Sermons found for the topic Church History

When Jesus Comes to Church - Revelation 2:1-7

How easy it is to substitute knowledge for a warm heart toward Jesus. How quickly we justify our hard hearts by pointing to all our well-intentioned religiosity. More

Sleeping With the Enemy - Revelation 2:18-29

You can have the cheap thrills of the world and feel sick to your stomach the next morning. Or you can have Jesus now, a new life now, forgiveness now, real pleasure now, and you will one day rise to shine like the Morning Star. More

Church of the Living Dead - Revelation 3:1-6

The Sardis spirit overtakes us whenever we begin to take God’s gifts for granted. How quickly we can become the Church of the Living Dead and not even know it. More

The Whole Bible in One Message

Here’s the whole Bible presented as a drama in six acts, starting with creation and ending with the Second Coming of Christ. More

Why I Believe in a Last-Days Worldwide Awakening

If we are indeed living in the last days before the return of Christ, we should expect things to get better and worse at the same time. We should expect hard times and good times, increasing opposition and amazing open doors, trouble ahead and glorious gospel victories. More

Are We All Hindus Now? - Exodus 20:1

Christians must reassert the supernatural basis of the Christian faith. We must not stutter where God has spoken clearly. And we must make clear the utterly exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. More

You Are What You Believe: Why the Apostles’ Creed Matters - Romans 1:16

This sermon gives the history of how the Apostles’ Creed came about and explains the importance it has in the Christian church throughout history as well as in our individual lives. The Apostles’ Creed is a declaration of faith recognized by all branches of true Christianity. For 2,000 years the Apostles’ Creed has served as a succinct statement of the irreducible minimum of the Christian faith. It is the common heritage of the true Christian church. It offers a broad survey of Christian doctrine, that focuses all on God as the object of the faith, and what he has done for believers. In this declaration of beliefs, the God of the Christian church is sharply distinguished from the gods of other religions by what he has done for his believers. The authority of these statements of belief embodied in the Apostles’ Creed lies entirely on the Word, that is the Bible, and not on any personal or private interpretations. It follows then that a person who professes to be a Christian must therefore subscribe or believe in everything stated in this creed, at the very least, as a start of what the Christian must believe. The Creed reminds us that truth is not optional. There are boundaries to the Christian faith. Not everything is negotiable. Some things must be believed if you are to call yourself a Christian. You can choose to live outside those boundaries, but if you do, you aren’t a Christian and you shouldn’t call yourself one. More

First Century Patterns For 21st-Century Churches - Various

How closely should local churches follow the patterns of the New Testament? The answer is, as closely as possible, understanding that no one is 100% consistent and that outward forms will change over time. That means we need to focus on the key functions of the church, giving freedom to differ on how those functions are expressed. More

Invitation to the Heart of God - Matthew 6:9

We approach the Lord’s Prayer with humility, saying with the first disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Through prayer we journey from wherever we are on earth to the very heart of God. More

Praying for the Sick–Part 1 - James 5:14-15

If we pray at all, sooner or later we will spend time paying for the sick. Our prayers matter to him. Our prayers matter to the sick. When we pray for the sick, we are bringing God’s mercy into the hospital room and inviting the Great Physician to take up the case. More

Praying For the Sick - James 5:13-16

If you have read the title, you know exactly what this sermon is about. Praying for the sick is something we are all asked to do from time to time. It is certainly something that all pastors do every week. That fact a More

Sola Scriptura: The Bible and Only the Bible - 2 Timothy 3:16

"Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” Psalm 119:89 “You have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Psalm 138:2b “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my w More

Charlton Heston and Moses

CHARLTON HESTON AND MOSES by Ray Pritchard Years ago Charlton Heston was interviewed on The Merv Griffin Show. This was at a time in Mr. Heston’s career when he had gained much notoriety over his two mega-movies, The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur. During the interview Merv Griffin asked him, “Has your spiritual out… More

To Rome With Love - Romans 1:1-7

The year was 1911, and a young man from Sydney, Australia, arrived in the United States. He had crossed the ocean to study at a fledgling school called Moody Bible Institute. While still a student, he was called as th More

Renewing Your Passion - II Timothy 1

Today we are beginning a summer series from the little book of II Timothy. People sometimes wonder how pastors choose what to preach on. In this case, I feel like I didn’t choose II Timothy; II Timothy chose me. More

Take Time for God - Exodus 20:8-11

Let’s begin with three observations on the Fourth Commandment: 1. This is the longest of the Ten Commandments. 2. It is also the most difficult to properly interpret. 3. The Fourth Commandment remains a sourc More

Take Me to Your Leaders - 1 Peter 5:1-4

In early March I preached on “Are You Prepared to Suffer for Christ?” from I Peter 3:13-17. After the final service that morning, a first-time visitor came up and thanked me for my sermon. In the course of More

Behind Closed Doors - Hebrews 13:4

There are times when a writer knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he doesn’t have to worry about getting the reader’s attention. Certain subjects require no gimmicks, tricks or elaborate introductions. More

God's Word Has Not Failed - Romans 9:6-18

For many people no question seems as puzzling as the problem of unanswered prayer. Why is it that some things we pray about are never answered? We could all spend hours remembering times when we prayed and prayed, o More

Strength for the Journey - 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

In this message Pastor Ray reminds us everything we believe rests on the sovereignty of God. Salvation starts with God, not with us. Because he has chosen us, we can stand firm amid the trials of life. By standing firm we prove to ourselves and to the watching world what we truly believe. More

When Christians Disagree - Acts 16:36-41

Christians disagree about almost everything. And when we disagree, we usually start a new church. Which reminds me of a story I heard a few years ago. A Scottish Presbyterian is rescued after many years of living alon More

Portrait of a Godly Pastor - Romans 15:14-21

In 1978 Michael Hart wrote a book called “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential People in History.” In it he ranked the most important people in the history of the world, taking into account the peopl More

Deacons & Deaconesses: Servants of Christ

First images stay in the mind forever. Whenever I hear the word “deacon,” I always think of Hilliard Felton. He was a lifetime deacon at the First Baptist Church of Russellville, Alabama. As I think bac More

What If - 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

This sermon reveals the four disastrous consequnces if the resurrection is not true. If Christ did not rise from the dead, our preaching has no purpose, our faith has no forgiveness, our death has no deliverance, and our service has no significance. More

What Do These Stones Mean? - Joshua 4

He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground’” (Joshua 4:21-22 More

Overcoming a Judgmental Spirit - Romans 14:1-12

Christians love to fight over our deeply-held beliefs. Unfortunately, sometimes we fight for things that don’t matter very much.Once upon a time a man took a walk and came to a bridge. When he got to the middle More

A Friend in High Places: “He Ascended into Heaven and Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty” - Various

This is one of the most remarkable statements in the Apostles’ Creed and it is also one of the most neglected areas of Christian doctrine. Even though we (along with all Christians) believe in the ascension of C More

The Positive Power of Forgiveness: “I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins” - Psalm 130:3-4

If you know a bit about church history, you know that before Martin Luther became the father of the Protestant Reformation, he was a Catholic priest. As part of his training, he spent years studying Greek, Hebrew, Lat More

Theology at Midnight - Acts 16:25

Anyone can sing “Shout to the Lord” when life is good, your health is good, your marriage is strong, your kids are doing well, and all is right with the world. If with Paul and Silas you can sing praise to God at midnight in jail, then what you’ve got is real. More

Justification: Not Guilty! - Various

Some of you may recognize the name P.P. Bliss. If you know evangelical music and hymnology, you may have seen his name in our hymnal. He was a man who served as a musical song writer and associate evangelist for the g More

Dreams, Visions and Supernatural Signs - Numbers 12:6-8

Whenever dreams, visions and supernatural signs are discussed, three questions immediately come to mind. Number one, are such things really possible today? Number two, if they are, what part do they have in determin More

Doing the Right Thing in the Wrong Way - Genesis 16

This week my friend David Puckett was in town. I have known David ever since our days at Dallas Seminary. After we graduated I took a pastorate in California and he entered a doctoral program at the University of Ch More

THE P.U.I.H. - Acts 2

I don’t know what image comes into your mind when you hear the word Pentecostal. When I hear the word, my mind always goes back to the small town in Alabama where I grew up. Back then, there were only four chu More

How to Turn the World Upside Down - I Thessalonians 2:1-12

Welcome to our annual Missions Conference. Each year we set aside one week to focus on God’s work around the world. We always begin on the last Sunday of September and end on the first Sunday of October. This ye More

The Easter Conspiracy - Matthew 28:11-15

"The resurrection of Christ is either the greatest miracle or the greatest delusion which history records." Philip SchaffIt’s been a good week for Jesus if you count cover stories as good news. For the first tim More

The Blessing No One Wants - Matthew 5:10-12

It’s going to be a long time because they invite Pastor Joe Wright of Wichita’s Central Christian Church to deliver the invocation again to the Kansas State Legislature. When he prayed there not long ago, More

Christmas Tears - Matthew 2:16-18

"The rulers of this world are seldom friendly to the cause of God.” J. C. RyleLast night the contemporary Christian musician Michael Card performed a Christmas concert at Wheaton College. As part of the bui More

A Place to Pray - Acts 4:23-31

"If you do not know that life is war, you will not know what prayer is for.” John PiperThe sun had almost slipped beneath the horizon in the little village of Pucuro in the Darien region of Panama, not far More

Risky Business: The Other Side of Christian Freedom - Galatians 5:13-15

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1a). What exactly is this Christian freedom that Paul talks so much about in Galatians? In order to help us understand the answer, I’d like to b More

Forever Settled in Heaven: Building on the Unshakable Foundation - Psalm 119:89

Our church theme for 2002 is “God’s Word: Our Unshakable Foundation.” Considering the events of the last few months, it seems like a theme perfectly suited for these perilous times. We need a foundat More

Why Are You Weeping? - John 20:11-18

The story of Mary Magdalene meeting Jesus at the empty tomb is found only in John’s gospel. I think Mary must have told John about it personally. Everything about this little slice of life rings true to human na More

Image is Everything: Highly Valued, Deeply Fallen, Greatly Loved - Genesis 1:26-28

Upon reading these verses, the thought comes to mind that we’re not in Eden anymore. Whatever else you can say about the first chapter of the Bible, the world of the 21st century is far removed from the world of More

Your Reputation Matters - 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

"Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to d More

When Christians Disagree - Acts 15:36-41

We Christians disagree a lot, sometimes about the craziest things. I don’t know if you know it or not, but Christians have been disagreeing with each other since the very beginning. It goes all the way back to More

How to Spot Counterfeit Christianity - I Corinthians 12:10

I’d like to begin by quoting from an article published in 1988 in Celebrity magazine. The article is entitled, “The Cult Rage Possesses the Stars,” and is subtitled “Shirley Maclaine, Linda Ev More

Should Our Teachers Be Required to Sign the Articles of Faith? - Various

Tonight we are beginning a brand-new series of Sunday night messages. As you know, I usually take books of the Bible on a chapter-by-chapter basis on Sunday night. This series is a major departure from that pattern. More

The Mysterious Doctrine of the Trinity - Acticle B: The True God - Various

My introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity came at a very young age. I first learned it through the music we sang at the First Baptist Church. The great hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” was number one in the More

Is Congregational Government Biblical?

In approaching a topic like this, it helps if the pastor has no illusions. I candidly admit that most people don’t have a great interest in the subject I am tackling. In fact, over my 30 years in the ministry, More

What the Bible Says About Homosexuality - Various

Perhaps the place to begin this morning is with the simple confession that I did not want to preach this message. It was not part of my preaching calendar and I did not make the final decision until two and a half wee More

Taking The Plunge

Of all the issues that divide Christians, none is more hotly debated than the issue of baptism. For centuries godly men and women have come down on different sides of this question. Entire denominations have sprung up More