Sermons on The Local Congregation:

I Don't Need Church!

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Oct 7, 2015

What is the church? Is it necessary for a Christian to be connected to a local church if at all possible? What are the functions and benefits of the church? Why does the Lord think so highly of the Church if we don't?

We often say that context in reading Scripture is everything. But, getting the right verse is pretty important as well. At a wedding one of those involved was supposed to read 1 John 4:18 NASB which says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves ...read more

Denomination: Nazarene

Is Church Membership A Biblical Idea?

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 9, 2015

5 strands in the New Testament for local church membership (Material adapted from John Piper at: http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/how-important-is-church-membership)

HoHum: While Alexander Campbell was studying at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, the time had come for communion at his church. Communion was only observed a couple of times a year, so it was a pretty big deal. His church had a custom, like many churches of that day, to pass out ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:2-3

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Psalm 122 - Going To Worship Series

Contributed by Chuck Gohn on Feb 3, 2021

This sermon is part of series on the Psalms of Assent. The focus is on how the Jews would joyously go up to Jerusalem for worship, and how we can experience the same joy in going to the local church.

In case you haven’t been here the last few weeks, we talked about the idea that the Psalms of Ascents were actually believed to be sung by the Jewish pilgrims as they made their way up to Jerusalem for the various Jewish festivals. Although they were considered to be somewhat of a travel psalm, ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church

Making A Commitment To The Church Series

Contributed by Brett Crosson on May 10, 2019

One of the greatest commitments we are called to make is to the local church, to the house of God, the fellowship of the saints. Through this sermon I hope to show you why, and I pray that you will commit.

Joshua 1:1-9 God makes two promises to Joshua. God promises to be with Joshua v5, 9c God promises Joshua prosperous and successful and victorious over his enemies v2-5a. God gives two conditions to Joshua. He is to be strong and courageous v6-7a, 9a,b. In other words, to be full of faith. To ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:1-9

Denomination: Pentecostal

Living A Questionable Life - Part 2 Series

Contributed by Jeffrey Dillinger on Jan 29, 2024

People have a preconceived idea of what a Christian is supposed to be or act like. They also have their understanding of what a local church is all about. How do we change the negative stereotype?

Questionable Living – Part 2 (Col 4:2-6) Intro: A. When a person hears the word “Christian” they immediately conjure up something in their head – good or bad, they have a preconceived thought of what it means for a person to claim to be a Christian. People call some Christians “hypocrites” for ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Becoming A Carrier Of The Vision

Contributed by Daniel Harman on Mar 28, 2008

Sermon to cultivate servanthood in the local church. God doesn’t want us just to sit on the sidelines, but He wants us to ’get in the game’ & participate - put our faith in action & contribute to the growth of the Body of Christ.

Becoming a Carrier of the Vision – Build God’s House through Servanthood Leadership = to influence the direction of other people’s lives – we are all called to be leaders. Leadership is not a title, but it’s an action - serving. Everyone is called into an area of leadership Aim: Vision is ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 18:12-26

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Focal Point Series

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 19, 2011

Jesus is not only the beginning and the end, he is also the center, around which everything holds together and without which everything falls apart.

John never expected what happened that long-ago Sunday morning. There he was, worshiping as usual on Sunday morning, when all of a sudden a clear, loud voice - a voice as impossible to ignore as a trumpet call, lifted him to his feet and spun him around. And there before him was a vision, a ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 1:9-20

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Warning Against False Teachers Series

Contributed by Freddy Fritz on Jan 15, 2022

1 Timothy 1:3-7 shows us how to deal with false teachers living in God's church today.

Scripture Last week we started a new study in the letters of Paul to Timothy and Titus. These three letters are usually called “the Pastoral Epistles” because they were written to pastors about dealing with pastoral matters in their respective churches. As I hope to show you in the coming months, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:3-7

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Big Picture Series

Contributed by David Henderson on Aug 31, 2009

This message focuses on the BIG PICTURE for the church. Where should our priorities be? What sould be our focus? How do we get there? In this message I describe a process being implemented in our local church.

Seeing the Big Picture” Acts 2:37-47 My wife enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles. Me? Not so much. But she really does. For about 25 years I have collected Coca Cola memorabilia and several years ago we bought a 2000 piece Coke puzzle and she put it together for me, glued the pieces ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:37-47

Denomination: Baptist

Revive Us Again Series

Contributed by David Welch on May 21, 2018

Message 6 in our Jonah series. This message explores the place of revival in history.

Chico Alliance Church Pastor David Welch Jonah Series #6 “Revive Us Again” Last time we explored the topic of repentance. God orchestrated the greatest crusade in history through the preaching of one man. The Ninevite crusade included every single person in a city of 120,000. He did it though a ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:15-20

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Fighting The Good Fight

Contributed by Carl Benge on Oct 1, 2007

A sermon on encouraging congregations about not allowing the little things get in the way of our mission in ministry, and give them a a new perspective into the true meaning of stewardship of ministry the Spreading of the Gospel and its living message.

At a recent Iowa Annual Conference I heard a Deputy Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society state, “If the homosexual issue was truly the dividing issue of the United Methodist Church, then our situation would be easily solved.” He went on to say that, the real issue affecting the UMC ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Denomination: Methodist

Lesson 49: Preach With Balance Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on May 9, 2018

How can we teach our congregations to balance Christian essentials with non-essentials? How can we overcome bigotry on non-essential doctrines, while still maintaining our preference.

Lesson Goal Introduce some basic elements of balanced preaching. Lesson Intro In Acts 20:27 Paul informs the the church of God in Ephesus that he had preached to them the whole counsel of God. Most preachers that do not have a structured annual preaching plan are guilty of over-preaching their ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The State Of Our Church

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Mar 31, 2015

Our annual End of the Fiscal Year necessitates assessing where our church is and what we should be focusing on in the next year. Your congregation should hear something like this from you, too.

I truly thank God for His allowing me to pastor a congregation like you. It is my distinct pleasure to serve you as you serve the Lord. We are in a small “bedroom” community that serves the two larger cities. A bedroom community is one where people choose to live even though they ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:16-17

Denomination: *other

The Responsibility Of The Body Toward The Elders Series

Contributed by Pat Damiani on Feb 13, 2012

The body is responsible to respect, compensate, protect, rebuke, submit to and pray for the elders.

This morning we’ll be looking at the third of four messages that deal with the Biblical model for church leadership that we are attempting to implement the very best we know how here at TFC. Since each of these messages builds on the previous ones, let’s take a moment to review what we’ve learned ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:17-22

Denomination: Baptist

What Does A Healthy Church Look Like

Contributed by John Hamby on Mar 27, 2019

Paul says that He uses the church of Thessalonica as an example to other churches of a church worthy of emulating (v. 4). In noting what Paul praises about this church we can see what a healthy church looks like.

“What Does A Healthy Church Look Like?” 2 Thessalonians. 1:1-4 It is hard to know what it takes to be healthy these days. Almost every week we hear how ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4

Denomination: Baptist