealed with ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-4, 2 Timothy 3:12-13

Tags: Last Days, Chaos, Leaven, Poetry, United States, President Trump, Evil  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Parson's Got Converted (By His Own Sermon)

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

William Haslam was a high church Anglican vicar in Cornwall in the 19th Century. In 1851, he had gone to stay with a friend, Mr, Aitken who had challenged Haslam that he wasn’t converted. During that week, Haslam was shocked that he had nothing to offer his congregation as they were dying. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:42

Tags: Revival, Corn, 19th Century

Denomination: Anglican

This Is An Alleged New Year’s Letter ...  PRO

Contributed by Tony Fox on Dec 12, 2000

ILL: This is an alleged New Year’s letter written from a church member to the pastor. Dear Pastor: You often stress attendance at worship as being very important for a Christian, but I think a person has a right to miss now and then. I think every person ought to be excused for the following ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:24-30, Mark 7:1-8

Tags: New Year's Day, Growth In Christ, Faith, Sandra

Denomination: Baptist

History Records That During The Civil War, Many ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hensley on Jun 27, 2001

History records that during the Civil War, many acts of violence were committed by both the armies of the north and the south. Once such act occurred in October of 1862 in the town of Palmyra, Missouri. According to W. E. Sutterfield, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Palmyra, the town was ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Cross Agony, Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist