In Sermon Illustrations: "What Is Evangelism"

Balloons

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on May 15, 2011

BALLOONS One Sunday afternoon in late February, my family and I went out to brunch after the morning’s worship services. Upon leaving, my girls asked the hosts if they could have a balloon. Certainly they said – what color? So, my two youngest were each given a balloon, a huge ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: Lutheran

Eyes Of A Doctor, Eyes Of A Judge

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 19, 2011

EYES OF A DOCTOR, EYES OF A JUDGE Let's suppose that on your way to work each morning, you usually stop at a Starbucks. You tend to get to the store at the same time each morning, and you usually see a young girl who gets there about the same time you do. On many mornings you find yourselves ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Soul Surfer: Fulfill God's Destiny

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 19, 2011

* SOUL SURFER: FULFILL GOD'S DESTINY Soul Surfer is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton. Bethany lost her left arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. Bethany ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Wrestler Who Never Gave Up

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2011

THE WRESTLER WHO NEVER GAVE UP Caleb teaches us to never give up on God or His promises. One of my favorite stories is about a scrawny kid from West Texas who attended a small high school. They didn't have a wrestling program, but he read a book on wrestling and asked one of the assistant ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 14:6-15

Tags: Endurance

Daughter Of A Jew-Catcher

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2011

DAUGHTER OF A JEW-CATCHER I recently read an article by a minister who had been invited to preach to a church Congregation in Holland. His visit coincided with the Dutch Day of Remembrance, held each year on the anniversary of Holland’s liberation from the Nazis. His talk was preceded by several ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:28-33

Tags: Father's Day

Just Wanted To Tell You I Love You  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2011

JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU Paul Powell tells the story of a well-known preacher from years ago. His name was Carter Jones. Carter had a small room in the attic of his home that he used as a place of prayer. When he was especially burdened, he would make his way up the winding staircase to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:29-31

Tags: Love For God

Christian Conviction: Roger Williams

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 30, 2011

CHRISTIAN CONVICTION: ROGER WILLIAMS Roger Williams was a graduate of Cambridge University, where in order to receive his degree he was forced to sign articles declaring that the king was by right the head of the English Church, that worship according to the Book of Common Prayer and church ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-7

Tags: Christian Witness

Inoculations From The Great Physician

Contributed by Sam Higgs on Sep 27, 2011

INOCULATIONS FROM THE GREAT PHYSICIAN The summer of 1980 was a very different summer for many of us. Most had just graduated High School and were away from home for the first time. Up till this time we had chosen our own clothing and color schemes, but that was a distant memory to us now. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

Tags: War

Denomination: Baptist

Napoleon On Christ

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Nov 18, 2011

NAPOLEON ON CHRIST Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon I of France (1769-1821), was one of the greatest military commanders of all time. He conquered the larger part of Europe and did much to modernize the nations he ruled. What did Napoleon say about Jesus? "I know men and I tell you that ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Anglican

Our "In Jesus" Voice

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Nov 28, 2011

OUR "IN JESUS" VOICE I'm always intrigued by the phrase some parents and care-givers use with children: "Now children, we need to use our 'indoor' voices." What Ephesians 4 is saying is that when in the church (not the building) we need to use our "in Jesus" voices. Those voices need to lift up, ...read more

Tags: Encouragement

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The "Regard For Others" Ethic

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Jan 24, 2012

THE "REGARD FOR OTHERS" ETHIC John Sommerville currently teaches history at the University of Florida. He has been carrying out an exercise with his students for years. He challenges his students with the following thought experiment. Imagine that you see a little old lady coming down the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Neighbor

Denomination: Baptist

Painlessness Is Your Enemy

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 31, 2012

PAINLESSNESS IS YOUR ENEMY Dr Paul Brand was born in India to missionary parents and spent most of his life caring for people who couldn’t feel pain - people with leprosy. He spent much of life studying pain. At one point he was given a grant to develop a system of warning that would protect ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

Staying The Course

Contributed by Ken Pell on Feb 12, 2012

STAYING THE COURSE The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Nazarene

At The University Of Southern California The List ...

Contributed by Ricki Lee Brooks on Feb 18, 2012

At the University of Southern California the list of great running backs for the Trojan football team is legendary: John Arnett, Frank Gifford, Mike Garret, OJ Simpson, Anthony Davis, Ricky Bell, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Sam Cunningham, LenDale White, Reggie Bush. No other college comes close ...read more

Tags: Attitude General

Stop Expecting Life To Be Perfect

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

STOP EXPECTING LIFE TO BE PERFECT Donald Miller has written a book called, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." It's about the journey Don went on when a couple of filmmakers decided to make a movie about his life, based on his book Blue Like Jazz. Now during the process of writing a screenplay ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Methodist

Follow Instructions: Rafting The Rio Grande

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2012

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS: RAFTING THE RIO GRANDE A few years ago, my family climbed aboard a rubber raft for a ride down the rapids of the Rio Grand River. We had never been on such an adventure, but all of us were experienced swimmers, and the river seemed to be fairly shallow. It seemed to be a ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27

Tags: Obedience

If ...

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 1, 2012

IF ONLY There was a great Scotch writer and historian in the nineteenth century named Thomas Carlyle. He married a woman, who’d worked as his secretary named Jane Welsh. But Carlyle was dedicated to his writing so he didn’t spend much time with her. He just mostly wrote. At one point she became ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-17

Tags: Death, Remorse, Parable Ten Virgins, Regret

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Compassion For An Old Man

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 14, 2012

COMPASSION FOR AN OLD MAN It was a bitterly cold evening in Northern Virginia many years ago. The old man's beard was glazed by winter's frost as he waited for a ride across the river. He heard a brigade of men on horses coming around the bend. He let the first one pass him without any effort to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40, Luke 7:11-17

Tags: Compassion

Dad Was Dying Of Something Similar To ...

Contributed by C. Scott Ghan on Aug 27, 2012

ILL. Dad was dying of something similar to Alzheimer’s. He was very violent, dangerous and in a great deal of trouble in his home town where he had been Fire Chief. The County didn't want to, but left with no other option committed him to a lock-down unit where he would remain for the rest of his ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Being A Blessing

Contributed by Rick Pendleton on Jan 25, 2013

BEING A BLESSING Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me. There were 8 children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell ...read more

Tags: Blessing

Denomination: Baptist