In Sermon Illustrations: "The Church Age"

Apples And The Things We Usually Miss

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 20, 2026

I brought something with me today. (Bring out the apples.) These are apples. Nothing fancy. Not miraculous. Not smuggled out of the Garden of Eden. Just apples. But here’s what I want you to notice. An apple is sweet. An apple is useful. An apple is good. But the apple is not the point. The point ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Tags: Faithfulness, The Church, Remain, Abide, Fruitfullness, Discipleship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

One Of The Most Touching Moment In The Sydney ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on May 29, 2001

One of the most touching moment in the Sydney Olympics was when Eric "The Swimmer" Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea swam in the 100-meter free style qualifying heat. The 22-year-old African had only learned to swim last January, had only practiced in a 20-meter pool without lane markers, and had ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1, Ephesians 4:24-29

Tags: Friendship New Friends, Church Small Groups, Church Body Of Christ, Spirit Led, Transformation, Renewal  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: United Methodist

[040] A Message From A Poem – Chaotic Times Are Meant To Be

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 1, 2025

[040] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHAOTIC TIMES ARE MEANT TO BE This world is in chaos and your understanding of that depends on your assessment in the scriptures. Right now in the United States there is a new presidency under Trump, and the sick state of American society is being revealed with ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-4, 2 Timothy 3:12-13

Tags: Last Days, Chaos, Leaven, Poetry, United States, President Trump, Evil  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[176]. A Message From A Poem – Lord, May I Share My Thoughts With You?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 26, 2025

[176]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LORD, MAY I SHARE MY THOUGHTS WITH YOU? This poem is exactly what it says; my thoughts that I share with God. There is so much I don’t understand and too many problems to solve, but I think we are not meant to do that. We just need simple, uncluttered faith in ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 37:28

Tags: Christian Poetry, Guide, Knowledge, Share, Desires, Thoughts  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[122]. A Message From A Poem – He Is Coming He Is Coming

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 8, 2025

[122]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HE IS COMING HE IS COMING Here is a poem that meant a lot to me. It is a source of joy to know the Lord is coming again. I am unashamedly a pre-Tribulationist and pre-Millennialist, BUT the poem is not featuring that. It is solely focussed on the Lord coming ...read more

Scripture: John 14:3, Titus 2:12-14

Tags: The Church, Jesus Is Coming, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, He Is Coming  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Greg Slayton Is The Ceo Of Clickaction.com. He ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Luthy on Oct 12, 2001

Greg Slayton is the CEO of ClickAction.com. He says, in the busy dot.com world in which he now succeeds, he is exhausted by the frantic pace. This is how he describes where it has left him in relationship with others: "The sense of isolation is a curse. It is ...read more

Tags: Friendship New Friends, Church Small Groups, Disappointment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Is A Story Of A Young Hippie Who Gave His ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian La Croix on Oct 16, 2001

There is a story of a young hippie who gave his life to Christ during the Jesus Movement of the late sixties and early seventies. One Sunday he went to a church, not knowing it was one of the more “upper class” churches in the area. He was late to the service, and the pastor was about to begin ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-4

Tags: Jesus' Ministry, Christian Love, Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Wesleyan

When It Comes To Community Ministry, We Finally ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Nov 3, 2001

When it comes to community ministry, we finally put our program where our mouth is. Instead of expecting the community to come to church, we ...read more

Tags: Sharing My Testimony, Church Purpose Of, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Church Of God

The Pastor Stood Before The Congregation And Said ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 9, 2001

The pastor stood before the congregation and said "I have bad news, I have good news, and I have more bad news." The congregation got quiet. "The bad news is: the church needs a new roof!" the pastor said. The congregation groaned. "The good news is: we have enough money for the new roof." A ...read more

Tags: Giving General, Alive, Church Practices, Rededication, Renewal  (view more)  (view less)

Sunday Morning August 31 1997 We Awoke To The ...  PRO

Contributed by David Whitten on Nov 29, 2001

Sunday Morning August 31 1997 we awoke to the news that seemed to rock the world. It was the of a Princess. Millions watched as news reporters described in great detail the events that caused the of Princess Diana. Up dates told every late breaking tid bit of information. The world sat hungrily ...read more

Tags: Sharing My Testimony, Great Commission, Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Animals Can Do Some Pretty Amazing Things  PRO

Contributed by Ray Navarro on Dec 7, 2001

Animals can do some pretty amazing things. For example, what happened one day in the state of Maryland. Believe it or not, this is a true story. The Atlantic Ocean converts into many rivers and streams that paint the state of Maryland much like a leaf of a palm tree that extends in many ...read more

Tags: Friendship New Friends, Compassion, Church Small Groups

Denomination: Adventist

Samuel Colgate, The Founder Of The Colgate ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

Samuel Colgate, the founder of the Colgate business empire, was a devout Christian, and he told of an incident that took place in the church he attended. During an evangelistic service, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon for all those who wished to turn their lives over to Christ ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness, Forgiveness In Jesus, Church Body Of Christ

Outside Of A Dog, A Book Is A Man's Best Friend. ...  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 16, 2001

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside a dog it is too dark to read. ...read more

Tags: Church Small Groups, Compassion, Friendship New Friends

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God Gave Me A Gift  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 19, 2001

“God gave me a gift, not for me but for you, and God gave you a gift, not for you but for me. If you don’t use your gift, you’re depriving me; if ...read more

Tags: Gifts General, Giving General, Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

H.b. London, Jr. And Neil B. Wiseman, In Their ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2002

H.B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman, in their book Pastors at Risk, present some statistics on risk factors related to ministers today. Some of these statistics are as follows: Ninety percent of pastors work more than forty-six hours a week. Eighty percent believed that pastoral ministry ...read more

Tags: Gifts General, Church Body Of Christ, Leadership General

Make Yourself At Home  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Rogers on Feb 20, 2002

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME Becky Pippert, is a Christian author from Naperville, Illinois. While doing campus ministry she met a student named Bill on a college campus in Portland, Oregon. Bill was brilliant, and always looked like he was pondering something deep. He had messy hair, and the entire ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ, Christian Love, Promises Of God

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

During Wwii, When Italy Invaded Ethiopia, All ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Apr 17, 2002

During WWII, when Italy invaded Ethiopia, all Protestant missionaries were forced to leave the country. In one district there was a church of about 70. Some 5 years later when the missionaries returned, they found 60,000 Christians ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers, Church Purpose Of, God's Omnipotence

Denomination: Wesleyan

For Everyone—communion Meditation  PRO

Contributed by Troy Mason on Aug 23, 2002

FOR EVERYONE-COMMUNION MEDITATION James W. Moore of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston tells a story about one of his minister friends. His name is Tom and he does a fascinating thing each month. Even though he has an extremely busy schedule he still makes the time each month to go down ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, Luke 22:19

Tags: Lord's Supper, Reverence, Worth, Communion, Church Practices  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Bishop Lindsey's Story  PRO

Contributed by Sheila Crowe on Sep 26, 2002

Bishop Lindsey’s Story I recently had the opportunity to hear our Bishop, Lindsey Davis, speak. He is an avid golfer, so much so in fact that when we went to Augusta for the North Ga Conference meeting they gave him a green jacket – I’m not sure why – I’m kidding I do know the significance of a ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of, Sharing Your Faith, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: United Methodist

I Remember An Old "Dragnet” ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Oct 6, 2002

I remember an old “Dragnet” television episode back in the mid ‘60s, when the arguments about the dangers or relative safeties of marijuana use were in full bloom. The main character, Sgt Joe Friday, was expounding to a young suspect the harmful effects and results of heroine sale and use, and how ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Church Body Of Christ, Apologetics General

Denomination: Orthodox