In Sermon Illustrations: "Witnessing"

26 Christians Were Executed At Nizhizaka Hill In ...

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 26, 2004

26 Christians were executed at Nizhizaka Hill in Nagasaki, Japan on 15 February 1597. Amongst them was a young seventeen year old boy, Thomas Kosaki, who was to die for his Christian witness along with his father. He wrote a letter to his mother the evening before his crucifixion. Let me read ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Truth, Truth Absolute

Denomination: Anglican

Church Raided, Literature Confiscated In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Church raided, literature confiscated in Uzbekistan posted March 5, 2007 The Voice of the Martyrs has received photographs of police officers interrogating believers in and around a church in Qarshi (“Karshy”), Uzbekistan. According to VOM sources police burst into the service on February 25, ...read more

Tags: Faith

Someone Shared With Me A Story This Week Of A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Someone shared with me a story this week of a young boy who witnessed a Baptism at his local Baptist Church. And he heard how the minister described it made that person part of the family of God. This got the young boy to thinking and so the next morning he decided to baptize the family cats. He ...read more

Tags: Peace

There Are Many Traditions We Observe For Which We ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 14, 2008

There are many traditions we observe for which we have no reason or explanation. E.g., a person who spills salt will take a pinch of it and throw it over his left shoulder. I Googled it. Superstitions about salt date back to biblical times when salt was a highly prized commodity. It was ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

Take Up Your Cross

Contributed by John Tung on Feb 12, 2009

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS Christiana Tsai was a Christian woman who developed an eye disease that made it impossible for her to see light directly and was virtually blind. She had to wear very dark glasses. Yet, she did not withdraw into her own room and say how tough she has it. No, she used her ...read more

Tags: Cross

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Chicago - A 15-Year-Old Boy Who Lay Bleeding From ...

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Feb 26, 2009

CHICAGO - A 15-year-old boy who lay bleeding from a head wound just steps away from a hospital could not be rescued -- because rules required that ambulances bring in patients. Frustrated police officers finally carried the fatally wounded Christopher Sercye into Ravenswood Hospital, but he died a ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Denomination: Wesleyan

Power Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2009

POWER OF PRAYER There was a young Christian lady from Boston who left work and went to the parking garage to get in her car and go to church one Wednesday evening, and when she stepped into the elevator a man grabbed her and began to try to rape her. She yelled out: "In the name of Jesus, stop it, ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Carry Their Burden  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 17, 2011

CARRY THEIR BURDEN A pastor gathered a group of people from his church to train them to witness. After some minimal training, he sent the group out into the neighborhood. When they returned to share their experiences, one young man said he had tried to tell an older gentleman about the love of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Evangelism How To

They Sent Me Here To Finish

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 5, 2011

THEY SENT ME HERE TO FINISH During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, the last runner to finish the marathon was an athlete from Tanzania. He'd had a difficult race, to say the least: he's stumbled at one point and ended up bruised, bloodied--and with a broken leg! But he didn't quit. Even ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Married People Need Friends

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Sep 26, 2011

MARRIED PEOPLE NEED FRIENDS The University of Chicago conducted a study where they found that couples that stayed together through adversity had friends who wanted them to stay together and who had a low opinion of divorce. By contrast, married people who spend time with divorced and bitter people ...read more

Tags: Marriage Struggle

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Baptizing A Drunk  PRO

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Oct 12, 2005

BAPTIZING A DRUNK A man was stumbling through the woods, totally drunk, when he came upon a preacher baptizing people in the river. He proceeded to walk into the water and bumped into the preacher. The preacher turned around and, though almost overcome by the smell of alcohol, asked the drunk, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Peace, Peanut Butter, People, Others, Lose, Loser, Love, Knowledge, Love Heart, Mistakes, Kids, Shortcut, Prayer, Storm, Time Is At Hand, Transformation, Trial, Tribulation, Succeed, Success, Successful, Witness, Finding God, Baptism, Accept Jesus, Children, Child  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Wesleyan

Trampling Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 6, 2001

TRAMPLING DEATH The early Christians understood that death had been conquered by the resurrection of Christ; this theme recurs repeatedly in their writings. Again and again one is struck with the note of victory in the attitude of the martyrs as they faced death. St. Athanasius wrote of this ...read more

A Candy Maker In Indiana Wanted To Make A Candy ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2006

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white hard candy: white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless ...read more

Tags: Christmas

A Few Years Ago In A News Letter, I Read The ...  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Jul 20, 2001

A few years ago in a news letter, I read the following testimony that really touched me about a young man in Japan 400 years ago who was martyred for his faith: 26 Christians were executed at Nizhizaka Hill in Nagasaki, Japan on 15 February 1597. Amongst them was a young seventeen year old boy, ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness, Endurance, Heaven

Denomination: Anglican

Max Lucado In His Book, The Applause Of Heaven, ...  PRO

Contributed by John Kah on Dec 6, 2001

Max Lucado in his book, The Applause of Heaven, puts it like this: "A small cathedral outside Bethlehem marks the supposed birthplace of Jesus. Behind a high altar in the church is a cave, a little cavern lit by sliver lamps. You can enter the main edifice and admire the ancient church. You can ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas, Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Lutheran

The Horrid Description  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 20, 2002

THE HORRID DESCRIPTION Jesus was tied to a post and beaten at least thirty-nine times – and probably more – with a whip that had jagged bones and balls of lead woven into it. Again and again the whip was brought down with full force on his bare shoulders, back, and legs … At first the heavy ...read more

Strong Emotions

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 16, 2005

There is nothing wrong with strong emotions; even those that center squarely upon ourselves. Witness the story of missionary Adoniram Judson. He sweated out Burma’s heat for 18 years without a furlough, six years without a convert. Enduring torture and imprisonment, he admitted that he never saw a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:38

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Lutheran

Fr James Keller, The Founder Of The Christophers ...

Contributed by Sajeev Painunkal, Sj on Apr 9, 2006

Fr James Keller, the founder of the Christophers Movement, narrates an incident he witnessed when he was a chaplain in the US army. He went to bury a soldier who died while trying to save a companion. After the funeral was over and everybody departed, the man who was saved by the dead soldier ...read more

Tags: Cross Agony

Denomination: Catholic

I Have Found So Often In Testimony During ...

Contributed by Bruce Landry on Jan 22, 2007

I have found so often in testimony during ministry that those who truly find their inner strength in Christ do so in unnerving weakness. This weakness is seen in illness, in sadness and sometimes when they feel vulnerable and alone. Yet, I God’s might strength is seen in their response to what ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

We Live In A World That Is Looking For Peace. ...

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Mar 13, 2007

We live in a world that is looking for peace. Most of us are more familiar with tension, stress and anxiety than peace. Lack of peace is the result of our complex, accelerated and stressed-out world. If you can complete these sentences with the appropriate word, you need to learn what resources ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal