In Sermon Illustrations: "Dead Churches" showing 341-360 of 8,119

The Lion King: Jesus' Church

Contributed by Ken Pell on Mar 14, 2011

THE LION KING: JESUS' CHURCH Disney's movie "The Lion King" features a young lion named Simba who is destined to rule the jungle but finds himself "on the outs." As the story opens, his father takes him to "Pride Rock" (the equivalent of a throne) and shows him his inheritance ... he would rule as ...read more

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Nazarene

Missions Is Not The Ultimate Goal Of The Church. ...

Contributed by Tim Spear on Sep 6, 2011

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. Worship...is the fuel and goal of missions. ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Baptist

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

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

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

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: Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Prayer, Revival, Victory, Demons, Strongholds  (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: Pastors, Tithing, Robbing God, Stealing, Surprises, 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, Revival, Favoritism, Pastors, Membership, Partiality  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Was A Preacher At A Small Church. He Had ...

Contributed by Batsell Spivy on Jul 1, 2008

There was a preacher at a small church. He had been preaching there for some time and was discouraged by how disinterested the church was. Finally he had had enough of the unenthusiastic Sundays so he decided to write a sermon that would surely fire the members up. He began his sermon by saying, ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Questions That Churches Must Ask Themselves

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jun 7, 2022

Why is this church here or what really is our mission? Are we truly fulfilling our mission? How did we get here? Were we a split or the first of our faith? If a split, was it because of doctrine or something/someone else? If we are the first, have we fallen from our first love position or is ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1

Tags: Church, Purpose, Division

Denomination: Baptist

My 3 Yr Old Twin Boys Were Playing On A Playgound ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 24, 2007

My 3 yr old twin boys were playing on a playgound one day & made friends with an older boy who was around 10 yrs old. Of course I began to make small talk w/the young lad as well. Like any mountain boy he was full of energy & charisma. After talking to him a few minutes I ask him if he was saved. ...read more

Our Churches Today Need To Be A Spiritual House. ...  PRO

Contributed by Tony Abram on Oct 7, 2008

Our churches today need to be a spiritual house. Many times our churches have become a social house where as one old preacher said: We traded our upper room into the board room, the fire of the Holy Spirit for a warm heater, our prayer meetings for chicken dinners, ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines