Forgiveness
Illustrations, ForgivenessIn 1983 Mehmet Ali Agca was in the midst of the crowd in St. Peter’s Square. He pulled a gun out of his pocket and tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II. He was arrested and imprisoned. In January 1984 the Pope visited the prison, and w...
Revenge
Illustrations, RevengeLittle Johnny was in the garden filling in a large hole when his neighbor peered over the fence. Interested in what the youngster was up to, he politely asked, “What’cha doing, Johnny?” “My goldfish died,” replied the boy tearfully, with...
Prayer
Illustrations, PrayerIn his book Falling in Love with Prayer (NexGen), Mike MacIntosh writes: “When I was a teenager I wanted so much to be accepted by my peers, and I decided that a foul mouth was a way to act like a man. I noticed that most men swore and...
Easter
Illustrations, EasterThis illustration will at least be understood by the older folks in your church: One Easter Sunday morning as the minister was preaching the children’s sermon, he reached into his bag of props and pulled out an egg. He pointed at...
Grace
Illustrations, GraceIn a cartoon from Forbes magazine, a tycoon is sitting in a lush office explaining to his granddaughter where he got his vast wealth. He says, “It was really quite simple. I bought a pencil for a penny, sharpened it, and sold it for tw...
Preaching
Illustrations, preachingWhen the local doctor began attending church services the pastor was delighted, and it wasn’t long before they were helping each other in their work – the minister referring people to the doctor, and vice versa. One person who received...
Easter
Illustrations, EasterThe Call to Worship had just been pronounced starting the Easter Sunday service in an East Texas church. The choir started its processional, singing “Up from the Grave He Arose” as they marched in perfect step down the center aisle t...
Taxes
Illustrations, TaxesThe IRS auditor looked sternly at the man across the desk and said, “It is your duty as a citizen to pay taxes, and we expect you to pay them with a smile.” The man immediately broke into a wide grin and said, “That’s great! I was...
Jesus the Door
Illustrations, Door, JesusIn his Turning Point daily devotional, David Jeremiah writes: “When Lucy cracks open the wardrobe door in C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, she symbolically encounters a spiritual world. Through that door she meets t...