Sermons on The Purpose Of The Church:

A Ministry Of Vision

Contributed by Keith Crouch on Aug 19, 2004

If a church is to grow it must have vision from God and Jesus is our best model for this.

A Ministry Of Vision Mark 8:1-10 I. Vision Comes Out of Concern (V. 1-3) A. Concern for Our Community (v. 1) 1. It is a Matter of Obedience (Acts 1:8) 2. It is a Matter of Foresight (Gen 12:1-2) B. Concern for The Empty (v. 2) 1. It is a Matter of Compassion (v. 2a) 2. It is a Matter of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Edified And Multiplied.

Contributed by Melvin Shelton on Aug 23, 2004

What we have here is a perfect balance. Sometimes a church will put all emphasis in one direction and doesn’t balance out.

Edified and multiplied. Acts 9:31. 08/22/04 When you study the book of Acts, what you see is the progress of the church. You find the birth and the development of the New Testament church. As we read along in this wonderful book we find what the church is to be about. We get snapshots and ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:31

Denomination: Baptist

Majoring In The Minors Series

Contributed by Rich Dunbar on Apr 6, 2005

This message looks at the problem in Acts 11:1-18 of those in the early church focusing on the wrong aspects of what took place there.

Sometimes we as Christians can get all bent out of shape over the smallest, most insignificant things. You might think that it has something to do with today’s “drive thru” culture but you would be wrong. In fact, today we will see that it goes all the way back to the early Church. That is why I ...read more

Scripture: Acts 11:1-18

Denomination: Baptist

Who I Already Am In Christ

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 6, 2005

This sermon highlights 7 things that Christ has already done for us.

Opening Story: Many of you are familiar with the story of “The Lion King.” You might remember when Simba couldn’t decide whether or not he should return to the Pride Lands. He has some heavy baggage he has carried, including a tremendous guilt about his father’s death. As Simba was growing up ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

42 Leads To 47

Contributed by Tim Zukas on Apr 17, 2005

A healthy church will be a growing church

During Superbowl XXXVII, FedEx ran a commercial that spoofed the movie Castaway. You probably remember the movie. Tom Hanks plays a FedEx worker whose company plane went down, stranding him on a desert island for years. The Hanks character was assigned the task of looking after a particular package ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Big Gospel Heart Series

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Apr 17, 2005

We are accepted by God because of what Christ Jesus did for us on the cross. We are called, in turn, to extend that acceptance and welcome to all those from all over the world who fill our community.

A Big Gospel Heart One Sunday a children’s program leader noticed a little girl standing outside the room, looking in with great eagerness at the fun the other children were having. The leader went outside and invited the little girl inside. "They’ll all laugh at me." "Why do you think that ...read more

Scripture: John 4:4-24

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Depots Of Development Series

Contributed by Rich Dunbar on Apr 19, 2005

This sermon follows the progression of Acts 11:19-26 and identifies 10 things we should be aware of today. I used train illustrations with the 10 words.

There are 10 stops along the tracks. (I used train related illustrations for each of these words) 1. Dispersion – v. 19a – Sometimes life takes us in many different directions just as it did in the early Church. 2. Exclusion – v. 19b – Often we like the early Church miss the point that the gospel ...read more

Scripture: Acts 11:19-26

Denomination: Baptist

The Great Omission

Contributed by Rich Dunbar on Apr 29, 2005

This is a sermons that sets out a three fold purpose for the church.

This is the purpose of the Church summed up in a few brief verses. Let’s take a look at what is taking place in this passage. First we see that the eleven disciples did what Jesus had said by going to where He had told them. Then when they encountered Him there they worshipped Him. But some ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20

Denomination: Baptist

A Minister's Prayer For God's Church: Lord, Help Us To Walk Together

Contributed by Joel Pankow on Apr 29, 2005

This is a sermon that stresses how important it is to have a deep fellowship within the congregation and the greater church body.

May 1, 2005 Psalm 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! A Minister’s Prayer for God’s Church: LORD, Help Us to Walk Together I. As an individual church When we were at the Seminary one of my professors told us to “beware of the loners” - the fellow ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 133:1

Denomination: Lutheran

An Introduction To The Disciplines

Contributed by Keith Butler on Sep 14, 2005

How the disciplines of the Christian faith can impact you as an individual and your church’s outreach.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DISCIPLINES Acts 2:42-47 Key Verse and Theme: “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47) 1. Real church growth: From the outside in. (Acts 2:1-41) A. The apostles received ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Setting Some Things Straight Series

Contributed by Michael Luke on Sep 27, 2005

Before a church can grow and mature, there are some things that need to be set straight.

SERIES: “OVERCOMING OBSTACLES THAT OBSTRUCT OBEDIENCE” TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-9 TITLE: “SETTING SOME THINGS STRAIGHT” INTRODUCTION: A. Someone: “The church is like Noah’s Ark: If it were not for the storm on the outside, no one could stand the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Would God's Vision Help Us?

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Sep 29, 2005

After preaching this sermon, 21 people came forward at invitation.

A couple of weeks ago, in an elders meeting, I asked each elder to give me his vision for this church. I was surprised. Most churches never communicate their vision, hence most elders are unfocused as to any unified vision at all. Each of our elders, however, had a vision and were pretty much in ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 29:18

Denomination: *other

Can These Bones Live?

Contributed by Johnny Carver on Oct 14, 2005

Taking a frank look at the Present Day Church in light of Ezekiel’s vision in chapter 37.

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1 – 12 Title: “Can These Bones Live?” Introduction: Ezekiel was a man who was in “Touch” with God. · He was living in bondage in the land of Babylon. · But God was communicating with him through “Visions.” · One day the Spirit of God came upon Ezekiel and he began to ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-12

Denomination: Pentecostal

Loving Others Through Outreach Series

Contributed by Don Jaques on Jan 13, 2005

We have 3 priorities – worship, small group, outreach. This week’s focus: OUTREACH. As the program states, “We are dedicated to reaching people who do not know Christ as their Savior.”

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing 1. Loving Others Through Outreach January 8/9, 2005 Don Jaques INTRO: We have 3 priorities – worship, small group, outreach. My vision is for a congregation of people who gather weekly for corporate worship, come together in small groups for discipleship and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 10:13-14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

"Claudius And Herod And Elymas; Oh, My!"

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Jan 20, 2005

(or, Bad politicians, terrorists and false prophets)

(or, “Bad Politicians, Terrorists and False Prophets”) I’ve chosen a rather long portion of scripture to preach from, but I do not intend to do an expository study of these 41 verses today, so you can rest assured that this will, eventually, come to a close. What I want to do is take these ...read more

Denomination: Orthodox