In Sermon Illustrations: "Church In America"

Joni Eareckson Tada's Wedding

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 16, 2014

Joni Eareckson Tada, who since a diving accident as a teenager has lived from a wheelchair, wrote about the day of her wedding: “I felt awkward as my girlfriends strained to shift my paralyzed body into a cumbersome wedding gown. No amount of corseting and binding my body gave me a good shape. ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:7-9

Tags: Wedding Supper, Wedding Ceremony, Jesus As Bridegroom

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Watch Where You're Going!

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

I had just flown back home from attending a class for my Doctorate in Pasadena, CA. The week was filled with long days and short nights. I had an early morning flight and then flew most of the day. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. Yet I didn’t want to miss my workout so I headed to the gym. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Consequences, Watchful Servants, Direction Of Life

Denomination: Methodist

Mike Mack- When I Was About 10 Years Old, I M...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 8, 2016

Mike Mack- When I was about 10 years old, I made friends with two brothers in my neighborhood, Tim and Jeff Ward. Perhaps because I did not have a brother living at home, or just for fun, I told them I had a twin brother named Mark. We would be playing Wiffle ball, and I’d go home, change ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:9

Tags: Hypocrisy, Pretend, Genuine, Unmasked

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Stick With The Basics

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 25, 2017

When kids turn sixteen, they often take an in-car driving course to prepare them for their driver’s license test. I want you to imagine with me a driving instructor who meticulously teaches the student how to properly adjust the seat and put on the seat belt, how to adjust the mirrors so that the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16

Tags: Gospel, Essentials Of Faith

Denomination: Charismatic

Propitiation Is Important

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 30, 2019

“In 2012, Getty's hymn "In Christ Alone" was involved in a controversy with the Presbyterian Church (USA) hymnal committee in the creation of their new hymnal "Glory to God". The committee requested permission from Getty and Stuart Townend to use an alternative lyric to the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:21-31

Tags: Atonement, Propitiation, Penal, Death Of Christ, Penal Atonement, Solid Doctrine, Standing For Truth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Lady In Charge Of The Chicken! Haha!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 14, 2021

Jesus wants us to live up to the responsibility that goes with our authority. We each have different levels of authority and responsibility, and he expects us to meet those levels. When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20

Tags: Commitment, Leadership, Identity, Authority

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

"worst Day - Best Day - Begins And Ends With Me"

Contributed by Terry Miller on Mar 24, 2022

No note was written. There was no obvious clue to why I had reached the depths of a horrible pit of desperation. How could life for a forty-something get any worse than that? My Worst Day had brought me to contemplating suicide! A feeling of reaching life’s dead-end road had overpowered any ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 56:3

Tags: Motivational, Inspirational

Once Shaved, Always Shaved!!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 23, 2022

After twenty years of shaving himself every morning, a man in a small southern town decided he had been doing that long enough. He told his wife that from then on he’d let the local barber shave him each day.The man went to the barbershop which was owned by the pastor of the local Baptist church. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28-39, 1 John 5:10-13

Tags: Grace, Salvation, Humor, Eternal Security, Jokes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Glory To God, My Prayers Have Been Answered!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 22, 2022

A pastor bought a female parrot that became quite a problem. The only thing the parrot could say was, "Come on baby, let's kiss! Come on baby, let's kiss!" She was quite carnal. The pastor wanted a more spiritually-minded parrot, so he looked around for help. After much ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Prayer, Intercession, Petition, Humor, Lord's Prayer, Heavenly Father  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Am In A Hurry, But God Isn't!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 5, 2023

The purposes of God often develop slowly because His grand designs are never hurried. The great New England preacher Phillips Brooks was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, even he suffered moments of frustration and irritability. One day a friend saw him feverishly pacing the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Holy Spirit, Endurance, Patience, Forbearance, Fruit Of The Spirit, Waiting On God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Who's In Charge?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jun 3, 2023

One of the most disturbing movies ever produced is Francis Ford Coppola’s classic reflection on the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now. The film tracks an American officer who is sent upriver into the heart of the war-torn countryside in order to find and eventually assassinate a renegade commander who ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 6:1-17

Tags: Wrath, Apocalypse, Four Horsemen, God's Sovereignty

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Do You Have One Heart?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 5, 2023

Missionary Jim Walton was translating the NT for the Muinane people of La Sabana in the jungles of Colombia. But he was having trouble with the word "peace". During this time, Fernando, the village chief, was promised a 20-minute plane ride to a location that would have taken him 3 days ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-11

Tags: Forgiveness, Peace, Missions, Unity, Relationships, Bitterness, Bond Of Peace  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Spirit Of Gradualism

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 10, 2025

I lived in Lee County, Virginia and we would travel 68 from our house through Cumberland Gap, Tennessee to Middlesboro, Ky. We traveled through the national park. Linda and I would see a ground hog. The ground hog would stand on his hind legs to watch the traffic go by. We developed a love watching ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:3, Revelation 3:14-19

Tags: Gradual, Slow

Denomination: Assembly Of God

If Jesus Was Born Today

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

If Jesus was born today, it would be in a bed and breakfast A traffic warden, working late, would be the first on the scene. Later a TV network would arrive with their good wishes. The whole Occasion would be filmed as part of *Is this the Son of God” one hour special If Jesus was 30 today, ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25

Tags: Jesus, Born, Modern Day

Denomination: Anglican

Let Your Faith Be Known

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Mar 31, 2026

The apostles were scared to death when Jesus was being crucified. They were running, denying, hiding, scared. But after they saw with their own eyes that Jesus was now alive, they boldly went into the streets of Jerusalem preaching Jesus declaring the gospel. And all but John died as a martyrs ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1, Acts 10:42, Acts 26:22-23, Matthew 10:32-33

Tags: Witness, Faith, Confess, Testimony, Outspoken, Charlie Kirk, Frankie Muniz  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

How Many Coughs Is Enough For One Day

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 2, 2023

This past week started rather rough. At least rougher than others. It started with a cough. A cough is not that serious if it's just one cough or maybe two. But it is not good when it is one cough after another and another. One day last week, right after this coughing spell began, the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:12

Tags: Physician, Sick, Medical

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Shorted-Sightedness  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 16, 2001

SHORTED-SIGHTEDNESS "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." --Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949 "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943 "I have traveled the length and ...read more

Tags: Post Easter, Memorial Day, Leadership General, Reason, Purpose, Endurance, Emmaus Road, Answer, Workplace Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

David Wilkerson's Founder Of Teen Challenge ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 30, 2004

David Wilkerson's founder of Teen Challenge states from his book Sipping Saints: 1. Drinking is the world's most staggering problem. We face the horrible statistics of more than a million young Americans becoming alcoholics. Six million of their parents are already there. We have become a sodden ...read more

Tags: Addiction

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Broken Hearts Not Broken Glass!" Proverbs 19:1 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Apr 18, 2005

“Broken Hearts Not Broken Glass!” Proverbs 19:1 Key verse(s) 1:“Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.” It’s time to rise up and take a christian stand! Christians are being persecuted worldwide. There is no doubt of this even in the minds of the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 19:1

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Peace

Denomination: Lutheran

My Wife And I Recently Saw A Television Show On ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ferris on Aug 26, 2006

My wife and I recently saw a television show on The History Channel titled, “The Man Who Predicted 911.” We were both moved by this hour presentation and its focus on one man by the name of Rick Rescorla. Long before September 11th, Rick Rescorla, the 62-year-old head of security at the Morgan ...read more

Scripture: James 5:19-20, Mark 13:1-2

Tags: Lost, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Baptist