In Sermon Illustrations: "Church Discipline"

Alabama Judge: Church Or Jail

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 26, 2011

ALABAMA JUDGE: CHURCH OR JAIL Is going to church a privilege or a sentence? It depends upon you and the particular church. For some in Alabama, it is a sentence: BAY MINETTE, Ala. (AP) — Authorities say non-violent offenders in southern Alabama will have a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Where Is The Church When It Hurts?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 13, 2012

WHERE IS THE CHURCH WHEN IT HURTS? Where is God in the midst of the storm? One author answered that question with this incident: "In Washington and Chicago, as I talked about the special edition of Where Is God When It Hurts?, inevitably the interviewer would turn the question back on me. 'Well, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-36

Tags: Comfort

The Church, Therefore, Earnestly Desires That ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 26, 2013

The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators; on the contrary, through a good understanding of the rites and prayers they should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Catholic

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

The Church Is A Battleship, Not A Cruise Ship!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

Adrian Rogers said "We are in a spiritual war! And the Church is not a cruise ship with the Senior Pastor as the Master of Ceremonies! Indeed, the Church is not a showboat…...it is a battleship. We, in the Body of Christ, are called to see Satan's strongholds crumble under the ...read more

Tags: Victory, Satan, Revival, Strongholds, Spiritual Warfare, Prayer, Demons  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When A Thief Was Surprised At Church!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2023

When I was pastoring in Texas, something strange happened one Christmas that I will never stop laughing about. Because it was a Christmas holiday, we were at home with our family taking a break from our normal ministry schedule. We did not go to the church campus for the weekend. But, while we ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11, Proverbs 3:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:10, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Tags: Surprises, Stealing, Tithing, Robbing God, Pastors, Church, Giving, Humor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Church That Voted God Out!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2024

The story is told about a poor woman who lived across the tracks and wanted to join a very fashionable church. She talked to the pastor about it, but he sought to discourage her. He suggested she go home and think about it carefully for a week. At the end of the week she came back. He said, “Go ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-12

Tags: Church, Favoritism, Membership, Partiality, Pastors, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The American Church Is Big Business

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 26, 2016

A GREAT QUOTE ABOUT THE AMERICAN CHURCH Biblical Scholar, Dr. Richard Halverson once said, “When the Greeks got the Gospel, they turned it into a philosophy; when the Romans got the Gospel, they turned it into a government; when the Europeans got the Gospel, they turned it into a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 4:1-30

Tags: Church, Wealth

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Painless Way To Give In Church

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 20, 2019

Having a little trouble with giving at the church? Maybe we could all learn a little lesson from the old country preacher who told everyone to stand up at the beginning of the offering. He then instructed everyone to lean forward to the person standing in front of them and grab their purse or ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:9

Tags: Money, Giving, Stewardship, Tithing, Offerings  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How To Gather A Crowd At Church!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 25, 2021

How to Gather a Crowd at Church! A cattle rancher got saved and surrendered to preach. He went to a Bible conference which was all about how to build a crowd. Asked about it later, he said, "It was strange. In all my years as a cattle rancher, I never had to go to a conference to learn how ...read more

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

Tags: Bible, Teaching, Preaching, Word Of God, Pastors, Churches  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

They Keep You Quiet In Church

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 27, 2021

A 6-year-old girl was sitting in church with her very fidgety 4-year-old brother. She spoke to him with a stern voice, “You’re supposed to be quiet in church.” So her brother asked, “Whose gonna make me?” She ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:46-47

Tags: Church, Children, Worship, Quiet

Denomination: Methodist

Selflessness Sparks A Whole Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

SELFLESSNESS SPARKS A WHOLE CHURCH When Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea was building its prayer mountain, they struggled in raising the funds for its construction. Pastor David Cho challenged the people again and again and still they could raise the funds they needed for the project. Then, ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

The Rich Family In Church By Eddie ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

THE RICH FAMILY IN CHURCH by Eddie Ogan I’ll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12, and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven ...read more

Tags: Money

How People Find A Church

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

HOW PEOPLE FIND A CHURCH 55% of unchurched people and 64% of church switchers find a church through recommendation from friends or family. 49% of unchurched people and 83% of church switchers do so from an in-person visit. 25% of unchurched and 21% of church switchers find or visit a churches ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

The Church Can Still Strike ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

THE CHURCH CAN STILL STRIKE FEAR In 1988, Wally Magdangal was pastoring an underground church in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was a Filipino lay pastor of Christian foreign workers wishing to gather for worship. In 1992, soon after the conclusion of the Gulf War, the house church had grown to over ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Too Good For Your Church

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

TOO GOOD FOR YOUR CHURCH A good set of clothes makes all the difference. A Methodist church tried to get a man to attend, but he never did. "Why don't you come?" the minister asked, and the man finally admitted it was because he didn't have proper clothes. So a member of the congregation took him ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24

Tags: Church Growth

Lazarus Churches That Are Dead And Stinketh!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 31, 2022

Vance Havner once commented that ministries often begin with a man who has a vision. That vision is captured by others and becomes a movement. As the movement gains followers and momentum, it becomes a machine. After a while, people forget all about the vision and what was once a movement ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Book Of Acts, Backsliding, Dying Churches, Church, Holy Spirit, Revival, Repentance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Church Without The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2022

David Platt in his book, Radical, has a chapter entitled, "Beginning at the End of Ourselves -- The Importance of Relying on God's Power (Subsection entitled - “Dependent on Ourselves or Desperate for His Spirit?”). This is where I am most convicted as a pastor that I am part of a system ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:11

Tags: Church, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Power, Pastors, Programs  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What The Church Needs Today

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2022

E.M. Bounds is right when he says, "What the Church needs today is not more machinery or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use— men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Anointing, Pastors, Simon Peter, Acts 2, Ministry, Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Church Is Called To Minister In The Marketplace.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 4, 2022

Return the Cross to Golgotha I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles; But on a cross between two thieves: on a town garbage ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Gospel, Cross, Great Commission, Marketplace, Wintessing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational