In Sermon Illustrations: "Spiritual Growth"

Teen Eye View Between 1990 And 2000, The Number ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 3, 2006

Teen Eye View Between 1990 and 2000, the number of teens aged 12 to 19 soared to 32 million, an increase of nearly 4.5 million. Mediamark Research reports this 17% growth rate far outpaced the rest of the population. They’re also wielding increasing influence on household purchases. In ‘03, 47% of ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

The Harry Wilson Story

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Jun 2, 2009

THE HARRY WILSON STORY When I came to faith in Jesus in 1985 the vicar at the church was another Wilson, Harry Wilson, not Harold Wilson! He told us his story of believing in Jesus, being selected for ordination training and heading off to college. Whilst at Bible College he realised that he was ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Anglican

Among Americans 45 Or Older Who Describe ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Among Americans 45 or older who describe themselves as somewhat religious, 20% say prayer is the best way to find spiritual or religious satisfaction, according to USA Today. Other pleasing spiritual experiences include living a moral life and helping others, both at 19%. And 13% view being with ...read more

Tags: Prayer Adoration

Preaching That Kills

Contributed by John Akosile on Jun 1, 2009

PREACHING THAT KILLS The preaching that kills is non-spiritual preaching. The ability of the preaching is not from God. Lower sources than God have given to it energy and stimulant. The Spirit is not evident in the preacher nor his preaching. Many kinds of forces may be projected and stimulated by ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Pentecostal

In His Book, The Safest Place On Earth, Dr Larry ...

Contributed by Steve Greene on Nov 11, 2007

In his book, The Safest Place on Earth, Dr Larry Crabb states that, “The difference between the spiritual and unspiritual community is not whether conflict exists, but is rather in our attitude toward it and our approach to handling it. When conflict is seen as an opportunity to draw more fully on ...read more

Denomination: Nazarene

Spell-Check

Contributed by Charles Wallis on Feb 19, 2009

SPELL-CHECK A student was reading an article by a seminary professor. As he read, he did not notice any mistakes. Later, the student copied the article into Word and several misspellings and errors showed up. In the same way, we can think we are living well and doing good spiritually, even ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:5-10

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Pentecostal

Pastoral Search Committee Of The First Lukewarm ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 30, 2012

PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE OF THE FIRST LUKEWARM CHURCH I was recently contacted by a pulpit committee that was interested in my ministry. I met with Chairman of the Disenchanted, Bro Tepid. He described his church; First Lukewarm Church of the Apathetic. “Nothing too boring, nothing too exciting. ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-22

Tags: Lukewarm

God's Will Prevails

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Dec 15, 2008

God's Will Prevails David Aikman, formerly of Time magazine, in 2002 spent three months researching the state of Christianity in China. He tells an incredible story. The Chinese church after fifty years of persecution and repression is thriving. When the Communists took control of China five ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Baptist

Scarecrow?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 17, 2025

I had a dream. In the dream I saw some huge power lines. There were thousands of birds sitting on the power lines. Some of the birds were falling off the power lines. The birds were weak. Actually I could see some fell to their death due to starvation. The picture opened wider and I could ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7, Genesis 3:8

Tags: Fear, Worry

Denomination: Assembly Of God

For All Of Its Foibles—-Lousy Preaching, ...

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Jan 27, 2010

"For all of its foibles—-lousy preaching, political infighting, self-centered focus, stagnation, a gaggle of special interest groups—-the pokey local church...is still the most fertile environment for spiritual development. In fact, there can be no genuine spiritual progress without a long-term ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Dr. James Engel Gives Some Prophetic Advice On ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 22, 2009

Dr. James Engel gives some prophetic advice on building bridges from one generation to the next - the following insights are from the website (www.ChristianLeadershipAlliance.org): i. Don’t oppose this new generation! Don’t oppose each other’s generation. 1. They are not the enemy they are God’s ...read more

Tags: Stewardship, Future Generations

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Barna Notes That Between The Two Parents Mother's ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 14, 2007

Barna notes that between the two parents mother’s and father’s the mom is doing a better job of teaching their kids about the spiritual dimension of life -- Barna survery: a. Mom versus Dad: Men may enjoy advantages in physical strength, but they are much less likely than women to exercise their ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Beltway Of Grief And Guilt

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 31, 2009

THE BELTWAY OF GRIEF AND GUILT Just a few days ago we celebrated, if that’s the right word, the thirtieth anniversary of something we all love to hate. Imagine observing the anniversary of something that has cost us dearly in dollars and also in blood and tears. Something we cannot live without, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4

Tags: Guilt

Megachurch Facts: According To John Vaughn, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Megachurch Facts: According to John Vaughn, Church Growth Today, There are now more than 1000 mega-churches (attendance of 2000 or more) in the U.S. vs. just 10 in ’70. Other 2005 megachurch firsts are: A church passed the 30,000 weekly attendance mark (Lakewood Church, Houston, TX). Overall ...read more

Tags: Church General

Boomer Boom- 78 Million Baby Boomers Will Turn 50 ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007

Boomer Boom- 78 million baby boomers will turn 50 over the next 10 years, increasing the size of the 50+ demo from 89.3 million in ‘06 to 111.3 million in ‘16, a 25% increase. In contrast, the 18-49 demo, while still larger overall, will see a mere 1% increase in size from 135.1 million in ‘06 to ...read more

Tags: Workplace

Giving Tithes And Offering To Your Local Church

Contributed by Rev. Vinod Rasaily on Oct 19, 2016

Believers must understand that Church is the backbone of mission and therefore must be faithful in bringing their tithes and offering to their local Church. Some Church goers who live outside of their home town would not commit themselves to support the Church which they are attending, instead they ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11

Tags: Tithes And Offering, Christian Giving, Giving To God

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Need Of A Clarion ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

THE NEED OF A CLARION VOICE Sanders wrote in his epic book Spiritual leadership, "The church has always prospered most when it has been blessed with strong and spiritual leaders who expected and experienced the touch of God in their service. The lack of such men is a symptom of the malaise that ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 85:6

Tags: Revival

All Education Should Be Directed Toward The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

All education should be directed toward the development of character. Sound character cannot be achieved if spiritual development is neglected. I do not like to think of ...read more

Tags: Culture

More Millionaires: There Were An Estimated 7.7 ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

More Millionaires: There were an estimated 7.7 million millionaires in the world at the end of ‘03, 500,000 more than at the end of ‘02, as stock markets and economic growth picked up and the rich took more risks with their cash. These wealthy individuals saw their riches increase 7.7% to $28.8 ...read more

Tags: Money

Friends: Facebook

Contributed by Mark Pierce on May 25, 2010

FRIENDS: FACEBOOK Facebook story: 175 million users of Facebook. (Stat correct in 3/2009, as of 5/2010 more like 500 million...) If it were a nation would be the 6th most populous nation. Used to be for college kids, but no more. Greatest growth (24.1 million) age 35 ¡V 49. Facebook has added ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational