In Sermon Illustrations: "Church Purpose Of"

Two Wives Were Doing Their Washing In A Laundry ...

Contributed by Dennis Selfridge on Sep 5, 2008

Two wives were doing their washing in a laundry mat. They were both sitting mend their husband’s pants. As they were sowing, the one lady said, "My husband is so discouraged, he is so cold. We can’t find anything good on TV. Nothing seems to go right for him. Every one at work picks on him and we ...read more

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Wesleyan

Excuses, Excuses...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Feb 6, 2009

EXCUSES, EXCUSES... This is the time of year when we attempt to fulfill our New Year's excuses...oops, I mean resolutions. And speaking of resolutions...oops, I mean excuses, I found several good ones this week as I prepared for this morning. I make no excuse for any of them. This is one from a ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Church Of God

Questions For God

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

QUESTIONS FOR GOD I came across some post-it notes that contain brief notes that kids wrote to God. Here are a few funny ones… Dear God, I went to this wedding and they kissed in church. Is that OK? Dear God, I think about you sometimes even when I’m not praying. God, thank you for the baby ...read more

Tags: Children

Prayer For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

Prayer for Compassion Then we can pray a prayer like David Mains prayed years ago. He was once pastor of the Circle Urban Church, an inner city church in Chicago, and one day, in the course of his ministry among such great need, he prayed, “Lord, let me see the world as you see it, and break my ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:36-38

Tags: Compassion

There Was A Logging Community Who Felt The Need ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Mar 15, 2010

There was a logging community who felt the need of divine worship, so they built a church and called a young preacher. He was alarmed to discover dishonesty among the loggers. People there and those upstream would float their logs in the river down to the mill. Each logger would take a metal die ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Next Billy Graham

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Feb 7, 2012

THE NEXT BILLY GRAHAM Baptist author and leader Russell Moore said recently: "The next Jonathan Edwards might be the man driving in front of you with the Darwin Fish bumper decal. The next Charles Wesley might be a ... profanity-spewing hip-hop artist right now. The next Billy Graham might be ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Lutheran

Don't Just Entertain

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 14, 2014

Timothy Paul Jones- With high hopes we had moved to a new youth ministry position. On my first Wednesday evening at this church, I received my first hint that this task might be more difficult than I’d imagined. After a couple of games, I gathered the students for some worship songs. Worship ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence, Delight In God's Word, Neglect Of The Word

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Prepared

Contributed by Gaither Bailey on Nov 5, 2020

Almost every Sunday morning I begin my sermon with a cute or funny story. This morning I start with a sad story. Bob and Betty were 2 of my dearest friends in Indiana. A strong, loving example of what a married couple should be. However, this couple was always at least 15 minutes late for ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Tags: Faithfulness, Preparedness, Prepared

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Easter Service Mishap

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 12, 2021

One year, a bunch of friends and I decided to go to a sunrise service at a super fancy church. This church looks like a European cathedral and we were all dressed up for 5 a.m. singing around a huge fire outside and then going inside for service. Everyone had candles and the whole service is by ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:38-40

Tags: Easter, Resurrection, Funny, Sunrise Service

Denomination: Independent/Bible

World Evangelism Statistics

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 5, 2022

If you say that Jesus is waiting on the Church to get the Gospel out before His return, let me give you a few statistics on the challenge the Church faces. We have almost 8 billion people on our planet right now. There are almost 2.4 Christians in the world today. If 500,000 people were ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Salvation, Gospel, Missions, Witnessing, Lost, Great Commission, Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Helping Others

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 12, 2024

John Chrysostom once preached a message which said, “It is foolishness and a public madness, to fill cupboards with clothing and allow men who are created in God’s image and our likeness to stand naked and trembling with the cold so that they can hardly hold themselves upright… You are large and ...read more

Scripture: John 3:17-18

Tags: Giving, Need, Helping

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Balaam's Error,

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Oct 25, 2024

And this from the Revelation to John at Patmos: Jesus words to the angel of the church at Pergamum give us the view of God as to what happened in Numbers chapters 22-25, and why God was angry with Balaam. Balaam was a deceiver. “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 22:1-41, Revelation 2:14, Numbers 25:1-3

Tags: Deception, Teaching, Israelites, Pergamum, Stumbling Block, Sexual Immorality, Idols  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army

Burnout In The Ministry Is A Serious Problem.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 12, 2024

Burnout is a serious problem among pastors around the world. Some statistics include: On average, seminary trained pastors last only five years in church ministry. • 100% of 1,050 Reformed and Evangelical pastors had a colleague who had left the ministry because of burnout, church conflict, or ...read more

Tags: Elijah, Ministry, Burnout, Pastors, Simon Peter, Discouraged, Quitting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Conflict Between The Preacher And The Organist

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

Conflicts are not uncommon in church, but when the preacher and song leader get into it, stand aside. One week, the preacher preached on commitment, and how we should move forward into doing service for others. After this sermon, the song leader led the congregation in singing, "I Shall Not ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 33:11

Tags: Organist, Pastor, Conflict, Preacher

Denomination: Anglican

Feldkirch Bells

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 25, 2025

The citizens of Feldkirch, Austria, didn’t know what to do. Napoleon’s massive army was preparing to attack. Soldiers had been spotted on the heights above the little town, which was situated on the Austrian border. A council of citizens was hastily summoned to decide whether they should try to ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 28:33-34

Tags: Bells, Feldkirch

Denomination: Anglican

Forgotten Lifeboat

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 3, 2025

When the church stops rescuing the lost, it loses its reason to exist. God calls us from comfort back to mission. Years ago, a small village sat along a rocky coastline where shipwrecks often happened. Volunteers built a tiny rescue hut and kept watch, rowing out whenever a distress call came. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:4, Matthew 28:19

Tags: Complacency, Mission

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Ct Studd: Wealthy, Nationally Famous Athlete Put ...  PRO

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Jan 31, 2001

CT STUDD: wealthy, nationally famous athlete put it all aside to disappear into the mission field: China, India, and then Africa. Lost from sight for 13 yrs without contact. WHY? ’Some people love to dwell near church with choir and ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Great Commission, What Is Evangelism?

Praying For The Sick – Well, We’ve ...  PRO

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Aug 16, 2001

Praying for the sick – well, we’ve got that one down. I recently saw a cartoon where an elderly woman is standing at the church door talking to the pastor. Her remark, as she hands a thick manila folder to him, “My doctor copied my chart, ...read more

Tags: Prayer General, Prayer How To, Gifts Healing

Denomination: United Methodist

A Boy Came Home From Sunday School And His Mother ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Nov 25, 2001

A boy came home from Sunday school and His Mother said, "What did you discuss at Church?" The boy said, "Marriage"! His Mother said inquisitively, "What did you learn about marriage?" The little boy thought for a moment and ...read more

Tags: Commitment, Communication, Conflict, Marriage General, Marriage Struggle, Romantic Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

While Living In Graham Texas Chicken Pocks Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 1, 2001

While living in Graham Texas Chicken pocks was making its way around the children of our community and church. We were explainging to our children the medical procedure how one gets chicken pocks, and that it start in your intestines. Nolan our ...read more

Tags: Children