In Sermon Illustrations: "Long Suffering"

George Barna Has Shown His Skill In Taking The ...

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Jul 7, 2009

George Barna has shown his skill in taking the pulse of the church in the US for years. April 2 of this year he published a new book titled The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter. The tribes Barna identify are the seven tribes include Casual Christians, Captive ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Potato Piles

Contributed by Sylvester Fergusson on Aug 21, 2009

POTATO PILES A young man came to a farm looking for work. So the farmer set him to the task immediately. He had a barn that needed painting. So the task was handed to the young man. The farmer said to himself that it would take at least three days to finish the task but in two days the young man ...read more

Tags: Action

Denomination: Adventist

Compassion For The Elderly, Post Office ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Compassion for the Elderly, Post Office Style [FINDING MAMIE IN YOUR CHURCH] Mamie was an elderly woman, plagued with arthritis and a number of other ailments. So people were surprised to see her going regularly to the post office to buy stamps. One Christmas the lines were particularly long, but ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Shopkeeper Seeks Revenge On Bitter ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Shopkeeper Seeks Revenge on Bitter Rival What you believe about Jesus determines what you do with him. Two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other’s business. If one got a customer, he ...read more

Scripture: John 11:45-53

Tags: Bitterness

Converted Motorcycle Gang Member Volunteers To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2009

Converted Motorcycle Gang Member Volunteers to Work in Church Nursery Volunteering - Elmer Towns tells about a member of a motorcycle gang who was converted to Jesus Christ dramatically and the first Sunday he did the only thing he knew he should do and so he went to church. Nobody in the church ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:4

Tags: Servanthood

Medical Terminology Play On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

Medical Terminology Play on Words Sandy has seen a lot of doctors this last year, and as I’ve tagged along, I have learned a lot of medical terminology. I’m sure many of you, as you’ve had medical issues, have learned some interesting terminology, as well. It’s a strange language, isn’t it, because ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:2

Tags: Words

A Truly Humble Man Is Hard To Find, Yet God ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Dec 21, 2009

A truly humble man is hard to find, yet God delights to honor such selfless people. Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator, was an outstanding example of this truth. Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Pentecostal

March Of The Penguins: Fellowship

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Dec 24, 2009

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS: FELLOWSHIP The documentary The March of the Penguins follows the emperor penguins of Antarctica on their incredible journey through ice and snow to mating grounds up to 70 miles inland. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this beautiful film captures the drama of these ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Roots: Freedom From Your Slavery

Contributed by Gregg Bitter on Jan 25, 2010

Roots: Freedom From Your Slavery Kunta Kinte lived free among the Mandinka people of West Africa, becoming a Mandinka warrior at fifteen. But then as he gathered wood for a drum outside his village, slavers captured him. Stacked away on a slave ship piled up with a hundred seventy other slaves, he ...read more

Tags: Guilt

Denomination: Lutheran

Build Me A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Build Me A Bridge A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer. Suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, "Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish." The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7

Tags: Marriage General

Tougher Pastures

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Mar 2, 2010

TOUGHER PASTURES For our own good God will not let us stay too comfortable! As unlikely as it sounds, the birth of a giraffe teaches us a similar lesson. When a baby giraffe is born it drops 10 feet to the ground and lands on its back. Within seconds, it rolls to an upright position with its ...read more

Tags: Affliction

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Hannibal The Great Was A Carthaginian Military ...

Contributed by Jeremy Lane on May 15, 2010

Hannibal the great was a Carthaginian military commander around the year 200 B.C. He is thought of as one of the great military leaders of all time, alongside Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and others. There is a story that says as a boy Hannibal begged his father to take him to a war overseas. ...read more

Tags: Happiness, Fighting

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Good Hope, Alabama Is A Small Town With Small ...

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jun 15, 2010

Good Hope, Alabama is a small town with small town values. In Cullman County you can’t legally buy beer. Daystar Church, which had grown dramatically under pastor Jerry Lawson, ran up against the sensibilities of this conservative north Alabama community by focusing a month-long series on sex. ...read more

Tags: Sexuality

Denomination: Baptist

In A Turning Point Daily Devotional, David ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jun 22, 2010

In a Turning Point Daily Devotional, David Jeremiah related this story: During the mid-twentieth century, one of the most recognizable brand icons in America was a dog sitting in front of an old-time gramophone, head cocked, listening to the sound. That iconic image, owned by the RCA Victor record ...read more

Tags: Revelation

Denomination: Pentecostal

Let The Master Play

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Aug 22, 2010

LET THE MASTER PLAY An organist was practicing one day in a great church in Europe. As he was playing, a man came up to the organ and asked if he could play. The organist looked at him and thought to himself. "I shouldn’t let this man play, just look at him, he is unshaven, his clothes are ...read more

Tags: Arrogance

Denomination: Anglican

Sin And Bullet Wounds

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 29, 2010

SIN AND BULLET WOUNDS James Garfield was a lay preacher and principal of his denominational college. They say he was ambidextrous and could simultaneously write Greek, with one hand and Latin with the other. In l880, he was elected president of the United States, but after only six months in ...read more

Tags: Sin Wages Of

Denomination: Brethren

Golf Revenge  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2011

GOLF REVENGE The story is told of two long-time golfing buddies who decided one day that they would play the ball where it lies, no matter what. On the 14th hole, one of them sliced his drive and it ended up on the cart path. As he reached down to pick up his ball to get relief, his friend said, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

Tags: Anger

Faith Like A Potato: Don't Give Up Hope

Contributed by Selwyn Robins on Apr 19, 2011

FAITH LIKE A POTATO: DON'T GIVE UP HOPE There is a movie called 'Faith Like a Potato'. It takes place in South Africa. Long story short a farmer w/an anger management issue is converted to a believer (follower) of the word. Needing to bring in money for his family, he decides to plant a crop of ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Charismatic

De-Sanctified Churches

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 19, 2011

DE-SANCTIFIED CHURCHES Not too long ago, a real estate listing in Dallas had the simple headline: "Converted Church." In other words, what had once been a church facility is now somebody's house. The listing under the heading had this description: "The altar has been adapted for use as a granite ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

Tags: Church Purpose Of

I Knew He Would Come.

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2011

"I KNEW HE WOULD COME." Bruce Howell tells the story of a father and his son and daughter who were 8 and 10. They went swimming in the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey a few years back. They were all great swimmers. They were a long way from shore and they became separated when the dad realized that ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-3

Tags: Father's Day