In Sermon Illustrations: "Place Of The Skull"

Confused People Listen Better, Not Always, But ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2001

"Confused people listen better, not always, but more often than people whose minds are made up. Those folks listen only in order to critique, to see if someone else is on the right track, namely theirs. Confused people are more likely to combine kindness with whatever convictions emerge out of ...read more

A Missionary In The Orient Tells How A 20 ...  PRO

Contributed by Errol Joseph on Jul 16, 2001

“A missionary in the orient tells how a 20 year-old man approached a temple, removed his sandals, and bowed before the idol. Drawing a dagger from beneath his shirt, in one quick swipe he cut off his tongue and offered it to the silent, lifeless image. In minutes he lay unconscious in a pool of ...read more

Tags: Church Practices, Communication General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Frank Shaut Jr. Told Me That He Arranged For Him ...  PRO

Contributed by Aaron Burgess on Dec 29, 2001

Frank Shaut Jr. told me that he arranged for him and his wife Heather to honeymoon in the beautiful Poconos in Pennsylvania. The town nearest the Poconos is a small village Bethlehem, PA. And so Frank called to reserve a room but he was told that the only hotel in Bethlehem, PA was full for a ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus, Christmas Eve, Messianic Prophecies

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Herbert Schlossberg, In His Book Idols For ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2002

Herbert Schlossberg, in his book Idols for Destruction, astutely observed: “Western society, in turning away from the Christian faith, has turned to other things. This process is commonly called secularization, but that conveys only the negative aspect. The word connotes the ‘turning away from ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 33:12

Norman Wright Describes Four Changes That Have ...  PRO

Contributed by Martin Wiles on May 9, 2002

Norman Wright describes four changes that have taken place in family life in recent years. One is the move toward a nuclear family. This is the mother, father and children. In the past, it was common for families to involve the extended members as well. The second change is the selection of the ...read more

Tags: Children, Parenting

Denomination: Baptist

Did You Know You Can Now Send An Email To God? An ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jul 6, 2002

Did you know you can now send an email to God? An Israeli internet company (www.virtual.co.il) has announced that they will take email prayers to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Customarily people write prayers and place them in cracks of the wall. I did so when I visited Israel some years ago. But ...read more

Tags: Prayer Adoration

Denomination: Congregational

Believe Or Reject  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 27, 2002

Believe or Reject I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the deeps of ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: Baptist

As Rick Warren Says, "There Are 750 Halls Of Fame ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Jan 14, 2004

As Rick Warren says, “There are 750 Halls of Fame in America and 450 Who’s Who Publications, but you won’t find many real servants in those places. Noteriety means nothing to real servants because they know the difference between prominence and significance.” (1) You are never more like God than ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:5

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Pentecostal

When We Rely Upon Organization, We Get What ...

Contributed by David Dewitt on Jul 19, 2004

When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do, and so on. Nor am I disposed to undervalue any of these things in ...read more

Tags: Prayer Adoration

Denomination: Church Of God

Passing Through A Country Graveyard, A Man Was ...

Contributed by Evie Megginson on Oct 15, 2004

Passing through a country graveyard, a man was struck by the inscription on a tombstone. The stone was by the side of the path where everyone could see it. It had been placed there in memory of a young man who died at the age of seventeen. It was, "Reader, stop and think; I am in eternity! and you ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

Early African Converts To Christianity Were ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2003

ILL: Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to ...read more

65279;i've Read That Michelangelo, The Great ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Durbin on Feb 16, 2003

I’ve read that Michelangelo, the great sculptor and painter, was pushing a heavy rock up a small incline to his work area so that he could do some sculpting. A neighbor watched him for over an hour as he worked to get this rock in place. Finally he asked, "Michelangelo, why do you labor so ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Pentecostal

Philip Yancey, In His Book, The Jesus I Never ...  PRO

Contributed by Floyd Johnson on Mar 18, 2003

Philip Yancey, in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, suggests that each temptation parallels the expectation of 1st century culture for the coming Messiah: A People’s Messiah could feed the multitudes A man who would be King not just of Israel but of the whole world A King who is rooted in the ...read more

Tags: Humility, Jesus Life

Denomination: Methodist

Good Friday  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Killam on Apr 18, 2003

Dennis Bratcher said, Good Friday is not a day of celebration but of mourning, both for the death of Jesus and for the sins of the world that his death represents. Yet, although Friday is a solemn time, it is not without its own joy. For while it is important to place the Resurrection against the ...read more

Tags: Easter Good Friday

Denomination: Holiness

Lester Lecroy Was One Of 12 Children. He Grew Up ...

Contributed by Ronnie Knight on May 1, 2007

Lester Lecroy was one of 12 children. He grew up in a home of very meager means. He was a rambunctious, but dependable young man. While cooling off after a hard days work in a creek at a little place we called the Iron Bridge on Cotton Hill Road in Eufaula, Alabama Lester Lecroy lost his life at ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

D. L. Moody Was Visiting A Prominent Chicago ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

D. L. Moody was visiting a prominent Chicago citizen when the idea of church membership and involvement came up. "I believe I can be just as good a Christian outside the church as I can be inside it," the man said. Moody said nothing. Instead, he moved to the fireplace, blazing against the winter ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Paul Nixon Stresses That "A Growing Number Of ...

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on Jul 21, 2007

Paul Nixon stresses that “a growing number of people will associate with organized churches only when those places ‘WORK FOR THEM’ in their personal quests for meaningful theology, community, and service.” [Paul Nixon, I REFUSE TO LEAD A DYING CHURCH (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2006), 10 ] He ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Methodist

An Angel Inside

Contributed by Samuel Wilder on Nov 10, 2008

AN ANGEL INSIDE I’ve read that Michelangelo, the great sculptor and painter, was pushing a heavy rock up a small incline to his work area so that he could do some sculpting. A neighbor watched him for over an hour as he worked to get this rock in place. Finally he asked, "Michelangelo, why do you ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Quote: "You Are Called Not So Much To Do Great ...

Contributed by C Jordan on Jan 17, 2009

QUOTE: “You are called not so much to do great things, as to be a great person--and that person is Jesus Christ. The church of Jesus Christ is the resident presence of Jesus in the world. That’s a foundational principle of incarnational Christianity: It doesn’t aim to get people to God; it brings ...read more

Tags: Workplace Evangelism

Denomination: *other

How Can You Forgive Sins?

Contributed by Tim White on Jun 19, 2009

HOW CAN YOU FORGIVE SINS? Suppose Brother Bill hit you in the nose. He just drew back his fist and, bam. Now, what if I walked up to you both and said, "Brother Bill, you are forgiven." You would contend that it wasn’t my place to say that. Yet Jesus could say, "If I forgive you, the ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Baptist