In Sermon Illustrations: "Positive Thinking"

The Word ‘christian' Means Different Things To ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 26, 2002

“The word ‘Christian’ means different things to different people. To one person, it means a stiff, uptight, inflexible way of life—colorless and unbending. To another, it means a risky, surprised-filled venture, lived on tiptoe at the edge of expectation. Either of these pictures can be ...read more

Do You Remember? A Few Years Ago The Topic ...

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Sep 23, 2002

ILL. Do you remember? A few years ago the topic of the day on an Oprah Winfrey show was "Having Affairs With Married Men." She had brought together several people who were having affairs to get their comments on how they felt about it. One lady responded very positively, saying that her affair ...read more

Tags: Holiness, Faith

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Many Years Ago, A Day Was Dawning On A ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Apr 6, 2004

Many years ago, a day was dawning on a battlefield in northern France, through a fog so thick that no one could see more than a few yards from the trenches. In the night the Germans had drawn back their lines a little and the French had gone forward. But between the two positions a lonely ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Wesleyan

Healthcare Has Gotten Out Of Hand. Many Of Us Get ...  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 27, 2004

Healthcare has gotten out of hand. Many of us get our medications via the internet from foreign countries to save money. Most popular: Canada, New Zealand and Australia…medicine from…down under… Healthcare insurance is so high that many people gravitate toward certain jobs mostly for the ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ, Apologetics General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Svetlana Stalin, The Daughter Of Josef Stalin, ...

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on May 27, 2005

Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of Josef Stalin, told the incredible story is told of how her father Josef Stalin had been a seminary student, preparing for the ministry. Then he came to a point in life where he made a decisive break from his belief in God. This dramatic and complete reversal of ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 12:1-14

Tags: Men And Women

Denomination: Baptist

John Bisagno Former Pastor Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Larry Jacobs on Jul 18, 2005

ILLUS: John Bisagno former Pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church tells the story of his coming there to candidate for the position of pastor many years ago. He said that as he entered the auditorium it was dimly lit, with just a few people huddled together. They were singing some old slow ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of, Funeral

Denomination: Baptist

Church Signs From Beliefnet.com  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 15, 2006

Church Signs from beliefnet.com "Beat the Christmas rush, come to church this Sunday!" "Don’t wait for the hearse to take you to church." "Don’t give up. Moses was once a basket case." "Life has many choices. Eternity has two. What’s yours?" "Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is ...read more

Tags: Favorite, Church General, Jealous, Worry

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In Discipleship Journal, Don Mccullough Wrote: ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2006

In Discipleship Journal, Don McCullough wrote: "John Killinger tells about the manager of a minor league baseball team who was so disgusted with his center fielder’s performance that he ordered him to the dugout and assumed the position himself. The first ball that came into center field took a bad ...read more

Tags: Anger

Unchurched Insights 1-Most Prefer To Attend ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007

Unchurched Insights 1-Most prefer to attend church on Sunday morning if they attend. 2-Most feel guilty about not attending church. 3-96% are somewhat likely to attend church if invited. 4-Very few have had someone share how to become a Christian with them. Christians have not been particularly ...read more

Tags: What Is Evangelism?

Many Years Ago I Worked As A Chief Teller In A ...

Contributed by Herman Abrahams on Nov 8, 2009

Many years ago I worked as a chief teller in a commercial bank. In addition to having the important responsibility of ensuring that we kept enough cash in the branch and to clear surplus cash, I also had to take care of the bank’s stationery store. This involved counting the stock of forms on hand ...read more

Tags: Attitude General

Denomination: Charismatic

Image Is Not Everything But It Sure Helps To Send ...

Contributed by John Perry on Apr 17, 2010

Image is not everything but it sure helps to send a positive message to people. Tom was a man in our church. He was from the old school & believed that he needed to live his everyday life dressed in a suit & tie. Naturally he would come to church in his suit & tie. A suit that looked as though he ...read more

Tags: Change

Denomination: Pentecostal

Hesed

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 25, 2010

HESED Proverbs 20:6 records: "Many a man claims to have hesed, but a faithful man, who can find?" Not only is a person with hesed truthful, he is also faithful. The proverb indicates that many people may claim to have hesed for you, but only a very few will demonstrate it by actually remaining ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Independent/Bible

David Brainerd: Spiritual Messenger

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 31, 2010

DAVID BRAINERD: SPIRITUAL MESSENGER Tomahawks in hand, the Indians crept toward the strange tent. As they cautiously peered under the flap, their intention to kill was forgotten. There, in the center of the tent was a man on his knees. As he prayed, a rattlesnake crossed his feet and paused in ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: *other

Wranglers, Not Stranglers

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 3, 2011

WRANGLERS, NOT STRANGLERS Ted Engstrom tells about a literary group that once gathered at the University of Wisconsin. The members wanted to be poets, novelists, essayists and authors--and they had the talent to be successful. These young men met regularly to read and critique each other’s work. ...read more

Tags: Encouragement

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Loyalty And The Promotional Bottleneck

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

LOYALTY AND THE PROMOTIONAL BOTTLENECK Peter Drucker gave this warning to those who would push back this principle, "Contrary to popular legend, subordinates do not, as a rule, rise to position and prominence over the prostrate bodies of incompetent bosses. If their boss is not promoted, they will ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:13-19

Tags: Leadership General

True Loyalty Is Ultimately About A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2008

“True Loyalty is ultimately about a relationship,” says Lisa Bradner, Forrester Research. It’s easier to build a relationship with someone than it is with something. Starbucks has a huge employee training program, where they make sure it’s a very positive experience. You may love your barista, but ...read more

Admitting Your Weaknesses

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 28, 2008

ADMITTING YOUR WEAKNESSES When I got out of college I went to many interviews but I didn’t get a ministry! I was talking to one of my professors about this, and I admitted that I did not do well at interviews. He said just admit this at your next interview! I did at the next one! As soon as ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In World War Ii, Victory Was Assured For The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

In World War II, victory was assured for the Allies on D-Day, when they successfully landed at Normandy. But it took eleven months for the Allies to actually end the war. During this time thousands of men lost their lives in the bloodiest battles of the entire conflict. The coming V-E Day was ...read more

Tags: Satan

Too Much Evidence For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

TOO MUCH EVIDENCE FOR ATHEISM Patrick Glynn, a former arms-control negotiator for the Regan Administration, began his journey to atheism in grade school when he encountered evolution and became a confirmed atheist by the time he received his doctorate from Harvard University in the 1970’s. After ...read more

Tags: Apologetics God

Tribulation – Followed By Crying Out – But Then ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Tribulation – followed by crying out – but then JOY Distress and grief, followed by crying out: Where are you? Or why didn’t you rescue us? Bible filled with similar stories (Exodus 15:1) “The horse and rider have been thrown into the sea.” Four stories that illsutraite this principle: A) Ray ...read more

Tags: Joy