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Post by rogworld1991 on Nov 28, 2008 15:21:59 GMT -4
Just wanted to share a few stories I've found looking for sermon illustrations, some of these are pretty moving.
A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded."
"I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.
Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.
As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School."
For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.
He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.
But the story does not end there...
A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.
Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.
When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated.
Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday School time.
In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds"
This was something i found looking for a sermon on acting as one body in Christ, that anything is achievable...
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Post by Kobe Dominates! on Nov 28, 2008 22:21:09 GMT -4
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Post by rogworld1991 on Nov 30, 2008 16:53:53 GMT -4
great thing you just did... it doesn't matter if its true or not, the story is something that i've used for a sermon, and I'm sure alot of others have, this is a very inspiring stories of selflessness...
This World is in the state it is in, because people can't realize that its not all about them, if every person 15 or older in the US donated 57 cents to charity or charity wed have 138,326,399.01 raised... 57 freaken cents, that all it would take to raise 138+ Million dollars.... That would help churches enormously, or charities enormously, people are just that selfish!
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Post by rogworld1991 on Nov 30, 2008 16:59:49 GMT -4
There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Resurrection Sunday morning he came to the church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit.
Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak...
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there, son?"
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered.
"I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
"Huh?!?! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again.
The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The past or picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit. Then the pastor began to tell this story ...
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he as gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you, and kill you. You don't want those people!"
"How much?" He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears, and your life."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage, opened the door, and walked from the pulpit.
Thats how much he loves us, that he would give his life, blood, tears to save a group of people that hate him, killed him, and spit in his face with our sin. His unconditional love saved us from that fiery pit of hell, he paid our ransom so we can spend eternity in the Glories of heaven!
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Post by rogworld1991 on Nov 30, 2008 17:13:45 GMT -4
btw i never said these were true, but stories ive read, found, or my youth Pasteur has told me.
Three people; 2 men, 1 women; came to the Gates of Heaven. They were surprised however at the person standing at the gates. It was a man dressed in all white. He asked the first man, why should i allow you to go into the kingdom of Heaven?
He replied, "I was a Minster, I spread the Good News of Jesus, and won the souls of hundreds of people, and I've given thousands of dollars to local churches and charities."
The man asked," But did you know Jesus?" "Well of course, how could I have done all those things with out Him?"
So he moved onto the second man,"Why should I allow you into Heaven?"
He replied," I was a missionary in Kenya for 24 years. I helped build numerous churches, start numerous charities, gave homes to thousands of people, won hundreds of souls, and I devoted my entire life to the Gospel,"
"But did you know Jesus?"
The missionary answered "Well of course, how could I have done all those things with out Him?"
Finally, the man asked the Women the same question.
She replied," Oh I can't stack up against them very much, but I constantly gave to my church, I was always in the Bible, I prayed, and i was always in church."
"But did you know Jesus?"
She smiled and said," Of course I recognized you the moment I saw you!"
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Post by Seattle Slough on Nov 30, 2008 17:24:49 GMT -4
we already donate more then 57 cents to kill innocent people all over the world.
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Post by Kobe Dominates! on Nov 30, 2008 17:33:27 GMT -4
great thing you just did... it doesn't matter if its true or not, the story is something that i've used for a sermon, and I'm sure alot of others have, this is a very inspiring stories of selflessness... Of course it matters if its true.
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Post by rogworld1991 on Nov 30, 2008 17:35:10 GMT -4
how? they have the same moral, the same Biblical meaning behind each...
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Post by Seattle Slough on Nov 30, 2008 17:38:47 GMT -4
Because if it was true, then it would be more powerful, same reason if religion was true, it would be more powerful to every person.
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Post by rogworld1991 on Nov 30, 2008 17:39:04 GMT -4
true, it would be more powerful, but still it has the same life purpose to it, it doesnt' change it if its real or not, your not getting the point
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Post by Kobe Dominates! on Nov 30, 2008 17:40:35 GMT -4
how? they have the same moral, the same Biblical meaning behind each... Do you want people to regard the bible as the same thing as Disney books? Heart warming fictional stories?
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Post by rogworld1991 on Nov 30, 2008 17:40:47 GMT -4
these aren't Biblical... these are stories that have Biblical truths in them... when you were a kid, did your parents ever tell you these hardly believable stories that had life values that stuck with you because they had meaning to them? cuz i sure did
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Post by Kobe Dominates! on Nov 30, 2008 17:47:44 GMT -4
these aren't Biblical... these are stories that have Biblical truths in them... when you were a kid, did your parents ever tell you these hardly believable stories that had life values that stuck with you because they had meaning to them? cuz i sure did Yeah and when I grew up and realized those stories were fiction. It didn't take me any closer to God, if anything it made me doubt his existence even more. If I know that religious leaders are willing to exaggerate and fabricate stories about little girls saving money for church why would I not believe that the stories retold in the Bible don't have the same disconnect with reality.
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Post by Seattle Slough on Nov 30, 2008 17:49:30 GMT -4
Not everybody believes things that are told to them, thats what makes us all different. Thats something you cannot grasp. If we all thought the same way, then wouldn't we all believe in the same religion? Not different religions, just one. But thats not how it works, we are all different.
Curious to know, not sure if its been changed with the times. But I remember when I was younger I did go to sunday school, and every picture book or all the little pamphlets only had people of the caucasion color. Why is that? I would say Christianity is a mostly white religion, of course I could be wrong.
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Post by rogworld1991 on Dec 1, 2008 17:31:40 GMT -4
No sir, Christians have so many ethnicies, race's, nationalities, ect.... Of course there are mostly white churches, and mostly black churches... but there are alot of integrated churches now a days as well.
I agree somewhat with what your saying, but I do see what you mean by not believing the same things, but the story about a girl. Those things do happen, if that story isn't true then, there are hundreds of true stories, that just happens to be a true story that was exaggerated , there are similar stories...
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