Sermons on Hostility:

Handling God's Success When We Wanted It For Ourselves Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 29, 2009

Ministry looks impossible, and we want to run the other way. But when we do finally tackle it, and God redeems, then we want the credit. In His grace He assures us that we are not forgotten even though we are inappropriate.

All during this month we’ve worked together on the theme of compassion. Because we are a church which urgently needs to do ministry in this community; because we are a people with much to give and much to share, and with a place to share it, by the time this week is over we will have invested four ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Pharisees: Stuck In Correctness Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 30, 2009

It is easier to be smug than satisfied, to be correct than compassionate, to be religious than real. What we need to do is to cry, "Lord forgive my sin."

The surest formula for unhappiness is have to be right, all of the time. If you are expected to be one hundred percent correct, never making a mistake, no blunders allowed, then you are asking for a serious heart attack, for high blood pressure, and for plain old unhappiness. It’s an awesome burden ...read more

Scripture: John 10:31-39

Denomination: Baptist

Cut It Down

Contributed by Daniel Olukoya on Jul 8, 2009

Beloved, you are not in this world by accident as there is a divine purpose for your creation. Eventually, we all shall give account of what we have done with our lives. I want you to read our message for this week prayerfully and as you do so, the Lord w

CUT IT DOWN Dr. D. K. Olukoya Beloved, you are not in this world by accident as there is a divine purpose for your creation. Eventually, we all shall give account of what we have done with our lives. I want you to read our message for this week prayerfully and as you do so, the Lord will open ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:6-9

Denomination: Pentecostal

Painting God's Masterpiece Part 7 Series

Contributed by Rodney V Johnson on Jul 11, 2009

Part seven of this series focuses on how Satan tries to influence what we see and what God’s word says about us.

Painting God’s Masterpiece Part 7 Scripture: Genesis 3:1-5; Ephesians 6:12; Romans 10:8-10 Introduction: In part six of my message last week, I talked about hope. I shared with you that hope allows us to see clearly what shall be – especially when we come into agreement with God that what has ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Troubler Of Israel

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 22, 2009

First-person monologue, as Elijah: the voice of God is not in the winds of popularity, nor the earthquake of instability, nor the fires of self-destruction. It is in the One in whom God has spoken and who will never leave us.

I’m so lonely. So desperately lonely. It’s been so long since l’ve seen a friendly face. So lonely. So completely alone. I feel … deserted. No one even cares whether I am alive or dead. After all I’ve done for them, would you not think that somewhere in Israel there would be a good word for ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:17-18

Denomination: Baptist

Partners In A Heavenly Calling

Contributed by Wes Richard on Jul 28, 2009

As the people of God, we are called to work in partnership with Christ and with each other.

I am always encouraged when people from congregations across Northern Oho can blend their gifts and energy for the good of the entire district and especially when we can worship together. Hebrews 2:12 says, “In the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” And that is what we want to do this ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-14

Denomination: Brethren

The Compassionate Decision Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Aug 2, 2009

This is week six of my seven week series, I have used The Traveler’s Gift as a spring board and this week we are looking at forgiveness

He just kept right on smiling. It didn’t matter what they did or what they said he just kept right on smiling. They were American army officers and he was their Korean house boy, and for what ever reason they gave him a hard time about everything, he wasn’t fast enough, he wasn’t polite enough, he ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-27

Denomination: Wesleyan

When Bad Things Happen To Good People

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 3, 2009

Rewritten for Calverton Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD: When terrible things happen, pray honestly, in complaint; remember what God has done in the past; and know that He may be forcing us to see how much we need Him.

There is very little justice in the world. Many people feel that they are not being treated fairly. Just about all of us think we deserve a better deal than we are getting. We think that there is very little justice in the world. But that’s old news. We already know that. So what do you do ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 22:1-31

Denomination: Baptist

Seeing Now

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 6, 2009

People and churches can settle down and forget where they came from and lose sight of where they could be going. Now is the time for the church to venture forward, or lose its place in God’s plan.

There are two problems with settling down: one of them is that you forget about where you came from. The other is that you lose sight of where you could be going. Here is a young couple. They start out married life in just a small place, with room for themselves and maybe that first child. They ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Getting Over

Contributed by Joseph Smith on May 7, 2009

God wants us to be more than minimal. Acknowledge that Christ is Lord, make sure our witness is clear, go beyond quick thrills, and be faithful, and your faith will sustain you over the long haul.

Too often, we choose "getting by", when we could choose "getting over". Too often, we try to skimp on life, hoping not to invest too deeply. That’s "getting by". But we could turn to a better answer. We could choose "getting over". "Getting by" and "getting over" are not the same thing. "Getting ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:12-17

Denomination: Baptist

John Mark's Mother Series

Contributed by Denn Guptill on May 10, 2009

For Mother’s Day this looks at Mary the mother of John Mark.

Who Was John Mark’s Mother? Acts 12:12 It is just a fleeting reference, it doesn’t provide a lot of details and we aren’t really told very much about her, but never being afraid to venture into the land of speculation in the cause of a good message we shall venture forth looking at the first ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:6-14

Denomination: Wesleyan

Small, But Powerful Series

Contributed by Paul Decker on May 19, 2009

Disciple your tongue.

SMALL, BUT POWERFUL James 3.2-12 S: Tongue C: Truth and Grace Th: Our Time, Our Turn, Our All Pr: DISCIPLE YOUR TONGUE! I. WORDS II. TRUTH III. HEART IV. WHOLENESS PA: How is the change to be observed? • Value words. • Speak truth. • Act kindly. • Bring healing. Version: ESV RMBC 17 May 09 ...read more

Scripture: James 3:2-12

Denomination: Baptist

The Power Of One Series

Contributed by Pat Damiani on May 21, 2009

17th in a series from Ecclesiastes. One person can make a difference - either positive or negative - depending on what they do with the wisdom of God.

[“Power of One” video] That video illustrates very well the overall theme of the passage that we’re going to look at this morning. Since we’re only covering six verses this morning, let’s go ahead and read this passage out loud together: 13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

Denomination: Baptist

Influencing Communities

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2009

Here in these verses he calls those who follow Him to choose to be a godly influence on the society in which we live. Jesus calls us to change the world around us with our lives. He doesn’t just expect us to live in the world. He expects the world to be t

Influencing Communities Matthew 5:13-15 Robert Lewis writes, “In 1851, many of the most accomplished engineers in the country thought James Roebling was out of his mind. That year, he began to work on the unthinkable: building a bridge over the Niagara River Gorge. Disaster was nearly universally ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-15, Matthew 5:1

Denomination: Methodist

How Much Does God Care About Us?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 9, 2009

The word "while" alerts us to the sources of our frustration: weakness, pride, and broken relationships. But God in the crucified Christ has an answer to each of these issues.

Why are so many people so unhappy? Why is it that there are so many people with so much ability and with so many resources, but they still feel profoundly unhappy and frustrated? A great many people do, you know. Some of them show it in the obvious ways; some of them are angry and even ...read more

Denomination: Baptist