Sermons found for the topic Conversion

Why God Chooses Splendid Sinners and Lovable Losers - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

When God chooses people for his family, he picks those the world considers losers. This means that imperfect people make excellent candidates for the grace of God. Since we are all imperfect, when we boast, let us boast only in the Lord. More

The Final Difference Between the Church and the World - Hebrews 11:29

At the Red Sea, the Hebrews were delivered while the Egyptians were destroyed. From this we learn that the church and the world have two different destinations. This is the final difference between them. More

How a Terrorist Became an Evangelist: The Amazing Story of Paul's Conversion - Galatians 1:11-24

Christianity is supremely a religion of conversion. Everything we say and everything we believe is built upon one fundamental and revolutionary premise: You don't have to stay the way you are. Your life can be radical More

Turn, Turn, Turn - 1 Thessalonians 1

A few days ago a friend sent me an email telling about a question posed to her by a co-worker. Here is the exact text of the question: How is a Christian defined? It used to be that if you were not Jewish or Hindu More

Real Hope for Lasting Change - I Corinthians 6:9-11

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the gre More

The Holy Spirit and the Gift of Tongues - Article C: The Holy Spirit - Various

There are two problems a pastor faces whenever he comes to speak on a topic as controversial as speaking in tongues. The first is that the subject is so vast that he cannot hope to cover it completely. It would take More

What is a Christian? - 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10

A friend sent me an email telling about a question posed to her by a co-worker. Here is the exact text of the question:How is a Christian defined? It used to be that if you were not Jewish or Hindu or Buddhist, you we More

Does Israel Have a Future? - Romans 11:25-26

This sermon argues that the term “Israel” in Romans 11 always refers to ethnic Israel and that Paul foresees a day when Israel as a nation will come to Christ for salvation. Events in the Middle East remind us that Jesus Christ may come back sooner than we think. More

When God Comes Near: "I Believe in the Holy Spirit" - John 7:37-39

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water w More

What the World Doesn't Know - I Corinthians 2:6-9

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden a More

Every Home a Little Church: - Deuteronomy 6:1-9; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

As the home goes, so goes the church. Everything we believe begins in the home where we learn to worship, to pray, to sing, and to read God's Word. When Christian homes are strong, the church is strong. But when the h More

Born Free: Seven Promises You Can Count On - Galatians 3:15-4:11

The book of Galatians is all about how we can be right with God. Paul wrote this little "emergency letter" to remind us that being right with God is about believing, not achieving. Salvation is not about going to chur More

The Barnabas Factor - Romans 12:8

If someone were to give you a name indicative of your personality, what would it be? What nickname or adjective would sum up who you really are? We do that sort of thing all the time. For instance, if I mention Hon More

The Wind Blows Wherever It Wills - John 3:8

This is the first in a six-part series on the Holy Spirit called Experiencing God Today. Two months ago I had no idea that I would be preaching on the Holy Spirit once we finished I Peter. But as I thought about the m 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 people they influ More

Praying for the Lost - I Timothy 2:1-6

"Prayer is the lifeline of New Testament evangelism, the oxygen for its holy fire. The New Testament was born in prayer. It knows no evangelism without prayer, and no prayer which does not lead to evangelism." Those a More

The Woman at the Well : Christ Speaks to the Problem of a Guilty Past - John 4:1-30

Two strangers met beside a well on a hot afternoon in Samaria. One was a woman. The other was a man. We don't know the woman's name. The man was Jesus. Their brief conversation changed her life.Today we are beginning More

The Only Thing That Matters: Faith That Works By Love - Galatians 5:1-12

These are the closing words of the Declaration of Independence:We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Re More

Full Speed Ahead One Step at a Time: How You Can Walk in the Spirit Every Day - Galatians 5:16-18

"I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, More

Ten Sleepy Virgins: Are You Ready for Christ's Return? - Matthew 25:1-13

Here is a nighttime wedding where everything seems to go wrong. The groom shows up so late that the bridal party falls asleep by the side of the road. When the groom finally arrives at midnight, half the bridesmaids h 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 Genes More

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: The Source of Our Power - Acts 1:4-5

"I believe baptism in the Holy Ghost is exactly on the same plane as baptism in water—we never need to repeat it." W. H. Griffith ThomasWith this topic we venture deep into the waters of theological controversy More

A Time to Disobey - Daniel 3

Is it ever right for a Christian to disobey the law? Or are we always obligated to obey the law under all circumstances? What do you say? What does the Bible say?More and more we are faced with this question—not More

God’s Graffiti - Daniel 5

Babylon became great because of the sovereign blessing of God. In their greatness they forgot about God and began to take him for granted. God judged them and they were no longer a great nation. In the end God judges that nations who forget him, and that judgment often comes at the hands of another nation God raises up for that very purpose. More

This Must Be the Place: - Various

Seven times in nine years I have given a State of the Church address to Calvary Memorial Church. In my first message I quoted the famous words of Daniel Burnham, architect and author of The Chicago City Plan: "Make no More

A Place to Belong - Acts 2:41-47

With this message I am beginning a four-part sermon series based on our 1999 theme: A Place to Belong. The pastoral staff arrived at this theme several months ago as we considered what we were hearing from many people More

Real Christian vs. Religious - John 3

This is the first sermon based on the questions submitted by the congregation last spring. I don't know who wrote this particular question but it's a good one. The very wording suggests that there is a fundamental dif More

Faithful to the Fallen - Luke 22:31-32

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-32 This text gives us More

Unanswered Questions

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS by Ray Pritchard “I don't know if he was a believer.” It was a statement partly of hope and partly of resignation, made after a loved one had died recently. Where is he now? How should we think about such things? This is a difficult and tender topic for many people. It would be wonderful if ev… More

How Long Should I Pray?

HOW LONG SHOULD I PRAY? by Ray Pritchard Last Tuesday I had an hour-long interview with a radio station in Philadelphia. A listener called in with a heart-searching question. He had come to Christ from a Jewish background and has a burden to see his family saved. After years of prayer for them, and many hours of discussion,… More

How God Destroys Human Pride - I Corinthians 1:26-31

What sort of people does God look for when he gets ready to populate heaven? If heaven has an admissions committee, what qualifications do committee members look for? That's not an idle question. We tell our young peo More

Billy Sunday - As Presented at Forest Home Cemetery

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Finishing Well - II Timothy 4:6-8

Just before his team left the locker room to play for the national championship of college football at the Fiesta Bowl last January, Jim Tressel, head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, gathered his team for one final More

"They Gave Themselves First to the Lord" Why Giving Begins with the Heart, Not the Pocketbook - II Corinthians 8:1-5

Last night some Moody students came over to our house for some pizza and to watch a football game. One of them asked what I planned to preach on today. When I told him, he said, "Too bad." Then, "Too bad you have to p More

Zaccheus Anonymous - Luke 19:1-10

This is an appropriate text for the first Sunday after April 15. I hope you got your taxes done on time. I told you two weeks ago I was going to turn mine in and I did. I finished last Monday, the 15th, at 1:30 P.M More

Burning the Plow - 1 Kings 19:19-21

"It does not matter whether or not people understand us or think we are even sane as long as we are true to God. Obedience to him is the important thing." Theodore EppElijah was not the most balanced man in the Bible. More

Praying for Your Prodigal - Ephesians 1:18

I received an email with a heartrending question:I have a daughter that I don't believe is saved. I pray for her but often times I can't. I suppose that I'm angry she isn't responding and feel incapable of helping her 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

A Warning to Wine-Drinkers - Romans 14:13-23

Christian Liberty - You are free! Absolutely free. Christ has liberated you from the terrible burden of having to prove your worth by keeping a set of rules. You are free from the law, free from rule keeping, and free to make responsible choices. God has set you free so that you can please him with the choices you make. More

God Unchanging - Romans 11:28-29

When I was a teenager in Alabama, I spent a week at a Methodist church camp. This was during the revolutionary days of the 60s when the talk was of LSD, the Beatles, hippies, the Vietnam War and protest in the street More

Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful God - Romans 11:30-32

Earlier this week I received a copy of John Ensor's book The Great Work of the Gospel. In the first chapter, he examines the question, What motivates God to make the astonishing offer to forgive all our sins? Taking h More

Adoption: Plenty of Room in the Family

When Leslie Lynch King, Jr. died earlier this week, it made headlines around the world. Commentators talked about his legacy, and in the United States flags were lowed to half-staff in his honor. That always happens w More

How to Kill a New Christian - Part 1 - Romans 14:1-12

Part 1. There are many ways to kill the faith of a new Christian, but the easiest way - and the quickest - is through criticism and a lack of acceptance. We all have a tendency to criticize people who don’t do or say things the way we think they ought to be said or done. Terrible things can happen when we are too quick to offer personal judgments on believers who don’t meet our personal standards. How can we overcome the impulse to criticize our brothers and sisters in 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 aa 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

The Man Who Killed Jesus: "Suffered Under Pontius Pilate" - Isaiah 53

This has been a week unlike any other in my lifetime. Last Wednesday the new movie by Mel Gibson, "The Passion of the Christ," premiered around the country. For various reasons the film has stirred up enormous controv More

What is the Difference Between A Real Christian and a Religious Person? - John 3

Being religious is not the same as being a real Christian. Jesus said even the best among us must be born again. A religious person has religion; a Christian has been born again through personal faith in Jesus Christ. It’s as simple as that. Religion is good but Jesus is better. 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 of the More

Overcoming Discontentment - I Corinthians 7:17-35

Ever since the beginning of creation, when the first creatures came from the hand of God, there has always been someone, somewhere, unhappy with his position in the universe. It all started with an angel named Lucifer More

Open My Eyes, Lord - Ephesians 1:15-23

I wonder if we would be happy if our prayers were published so that others could read them. That's a fascinating thought, isn't it? What if every prayer you prayed, word for word, somehow ended up on the Internet so t More

WMBI Commentaries - Various

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