In Sermon Illustrations: "Church Persecution"

Discipline, Brokenness, And Strength

Contributed by Pastor Gbenga Shadare on May 4, 2010

DISCIPLINE, BROKENNESS, AND STRENGTH Discipline is a virtue that is in short supply nowadays. We see men and women demonstrating a dangerous lack of self restraint and discipline. People do things just because they feel like it, ignoring the consequences. What there is no restraint, no discipline ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Definition Of A Saint  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 15, 2010

THE DEFINITION OF A SAINT A young boy went with his parents touring around Europe one summer. Part of their tour included visits to the great old cathedrals of the past. As he visited cathedral after cathedral, he was impressed the massive stained glass portraits of the disciples and of other ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Forgiveness Limits...?

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Jul 31, 2010

FORGIVENESS LIMITS...? I feel more comfortable when I can see the extent of my obligations. That brings light to the lesson of Peter in Matthew 18. Peter was concerned about how many times he should forgive his neighbor. Peter knew what the rabbis had to say on the topic. They had read the hook ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Overcoming Evil With Good  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2010

OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD Watchman Nee, the Chinese evangelist, tells this true story. A poor, Christian Chinese farmer had rice fields high in the mountain. Every day he spent hours pumping water into the rice paddies; but when he returned to the fields the next morning, he would find that his ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-5

Tags: Christian Witness

Leave The Bones  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

LEAVE THE BONES A clergyman took a seat in a dining car on a train traveling along the Hudson River. Opposite him was an atheist who, seeing his clerical collar, started a discussion. "I see you are a clergyman." "Yes," came the reply. "I am a minister of the gospel." "I suppose you believe the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Bible Study

Avoiding The Rocks

Contributed by Tim Smith on Mar 17, 2011

AVOIDING THE ROCKS Alan was my prayer partner at a previous church and he tells the story of going white water rafting on a Christian retreat. He said he always got stuck being the captain of the boat and sure enough for the 4th year in a row, he was named captain. So his job was to direct the men ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Methodist

What A 95-Year-Old Woman Worries About  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

WHAT A 95-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WORRIES ABOUT A ninety-five year old woman at the nursing home received a visit from one of her fellow church members. "How are you feeling?" the visitor asked. "Oh," said the lady, "I'm just worried sick!" "What are you worried about, dear?" her friend asked. "You look ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-8, Philippians 4:5-7

Tags: Worry

We Need More Wilberforces

Contributed by Merv Budd on May 2, 2011

WE NEED MORE WILBERFORCES In the middle of the eighteenth century, Christians became increasingly concerned about the slave trade. They amassed information on the inhumane treatment of the slaves and believed that eventually they could generate sufficient public support to overcome the slave trade ...read more

Tags: Heroism

Denomination: Baptist

Why Should I Let You Into Heaven?

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 5, 2011

WHY SHOULD I LET YOU INTO HEAVEN? If you were to die today and God were to ask you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' what would you say?" Over the years I would have to say that 85% of the answers I get are "I have tried to be a good person, I have tried to be a good parent, I have tried to ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

You Are Not In Charge  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Sep 7, 2011

YOU ARE NOT IN CHARGE Tom Boyd tells about a woman who was a member of a church he pastored in Tennessee. She was flamboyant and eccentric but Boyd was impressed with her "intense commitment to the faith. She did not have a pietistic bone in her body, but her devotion was nonetheless clear and ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Baptist

Longing

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 15, 2012

LONGING In his book The Spiritual Life of Children, the famous Harvard psychiatrist Robert Coles tells the story of Alice, a ten-year-old girl who came from a family that did not believe in God. She expressed her doubts to him with these words: "I remember... I saw the people next door coming ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Methodist

A Woman, Her Attacker, And The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2012

A WOMAN, HER ATTACKER, AND THE BIBLE Earlier this year, a North Carolina woman read the Bible to her attacker for an hour and a half after he slashed her throat before the man apologized and left. Lindsay Wood, 32, of Shelby, N.C., had just arrived home from Bible study on Wednesday. Wood asked her ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:31-39

Tags: Bible Influence

True Christianity

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Aug 27, 2012

This past Wednesday, many across our country and others, went to their local churches to have ashes placed on their foreheads, as a sign of repentance. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period that many “give-up” something in preparation for the coming of Easter. In the ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Is There Hope For The Next Generation Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 7, 2013

IS THERE HOPE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF EVANGELICALS? Russell Moore recounts a conversation with the evangelical theologian Carl Henry. As Moore and some of his friends were lamenting the miserable shape of the church, they asked Dr. Henry if he saw any hope in the coming generation of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:1-15, Acts 2:47, Romans 8:31-36, Proverbs 20:21, Luke 8:22-25, Matthew 16:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: God Brings Hope

Is Evangelism Too Hard?

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

Jenn Hopkins writes of attending a funeral several years ago. "There he lay, dead. He was gone and unsaved. Lived a life and then, in the flash of an eye, he was in Hell. Someone I loved and respected was gone and so was my opportunity to share the Gospel with him. His funeral was in a church, one ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-13

Tags: Evangelism, Hell

Denomination: Methodist

Gun Laws

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Mar 18, 2018

Gun Laws Laws - "are sent by Him to punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right." 2 Peter 2:14 - Keeping this truth in the context of guns. Nothing wrong with making sure there are laws which make it hard for wicked or mentally ill people from getting guns. Those (mentally ill or ...read more

Tags: Laws, Gun Laws, Guns

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When The First Ice Cream Cone Was Born

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 12, 2019

A lot gets accomplished when people work together. In the summer of 1904, at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, it was hot and people were searching for something to help cool them off. A vendor named Arnold had just what they were looking for……something called ice cream. People lined up for what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-7

Tags: Unity, Working Together

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Unity Of The Bible

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

Notice the UNITY of the Bible. it is miraculous! * The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years. • The Bible was written by over 40 different authors (Among them were kings, military leaders, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, tax collectors, poets, statesmen, musicians, ...read more

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

Tags: Bible, Scripture, Christ, Plan Of Salvation, Unity Of The Bible  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Your Freedom

Contributed by Shawn Drake on Mar 20, 2021

As we conclude Galatians today, I want to further discuss your freedom in Christ. This entire letter is about not giving up your freedom in Christ for rituals. When I worked for McDonald’s in Canyon, TX; I was an Assistant Manager. It was around this time of year, which meant we sold many ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-18

Tags: Freedom, Freedom In Action

Denomination: Baptist

Love Your Neighbour

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Oct 12, 2021

Canadian Folk singer (and believer) Bruce Cockburn wrote this song for his church in San Franciso. The story is told in Christianity Today, October 12, 2021. ORDERS; (Bruce Cockburn) The just the merciful the cruel The stumbling well-intentioned fool The deft the oaf the witless pawn The golden ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Parables, Neighbor, Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational