In Sermon Illustrations: "Mark Chapter 4 Verses 35 Through 31"

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

Fervent Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Aug 29, 2011

FERVENT PRAYER George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, future US Presidents, were among the delegates meeting at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, on March 23, 1775, considering a resolution sending Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War. The Virginia House of Burgesses was unconvinced. ...read more

Scripture: James 5:17-18

Tags: Prayer, Fervent, Effectual, Earnest, Prayer How To  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Titanic: Code Of Honor

Contributed by Mark Adams on Sep 10, 2011

TITANIC: CODE OF HONOR I bet a lot of you remember the movie Titanic. That song came out, and for a few days we loved Celine Dion, until we'd heard it so many times we started wishing we could put her on that boat to sink with the rest of them. Titanic was a movie that was loosely based on the ...read more

Tags: Self

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Joseph Smith: If Someone Had Shared Grace...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Sep 19, 2011

JOSEPH SMITH: IF SOMEONE HAD SHARED GRACE... Jesus was gracious to the woman taken in adultery. Sometimes, that is what reaches people. Sometimes, Christians are like the scribes and Pharisees, choosing to be judgmental instead of gracious. In the 1820's, a young woman named Emma gave birth to ...read more

Scripture: John 8:3-11

Tags: Evangelism, Grace, Witnessing, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Baptist

A 30 Part Study Of Prayer Keys During Our ...

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 4, 2011

A 30 part study of prayer keys during our Wednesday night prayer meetings? You may think it will become boringly repetitive. No, No, NOOOO! During this study, we will hear how Mary, Queen of Scots, feared the prayers of John Knox more than the combined armies of Europe. We will hear Jonathan ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:5, Luke 11:1

Tags: Prayer, Prayer How To

Denomination: Baptist

What Is Not God's Will

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 7, 2011

WHAT IS NOT GOD'S WILL Sometimes we want things we know is not God's will. Jay Kesler wrote of a time when he caused an auto accident. He prayed that it did not happen, but it did. I know how the young Jay Kesler felt. I've done things that I wanted to undo and said things that I wanted to ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Baptist

God Bless America: Be Specific

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 13, 2011

GOD BLESS AMERICA: BE SPECIFIC The blind man's first request is for Jesus to have mercy on him. Jesus asks him specifically, "What do you want me to do for you?" He answers specifically, "Lord, I want to see." "God bless America," is a very general prayer. It may be as specific a prayer as ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Baptist

Tumbleweeds And Mesquite Trees  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 17, 2011

TUMBLEWEEDS AND MESQUITE TREES Have you seen those old movies about the wild West? Near the end, the good guy and the bad guy stand facing each other at opposite ends of the only street in town. The local folks, knowing what will happen, clear the street. They slam doors and shutter windows. The ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-4

Tags: Bible Study, Delight

Denomination: Baptist

First Things First  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Nov 3, 2011

FIRST THINGS FIRST When Coach Bobby Bowden played baseball in college, he never hit a home run. His senior year at Howard College, he was the only player not to hit a home run. One day, he hit a line drive against Auburn. As he approached third, the coach was waving him on. As he made his turn, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:37-39, Matthew 6:6

Tags: Prayer, Prayer Closet, Secret Prayer, Private Prayer, Prayer General  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Two Kinds Of People

Contributed by Mark Schaeufele on Nov 10, 2011

TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE One of my all-time favorite movies is "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." In the movie the father in the story tells his daughter, "Tula, there are two kinds of people ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Methodist

Luther's Confessions

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Dec 8, 2011

LUTHER'S CONFESSIONS Before writing, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," before becoming a leader of the Reformation, before his 95 Theses, Martin Luther was a Catholic priest. One thing that did not change for him was a passionate conviction that Christians must repent and confess their sins. As a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9, Psalm 66:18

Tags: Confession, Repentance, Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist

Is He Real Or Pretend?

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Dec 15, 2011

IS HE REAL OR PRETEND? I think George Reeves was the first actor to be Superman on TV. Back in the 50's, TV actors were not quite as "elite" as some seem to be now. They would throw out the first pitch at a Los Angeles little league game. They would fire the starting pistol for a soap box derby ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7, Isaiah 29:13

Tags: Hypocrisy, Sincerity

Denomination: Baptist

The Importance Of Focus

Contributed by Mark Tonkery on Feb 3, 2012

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUS When the Alaskan Pipeline was being built, there were many Texans who went to Alaska and found work on the pipeline. The Texans could only work a few hours in the frigid weather, yet the Eskimos, the native Alaskans, could work indefinitely in the cold. They decided to ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:4-8

Tags: Affliction

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Breakdown In Communication

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Feb 11, 2012

A BREAKDOWN IN COMMUNICATION My favorite Burns and Allen routine was the time when George was lecturing Gracie about carelessness. Gracie remembered one of her relatives who accidently parked in a red zone. George said, "That was very careless." Gracie responded, "Yes, it really was." "He ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:15, 1 Corinthians 14:1-40

Tags: Communication, Tongue, Communication General

Denomination: Baptist

For Blessings Already Received

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Feb 23, 2012

FOR BLESSINGS ALREADY RECEIVED "Returning thanks for blessings already received increases our faith and enables us to approach God with new boldness and new assurance. Doubtless the reason so many have so little faith when they pray is because they take so little time to meditate upon and thank ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6

Tags: Thanksgiving, Gratitude

Denomination: Baptist

A Sacrifice Of Praise Hurts!

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Mar 1, 2012

A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE HURTS! Several years ago, there was a song on Christian radio that said, "We bring a sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord." It had a happy, upbeat tune. Listening to it, I had the feeling that the singers were intrigued by the words but had not personally ...read more

Tags: Prayer Adoration

Denomination: Baptist

I Wish I Had Known Then What I Know Now

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Mar 15, 2012

I WISH I HAD KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW Mickey Mantle’s father was right handed and his grandfather was left handed. Between them, they taught him to switch hit. He is widely regarded to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players ever. He was inducted into the ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Baptist

The Cross Of Victory

Contributed by Mark Schaeufele on Mar 30, 2012

THE CROSS OF VICTORY John Stott is his book The Cross of Christ, wrote, "It is impossible to read the New Testament with being impressed by the atmosphere of joyful confidence which pervades it, and which stands out in relief against the rather jejune (superficial) religion that often passes for ...read more

Tags: Cross

Denomination: Methodist

Faithful Unto Death

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on May 29, 2012

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the city was buried for 1700 years. When it was rediscovered, artifacts left a detailed picture of what was happening in the city at the time. For example, archeologists could identify the time by the clothes people were wearing, the produce ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Baptist

We Should Be Striving On A Daily Basis To Worship ...

Contributed by Mark Thometz on Aug 27, 2012

We should be striving on a daily basis to worship God in new, loving and exciting ways. It's very easy to become comfortable in our worship. We have that thing on Sunday and sometimes Wednesday and we may even dust off our Bible every now and then to read it. What about feeding the hungry as ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Christian Church