In Sermon Illustrations: "Stretched Out Hand"

Old-School Church Discipline

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

OLD-SCHOOL CHURCH DISCIPLINE The Amish practice shunning – ignoring, turning away from, avoiding. When a person is disciplined by the community, relationships are severed between parents and children, or brother and sister, or even husbands and wives. Because the Amish are so isolated from those ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:15-17

Tags: Church Discipline

Internal ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

Internal Audit My wife Tina is an internal auditor for T. Marzetti. When she walks into a plant to do an audit she can tell a lot about that plant by what she sees. If she finds that the financials, employment records, inventory, and quality control aspects of the plant are good it is an indication ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:33-37

Tags: Tongue, Guarding Your Heart

The Importance Of The Fence

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 22, 2010

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FENCE Pleasure, delight, sweets, is not the way Christianity is usually described. It is described by some as a restrictive life. Let’s think of it as a group of children who are playing on top of a monadnock (Pilot Mountain) and around the point where the rock drops off ...read more

Tags: Commandments General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Newspaper Misprints

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 27, 2010

NEWSPAPER MISPRINTS It does not take a lot to cause misunderstandings. Just listen to these misprints from local newspapers. From the Chichester Evening News: "Miss Hampshire ... is friendly, likeable, and easy to talk to. She has a fine, fair skin, which she admits ruefully comes out in freckles ...read more

Tags: Mistakes

Denomination: Brethren

Shooting At The Saints

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 27, 2010

SHOOTING AT THE SAINTS It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps was the commander of the British fleet. He was given orders to anchor outside Quebec. His orders were to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they ...read more

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Brethren

A Special Visitor

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 29, 2010

A SPECIAL VISITOR This past Tuesday, it was difficult to drive in and out of our church parking lot because of a barrage of traffic down Webster Street. Where did this traffic come from? Downtown was blocked off because President Obama and Vice-President Biden were speaking at a closed meeting a ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Second Coming In The Bible

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 30, 2010

THE SECOND COMING IN THE BIBLE Biblical prophecy provides some of the greatest encouragement and hope available to us today. Just as the Old Testament is saturated with prophecies concerning Christ’s first advent, so both testaments are filled with references to the second coming of Christ. One ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Brethren

No Dummies Allowed  PRO

Contributed by T D on Dec 28, 2010

NO DUMMIES ALLOWED Why couldn’t Jesus be more specific? Why couldn’t he just define things in a 30-second commercial or make it easier to understand? I saw in the bookstore the other day one of those yellow books which said “Computers for Dummies.” They had a whole series of them- cooking for ...read more

Scripture: John 5:1-5

Tags: Bible Study

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Recovery Is Connection

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 3, 2011

RECOVERY IS CONNECTION Henry Cloud in How People Grow writes, "Virtually every emotional and psychological problem, from addictions to depression, has alienation or emotional isolation at its core or close to it. Recovery from these problems involves helping people get more connected to each other ...read more

Tags: Church Small Groups

Denomination: Baptist

What Did She Say?

Contributed by Fr Mund Cargill Thompson on Jan 15, 2011

WHAT DID SHE SAY? There were once two men, Pete and Joe out sailing in a boat. A fierce storm blew up. Torrents of rain splashed down. The waves were rocking them. They desperately the rigging this way and that trying to keep the boat upright. "It's at times like this" shouted Pete above ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Denomination: Anglican

Evangelism: Making Disciples

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2011

EVANGELISM: MAKING DISCIPLES If you walk out into the parking lot this evening and someone says to you, "How do I get to Atlanta?" You say, "Well, get in your car." Well, that’s good advice. That’s the start of it. But you also need to say, "Start your car and head south and a little bit east ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-32

Tags: Evangelism How To

Only One Opinion Counts

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2011

ONLY ONE OPINION COUNTS An umpire named Babe Pinelli once called Babe Ruth out on strikes. When the crowd booed with disapproval, the legendary Ruth turned to the umpire and said, "How could you call that a strike? There are 40,000 people here who are of the opinion that the last pitch was a ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 16:7

Tags: God's Judgment

Who Is John Three-Sixteen?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 4, 2011

WHO IS JOHN THREE-SIXTEEN? A few years ago the principal of the English Mission College at Cairo, Egypt, received a letter from a Japanese Buddhist of the city whose children were attending his school. "Who is John three sixteen? My children are always talking about him?" The principal sent a ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12-30

Tags: Jesus Christ

The Lack Of Evangelism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

THE LACK OF EVANGELISM (Evangelism Statistics from Michael Parrot, Acts Evangelism, Spokane, WA, 1993, pp. 9-11.) • Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ. • Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ. • Less than two percent are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Are You Forgetful?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2011

ARE YOU FORGETFUL? I was relieved recently to find out that I'm not the only one who forgets things. According to researcher Karen Bolla, everyone does at one time or another. These are the six things people most often forget: • (6). faces 42% • (5). what was said 49% • (4). words 53% • (3). ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 3:19-24

Tags: Memories

If You Obey

Contributed by Dr. Nicholas M. Muteti on Jun 15, 2011

IF YOU OBEY Nearly thirty years ago, I was a middle school teacher in Kenya. One day I took 20 students, and I told them: "I will do my best to teach you and train you. If you obey me, you will be the best students of this school." They were excited. In a short time, I realized that only some ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Denomination: Baptist

Achieving Virtue

Contributed by Michael Walther on Jul 4, 2011

ACHIEVING VIRTUE The word "virtue" is taken from the Latin word virtus and actually means "strength" or "manliness." So you see that the real strength of this life is found by successfully winning the inner war of faith. It is because of weakness that we are ruled by passions and controlled by ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Lutheran

Lights For Our Path

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jul 10, 2011

LIGHTS FOR OUR PATH A couple of years ago, I went outside after dark to look at the stars in ways we couldn’t while back in Minnesota. I stepped from the porch, with the lights of course, and then I tripped on the water-hose. Down I went, taking my wife and daughter with me. Truth be known — ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Lutheran

Is That All?  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Jul 14, 2011

IS THAT ALL? Listen to the words of Francis Chan: "You go to a building, someone gives you a bulletin, you sit in a chair, you sing a few songs, a guy delivers maybe a polished message, maybe not, someone sings a solo, you go home. "Though Christians believe in an almighty and all powerful God ...read more

Tags: Zeal

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

So Much For Paradise

Contributed by Brad Henry on Jul 26, 2011

SO MUCH FOR PARADISE Have you ever received a beautiful brochure of a vacation spot and it never felt that way when you go there? Years ago I went on a business trip to the Bahamas and the hotel and surrounding area looked beautiful. The first evening in the hotel as I was drifting off to sleep I ...read more

Tags: Temptation Resisting