In Sermon Illustrations: "Prayer General"

A Vicar Was Retiring After 25 Years In The ...  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Aug 8, 2001

A vicar was retiring after 25 years in the parish. As he came to clear out his bedroom he found a small bowl with 5 eggs and £1,000 pounds in. Baffled he called his wife and said: Darling, what is this little basket under the bed with five eggs and £1,000 in. "Oh " she said " I must confess that ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-7, 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

Tags: Leadership General, Gifts Encouragement, Gifts Prophecy, Love

Denomination: Anglican

James Hunter In His Book "The Servant" Presents A ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Newell on Aug 29, 2001

James Hunter in his book “The Servant” presents a powerful picture of what it really means to be a leader/servant. He shares: leadership is ultimately rooted in our will. Not forcing our will on others, but demonstrating our will to serve. There is a big difference between leading through power ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:1-12, Matthew 23:1-12

Tags: Authority, Servanthood, Servant, Power, Leadership General, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

George Mason, A Founding Father Of Our Nation ...  PRO

Contributed by Daniel Becker on Sep 15, 2001

George Mason, a founding father of our nation prophetically proclaimed, “As nations can not be rewarded or punished in the next world they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and ...read more

Tags: God's Judgment, Holidays Civic, Providence, Forgiveness General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Howard Hendricks Said, "In The Midst Of A ...  PRO

Contributed by R. Darrel Davis on Oct 27, 2001

Howard Hendricks said, “In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, ...read more

Tags: Sharing Your Faith, Apologetics General, Evangelism Fear Of

Denomination: Baptist

The Pastor Stood Before The Congregation And Said ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 9, 2001

The pastor stood before the congregation and said "I have bad news, I have good news, and I have more bad news." The congregation got quiet. "The bad news is: the church needs a new roof!" the pastor said. The congregation groaned. "The good news is: we have enough money for the new roof." A ...read more

Tags: Giving General, Alive, Church Practices, Rededication, Renewal  (view more)  (view less)

Neil Orchard Was Talking With A Farmer About His ...  PRO

Contributed by Greg Yount on Nov 30, 2001

Neil Orchard was talking with a farmer about his soy bean and corn crops. Rain had been abundant, and the results were evident. So his comment surprised him: "My crops are especially vulnerable. Even a short drought could have a devastating effect." "Why?" Orchard asked. He explained that ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed, Bible Study, Disciplines General

Denomination: Baptist

You Cannot Go On Being A Good Egg Forever. You ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2001

You cannot go on being a good egg forever. You must either hatch or ...read more

Tags: Faith Vs. Works, Apologetics General, Commitment To Christ

I Don't Remember  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2001

I DON'T REMEMBER A young nun once claimed to have had a vision of Jesus. Her bishop decided to test her truthfulness and ordered that the next time she had a vision she should ask Christ what the bishop’s primary sin had been before he became a bishop. Some months later the nun returned and the ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General, Forgiveness, God The Father, God's Forgiveness

Faith Is Realizing That I Am Useful To God Not In ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

Faith is realizing that I am useful to God not in spite of my scars but because of ...read more

Tags: Faith General, God In The Hardships, Holy Spirit Attributes

Life Is No Brief Candle To Me. It Is A Sort Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 16, 2001

"Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before ...read more

Tags: Leadership General, Love Of The Disciples, Sharing Your Faith

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Huge Reserves  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2002

HUGE RESERVES Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool: During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8, Acts 1:1-8

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers, God's Omnipotence, Gifts General

Faith Is Unutterable Trust In God, Trust Which ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by ...read more

Tags: Trust, God's Provision, Faith General, Faith, Assurance  (view more)  (view less)

We May Never See The End Results, But That Is The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a ...read more

Tags: Parable General, Parable Sower And Seed, Kingdom Of God

The Scottish Preacher John Mcneill Liked To Tell ...  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Clawser on Feb 9, 2002

The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so it couldn’t fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It wasn’t long till the eagle began to act like the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:5

Tags: Doubt, Call Of The Disciples, Leadership General, Unbelief, Transformation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Other

Faith And Works Should Travel Side-By-Side, Step ...  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jun 6, 2002

Faith and works should travel side-by-side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again—until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other. William ...read more

Scripture: James 2:14-26

Tags: Faith General, Faith Vs. Works, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Baptist

The Percentage Of American Adults Who Preferred ...

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Aug 11, 2001

The percentage of American adults who preferred no religion in 1991 was 7 percent and that figure doubled to 14 percent in 1998, say Michael Hout and Claude S. Fischer, professors of sociology at the University ...read more

Tags: What Is Evangelism?, Apologetics General, Faith Vs. Works

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Man Left Work One Friday Afternoon. But Instead ...  PRO

Contributed by Edwin Amundson on Jul 30, 2002

A man left work one Friday afternoon. But instead of going home, he stayed out the entire weekend fishing with the boys and spending his entire paycheck. When he finally appeared at home Sunday night, he was confronted by his very angry wife and was barraged for nearly 2 hours with a tirade of his ...read more

Tags: Divorce, Abuse, Ouch, Not Funny, Marriage General, Hitting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Why Go To Church  PRO

Contributed by Dean Kennedy on Aug 26, 2002

Why Go To Church A Churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I’ve gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25

Tags: Church General, Church Small Groups, Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Remember An Old "Dragnet” ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Oct 6, 2002

I remember an old “Dragnet” television episode back in the mid ‘60s, when the arguments about the dangers or relative safeties of marijuana use were in full bloom. The main character, Sgt Joe Friday, was expounding to a young suspect the harmful effects and results of heroine sale and use, and how ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Church Body Of Christ, Apologetics General

Denomination: Orthodox

Have You Ever Been In A Cave When ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Lennon on Dec 17, 2002

Illustration: Have you ever been in a cave when the lights were turned out? The darkness that overcome you, being able to see nothing. Picture this… they turn out the lights and said “See Ya!” Then your begin to remember the deep canyons and step cliffs that went straight down and you realize I ...read more

Tags: Sin General, Sharing My Testimony, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Baptist