In Sermon Illustrations: "Pastor"

Love For Our Neighbor

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 31, 2008

Love for Our Neighbor John Vianney, 18th Century Pastor, is quoted as saying, “Love for our neighbor consists of three things: to desire the greater good of everyone; to do what good we can when we can; to bear, excuse, and hide other’s faults. The kind of love that Jesus is ...read more

Christian Home

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 7, 2009

CHRISTIAN HOME A family was driving home after church and they noticed little Johnny was sitting in the back seat crying his eyes out. Mom asked him several times what was wrong, but he just kept crying. Then finally he sobbed, "The pastor said ...read more

Tags: Family

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Bonhoeffer On Christmas

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jan 6, 2013

BONHOEFFER ON CHRISTMAS Dietriech Bonhoeffer was a pastor and theologian who spoke out against Hitler and the Nazis. As a result he was arrested, imprisoned and then executed just hours before the Allies liberated the concentration camp where he was held. While there, he wrote a series of ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Methodist

Two Men Were Flying To Orlando From California ...

Contributed by Michael Gardner on Mar 2, 2006

Two men were flying to Orlando from California and met on an airplane. After exchanging pleasantries, conversation turned to the needs of their community. One of them was a pastor who shared his vision for a soup kitchen just starting up in downtown Orlando. He also told of local churches that ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: Methodist

A Missionary In Abidjan, Ivory ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 26, 2007

Illustration: A missionary in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, reports that recently an African pastor passed through on his way home to Chad, where civil war was raging. "What would you like to take to complete your forty-four pounds of baggage allowance?" asked the missionary. "Sugar? Powdered milk? ...read more

Between You And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

BETWEEN YOU AND GOD I conclude with a story that I heard Pastor Larry Booker tell in a sermon he preached on August 4, 2007 at the First Pentecostal Church of North Little Rock, Arkansas. The title of the message was "Three Attitudes of Jewish Babylon." I understand just as you do that holiness ...read more

Tags: Obedience

There Was A Farmer Who Had Three Sons: Ron, Don ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim George on Apr 29, 2001

There was a farmer who had three sons: Ron, Don and Little John. All had their names on the church roll but none ever attended church or had time for God. Then one day Don was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and he did all he could to help Don, but the outlook for his recovery was ...read more

Scripture: James 1:26-27, Luke 13:3, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Faith, Commitment To Christ, Clean

Denomination: Baptist

I Went To A Conference This Past Fall. The ...  PRO

Contributed by Curt Cizek on Feb 25, 2003

I went to a conference this past fall. The pastor leading the conference challenged us all on the first day. He convicted us all by asking us three questions. I was sitting in the back near the side so I could see everyone’s body language. The pastor asked, “Those of you who have kids or ...read more

Tags: Pentecost, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Lutheran

10 Things You Never Hear In Church  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 12, 2005

10 Things You Never Hear in Church 1. Hey! It’s my turn to sit in the front pew! 2. I was so enthralled, I never noticed your sermon went 25 minutes over time. 3. Personally I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf. 4. I’ve decided to give our church the $500 a month I used to send to TV ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Young Boy Came To Church One Cold Winter Day To ...

Contributed by David Henderson on May 7, 2007

A young boy came to church one cold winter day to get out of the blowing snow. He had been trying to sell newspapers but not a single customer had passed by because of the weather. He slipped into the back of the church, just hoping to get warm and catch up on his sleep. Though the Sunday crowd ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Shout

Contributed by Arliss Beavers on May 12, 2008

SHOUT A church ran into difficulty when the elders decided that one man was shouting too much in church. They thought he might disturb the very distinguished guests the church was suddenly now having. So the elders called the pastor aside and notified him that this shouter must be refrained. The ...read more

Tags: Blessing

Denomination: Church Of God

There Was A Little Old Church Out In The ...

Contributed by Jerry Hillyer Ii on Jul 7, 2008

There was a little old church out in the countryside: painted white and with a high steeple. One Sunday, the pastor noticed that his church needed painting. He checked out the Sunday ads and found a paint sale. The next day, he went into town and bought a gallon of white paint. He went back out to ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Dying To Save Her Father

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

DYING TO SAVE HER FATHER The great Charles Spurgeon told a story that demonstrated a person’s concern for an unsaved family member. A rather young girl in Spurgeon’s congregation who had a terminal illness approached her pastor one day with thoughts about her upcoming funeral. She spoke of her ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Deceptive Flowers

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Sep 22, 2009

DECEPTIVE FLOWERS I have a friend who is a pastor at a church in the lower 48 who was telling me about the flowers in his church. His church, like ours, will take the flowers that were in the worship service that morning, and give them to shut ins or someone who is in the hospital. He said he ...read more

Tags: Lies

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Won't Someone Tell Me About Jesus?

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Aug 14, 2012

WON'T SOMEONE TELL ME ABOUT JESUS? Bob Harrington tells of a man who came to his pastor one day and asked if he remembered hearing about the man who had died down at the plant that week? He said the man had had steel spilt on him and was dying there on the plant floor. The man was calling out, ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Baptist

Match Made In Heaven

Contributed by Ken Henson on Oct 16, 2012

There is a story about a couple that went to heaven and in this life they loved each other, but from a distance. So when they got to heaven, they decided to get married. They said to Peter, "Pete, we want to get married." And Peter says, "You have got eternity, why don't you think of it for 50 ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: *other

What Are We Preaching?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 25, 2021

WHAT ARE WE PREACHING? False teachings abound whenever people do not know the truth. Many of our churches today do not teach the truth because many pastors do not know the Bible. In our seminaries, almost 50 percent of professors now teach that there was no virgin birth of Jesus, and that story ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Liberalism, Apostasy, Preaching The Word, Preachers

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thank You, God, For Rattlesnakes!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 26, 2023

There was a farmer who had three sons: Ron, Don and Little John. All had their names on the church roll, but none ever attended church or had time for God. Then one day Don was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and did all he could to help Don, but the outlook for his recovery was very ...read more

Tags: Judgment, Repentance, Spiritual Fruit, Brokenness, Unfaithfulness, Backsliding, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dr. James Dobson, The Founder Of Focus On The ...

Contributed by Ethan Sayler on Aug 5, 2002

Dr. James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, once shared that his father, a pastor of a 15 member church in Sulfur, TX, was known as the man with no leather on the toes of his shoes. The reason he had no leather on the toes of his shoes was that he spent three or four hours a day ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

One Sunday After Church Mom Asked Her Very Young ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 9, 2003

One Sunday after church Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. Her daughter answered "Don’t be scared, you’ll get your quilts." Needless to say, Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the Pastor stopped by for tea. Mom asked him what that ...read more