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Radical discipleship, pacifism, and the church as a distinct counter-cultural community.
Key question: “How does this text call the community of faith to live as a distinct, counter-cultural witness to the Kingdom?”
23,877 sermon illustrations through the Anabaptist lens
"This is God's personal word to YOU: Fear not, I am with YOU. Not just with humanity in general—with YOU specifically. Whatever you're facing, He faces it with you. Whatever threatens, He is bigger. Take this promise personally: God is YOUR God." — Billy Graham.
"In Jesus Christ God has said Yes to humanity. The giving of the Son is the great divine Yes that precedes and grounds every other word from God.
"Paul warns using Israel's failures as examples—the same temptations that tested them test us. But God's faithfulness spans dispensations: He provided escape for Israel, He provides for the church. In these last days, with temptations multiplying, His faithfulness remains constant." — Warren Wiersbe.
"The poor who delight in the God of liberation desire liberation—for themselves, for their communities, for the oppressed everywhere. Delight in the God who hears the cry of the poor shapes desires for justice, for bread, for dignity. These are...
"From Jeremiah's day to ours, God's faithfulness spans millennia. Through judgment and restoration, exile and return, church age and tribulation—His mercies never cease. Whatever dispensation, whatever age, the faithful God gives new mercies every morning until morning eternal dawns." — Warren Wiersbe.
"'You anoint my head with oil'—this is the Spirit's overflow! The shepherd didn't just dab oil; he poured until the cup ran over. God doesn't give the Spirit by measure. When He anoints, He anoints abundantly, lavishly, overflowingly. Expect the overflow!" — A.W.
"God so loved the world—but we must ask: what does this love look like in a world of injustice? God's love is not neutral. It takes sides with the poor, the oppressed, the forgotten.
"'I will uphold you with my righteous right hand'—the same hand that created worlds holds you. When the devil accuses, when conscience condemns, when circumstances overwhelm—cling to this word. God's right hand is stronger than all that threatens. Fear not!" — Martin Luther.
"By faith we are ingrafted into Christ so that His death becomes ours. We are not merely inspired by His example; we participate in His crucifixion. His death is our death, legally and mystically. This is the heart of union with Christ." — John Calvin.
"For the JOY set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. What was that joy? The joy of redemption accomplished, new creation begun, His people gathered. We run toward that same joy—the renewal of all things. The race is run toward...
"Fear has to do with judgment—but believers will not face condemnation. Perfect love assures us: in the day of judgment, we will have confidence. As end-times events intensify, fear may rise—but God's love is greater. Those who know His love...
"Mission is not essentially an action by which the church puts forth its own power and wisdom to conquer the world around it; it is an action of God, putting forth the power of his Spirit to bring the universal...
"POWER—not weakness! The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you! LOVE—perfect love casts out fear! SOUND MIND—clarity in the midst of chaos! This is your inheritance! Fear has NO legal right! Enforce what the Spirit has given!" — Bill Johnson.
"What are God's plans? In Ephesians we learn: to unite all things in Christ. The 'hope and future' of Jeremiah 29:11 finds its ultimate meaning in Christ. He IS the plan. Every promise of hope converges on Him. Our future...
"The Christian life is a race—not a sprint but a marathon requiring endurance. We are surrounded by witnesses, encouraged by their example. We lay aside every weight—not just sins but anything that slows us.
"God's thoughts are HIGHER—but the Holy Spirit REVEALS them! We can't figure God out with our natural mind, but the Spirit shows us His ways! SUPERNATURAL revelation bridges the gap! Stay hungry; stay open; the Spirit will show you things...
"The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, 'My.' He does not say, 'The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large.' He says, 'The Lord is MY shepherd.' The words are in the present tense: not 'The...
"Whatever you do—not just preaching or praying but WHATEVER—do it for the Lord. The plumber glorifies God with clean pipes; the baker with good bread. All honest work becomes worship when offered to Christ. Work heartily; your true Master sees and rewards." — Charles Spurgeon.
"'No longer I, but Christ'—yet this is not the annihilation of the self but its liberation. The anxious, grasping ego dies; the true self, held in Christ's love, rises. We become most ourselves when Christ becomes our life." — Rowan Williams.
"This promise was given specifically to Israel regarding return from Babylonian exile—and ultimately points to Israel's future restoration. God's plans for Israel remain; the seventy years picture longer periods of dispersion before final regathering. Prophecy is literal and certain." — Charles Ryrie.
The devil wants you terrified, paralyzed, hopeless. But God says 'Be strong!' This is gospel against fear. When terror comes, cling to the Word: 'I am with you.' Christ has conquered; what can man or devil do? A mighty fortress...
"Scripture lights our path by revealing the whole story—creation to new creation—and showing us where we stand within it. The Word illumines not just morality but identity: who God is, who we are, where history is going. We find our...
"God's plans are good—not necessarily easy, but good. Jeremiah 29:11 was written to exiles facing seventy years of waiting. The promise isn't instant comfort but ultimate hope. God's good plan includes the hard seasons that shape us for His purposes." — Charles Swindoll.
"Yes, you'll have trouble—Jesus said so! But TAKE HEART! He has OVERCOME! That means YOU can overcome! The same power that raised Jesus lives in you! Don't let trouble defeat you; the Victor lives inside you! Shout it: I am...