In Sermon Illustrations: "Reach"

Elizabeth Elliot, In Her Book, Let Me Be A Woman, ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Apr 17, 2008

Elizabeth Elliot, in her book, Let Me Be a Woman, records the story of Gladys Aylward, [who was] unable to accept the looks God had given her. Ms. Aylward told how when she was a child she had two great sorrows. One [was] that while all her friends had beautiful golden hair, hers was black. The ...read more

Tags: Beauty

Denomination: Baptist

This Part Of The Bible Paul Wrote In The Greek ...

Contributed by Terry Cavanaugh on May 9, 2008

This part of the Bible Paul wrote in the Greek language. The word he used here is προκοπή prokopé̄ . It means to drive forward. It is the beautiful picture of pioneers cutting there way through the wilderness. This is the team that slashes their way ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Methodist

Through My Travels, I Have Encountered Numerous ...

Contributed by Scott Jensen on May 15, 2008

Through my travels, I have encountered numerous Christian people from various cultures and various languages. Many of them have spoken about having a feeling that they should do something. About 10 years ago, I had such an experience. My wife, Lina, and I had been trying to have a child for over ...read more

Tags: Sharing My Testimony

Denomination: Lutheran

Works Of Thy Hands

Contributed by Brian Harvison on May 29, 2008

WORKS OF THY HANDS How about a cheetah? The smallest of the big cats, it has amazing speed and stealth, while lacking climbing skills. It is the fastest land animal reaching speeds between 70 and 75 mph in short bursts covering distances up to 500 yards. The cheetah can accelerate from 0-68 mph in ...read more

Tags: Creation

Denomination: Baptist

A Friend Like Pee Wee Reese

Contributed by Ferdinand Funk on Sep 26, 2008

A Friend Like Pee Wee Reese Willie Morris says that gestures often speak more eloquently than words. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play major league baseball, faced venom nearly everywhere he traveled -- fastballs were aimed at his head, ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Mennonite

Oxford Dictionary May State The Meaning Of The ...

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Feb 22, 2012

Oxford dictionary may state the meaning of the word Security as 'condition or feeling that guards or guarantees our present & future'. In modern context, the moment we contemplate the word 'Security' a picture of a smiling & healthy family in a well-furnished house protected by a proverbial 'ring ...read more

Tags: Security

Denomination: *other

The Market Survey  PRO

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Mar 20, 2012

THE MARKET SURVEY Before coming to the Biblical text of my message, I would like to recite the tale of 2 footwear salesmen sent on a "market survey" errand by their employers to explore the possibility of opening a shop in a certain village of their country. As opening a shop entails sizeable ...read more

Tags: Opportunity

Denomination: *other

Faith In Tragedy: Luther Bridges  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2012

FAITH IN TRAGEDY: LUTHER BRIDGES A Methodist preacher by the name of Luther Bridges was born in 1884. He married and had 3 sons. Pastor Bridges accepted an invitation to minister at a conference in Kentucky in the year 1910, so he left his family in the care of his father-in-law & made the trip to ...read more

Scripture: Job 1:20-21

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Strength Through Interconnectedness

Contributed by Richard Tow on Oct 5, 2020

Years ago, Jeanie and I visited the Redwood National Park in northern California. We stood in awe as we looked up to trees reaching over 350 feet. These trees have endured storms for over 1,000 years. The surprising thing is that their roots are very shallow—only about 10 to 12 feet deep. How does ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:2-3

Tags: Community, Church, Perseverance, Unity, Cooperation, Difficulties, Storms  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

The Truth About The Wizard Of Oz

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 14, 2021

Did you know that “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was written, not about the mythical Land of Oz but it was about Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people. The lyrics were written by Yip Harburg, the youngest of four children born to Russian-Jewish immigrants. His real name was Isidore Hochberg, ...read more

Tags: Israel, Jewish, Wizard Of Oz

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

World Evangelism Statistics

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 5, 2022

If you say that Jesus is waiting on the Church to get the Gospel out before His return, let me give you a few statistics on the challenge the Church faces. We have almost 8 billion people on our planet right now. There are almost 2.4 Christians in the world today. If 500,000 people were ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Salvation, Gospel, Missions, Witnessing, Lost, Great Commission, Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Incredible Symbol Of The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 2, 2023

Gordon Brownville's Symbols of the Holy Spirit tells about the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first to discover the magnetic meridian of the North Pole and to discover the South Pole. On one of his trips, Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him. When he had finally reached the top ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:19-23

Tags: Church, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Acts, Spirit Filled Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It's Later Than It's Ever Been!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 6, 2023

A young boy was playing in his grandmother’s house near a large grandfather clock. Noontime was approaching, and when both hands of the old timepiece reached 12, the chimes began to ring. As he always liked to do, the boy counted each gong as it sounded. This time, however, something went wrong ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:18

Tags: Second Coming, Rapture, Time, Return Of Christ, End Times, Prophecy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Hound Of Heaven

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 2, 2023

In his book The Call, author Os Guinness writes: We cannot find God without God. We cannot reach God without God. We cannot satisfy God without God—which is another way of saying that our seeking will always fall short unless God’s grace initiates the search and unless God’s call draws us to Him ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-9, Titus 3:5

Tags: Grace, Salvation, Works, Sovereignty Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Cast The First Stone

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 6, 2024

Marilyn Helleberg told about being a teenager at church camp. She said an ugly rumor got started there about two of the counselors and it quickly became the talk of the camp. The next day, at Morning Prayer, the minister read the story of the adulterous woman. He spoke of Jesus telling the crowd ...read more

Tags: Gossip, Division, Judging, Forgiveness, Confession, Criticism, Mouth, Words, Tongue, Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A While Back I Was Reading About An Expert On ...  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Jul 23, 2001

A while back I was reading about an expert on the subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I’m sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you’ll never forget it either. As ...read more

Tags: Workplace, Leadership General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

: "Scarred Hands” (James S. ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 21, 2001

Illus.: “Scarred Hands” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, pp. 119-120) A small orphaned boy lived with his grandmother. One night their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to rescue the little boy asleep upstairs, perished in the smoke and flames. A crowd gathered around the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Forgiveness In Jesus, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Wesleyan

Saved From Our Rubble Of Sin- Communion ...  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Rogers on Sep 10, 2002

SAVED FROM OUR RUBBLE OF SIN- COMMUNION MEDITATION The September 11, 2002 issues of TIME magazine has a touching article about 31-year old Genelle Guzman. Genelle was the last of just four people caught in the debris of the Twin Towers to be found alive. After the planes hit the World Trade ...read more

Tags: Lord's Supper, Lordship Of Christ, Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Love Her Or Loathe Her, Winfrey Has Become Proof ...

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Sep 20, 2006

Love her or loathe her, Winfrey has become proof that you can’t be too rich, too thin or too committed to rising to your place in the world. With 49 million viewers each week in the USA and more in the 122 other countries to which the show is distributed, Winfrey reaches more people in a TV day ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan

Many Years Ago, Bishop Mcconnell Told A Story Of ...

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Dec 7, 2006

Many years ago, Bishop McConnell told a story of something that happened in a little fishing village on the New England coast. One winter’s day a storm came up suddenly while the boats were out at sea. The men rowed desperately to reach the safety of the harbour. Everybody made it except of ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible