In Sermon Illustrations: "Material Possessions"

In The Kingdom Of The World The Standard Of ...

Contributed by Danny Presswood on Jan 4, 2009

In the kingdom of the world the standard of greatness has always been power. The test is: How many people does a man control? How great a body of employees can he be Boss of? On how many people can he impose his will? How many millions does the CEO make? How big are his stock options? How many ...read more

Tags: Power

Denomination: Baptist

Who Owns The Church?

Contributed by Andy Grossman on Jan 6, 2009

WHO OWNS THE CHURCH? My grandson Nate and I went to the Church New Year's day to clean up after our wonderful New Year's Eve party. On the way there he asked, "Granpa, do you own the church?" I said, "No. I just manage it." He says, "Well, who owns it?" I tried to tell him that the ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Holiness

Solong's Faith

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Feb 4, 2009

SOLONG'S FAITH I gave blood on Friday. A lovely woman named Solong sampled my blood to insure that I had enough iron. We struck up a conversation, and it turns out she is a Christian. She told me that in 2006 she felt God calling her to go back to school. She didn't have enough money to go, but ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

What Other Gods?

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Mar 2, 2009

WHAT OTHER GODS? What other gods could we have besides the Lord? Plenty. For Israel there were the Canaanite Baals, those jolly nature gods whose worship was a rampage of gluttony, drunkenness, and ritual prostitution. For us there are still the great gods Sex, Shekels, and Stomach (an unholy ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: Other

The World Needs Followers Of Jesus

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2024

THE WORLD NEEDS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS... who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their vocations; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their individuality in a crowd; who will be as honest ...read more

Scripture: James 1:13-21

Tags: Disciples, Witnesses, Followers Of Jesus, Sacrifice, Commitment, Christians  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Perhaps You Have Read Various Versions Of "The ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ferris on Jan 26, 2006

Perhaps you have read various versions of “The Penny” on the Internet. Here is a slightly different version: A rich man was observed by friends to repeatedly pick up any penny he found on the street. This behavior was quite intriguing to his friends for the condition of the penny wasn’t an ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:9

Tags: What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Baptist

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

John Curzon And The Watch  PRO

Contributed by Greg Yount on Oct 28, 2001

John Curzon, a Polish mechanic, who was presented with a gold medal for his inventions, performed a most extraordinary thing when he succeeded in manufacturing a complete watch in the space of 8 hours from materials on which most watchmakers would have looked with contempt. It appears that the ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Baptist

Building Eternally, Not Eternity  PRO

Contributed by Pat Cook on Jun 15, 2003

BUILDING ETERNALLY, NOT ETERNITY Sarah Winchester’s husband had acquired a fortune by manufacturing and selling rifles. After he died of influenza in 1918, she moved to San Jose, California. Sarah was convinced that the dead souls of the many Indians who lost their lives because of Winchester ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

Building A House Is Always A Serious ...

Contributed by Douglas Vincent on May 28, 2004

Building a house is always a serious undertaking. I was about 5 years old when my uncle began showing me how to build a card house. He taught me three different ways in which I could stack the cards. Each time he would start and I would want to jump right in after him and start building the house ...read more

Tags: Faith Vs. Works

Denomination: Methodist

One Would Think That Selling One's Soul, As ...

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Jun 3, 2009

One would think that selling one’s soul, as Faust offered his to the devil in Goethe’s Dr. Faustus, is only a figment of literary fiction. Medieval as it seems, however, several cases of soul-selling have occurred. Wired magazine reported that a 29-year-old university instructor succeeded in ...read more

Tags: Soul

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Years Ago A Young Black Child Was Growing Up In ...

Contributed by Rev. Richard Norman on Oct 6, 2009

Years ago a young black child was growing up in Cleveland, in a home which he later described as “ materially poor but spiritually rich.” One day a famous athlete, Charlie Paddock, came to his school to speak to the students. At the time Paddock was considered “ the fastest human being ...read more

Tags: Sports

Denomination: Nazarene

This Story Broke This Week From The United ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 14, 2009

This story broke this week from the United Kingdom: " LONDON (Reuters) – Gone are the days of shepherds in tea towels and tinsel-clad angels. Britain’s competitive parents are forking out on luxury pashmina shawls and velour dressing gowns to make their child the star of the annual nativity ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Independent/Bible

It Has Been Interesting To Have A Female Cat In ...

Contributed by Jim Kane on Apr 7, 2008

It has been interesting to have a female cat in the house because there have been moments, when either real or playing, one of the boys has cried and Hanna (yes that is her name, Hanna) has come running to check them out. She gets in their face and sniffs and by her actions you can tell she is ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

A Man Once Hired His New Son-In-Law To Build Him ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Mitchell on Apr 16, 2008

A man once hired his new son-in-law to build him a house. The man told his son-in-law that the house was going to be a surprise for his wife for their 30th anniversary, and he did not want him to spare any expense in building it. The son-in-law was already a cheap man who made his living ripping ...read more

Tags: Workplace Integrity

Denomination: Baptist

Eckerd: On The Hook With God

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Jan 23, 2012

ECKERD: ON THE HOOK WITH GOD JACK ECKERD founded the chain of drug stores that bear his name. Eckerd gave his employees Eckerd's shares from his personal stock. By taking advantage of the stock option program offered by Eckerd, his employees benefitted financially in the success of the new ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Baptist

Your Brain Makes Up Only About 2% Of Your Body ...  PRO

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on Mar 28, 2004

Your brain makes up only about 2% of your body weight, but it uses about 25% of the oxygen within your blood. Why does your brain require one fourth of your body’s need for oxygen? Because it is always active. In addition to controlling the function of your body, the brain cells and nerve fibers ...read more

Tags: Christian Love, Faith

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Last Year In India I Prayed For A Young Woman ...

Contributed by Ian Johnson on Nov 3, 2005

Last year in India I prayed for a young woman who had known success. She was a university graduate, but grief had overtaken her when someone close had died. She was unable to release it to the Lord. Over time she became possessed by Demonic Spirits, when I first met her she could not talk but only ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness, God's Provision

Denomination: Pentecostal

B. Larry Burkett States, "A Verse In Proverbs ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 1, 2006

b. Larry Burkett states, “A verse in Proverbs says that God has asked for our first fruits: the first and best of all that we receive. That means that we should tithe from our total gross income before taxes. Any profit made from the sale of a home ought to be tithed upon, because it is, in fact, ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Just ...

Contributed by Tony Abram on May 1, 2010

JUST REMEMBER... The next time you feel like God can’t use you, just remember... NOAH was a drunk.... ABRAHAM was too old... ISAAC was a daydreamer.... JACOB was a liar... LEAH was ugly... JOSEPH was abused... MOSES had a stuttering problem... GIDEON was afraid... SAMPSON had long hair, and was a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-10

Tags: Worry, Useful To The Lord