In Sermon Illustrations: "Members Of The Body"

When Building A Social Network For Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

When building a social network for your customers, donors or prospects don’t: 1) Misunderstand your target audience. The demographics of users on MySpace differ greatly from those on Facebook, Friendster and other social networks. When creating any site, be very specific about whom you want to ...read more

Tags: Communication General

Someone Has Said That If You Could Convince A Man ...

Contributed by Ralph Andrus on Jul 14, 2008

Someone has said that if you could convince a man there was no hope, he would curse the day he was born. Hope is an indispensable quality of life. Dusk was falling on the Saturday before Christmas in 1927 the S-4 submarine (S-class submarines, were the first class of submarines built to US Navy ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Baptist

Preach The Right Message

Contributed by Scott Jensen on Oct 8, 2008

Preach the Right Message Take a look at the example of Pastor Carlton Pearson from Tulsa, Oklahoma. By all standards, he was a very successful preacher with a church of over 5,000 members. Well-known for being a powerful speaker, he reached many and continued to grow his church. However, one ...read more

Tags: Ignorance

Denomination: Lutheran

Gainesville, Florida. We Held A Sunrise Service ...

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Jan 30, 2009

Gainesville, Florida. We held a sunrise service one Easter, and one of our members who was a photographer for the Gainesville Sun got a great shot of the early morning gathering. It made the front page in the late edition. A few days later I got a letter that was “hot to the touch” with ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: United Methodist

Hybels: "Totally Devoted" To Christ  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2009

HYBELS: "TOTALLY DEVOTED" TO CHRIST Bill Hybels, Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, was talking with one of his members about some of the "tough topics" he had taught on over the years—-hell, money, sex, relational confrontation, self-discipline. The man asked, "Of all the topics you’ve ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Good Jealousy

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 19, 2009

GOOD JEALOUSY Dennis De Haan illustrates: Shep, the newest member of our family, is a young Shetland sheepdog who openly displays his jealousy when I kiss my wife. He doesn’t snarl or bite, but in the language of barking he seems to be saying, "Hey, Master, you belong to me!" His jealousy gives ...read more

Tags: Jealousy

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Charles Stanley On The Difference Between ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

Charles Stanley on the Difference Between Decision and Commitment Charles Stanley says in his book, Confronting Casual Christianity, in answer to that question, “because these couples made a decision but did not make a commitment. Every person who married made a decision! They stood before the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:4

Tags: Commitment, Marriage Commitment

Colors Of Storms

Contributed by Ronnie Miller on Jul 27, 2011

COLORS OF STORMS As I was watching the weather warnings run across the TV screen, I began to think about how we go through life's storms without any warnings. Each one of the storms we go through are painted a different color of severity, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. It could be that a Green ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12, Psalm 34:17-19

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

Someone The Shepherd Brought Home  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 22, 2013

Someone the Shepherd Brought Home Carl Ketcherside served with and was instrumental in a strict branch of the Restoration Movement. However, the Lord made a lot of changes in his life. In his later years he moved to St. Louis and ministered among the down and out. At this time, Ketcherside ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 34:1-31

Tags: Good Shepherd, False Shepherds, Great Shepherd

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Wrong Target

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 31, 2021

Emmons loses gold medal after aiming at wrong target! 2004 Washington Post: Matt Emmons of the United States shoots at wrong target, finishes eighth. (Douglas C. Pizac -- AP) Matthew Emmons is an elite athlete ! He was an accounting major from Browns Mill, New Jersey. He was a four-year ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:26-30, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Purpose, Priorities, Idolatry

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Being Persecuted

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Feb 13, 2023

As we live our Christian lives there are a lot of questions that are related to the Christian Life that don't really fall into life and death categories. Questions like: what's your favorite version of the bible? How can I be a better group member? Or the BIG ALL-IMPORTANT QUESTION: if a ...read more

Scripture: John 15:18-25

Tags: Persecution, Suffering

Denomination: Baptist

Gossip-Free Church

Contributed by John Bright on Sep 23, 2025

I like to illustrate this kind of thing by talking about gossip. I believe it is the most tolerated sin in every congregation. As always, I like to share my definition of gossip. Something is not gossip if it can pass three tests: ? 100% Truth - You heard/saw it directly – can’t be repeated from ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:29

Tags: Truth, Gossip, Holier Than Thou

Denomination: Methodist

..  PRO

Contributed by Troy Borst on Jan 12, 2006

ILLUSTRATION... http://www.cbn.com/entertainment/sports/ChristianAthletes/billy_blanks.asp The words, "Not by sight but by faith" adorn the walls of Billy Blanks training center -- a testament to his faith in Christ to overcome many obstacles. "Faith without works is dead" -- is another ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

An Observation About A Pair Of Hard Hats

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Oct 15, 2024

Text: 2 Samuel 3:33-34, KJV: 33 And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? 34 Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him. Have you seen any roadside memorials? It ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 3:33-34

Tags: David, Death, Joab, Abner

Denomination: Baptist

We See Things Every Day; From The Moment We Open ...

Contributed by Tyler Edwards on Apr 29, 2009

We see things every day; from the moment we open our eyes in the morning to the second we close them to sleep at night we are seeing things. Every day you wake up, you open your eyes and you see. You see using light. Light enables you to see the shoe that was left haphazardly on the floor before ...read more

Tags: Light, Truth

Denomination: *other

Hello, My Name Is ...

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Feb 23, 2024

Hello, My Name is ... “The witness of Lazarus.” We are not sure that Lazarus ever spoke, I am sure he did, but the Bible doesn’t record it. I certainly would have loved to have heard him share his testimony, maybe something like this. “Hello, my name is Lazarus, and I am truly honored to speak to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15, Mark 16:15, Jeremiah 1:7-8, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:9-17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Witness, Friendship, Testimony, Witnessing, Lifestyle, Friend Sunday, Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Here Are Some Twisted Facts From Various Media ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 29, 2008

Here are some twisted facts from various media sources (not true but reported as true): The following information is from the website legendsofamerica.com. On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year. Butterflies taste with their feet. More people are killed by donkeys ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Can't Put God In A Box

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

You Can't Put God in a Box Have you heard that before? In a sense, it is certainly true. The eternal Creator God is outside all our finite minds can comprehend. He is not bound by the natural laws that He put into place for His creation. Though WE cannot confine Him or "put God in a box," HE ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 25:22

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bridle The Tongue

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 6, 2025

Now, it’s time to talk about how to bridle the tongue. A bridle is a small but powerful tool designed for communication and control. Whether with a bit or a bitless attachment, it allows a rider to guide a horse with subtle movements. A well-trained horse responds to the slightest cue, needing ...read more

Scripture: James 3:7-8

Tags: Words, Tongue, Horse, Bridle

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Crucifixion  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2001

Consider this: Jesus was nailed to a cross with heavy, square wrought-iron nails through His wrists and through His feet. He hung there for several hours. When His body slumped, excruciating, fiery pain would shoot along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain - the nails in the wrists ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:33-43

Tags: Easter Good Friday, Forgive, Cross, Humanity Of Christ