Sermons on Defending Persecuted:

Giving It All Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Nov 4, 2017

Jesus celebrates the sacrifice of the giver, not the size of the gift.

Beth and I had the joy of serving at the Fall Festival of Fun on Tuesday night. I’m thankful to Sheila Kuriscak and her team for creating this family-friendly outreach. Our job was to greet people as they came in and give kids bags for all their candy. I would estimate that more than 70% of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:41-44

Denomination: Baptist

Please Deliver Me, Lord! Series

Contributed by Bobby Oliver on Jun 26, 2018

Deliver me from persecution, deliver me from righteous judgment, and deliver me completely.

Please Deliver Me, Lord! Psalm 7:1-17 - We’re continuing our study through the book of Psalms. - This week, we’re going to look at a time when David cried out to God for deliverance. - One of the important things to do when we read a Psalm is to look at the title and see if it tells us the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 7:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

Building A Church Of Thessalonica For The 21st Century | A Study Of 1 And 2 Thessalonians | Part 1 | Introduction | Dr. Madana Kumar Series

Contributed by Dr. Madana Kumar, Phd on Jan 22, 2024

There are several things we can learn from the church at Thessalonica. In the opening part of this series of studies, Dr. Madana Kumar, PhD takes us through the history behind the Thessalonian Church and gives us several reasons why we should study these epistles.

Building a Church of Thessalonica for the 21st Century: A study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians Part 1: Introduction | Dr. Madana Kumar, PhD We are beginning a series of studies on the Epistles of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In today’s study we will look into a bit of history, set the context and look into ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:9, Acts 16:6, Acts 26:19, Acts 16:11-40, Acts 17:5-10, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14, 1 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

For Increasing Faith Series

Contributed by Scott Jewell on Feb 11, 2024

Paul gives thanks for the church at Thessalonica because they were growing despite persecution. How can we learn to pray from his example?

From time to time, I enjoy reading prayers parents share that were prayed by their children. Here are just a few prayers of thanks that I have come across. Dear Lord, thank you that we can come to church today and thank you that no one got their head crushed or lost their arm on the way here. Dear ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Royalty Or Grunt

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Dec 10, 2024

God being for us does not mean a life of ease and some of those living the high life here may find they are lost.

"God is for us. He's not against us." We sing that phrase as if He is going to make our lives all peachy keen with a ton of whip cream. When in reality it may include stones and whips. I am thankful that the OT prophets, the Apostles and all of the martyrs down the ages cannot ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:35-40, Matthew 7:2-23, 2 Peter 2:15-17, Jude 1:8-13

Denomination: Baptist

Between The Times

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 30, 2023

It is possible to live praising God even before we see his promised redemption.

At one point while preparing this sermon I was tempted just to read the article I picked for my closing illustration and sit down. It’s a sermon in itself, and illustrates exactly what I had to say about this passage of Isaiah. But after thinking it over, I felt that the least I could do was ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 26:1-13, Isaiah 24:1-6, Isaiah 25:7-9

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Gospel Of John: An Introduction Series

Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Dec 31, 2021

Arguably with no other book, is there a larger disconnect between academic, scholarly understanding, and the way the church reads it. The intro is designed to bridge part of that gap, and explain my own approach to John.

First of all, a note on my approach: This series uses a literary/narrative approach to John, along the lines proposed by scholars like Adele Berlin, Frank Kermode, Robert Alter, or Charles Talbert, to name just a few. I assume that the author/narrator of John-- who I call "AJ"-- had ...read more

Scripture: John 9:22, John 12:42-43, John 16:1, John 2:23, John 6:66  (view more)  (view less)

Why Does The World Hate Us?

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Sep 24, 2022

One of the things that confuses many Christians is the attitude of non-Christians toward them. Even in the United States we experience backlash against us as Christians.

Alba 9-15-13 (Revised 9-18-2022) WHY DOES THE WORLD HATE US? John 15:18-25 A woman in India watches as her sister is dragged off by Hindu nationalists. She doesn’t know if her sister is alive or dead. A man in a North Korean prison camp is shaken awake after being beaten unconscious; the ...read more

Scripture: John 15:18-25

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The High Cost Of Standing For Jesus Series

Contributed by Doug Fannon on Jan 28, 2019

Standing for Jesus may extract a high price, and sometimes it is not from the world, but from those those within the church.

Opening the eyes of the blind. Though this 9th chapter of John is about Jesus giving sight to a man born blind, but there is so much more here. The physical eyes being opening is not nearly as significant as the spiritual eyes. The blind man’s spiritual eyes where being opened and he was seeing ...read more

Scripture: John 9:13-34

Denomination: Baptist

If Anyone Had Reason To Boast In The Flesh, It Would Have Been Paul

Contributed by John Lowe on Jun 9, 2019

Paul knew what it was like to be a Jew in the highest sense of the term, and had deliberately abandoned it all for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Date: 1/8/19 Lesson #22 Title: If Anyone Had Reason To Boast In The Flesh, It Would Have Been Paul (Phil. 3:4-6) • NIV Bible is used throughout unless noted otherwise. Scripture: Philippians 3:4-6 (NIV) 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:4-6

Denomination: Baptist

Smyrna: Riches Within Poverty

Contributed by Christopher Benfield on Jan 12, 2020

The second church Jesus instructed John to pen a letter was the church in Smyrna. It was situated within a city of great wealth and affluence, and yet many believers lived in poverty. They were not rich by the world's standards, but they were rich in grace.

Smyrna: Riches within Poverty Revelation 2: 8-11 Today we come to Smyrna, the second church within the series of letters John was instructed to write in the Revelation. It is interesting to note, that of the seven churches, only two received all praise and encouragement from the Lord, with no ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:8-11

Denomination: Baptist

What Is A Christian?

Contributed by Grant Adams on Feb 2, 2020

I remember hearing a story of a young boy asking his father what is a Christian? After the father explained, the young boy asked, “Dad have I ever seen a Christian?”

The word Christian is a very loose term; at least we use it very loosely, and it has become, in America, a meaningless term. To some, it means anybody living in the United States, and is not Jewish. The term Christian has been so abused and diluted that it has very little meaning to most of us ...read more

Scripture: Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16, Acts 11:26

Denomination: Baptist

Two Sides To Hall Of Faith

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Feb 12, 2020

Are you ready to be a Stephen or a Demas?

Hebrews 11:35b ... others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:35-40

Denomination: Baptist

Trust In God's Strength Series

Contributed by Jonathan Kruschel on Feb 24, 2020

An Old Testament lesson of what Jesus teaches in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-12.

They stared into the flames. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego watched as the soldiers who had brought them to this place fell over dead due to the overwhelming heat. Can you imagine what must have gone through these three men’s minds as they heard the crackling of the fire, felt the intense heat, ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 3:13-30, Matthew 5:1-12

Denomination: Lutheran

The Power Of Earnest Prayer Series

Contributed by Brian Bill on Nov 7, 2020

God often does the unexpected when we’re earnest in prayer.

A week ago, I listened to the Voice of the Martyr’s podcast called VOM Radio and learned about Petr Jasek, a believer from the Czech Republic, who was imprisoned in Sudan for 14 months. He served as the Africa Regional Director for Voice of the Martyrs and traveled to Sudan on their behalf. BTW, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:1-19

Denomination: Baptist