Sermons on Enablement:

Words Of Comfort

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on May 9, 2014

With that superlative peace and such like promises, why should our hearts be troubled?

WORDS OF COMFORT. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). These are precious words of comfort from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Cross was imminent, and no doubt a sense of foreboding had dampened the Passover celebrations of the little ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Normal Christian Life Series

Contributed by Willem Nel on May 17, 2014

Bill Johnson says: It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus.

The Normal Christian Life Bill Johnson It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus. Scripture: 1 John 4:1-4 (NASB Updated) "By this you know the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:1-4

Denomination: *other

God Does Want Humans To Be One In Mind And Heart Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 13, 2014

Faith gives us a heightened respect for nature so that we "discern in it a grammar written by the hand of God." God's Fatherhood makes it possible for us to live together with one heart and one will.

Thursday of the 11th Week in Course 2014 Lumen Fidei Where did we get the idea that God is our Father? Surely the definitive statement of God’s fatherhood is in this prayer we learned from Jesus, the Son. Still, we didn’t fully know what a father is until Jesus came and established ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:7-15

Denomination: Catholic

Witness To The Truth Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Jul 29, 2014

We do not share speculations. Rather, we are eye witnesses and we share what we have seen and heard of the truth—Jesus.

1 John 1:1-4 "Witness to the Truth" INTRODUCTION One of the discussions that is taking place in the Christian Church today centers around our understanding of faith. Is faith the propositions that you believe, or is it your motivation for living and your lifestyle? To put it another way, "Is ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

Denomination: Lutheran

How Good It Feels To Come Back To Him Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 23, 2014

In St. Augustine we see the paradigm of the sinner become saint.

Feast of St. Augustine 2014 Evangelii Gaudium As we begin our reflections on Pope Francis’s exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, we happily find the cosmic convergence of these greetings from St. Paul to the Corinthians and the words of St. Matthew’s Gospel with the annual commemoration of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Denomination: Catholic

Foolish Vows Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Aug 26, 2014

Ruth proclaims her loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi. Her words at first appear foolish. She is not doing what is normal. Yet her loyalty honors God and God moves powerfully as a result of Ruth’s proclamation.

Ruth 1:1-22 “Foolish Vows” INTRODUCTION Coping is an everyday experience and we all have various means of coping. We might call a friend and vent, or go for a long walk. Chocolate is sometimes an effective coping mechanism, as is taking a short break to pursue our favorite hobby. ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

Joy In Evangelization Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 13, 2014

"an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral."

Thursday of 24th Week in Course St. Joseph Cupertino Pharisees don’t come off very well in the Gospels. Pharisaic religion, though, was considered by the Jews to be the very summit of Jewish observance. After all, it applied to all its adherents the entire Law, even those clearly meant ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

Denomination: Catholic

The God Of All Grace Empowers Us To Stand In Grace Series

Contributed by David Taylor on Feb 13, 2014

Living as a Church in a Foreign Land The God of all Grace Empowers us to Stand in Grace

Living as a Church in a Foreign Land The God of all Grace Empowers us to Stand in Grace 1 Peter 5:10-14 David Taylor This is our last week in our third mini series in 1 Peter, “Living as a Church in a Foreign Land,” We have a youth service next week; communion; then The Seven. In ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:10-14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sustenance Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Mar 7, 2014

Jesus identifies himself as the bread of life. He is the food that gives us life and sustains us.

John 6:41-59 “Sustenance” INTRODUCTION Valentine’s Day was two days ago. For many of us, we bowed to the Hallmark marketers and attempted to make the day a time for love and romance. We purchased cards, flowers, chocolates, and perhaps even jewelry, and gave them to the one ...read more

Scripture: John 6:41-59

Denomination: Lutheran

Death And Life Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Mar 24, 2014

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. We see this in his raising of Lazarus, in our everyday lives, and at the time when we face death.

John 11:1-44 “Death and Life” INTRODUCTION God’s ways are not our ways. We spend a great deal of time reminding ourselves of this truth, while at the same time attempting to figure out what God’s ways really are. In the gospel lesson today, we see this question ...read more

Scripture: John 11:1-44

Denomination: Lutheran

"Hallelujah Anyhow"

Contributed by Barry Edmondson on Mar 26, 2014

As Christians we can have joy even in the midst of unhappy circumstances.

Introduction . Illustration: A friend of mine used to sing a song that said "Well it’s hallelujah anyhow. I’m not gonna let my troubles bring me down. I’ll just lift my hands and sing it’s hallelujah anyhow." 3. People often mistake joy and happiness. We can be happy and not ...read more

Scripture: Habakkuk 3:17-19

Denomination: Pentecostal

Called And Equipped Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Jan 20, 2015

Jesus is baptized, called in to mission and ministry and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our baptisms mirror Jesus'

Matthew 3:1-17 “Called and Equipped” INTRODUCTION Time has passed quickly in the gospel story. Last Sunday our story focused on Jesus’ flight to Egypt with his mother and father. Jesus was about two years-old. Today the gospel reading is Matthew’s account of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:1-17

Denomination: Lutheran

Secularism And The Fight For The Family Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 7, 2015

The information-driven society is one that tries to secularize and pervert the human family into something it can never become.

Thursday of 5th week in Course 2015 Joy of the Gospel Jesus has such a sense of humor that some commentators have mistaken it for cruelty. Of course, Jesus never sinned, so thinking this comment about throwing the bread to the dogs is a real insult is wrongheaded thinking. In reality, Jesus was ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:24-30

Denomination: Catholic

Advocacy And Fellowship

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Apr 4, 2015

The opening twelve verses of the first Epistle of John introduce us to three main themes: fellowship, sin, and propitiation.

ADVOCACY AND FELLOWSHIP. 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-2:2. The opening of the First Epistle of John is not unlike the famous Prologue of his Gospel (John 1:1-14). It too takes us back to “the beginning”, and introduces us to “the Word” - and it soon becomes clear that the Word is none other than ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-10, 1 John 2:1-2

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Single Commandment

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Apr 7, 2015

A two-pronged, present-continuous, commandment to love - set in its original context.

A SINGLE COMMANDMENT. 1 John 3:16-24. “This is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another” (1 John 3:23). Before we look at the two prongs of this single commandment, we need to set the verse within its immediate context. The ones who ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:16-24

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational