Sermon Central
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Ignite The Church
Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Feb 17, 2011 (message contributor)
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1. Christ And His Church
Contributed on Feb 17, 2011
The challenge for the church is not what we do when we call our Sunday morning huddle, but what we do when we break our huddle ... When Satan lines up against us, what difference does it make that we are Christians?
Opening illustration: The job of the church is not to impact the church, but to impact the world. It’s like a huddle in a football game. 67,000 people don’t pay $25.00 a ticket to watch the Titans huddle. What if you went to a Titans game and for 2½ hours you watched 11 men stand in a circle and ...read more
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2. Binitarian Or Triune God
Contributed on Feb 22, 2011
Is the church (body of Christ) ‘binitarian’ OR ‘Trinitarian?’ Many believe in the Father or Jesus Christ and just pay lip-service to the Holy Spirit.
Opening illustration: St. Augustine - so the story goes - was struggling to understand the doctrine of the Trinity. So he decided to go for a walk on the beach, where he saw a little boy digging a hole in the sand with a seashell. The boy then ran off to the ocean, filling the shell, and rushed ...read more
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3. The Need For Discernment
Contributed on Mar 2, 2011
After sin, the second biggest issue that most people in the body of Christ face is right discernment. Discernment is the ability to examine the situation, apply a good dose of experience, stand back and get a perspective on the recipe, and take the approp
Opening illustration: I read this past week of a couple (let’s call them Carl and Clara) whose twenty-five year marriage was a good one. Not the most idyllic, but good. They now had three grown children who loved them dearly. They were also blessed with sufficient financial security to allow them ...read more
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4. The Spirit-Empowered Messiah
Contributed on Mar 8, 2011
Jesus had no sin or impure motives that gave Satan legal access to His life. Satan could find nothing in Jesus - not even one square inch of territory - to which he could lay claim and thus gain access to Jesus’ heart. This is the reason why there was pro
Opening illustration: You might not see the literal ‘Red Sea’ miracle in today’s context but will surely see one parallel to it. The issue is, as the Israelites waited before the ‘Red Sea,’ they didn’t contemplate or pursue to build a bridge across it. They waited on God for His Salvation. ...read more
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5. Works Of ’the Holy Spirit’
Contributed on Mar 15, 2011
"If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody
Opening illustration: In many Christian circles the Holy Spirit is neglected, forgotten, or misunderstood. The One given to unite the body of Christ is the center of controversy … So often Christian work is so rigidly programmed that it seems we need no longer depend on Him - yet Jesus said, ...read more
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6. Totally Immersed
Contributed on Mar 21, 2011
"If you have the Word without the Spirit, you’ll dry up. If you have the Spirit without the Word, you’ll blow up. If you have both the Word and the Spirit, you’ll grow up." (Derek Prince)
Opening illustration: Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, "How can I get the air out of this glass?" One man shouted, "Suck it out with a pump!" Moody replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass." After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked ...read more
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7. Empowered By ’the Holy Spirit’
Contributed on Mar 29, 2011
Among Christians there is also a genuine diversity of experience of the Holy Spirit’s empowering work. Some Christians have a clear initiatory experience of the power of the Holy Spirit that launches them into effective empowered ministry. Others have mor
Opening illustration: A few believers say, "Draw me," but resist running with the Lord as a partner with Him in His work in the earth. The Holy Spirit does not draw us so we can hang up a "Do Not Disturb" sign and sit in our little comfort zone, only singing love songs to Jesus the rest of our ...read more
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8. Receiving The Infilling Of The Holy Spirit
Contributed on Apr 1, 2011
The reason why many in the body of Christ are complacent and don’t pursue to seek to receive the Holy Spirit knowing that He is going to shake them up and even rattle them so hard ... they miss out on the unbelievable empowerment and joy of the Lord.
Opening illustration: The story is told of an elderly woman named Norena, who lived in southern Florida. When a hurricane hit that area, her home was one of many that was severely damaged. Norena received an insurance settlement, and the repair work began. However, when the money ran out, so did ...read more