In Sermon Illustrations: "Holy Spirit General"

Winning In Losing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

WINNING IN LOSING Both teams that play in the Super Bowl think they will win, so both teams have special t-shirts and hats designed that declare them the victors. It costs about $2 million to have the apparel made--which means for the losing team, $2 million goes to waste, right? Wrong. A recent ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Tags: Giving General

Poor Man's Philanthropist  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

POOR MAN'S PHILANTHROPIST In 2005, when Thomas Cannon died of colon cancer in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, he was 79. Thomas described himself a "poor man's philanthropist." When Thomas was three years old, his father died. Once Thomas' mother remarried, the family of six lived in a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:15

Tags: Giving General

Deficiencies

Contributed by Mark Adams on Aug 13, 2011

DEFICIENCIES I want to tell you about a weird thing that used to happen a lot to sailors during the 1600s. Vessels were getting more sea worthy, and adventures were taking people farther and farther from home. You might be on the same ship with the same people, with the same person cooking for ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Someone Once Said: "Give According To Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

Someone once said: "Give according to your income, lest God makes your income according to your giving." (Source: Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (163). Grand Rapids, MI: ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Tags: Giving General

The Ugly Tie Contest

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

THE UGLY TIE CONTEST George Hazlett's wife made him a necktie a few years ago that he rarely wore. In fact, George had forgotten about it until one day a local men's store in Salem, Ohio, announced an "ugly tie" contest. George secretly pulled the tie from its resting place and entered it. He ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7

Tags: Marriage General

A Desire To Know Him More

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Aug 20, 2011

A DESIRE TO KNOW HIM MORE Just imagine how wonderful it would be if our greatest desire was to know God more! Dennis Wise really loved Elvis Presley--so much so that not long after Presley died, Dennis had his face lifted by a plastic surgeon and his hair contoured so that he took on an ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Picking The Wrong Door

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 31, 2011

PICKING THE WRONG DOOR Stuart Briscoe, in his book Everyday Discipleship for Ordinary People, tells the story about a fellow pastor who was officiating at the funeral of a war veteran. The dead man’s military friends wanted to have a part in the service at the funeral home, so they requested that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-5

Tags: Leadership General

Drinking Coffee And Talking

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Sep 2, 2011

DRINKING COFFEE AND TALKING One evening a man and his wife called another couple to see what they were doing. "Oh," said the other wife, "we're just drinking coffee and talking." As she hung up the phone, she demanded, "Why don't we ever do that? They're just drinking coffee and talking." Her ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

Denomination: Baptist

The Signet Ring

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Sep 4, 2011

THE SIGNET RING "...I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the LORD Almighty" (Haggai 2:23). We don't often hear about signet rings anymore; but in Bible times, they were very significant. f In other words, you knew something was from the king because it was marked ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:31

Tags: Attitude General

Denomination: Baptist

To Be Needed

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

TO BE NEEDED Stu Weber, in his book Tender Warrior, includes an article written by a woman. She writes: One day the doorbell rang and there stood my beloved brother. It was a delightful surprise. His work as an executive of an international petroleum company keeps him out of the country most of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:17

Tags: Friendship General

You Need Someone, Someone Needs You

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Sep 16, 2011

YOU NEED SOMEONE, SOMEONE NEEDS YOU A rooster minus a hen equals no baby chicks. Kellogg’s minus a farmer equals no corn flakes. If the nail factory closes what good is the hammer factory? Beethoven’s genius wouldn't have amounted to much if the piano tuner hadn't showed up. A cracker maker will ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Brethren

What Is Faith?

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Sep 27, 2011

WHAT IS FAITH? Three schoolboys were asked to write their definition of faith. One wrote: "Faith is TAKING hold of God." The second wrote: "Faith is HOLDING onto God." The third ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Brethren

Researchers Find That Multi-Taskers Perform ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 27, 2011

RESEARCHERS FIND THAT MULTI-TASKERS PERFORM POORLY So you think you can multitask? Texting while driving? No problem. Watching television and reading the Bible? No problem. Checking your email while listening to a spouse, a child, or a friend? No problem. In reality, however, according to a team ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Positive Discipline

Contributed by Perry Greene on Sep 29, 2011

POSITIVE DISCIPLINE Zig Ziglar says he looked into a mirror one day and realized he needed to lose a lot of weight. He really wanted to get in shape. As an incentive, he put a picture of a thin man on the refrigerator door. There are all kinds of gimmicks offered as motivators to dieting. You can ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Orel Hershiser, Singer

Contributed by Jimmy Haile on Sep 29, 2011

OREL HERSHISER, SINGER A number of years ago Orel Hershiser was pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They had just won the World Series, and Orel had been named the most valuable player of the series. One of the TV shows about the series showed him in the dugout just before the ninth inning ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Baptist

God Knows

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 7, 2011

GOD KNOWS The receiving line at the memorial was very long as Jim and Steph had many family members that came from Texas and Georgia. Halfway through the line, I was introduced to Jim's sister, brother and nephew. They said "Are you the Brad Henry that wrote the devotional about my brother?" I ...read more

Tags: Miracles General

Trying

Contributed by Jimmy Haile on Oct 7, 2011

TRYING "What are you doing, son?" the storekeeper asked a little boy whose eyes were on a large basket of apples outside the storefront. "Are you trying to steal one of my ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Baptist

Prevailing Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Scott Spencer on Oct 7, 2011

PREVAILING PRAYER Daniel Nash and Charles Finney were great evangelists in the early 1800s. On one occasion, when meetings had begun in a particular city, a group of young men confronted Charles Finney, openly announcing that they were going to break up the meetings. Finney and Nash decided this ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Gluttony Pants

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

GLUTTONY PANTS Chef Chris Cosentino, Food Network star and executive chef at Incanto restaurant in San Francisco, has created the Gluttony Pants for those of us who occasionally indulge and engorge without the post-meal awkwardness. The pants have three buttons, allowing you to expand the pants' ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Methodist

Knowing The Sound Of His Voice  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

KNOWING THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE Brian Brown tells the story of being at the community pool with his family. Kids were screaming, playing, and splashing in the pool, music was playing, the lifeguard whistles were blowing and in the midst of the conversation, his wife shooshes him. He said, "What are ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, John 10:4

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Methodist