In Sermon Illustrations: "Pastor Cave"

We Can Learn A Lot About Being A Friend From ...  PRO

Contributed by Larry Jacobs on Jul 9, 2005

We can learn a lot about being a friend from "MAN’S BEST FRIEND" Someone has said, "Only God and my dog can love me unconditionally". When I pastored in Pensacola, Fl., my wife and I had two Boston Terriers. There names was Sissie and Alphie. My wife said to me one day, "I think you love those ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Baptist

Church Loyalty: What Keeps Members And Seekers ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 10, 2006

Church Loyalty: What keeps members and seekers attending their church on a regular basis? Currently 1 out of 7 adults changes churches each year while 1 out of 6 attends a handful of churches on a rotating basis. Ranked by importance, Barna Research says these are the 10 critical factors in ...read more

Tags: Church General

New Megachurch Research A Major New Study Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

New Megachurch Research A major new study of megachurches shows that 93% of churches with an average weekly attendance of at least 2,000 are found in the South, the West and the Midwest. The states with the largest concentration are California, Texas, Florida and Georgia. Dr. Scott Thumma, faculty ...read more

Tags: Church General

Giving More ►$3 Out Of Every $4 Donated By ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Giving More ►$3 out of every $4 donated by individuals in ’03 went to churches, synagogues and other religious worship centers, according to a Barna Group report. ►63% of households donated some money to a church, synagogue or other place of religious worship during ‘03. ►The mean ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Confusing Beliefs: Although A Statement Passed By ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 3, 2006

Confusing Beliefs: Although a statement passed by the Presbyterian Church (USA) 2001 General Assembly affirmed salvation through Jesus, recent survey results from the denomination reveal some puzzling beliefs among its clergy and laity. The survey found that at least 70% of members, elders and ...read more

Tags: Truth

There's A Verse Of A Hymn With This Line: 'the ...

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Oct 30, 2006

There’s a verse of a hymn with this line: ’The Lord hath yet more light and truth to break forth from His Word.’ (George Rawson). They are based on the words of Pastor John Robinson as the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from Plymouth in 1620, leaving their homeland for an unknown future. Like them, we ...read more

Tags: Allegory

Denomination: Baptist

Which Kind Are You?

Contributed by Douglas Duvall on Nov 13, 2006

“Which Kind Are You?” A lot of Christians are like wheelbarrows—not good unless pushed. Some are like kites—if you don’t keep a string on them, they fly away. Some are like kittens—they are more contented when petted. Some are like a football—you can’t tell what way they will bounce next. Some are ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Baptist

He Is Risen!

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Apr 7, 2009

HE IS RISEN! One Sunday morning a pastor was dressing for church and had the radio on listening to a local church service. Suddenly he heard to minister say, "It’s Easter, and it doesn’t make any difference if Christ be risen or not..." Shocked, A.H. Ackley shouted, "It’s a lie! He is risen!" ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

This Is Not Going To Be A Debate About Creation ...

Contributed by Sean Harder on Jun 24, 2009

This is not going to be a debate about creation or evolution, but I do want to share a quote from a well known pastor named Randy Croft: Astrophysicists have found that there are over 60 criteria that are necessary for life on earth. For you and me to live. Life could not exist or form if any one ...read more

Tags: Apologetics General

Sheep Know Shepherd's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 21, 2009

Sheep Know Shepherd’s Voice The contrast with the shepherd is even greater for the shepherd knows each sheep by name and his sheep follow his voice alone. Lloyd Ogilvie, the former Chaplain of the Senate and Pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church tells of being in the Middle East and watching a ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-18

Tags: Good Shepherd, Parable Lost Sheep

Missionary Martyred In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2010

Missionary Martyred in India That reminds me of a story I read about a missionary in India last month who was constructing a new church when he was killed by an extremist anti-Christian group. He had gone to a nearby town to purchase materials for the final phase of construction but never returned. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:25-27

Tags: Persecution

What We Really Want

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Feb 22, 2011

WHAT WE REALLY WANT A woman lay in a hospital bed, her body ravaged by cancer. Day after day her pastor and others prayed for her healing. Each day they could see her silent disappointment that she was not being healed. Then one day she said, "Let's not pray that I'll be healed. God knows that I ...read more

Tags: Trust

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Higher Ground

Contributed by John Putty on Apr 5, 2011

HIGHER GROUND The old hymn, “Higher Ground” is a spiritual declaration of one determined man Johnson Oatman, Jr. put to music! While some refuse to believe that our personal faith plays any real role in our spiritual growth and in experiencing Christian victory, in all my 20 years of preaching ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Lack Of Evangelism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

THE LACK OF EVANGELISM (Evangelism Statistics from Michael Parrot, Acts Evangelism, Spokane, WA, 1993, pp. 9-11.) • Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ. • Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ. • Less than two percent are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

The Reverend And The Rose

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Aug 30, 2011

THE REVEREND AND THE ROSE Rev. Jerry Parnell, pastor of the Canaan Baptist Church of Anderson, South Carolina, will often conclude one of his sermons with an illustration using a live rose. He tells how that God gives us a fresh flowing in life, but that over the course of time we make bad ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Baptist

Count Your Many Blessings  PRO

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Feb 16, 2012

COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS While on a short-term missions trip, Pastor Jack Hinton was leading worship at a leper colony on the island of Tobago. A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit turned around. "It was the most hideous face I had ever seen," Hinton said. "The woman's nose and ears ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1

Tags: Encouragement

Conformity

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

I first noticed this in leading people to Christ. They were beautiful before they were “church broke.” Great young converts often start out as radiant Christians and end up only as carbon-copy Baptists. Great young ministers start out as adorable mavericks, but after a business meeting or two and a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, Romans 12:2-5

Tags: Conformity, Accepting

Denomination: Baptist

Commitment

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

Kenneth Bailey tells the story of teaching some short courses at the Lutheran Church of Latvia. While there, he observed the interviewing of prospective students and inquired of the interviews what questions they asked. They said, “The most important question is ‘When were you baptized?’ And he ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:11-27

Tags: Boldness, Risk

Denomination: Methodist

On January 6, 1822, The Wife Of A Poor German ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

On January 6, 1822, the wife of a poor German pastor had a son, never dreaming that he would one day achieve world renown and great wealth. When Heinrich Schliemann was seven years old, a picture of ancient Troy in flames captured his imagination. Contrary to what many people believed, Heinrich ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Years Ago There Was A Book Written. It Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Years ago there was a book written. It was written by a pastor from Topeka, Kansas. His name was Charles Sheldon. The name of the book was, “In His Steps”. The sub-title of the book was, “What Would Jesus Do?” I have in my hand an 1899 edition of the that book. The premise of the book has not ...read more

Tags: Knowing God's Will