Sermons on No Effort:

Four Stops On The Way To A Christ Centered Christmas

Contributed by Billy Ricks on Dec 20, 2005

It seems that Christ is not the center of the festivities. It takes an effort in our culture today to keep Jesus front and center at this time of the year. It is amazing how much Christmas is not about Jesus Christ to many. Most people do not have one s

Into: The picture in Luke chapter nineteen should be familiar to us at this time of year. No matter where Jesus went he drew a crowd. This time of year we see crowds as well. But it is not necessarily because Jesus is at the center. The Christmas season malls, stores, Wal-Mart, even many ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Prayer-Care-Share: What's Next? Series

Contributed by Marty Boller on Apr 24, 2006

#8 in a series. God is pouring out a whole new level of city-wide cooperation amongst churches and church leaders. Prayer-Care-Share is a concentrated effort focusing on "Building Bridges to our Community"...loving our communities to Christ.

We started PRAYER CARE SHARE in late January. Twelve weeks ago! How many of you are still praying over your bookmark people? How many would say that God has been working in some of the people’s lives? As a church we have two choices... 1. Let Prayer Care Share be a program and now let it ...read more

Scripture: Micah 6:6-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Serving Our Seniors

Contributed by Richard Pfeil on May 23, 2005

Part of an ongoing effort to get people involved in hands on ministry at the local level with this message focusing on elder care. (Note to Sermoncentral-This is part of the series but was a message from an out side speaker. I wanted to give you the whole

May 1, 2005 Serving Our Seniors By Lester Gallihue 1 John 1:9, John 10:1-10, Numbers 6:24-26 I truly appreciate the opportunity to be here. It’s really a wonderful spiritual experience and I can feel the vibes. It really helps me and I am sure it helps you. I want to read a passage which I ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-10

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Prayer Isn't For Sissies Series

Contributed by Roger Thomas on Jul 20, 2006

Prayer matters. Real prayer is worth whatever effort it takes to make it the source of power in our lives. In our text, John reveals the secret of effective praying. Note the three keys that can unlock prayer’s power for you.

Prayer Isn’t for Sissies! 1 John 5:14-15 Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO Prayer isn’t for sissies! A lot of people think otherwise, perhaps some in this room Some think it is a cop-out. They say, “praying is an attempt to find an easy way out. ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:14-15

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Prayer-Care-Share: Book Mark Sunday Series

Contributed by Marty Boller on Jan 30, 2006

#3 in a series. God is pouring out a whole new level of city-wide cooperation amongst churches and church leaders. Prayer-Care-Share is a concentrated effort focusing on "Building Bridges to our Community"...loving our communities to Christ.

Here in Cedar Rapids, 30-plus churches are uniting together under ONE CAUSE, ONE PURPOSE. Cedar Rapids has become a pilot-city with Mission America to see what might happen if a number of churches actually work together to fulfill Jesus’ GREAT COMMISSION and Jesus’ GREAT COMMANDMENT in Linn ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-21

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer-Care-Share: My Bookmark Story Series

Contributed by Marty Boller on Feb 8, 2006

#4 in a series. God is pouring out a whole new level of city-wide cooperation amongst churches and church leaders. Prayer-Care-Share is a concentrated effort focusing on "Building Bridges to our Community"...loving our communities to Christ.

PRAYING FOR MY CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE: MY STORY By Intern Pastor Dave Doyle I’ve been excited by the whole concept of churches in Cedar Rapids coming together in prayer. Think about it. Jesus said that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there as well. Now try to imagine the power ...read more

Scripture: John 9:31

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer-Care-Share: Salvation Is A Process Series

Contributed by Marty Boller on Feb 8, 2006

#5 in a series. God is pouring out a whole new level of city-wide cooperation amongst churches and church leaders. Prayer-Care-Share is a concentrated effort focusing on "Building Bridges to our Community"...loving our communities to Christ.

PRAYER.CARE.SHARE. Week # 5 For those who are new today...we’ve been working together over the last 4 weeks toward a common goal... 30-35 churches in CR area working TOGETHER for: PRAYING, CARING SHARING for our community. Loving our community to Christ. Building Bridges in Linn County. Two ...read more

Scripture: James 4:8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer-Care-Share: The Key To Care-Part 1 Series

Contributed by Marty Boller on Mar 8, 2006

#6 in a series. God is pouring out a whole new level of city-wide cooperation amongst churches and church leaders. Prayer-Care-Share is a concentrated effort focusing on "Building Bridges to our Community"...loving our communities to Christ.

PRAYER.CARE.SHARE. Week # 6 So did you see the Prayer Care Share Wall in the lobby as you came in today? If you weren’t here last week…we had a GREAT DAY…writing our names on our bookmarks onto the wall. Go to the Wall…taking our prayers to the extreme. In 30 plus churches in CR…Prayer Wall is ...read more

Scripture: John 5:16-30

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer-Care-Share: The Key To Care-Part 2 Series

Contributed by Marty Boller on Mar 21, 2006

#7 in a series. God is pouring out a whole new level of city-wide cooperation amongst churches and church leaders. Prayer-Care-Share is a concentrated effort focusing on "Building Bridges to our Community"...loving our communities to Christ.

Last week...I shared with you THE KEY TO CARE...Two truths: #1: GOD IS ALREADY AT WORK. #2: JOIN HIM IN HIS WORK. Sounds so easy….doesn’t it? So simple… These TWO TRUTHS can set you free, yet…can I be truthful, here??? Doing ONLY what the Father is doing…can also be quite intimidating! ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ark, Anger, And Acceptance

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 20, 2010

We who are successful want instant gratification, but must know that God’s timing may be different, and that it is important to do something that enables others to succeed. In prayer we learn that we are accepted and so our efforts have meaning.

Success brings with it its own set of problems. If you get used to being successful, you soon expect it, and then if it eludes you, that can be very hard to take. I know that I am speaking this morning to reasonably successful people, by and large. Most of you, when you face a challenge, are able ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-27

Denomination: Baptist

In The Shadow Of Bulls & Goats Series

Contributed by Sean Harder on Aug 23, 2012

Before Christ gave up his life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, there was a system that God put into place through Moses that resembled what was to come in Christ. This system of sacrificing animals and shedding blood was the people’s effort to g

Today we begin a short series on what I believe may be the best chapter of the bible in terms of explaining exactly what Christ has done, because it puts in the historical perspective of why sacrifices were necessary in the first place. You can read more about the old covenant in chapter 9. That ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:1-10

Compelled By Love

Contributed by John Gaston on Sep 3, 2017

The heart of God is to rescue the perishing. Paul caught the vision of God's incomparable love and was so moved that he too felt compelled to join God's efforts, regardless of the cost. The love of God should motivate us to rescue the perishing too!

COMPELLED BY LOVE 2 Cor. 5:14 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR: school is back in session. 1. “How did school go today?” a mother asked her little boy. “Fine”, the little fellow replied. “We had a new teacher and she wanted to know if I had any brothers or sisters and I told her I was an only child”. “What ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Denomination: Assembly Of God

You Must Be "Dreaming"

Contributed by Charlie Roberts on Jul 13, 2016

Don't get caught up in only believing the possibilities of what you have seen in the past! Because no matter where you are at in life, He wants you to dream bigger than your efforts are capable of bringing to the table.

You must be dreaming? Oral Roberts used to use a chorus that some detested, ‘Expect a miracle every day, Expect a miracle when you pray, If you expect it God will find a way, To perform a miracle for you each day.’ What are you expecting or dreaming about for God to do in your life ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:39-43

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Make It Make Sense

Contributed by Dr. Jwt Spies on Oct 16, 2025

Pause and reflect on the hand of God in your life. When God allows something to bend a certain way, no human effort can straighten it out, unless He wills it. It may not make sense to us, but it may sense to God.

Ecclesiastes 7:13 (NIV) Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked? Look at somebody and tell them, Neighbor, I’m trying to make it make sense. Look down your row at somebody else and say, but sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. Because if we’re honest today, ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:13

Denomination: Baptist

Abraham’s Faith, God’s Faithfulness

Contributed by Barnabas Park on Oct 31, 2025

Abraham trusted God’s promises despite doubt, fear, and impossibility—and how, like Abraham, we are justified not by our works but by God’s faithfulness. It reminds us that salvation and blessing are gifts of grace, not achievements of human effort.

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If Abraham was justified by works, he would have something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’” ...read more

Scripture: Romans 4:1-3, Genesis 15:5-6, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 3:13-16

Denomination: Baptist