In Sermon Illustrations: "Gift"

Chrysostom On Prayer--Without The Spirit Our ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 4, 2009

Chrysostom on Prayer--Without the Spirit Our Prayer Bouquets are Like Weeds Chrysostom, a 4th century preacher, used this analogy for prayer. A young boy wanted to give a gift to his father who had been away a long time. His mother sent him to the garden to pick a bouquet of flowers. The boy ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-13

Tags: Prayer In The Spirit

Sandy Sheppard- One Of The Funniest Parties I ...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 25, 2010

Sandy Sheppard- One of the funniest parties I ever attended was to “roast” Walt, a good friend and mentor, who was celebrating his 50th birthday. Each guest told a humorous story about Walt and presented him with a gag gift. Then Carol got up to speak. “My mother told me if I can’t say something ...read more

Scripture: James 3:9-10

Tags: Tongue

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God Started It; You Finish It

Contributed by John Perry on Apr 2, 2010

GOD STARTED IT; YOU FINISH IT Leonardo da Vinci had started work on a large canvas in his studio. For a while he worked at it, choosing the subject, planning the perspective, sketching the outline, applying his own natural genius. Then suddenly he ceased, the painting still unfinished, and ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Pentecostal

I Remember A Man In One Of My Childhood Churches. ...

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Apr 7, 2010

I remember a man in one of my childhood churches. He had the most distinctive prayers. They were long, but it was also the timbre of his voice, the passion of his requests, his volume in a huge sanctuary. I could have been in Topeka and heard him pray and I would have recognized him. It had to be ...read more

Tags: Revelation, Confidence In Prayer

Denomination: Mennonite

A Champion Blood Donor

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Nov 10, 2010

A CHAMPION BLOOD DONOR Joe Kerkofsky is America's blood-donor champion. The American Association of Blood Banks will honor the 62-year-old retired security guard at a special presentation in Chicago. Mr. Kerkofsky lost an arm in an accident when he was six. He was thence rejected for military ...read more

Tags: Blood Of Christ

Denomination: *other

Recovery Is Connection

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 3, 2011

RECOVERY IS CONNECTION Henry Cloud in How People Grow writes, "Virtually every emotional and psychological problem, from addictions to depression, has alienation or emotional isolation at its core or close to it. Recovery from these problems involves helping people get more connected to each other ...read more

Tags: Church Small Groups

Denomination: Baptist

Hope Is

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Apr 25, 2011

HOPE IS Hope is faith in the immutable promise that miracles prevail when the darkness tries to win-out with cries of despair. Hope is a gift from God that helps us yearn, and live a life that believes and moves with the pledge of a better tomorrow. And what’s more, hope springs-forth ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Lutheran

The World: A Temporary Container

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Jan 3, 2012

THE WORLD: A TEMPORARY CONTAINER The first garbage day after Christmas must be the biggest garbage day of the year. You can tell what most people got for Christmas by just looking at the garbage pile in front of the house. We usually throw out all the boxes--unless you have children who like to ...read more

Tags: Church Discipline

More To Follow

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2012

MORE TO FOLLOW Preacher Charles Spurgeon tells of a man to whom was entrusted a large sum of money for the benefit of a poor minister. He thought it would be best to distribute the gift, instead of sending it all at once. So he mailed the poor minister five pounds and, inside the envelope, he ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:19

Tags: Men's Day

Mastering Fatherhood

Contributed by Eduardo Quintana on Jun 12, 2017

In 2001, I was serving as the youth pastor of Destiny Church and sitting at my office desk when I received a phone call from my mother. She called with sad news! My grandmother’s health had declined significantly and she was near death. She’d been suffering with Alzheimer’s for over seven years up ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:2

Tags: Parenting, Legacy, Fatherhood

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Perfect Example Of This Was The Oprah ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Nov 21, 2004

The perfect example of this was the Oprah Winfrey show that aired this September. Oprah, whose show now airs in 109 countries around the world, celebrated her 19th season by giving away new cars to every person in her audience that day. The 276 audience members were selected because friends or ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Methodist

When I Was In The Media, I Spent A Week In ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

When I was in the media, I spent a week in Culion, Palawan. In fact, it was a holy week. Yes, that’s part of Palawan. But I don’t think you would like to go there. Culion was a leper colony. That’s where we quarantine or exile people afflicted with leprosy or Hansen’s disease in the past. When I ...read more

Tags: Faith, Bread, Servant, Second Coming, Slave, God's Provision  (view more)  (view less)

Jill Briscoe On Submission

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

JILL BRISCOE ON SUBMISSION Jill Briscoe talks about the difference between her family and her husband, Stuart's, family and what that brought to their own marriage. She says, "My father, a quiet, gentle man, considered himself head of his home: protector, defender, and provider. My mom was a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-2

Tags: Wife

The Parents Of A Young Soldier Killed In Action ...  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Feb 26, 2002

"The parents of a young soldier killed in action gave their church a gift of money as a memorial for their son. During the presentation service, the mother of another soldier overseas whispered to her husband, "Let’s give the same amount for our son." "What’s the matter with you?" he asked. "Our ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: United Methodist

Samuel Morse, Inventor Of The Telegraph And The ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Mar 26, 2003

Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph and the Morse Code, was a dedicated Christian and a renowned university professor. History testifies that he always prayed for the Lord to give him more light and understanding as he conducted his experiments in the laboratory. He said, “When flattering ...read more

Tags: Giving Yourself

Denomination: Pentecostal

Imagine For A Moment That You Live In An Old, ...

Contributed by Steven Simala Grant on Apr 10, 2003

Imagine for a moment that you live in an old, run down, dilapidated shack. One like one you see on World Vision pictures from 3rd world countries – rusty metal kind of thrown over top of a couple walls full of holes. No running water. No toilet. Dirt on the floor when it is dry, mud when it is ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian

Denomination: Baptist

Unwrapping The Christmas Present  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 16, 2003

UNWRAPPING THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT “To get ready for Christmas, God undressed. God stripped off his finery and appeared – how embarrassing – naked on the day he was born. . . God could not be God-with-us if he wasn’t flesh... As evangelicals we have focused on the saving death of Christ but ...read more

Tags: Humanity Of Christ, Trinity

When I Was A Boy, I Saw A Stereo At Foley's ...  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Simms on May 23, 2004

When I was a boy, I saw a stereo at Foley’s department store that I wanted. My father agreed to pay for the stereo on the condition that I pay him back with the money I received from mowing lawns that summer. It was my first real loan in some ways. I received the benefits of the stereo ...read more

Scripture: John 1:43-51

Tags: Apologetics General

Denomination: Baptist

Perseverance--Perseverance Means That Through The ...  PRO

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on Oct 9, 2004

Perseverance--Perseverance means that through the Holy Spirit we are able to continue in the Christian way even while facing trials on every side. Perseverance is a gift of God’s grace whereby we continue to patiently depend upon Jesus. Sometimes in Church we hear a lot of talk about ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Methodist

We All Know The Story Of The Little Drummer ...

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Nov 14, 2006

We all know the story of the Little Drummer Boy. I love the line in that carol that goes “…I played my best for him, Berump, pah, pah, pum Berump, pah, pah, pumBerump, pah, pah, pum Me and my drum.” I remember that as a child, I used to envision the little drummer boy, face pinched in ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed