Sermon Central
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Thy Kingdom Come
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 31, 2017 (message contributor)
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1. The Seed Of Promise
Contributed on Dec 31, 2017
Jesus came to do 2 things: save the lost and build His church. But how was He going to build His church and what tool did He give us to use to help Him do that?
There’s a true story about a young boy named “Greggy” who was playing on beach. He spent long hours working on intricate sand castles; whole cities would appear beneath his hands. But then one day, some bullies came along and the kicked and smashed them all. And they did this day after day after ...read more
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2. The First Fruits
Contributed on Jan 7, 2018
Pentecost was a dramatic display of God's power and Spirit. Why did Jesus pick Pentecost to begin His church and what can that mean to us?
OPEN: In the land of Norway there is a valley. This valley is long and narrow with mountainous peaks that tower 1000s of feet into the air, and nestled deep inside that valley is a little town whose name I’m not sure I can pronounce. This village has existed for over 100 years and it is a beautiful ...read more
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3. What Do You Have?
Contributed on Jan 14, 2018
Peter said to the lame man "such as I have give I thee". What did he have to offer that made the difference that day, and what do WE have that can make the difference today?
Years ago, I learned this cute little camp song. If you know it, sing along with me. “Peter and John went to pray – they met a lame man on the way He held out his palm and asked for an alm – and this is what Peter did say 'Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee In the ...read more
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4. Tell Your Story
Contributed on Feb 19, 2018
In today's world, a well told story will be heard regardless of the content. Luke tells Paul's conversion story, giving us a framework in which to share ours. Consider these thoughts from Scott Jewell, our Family Minister.
Read Acts 9:1-31. Pray. What is the most memorable sermon illustration you’ve ever heard? I’m pretty confident that the first thing that came to mind was a story. I’ll take it one step further- I’ll bet it was a personal story the preacher told on himself. If I’m wrong, you can collect an ...read more
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5. The Most Overlooked Key To Church Growth
Contributed on Feb 11, 2018
Acts 6 tells us that after the church met the needs of its widows, the "disciples multiplied greatly". What caused this dramatic explosion of growth and what can we learn from that?
Back in the 17th Century, there was a German preacher named August Francke. He had seen the homeless children in his city and was so moved by their living conditions that he decided to found an orphanage for them. But as is often the case with such ministries, money was always tight, and he ...read more
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6. Blessed Subtractions
Contributed on Jan 28, 2018
When Ananias and Sapphira lied about their contribution and were punished by God - the church grew. Why?
OPEN: I always loved Church camp. And I especially loved the camp songs. I’m going to sing one of them today, and if you know the song – sing along: "Ananias and Sapphira got together to conspire a plot - to cheat - the church and get ahead, They knew God's power – but did not fear it, tried ...read more
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7. You Can Go To Hell
Contributed on Jan 21, 2018
Jesus said He would build His church. What we read in Acts 4 is how He intended to do it. What do we read there that helps us understand our part in Christ's construction crew?
There’s the true story of a southern church that had been stressing the importance of witnessing to people. One particularly slow young man in the congregation took the idea to heart, but he wasn’t quite sure how to do it. Then, that Sunday, a skeptic visited the church one Sunday, and the boy ...read more
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8. The Puzzle
Contributed on Feb 25, 2018
The story in Acts 8, that tells of Philip's preaching in Samaria resulting in an Evangelism Explosion, contains 3 puzzles that many folks overlook. What are these puzzles and what can they teach us about our walk with Christ?
OPEN: People have created puzzles for centuries. There’ve been crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, Rubik's cube, and scads of others in all shapes and sizes. The better the puzzle, the more difficult it is to solve, and by that standard, one of the Holy Grails of such puzzles is this one: ...read more
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9. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!
Contributed on Mar 5, 2018
Acts 10 is a pivotal chapter in Scripture. From this point on the church exploded in growth. In this story there are 3 groups of people who were "surprised" by what they saw. Why were they surprised, and what difference does that mean to us?
(Before reading the Scripture I noted that Acts 10 is a pivotal chapter in Scripture. It was after this event at Cornelius’ house that the Church exploded with growth and numerous churches were set up throughout the known world). (After the Scripture reading and prayer, we showed the following ...read more
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10. The Tale Of Two Crosses
Contributed on Feb 4, 2018
A church in Texas is planning to build the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. But Jesus didn't build His church this way. He built His church on a different kind of cross. Do you know what cross that was?
OPEN: Down in Corpus Christi Texas, a church broke ground about 2 years to build a huge cross – 150 feet tall. But, they do everything big down in Texas and once they’d broken ground they decided they hadn't dreamed big enough. Now they plan to build that cross to be 230 feet tall and 95 feet wide ...read more