In Sermon Illustrations: "Spiritual Gifts"

An American, British And Filipino Pastor Got ...  PRO

Contributed by Joseph Conrad Edpao on Sep 13, 2004

An American, British and Filipino pastor got talking about giving money to God. The American pastor says: "when God tells me so, I just empty my wallet in the collection plate." The British pastor is quite impressed with this impulsive but charitable attitude of his American colleague and is ...read more

Tags: Giving General, Gifts Giving

Denomination: Baptist

S. Trett Cathy, Founder Of Chick-Fil-A ...  PRO

Contributed by Greg Buchner on Nov 7, 2004

S. Trett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A restaurants, nearly 1,000 restaurants that generate $1 billion in sales – still teaches Sunday School every Sunday – still has all corporate-owned ...read more

Tags: Gifts Giving, Giving Yourself

Denomination: Methodist

Unmanufactured Tissue Of The Universe!" Joshua ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 23, 2004

“Unmanufactured Tissue of the Universe!” Joshua 10: 12-15 Key verse(s): 13b: “The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.” “What ‘cha doing?” The old man said to the young man as he sat lazily next to an old haystack at the side of the road. “Just killing a ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 10:12-15

Tags: Gift Of Time, God's Provision

Denomination: Lutheran

On New Year's Day, 1929, Georgia Tech Played ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played UCLA in the Rose Bowl. In that game a young man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for UCLA. Picking up the loose ball, he lost his direction and ran sixty-five yards toward the wrong goal line. One of his teammates, Beeny Lom, ran him down and tackled ...read more

Tags: Now What, Gifts Encouragement

Learning To Play One's Instrument To God's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 27, 2010

Learning to Play One’s Instrument to God’s Glory Does anyone here remember taking music class in grade school? When you first join a music class you are given an instrument to play. You really don’t have much of a choice in what you play. The instructor simply assigns you the instruments based on ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

Tags: Body Of Christ, Gifts General

Encouragement

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Mar 1, 2016

In August 1995, the church I pastored made the decision to do a major renovation on our thirty-five-year-old sanctuary. The first step was to put together a crew of people to do internal demolition. Around forty people showed up to take care of this task. Dust was everywhere as we ripped up ...read more

Tags: Encouragement, Encourage, Gifts Encouragement

Denomination: Baptist

Grace At Christmas

Contributed by Joel Arndt on Jan 9, 2020

Early on in my ministry, I was called to the home of one of the people in the congregation who said they had a Christmas gift for me. Shortly after getting out of my vehicle I heard shouting coming from the house that I was called to. I gently knocked on the door and the woman of the house opened ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23

Tags: Christmas, Grace, Forgiveness, Gift

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Christmas Misunderstanding

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 21, 2020

A little five year old girl took a sheet of brown construction paper and cut out the letter “E” with her safety scissors. She wrapped it and gave it to her dad for Christmas. When dad opened the present, he looked at it with a smile and asked, “what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:15

Tags: Christmas, Gifts, Misunderstanding, Oops

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Thanks Offering For His Plans For Us  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A Thanks Offering For His Plans for Us Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11-13, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Tags: God's Plan, God's Timing, God's Direction, Wisdom Of God, God's Sovereign Will  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Survey Of Hundreds Of Pastors Has Allowed Us To ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000

A survey of hundreds of pastors has allowed us to compile a preliminary list of measurable quality factors in the life of a congregation in ranking order. The twelve factors are: 1. Bible knowledge. Church members are increasing in their grasp of the teachings of the Bible. They can integrate ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ, Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

As Afflictions In Christ Abound And Are ...  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Dec 12, 2005

As afflictions in Christ abound and are prolonged, consolations abound and perseverance is given by Jesus as long as Christians go to Him as teacher for He invites them to be His students. (Matthew Henry Commentary) As Christians throw off the yoke of the flesh, the world and the lies of the ...read more

Tags: Aging

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Taste The Goodness Of The Lord

Contributed by David Simpson on Apr 17, 2018

We went out to eat the other night at Provinos and I ordered an Italian dish that was absolutely delicious, Cannelloni Genovese (pasta stuffed with ground veal, spinach, cheese, rosatella sauce and baked). It tasted so good that whenever I go back I’m ordering it again! There’s nothing like food ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3

Tags: Taste, The Goodness Of The Lord, Crave Spiritual Milk

Denomination: Christian Church

Do You Ever Feel Like You Are In Something Just ...  PRO

Contributed by Don Hawks on Mar 16, 2002

Do you ever feel like you are in something just over your head? That is precisely where God wants you. Something like this happens in the move, “The Legend of Baggar Vance.” Baggar shows up, almost like the voice of God, to help a young golfer, distressed by the events of his life, to find his ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ, Gifts General

Denomination: Methodist

Going Beyond Our Teachers  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 9, 2013

A well-known Bible teacher gives this insight: "Someone on our staff informed me several months ago that a woman had called the ministry office to find out what my 'official position' was on a biblically gray area. When she was told that it's not my policy to make 'official' public statements ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-23

Tags: Legalism, Opinion, Spiritual Growth, Debatable

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hunting Mice

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2014

HUNTING MICE It is amazing how we can focus on things that don’t matter and neglect the most important things in life. We need to learn how to choose our battles better. Leonard Ravenhill said it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:32-33

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Priorities, Little Things

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Mammon

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 2, 2014

The Blessed Life is a book written Robert Morris. He talks about a crucial weed that chokes out the truth of God, the teachings of God, the Word in our life – that weed or thorny vine is called mammon – greed – the love of money which supersedes the love of the Lord Jesus. It’s a real weed and it’s ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24

Tags: Money, Greed, Riches, Spiritual Attack

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Commitment

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Dave Hood tells the story of training to run a 5K run. Every time his wife and he would go running on their favorite trail, they’d walk a little faster, and with a little more gusto. One day, a half mile in and a young lady came at them sprinting towards them. They jumped out of the way so she ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Commitment, Spiritual Growth, Running The Race

Denomination: Methodist

Augmented Reality Device Guides The Blind

Contributed by Matt Neace on Jun 19, 2018

In World magazine, Michael Cochrane shares about a new technology called “augmented reality” (AR). Using this “augmented reality” a group of researchers from Cal Tech developed an app for Microsoft’s HoloLens. This app enables blind people to navigate through buildings. According to the MIT ...read more

Tags: Direction, Call, Discipleship, Spiritual Blindness

Denomination: Baptist

Yuri Gagarin Did Not See God.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 9, 2020

Do you know the name of Yuri Gagarin?? The year was 1961 and this Russian cosmonaut was the first human to travel into space. After circling the earth, the atheistic astronaut came back and declared that he looked outside his capsule and didn’t see God anywhere. To which Dr. W. A. Criswell ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Faith, Beatitudes, Atheism, Spiritual Vision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Satan's Three-Fold Attack

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 9, 2020

Satan tempts us in three separate ways according to I John 2:15-16: "The lust of the flesh is the desire to DO something apart from the will of God. The lust of the eyes is the desire to HAVE something apart from the will of God. The pride of life is the desire to BE something apart from ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, 1 John 2:15-16

Tags: Lust, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational