New Sermon Series Now Available
Everything you need for your next series
AI Sermon Generator
Generate sermon ideas with a safe, secure tool for solid preaching.
Biblical Sermon Calendar
Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching
Sermon Research Assistant
Free custom sermon in 5-10 minutes!
Topical Sermon Calendar
Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year
Funeral Sermon Generator
Create a personalized, heartfelt funeral sermon
Faithful to the Finish
Peter's final call to a young and growing church
Grace and Glory
A short series through the highlights of 1 Peter
Entrusted
Gifts, risk, and the return of the King
As we SURRENDER our will to the Spirit of God, He will EMBOLDEN us to faithful testimony for Christ, even in the face of opposition.
Mission Opposition Acts 4:1-22 As we continue our study this morning through the book of Acts we have seen the fledgling congregation in Jerusalem experience tremendous gains. The Holy Spirit descended upon them in power on Pentecost Sunday which resulted in the mighty wonders of God being ...read more
Scripture: Acts 4:1-22
Denomination: Baptist
How living with integrity increases our hope.
We’re in the series "From Hurt to Hope." We’ve been learning more about how to experience the hope that God offers – even when the deck is stacked against us. We’ve been covering the Apostle Peter’s first letter, which was written to Christ followers of the First Century being brutally ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:12-21
In your difficulty if you ever start to wonder, does anybody really know what I am going through, be assured Jesus does.
Maybe right now you are undergoing suffering and hardship. You may recently have had the painful experience of being slandered. It may have come just for the simple reason you are a Christian standing on God’s principles. In your difficulty if you ever start to wonder, does anybody really know ...read more
Scripture: Revelation 2:8-11
Persecution can and is real. The key is how we approach it. Peter offers 2 lessons of encouragement: We must "Cultivate Christian Love" and "Practice the Lordship of Christ".
INTRODUCTION Persecution is real for the believer. While it comes in many different ways, it is real – The group we’ve been studying about in 1 Peter suffered this horror in much a different way than we do as Christians today: Dr. M.R. DeHaan put it this way: In the early days of the church. . . , ...read more
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8-15
Three progressive features show "How God uses Evil for Good", describing: 1) Persecution (Act 8:1–3), which stems from 2) Preaching (Acts 8:4-7), which results in 3) Productivity (Acts 8:8).
Acts 8:1-8. [8:1] And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. [2] Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. ...read more
Scripture: Acts 8:1-8
Denomination: Other
Why did God tell Jeremiah to "call upon" Him? And just how do I "call upon the name of the Lord?"
OPEN: Last year, when Jim Carrey starred in his movie “Bruce Almighty” the writers of the script gave God a phone number that Carrey could dial to talk with the Almighty. But instead of using the 555 prefix that movie makers and TV shows generally give phone numbers – they gave God a 776 prefix. ...read more
Scripture: Jeremiah 33:1-3, Jeremiah 33:1
Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ
A message to encourage believers in difficult times.
"The Shadow, the Substance and the Savior" Hebrews 12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word ...read more
Scripture: Hebrews 12:18-24
Those who were scattered preached the Gospel everywhere they went. Hundreds of individual evangelists were giving the Gospel to thousands of souls, and the message became known over the whole area.
February 8, 2014 Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles By: Tom Lowe Lesson II.E.4: The Church is Scattered (8:1-3) Acts 8:1-3 (KJV) 1And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution ...read more
Scripture: Acts 8:1-3
Today we finish our series on the beatitudes. And in looking at them collectively I can see how they all work together. And I believe having all of these characteristics are important in being able to endure persecution.
The Be-Attitudes (part four) Matthew 5:11-12 Today we finish our series on the beatitudes. And in looking at them I can see how they all work together-Being poor in spirit causes me to mourn (have godly sorrow). Being meek (kind, gentle and humble) allows me to be merciful. If I hunger and thirst ...read more
Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12
God wants us to be godly even within an ungodly culture, as defined by Isaiah and generalized into principles by Jesus.
The Beatitudes in Isaiah 57 (Isaiah 57:1-2, 13-21) 1. An interesting story broke from UPI this week: “PORT ST. LUCIE , Fla., May 16 (UPI) --Florida police officers who were attempting to catch a suspected car thief got a little help when an alligator decided to cross the road. Port St. Lucie ...read more
Scripture: Isaiah 57:1-21
Denomination: Independent/Bible
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fought fire with faith.
THE FIERY FURNACE (Daniel 3:1-30-fighting fire with faith) INTRODUCTION: Testing-we seldom enjoy it. We don’t like having to endure the challenges that test our knowledge, patience or faith. But, the only way we will find out the value of something is if it’s been tested. Consumer Reports has been ...read more
Scripture: Daniel 3:1-30
The world is setting itself against the ways of God and persecution is headed our way. How do we prepare ourselves so we can stand firm in our faith. Check out these thoughts from our Family Minister Scott Jewell.
Read text. Pray. Francis Chan has long been a favorite preacher/author of mine. Over the years he has shared many ideas that are very similar to those of our brotherhood. For instance, there’s a meme where he says, “If the Bible and I don’t agree, I must be wrong.” He has spoken of being ...read more
Scripture: Acts 5:17-32
Jesus knows our suffering, calls us to courageous faithfulness amid trials, and promises eternal life to those who endure with Him.
Some of us walked in today with hearts that feel threadbare. Bills stack up. Doctors call back. Friends pull away. Tears fall in the dark, and worries pace the floor at 3 a.m. You wonder, Does Jesus see this? Does He know my name? Does He care about my pain? Smyrna asked the same questions. They ...read more
Topics: Smyrna, Church, Persecution
Fear cripples and paralyzes. Sometimes it is the fear of being rejected by someone else, or it could be the fear of not having some material thing. It can also be the fear of pain or even death. But fear of the future or the fear of man is a sin. So, how
Freedom from Fear Revelation 2:8-11 Purpose: To encourage persecuted believers. Aim: I want the listener to accept persecution as a gift. INTRODUCTION: Fear cripples and paralyzes. Fear blocks us from doing what we know to be right. Sometimes it is the fear of being rejected by someone else, ...read more
This chapter contains Stephen's reply to the high priest and others who charged and questioned him (see chapter 6). Even though Stephen was martyred for his faith, his testimony still lives on.
Introduction: Acts 7 begins with a question from the High Priest to Stephen, one of the original seven men sometimes called deacons. The rest of the chapter contains Stephen’s review of Israel’s history and his reply to the charge/s against him (see Acts 6) and the response of those who heard him. ...read more
Sermon Central