In Sermon Illustrations: "Sleeping Church"

One Body To The Death

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

ONE BODY TO THE DEATH On February 19, 1945, near the end of WWII, 800 American ships amassed to assault the island of Iwo Jima with its two strategic air strips 600 miles south of Tokyo. The Marines had fought a total of 43 months in the Pacific in World War II and in this one-month assault on Iwo ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Rent A Family…?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 14, 2013

RENT A FAMILY...? I read a recent article about how people in Japan are so busy that older people can now rent a family. Here’s the quote: "In Japan, you can rent a family. Elderly Japanese who are isolated from their children by the frantic pace of modern life can rent a 'family' for lunch and a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

A Bad Business Meeting

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 28, 2014

A church called a special business meeting of all of its members to vote on a very heated issue. Things got out of hand so badly that one elderly woman of the congregation stood up and said, "I am so ashamed of every one of you here tonight. This is a disgrace! If Jesus knew about this......He ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:1-33

Tags: Jesus, Church, Theology

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why No Revival In America?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 28, 2014

WHY NO REVIVAL IN AMERICA? A wise old evangelist was once asked, “Why don’t we see revival happening in the Church in the United States today?” The old preacher scratched his chin and thought for a moment. Then he said, “The reason why ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:18-32

Tags: Church, Revival, Apathy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Miss America And Elephants

Contributed by Pastor Jeff Hughes on Feb 1, 2014

Matt 24:24-25 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. Back years ago, I heard a well known salesman that regularly competed with the number one company in his industry. Those ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:24-25

Tags: Size, Church Size

Denomination: Bible Church

When The Gospel Came To America

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 4, 2014

Biblical Scholar, Dr. Richard Halverson, once said, “When the Greeks got the Gospel, they turned it into a philosophy; when the Romans got the Gospel, they turned it into a government. When the Europeans got the Gospel, they turned it into a culture........ and when ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:15-16

Tags: Church, America, Gospel

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Stephen King On Religion

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 7, 2014

Horror writer Stephen King says this: "Organized religion ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-36

Tags: Religion, Church Community

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Relationship We Share

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jun 2, 2014

While many people hunger for family closeness, we often miss the opportunities that stand immediately before us. Tammy Harris of Roanoke, Virginia, began searching for her biological mother when she turned 21. A year of searching proved fruitless. Tammy did not realize, however, that her ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:34-35

Tags: Family, Church Family

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sow Indiscriminately

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jul 15, 2017

In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven being like an indiscriminate sower. This contradicts theories surrounding church growth of targeting certain statistically measurable demographics. There is no such target audience in this parable. The seed of the kingdom ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Sower, Church Growth

Denomination: Baptist

Lego Theology

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 23, 2019

Matt Proctor- Several years ago, two of my nephews accompanied their mom on a visit to a friend’s house. Ben was 8, Brian was 6. Their mother’s friend was a very neat lady- a place for everything and everything in its place. Though childless, she did have a few toys and handed Ben and Brian a ...read more

Tags: Church, Relationships, Synergy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Eat Twinkies Together

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 23, 2019

A Harvard study of 7,000 people found that the most isolated people were 3 times more likely to die than those with strong relationships. Reporting on the study, John Ortberg writes that “people who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, or alcohol use) but strong social ties ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:15

Tags: Church, Relationships, Synergy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Power Of Singing

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 14, 2020

Its been observed that Singing Together Shapes Community. ***Songs are one way that a community has its identity and one way that individuals find their identity within a community. (therefore old songs –passed on to the next generation- help create community bonds) Baseball has a song – during ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Community, Church, Worship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Facts About Persecution Of Christians

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 18, 2020

FACTS ABOUT PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS: * More Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in all other centuries combined. * Currently over 200 million Christians are being persecuted worldwide. * 70 percent of the world's population lives in a religiously intolerant environment. * Every ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Church, Persecution, Beatitudes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Humor

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Humor A severe rash prompted a man from a rural area to come to town to be examined by one of my colleagues. After the usual history-taking followed by a series of test, the physician advised the patient that he would have to get rid of the dog that was evidently causing the allergic reaction. As ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

I Read The Book By Robert Bellah Habits Of The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I read the book by Robert Bellah Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life not long after it came out in 1985. It is about the rise of radical individualism in our culture which is committed only to the self. It is even more relevant today than when it was written. He ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

In An Article Entitled "Lessons From A Tavern," ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In an article entitled “Lessons from A Tavern,” Chuck Swindoll writes: “An old Marine Corps buddy of mine, to my pleasant surprise, came to know Christ after he was discharged. I say surprise because he cursed loudly, fought hard, chased women, drank heavily, loved war and weapons, and hated chapel ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

How Many Of You Read Alice In Wonderland? There ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

How many of you read Alice in Wonderland? There was a morning in Wonderland when Alice complained to the queen, “But I find it quite impossible to believe what you say” At which her majesty mumbled, “Well, maybe you do, my dear; but when I was your age I made it a point to believe six impossible ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Do You Remember When The Berlin Wall Came Down? ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Do you remember when the Berlin Wall came down? I still remember the speech President Reagan gave while he was in West Berlin: "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Come here to this gate Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate Mr. ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

I Was Reading About The Rev. George Whitefield. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I was reading about the Rev. George Whitefield. He was the greatest preacher that the Church of England ever had. But he also worked well with Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and anyone else who believed in the gospel. One day, a colleague asked him, “Why do you do this? Why do you work with ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

A Youth Minister Was Attending A Special ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A youth minister was attending a Special Olympics where handicapped children competed with tremendous dedication & enthusiasm. One event was the 220-yard dash, Contestants lined up at the starting line, & at the signal, started running as fast as they could. One boy by the name of Andrew quickly ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ