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The immediate, experiential work of the Holy Spirit and the expectation of spiritual gifts.
Key question: “How does this text reveal the present-day work and power of the Holy Spirit?”
24,009 sermon illustrations through the Pentecostal lens
"'Goodness and mercy shall follow me'—the Hebrew suggests pursuing, chasing. God's goodness and mercy are not passive; they hunt us down. We don't chase blessings; blessings chase us. The Shepherd's goodness is relentless, pursuing us all our days." — N.T.
"To the campesinos in exile from their land, to the refugees, to those displaced by violence: God has plans for YOU—not the plans of the powerful who exile you, but God's plans of hope. Liberation is coming. Justice will prevail.
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. This is the substance of Romans 8:28 for those who have suffered: God is not absent from history. He is working—sometimes invisibly, often slowly—bending all things toward...
"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...
"Mission requires courage—to cross cultures, to face rejection, to persist when results are invisible. Joshua needed courage to enter new territory; we need courage to engage new contexts. 'Do not be afraid'—fear is the enemy of mission. God goes before us." — Lesslie Newbigin.
"The way of Jesus is the way of the cross—solidarity with victims, confrontation with powers, love unto death. When Jesus says 'I am the way,' He invites us onto a path that leads through Golgotha. The life He offers passes through death to injustice.
"Your identity is not your performance, your reputation, or your achievements. 'It is no longer I who live.' Your truest self is now 'Christ in me.' This frees you for mission: you have nothing to prove, nothing to lose. The...
"Note that sheep travel in flocks. 'The Lord is MY shepherd' is spoken within community. We are not isolated individuals with personal shepherds; we are a flock, together following, together fed, together protected. The Psalm is personal but never private." — Stanley Hauerwas.
"God is faithful to YOU—personally, specifically. His mercies are new every morning for YOUR life, YOUR struggles, YOUR journey. When you wake tomorrow, fresh mercy waits. Great is His faithfulness—to YOU. Receive it personally; praise Him thankfully." — Billy Graham.
"You can know the Shepherd personally. Not just believe He exists, but KNOW Him—His voice, His care, His provision. 'The Lord is MY shepherd'—have you made it personal? Have you given your life to the Good Shepherd who gave His...
"God's promise to never leave nor forsake is COVENANT promise—rooted in His character, not our performance. He goes before because He is faithful; He remains with because He is unchanging. Covenant security: our confidence rests in who HE is, not who we are." — R.C.
"New creation isn't just about personal salvation; it's cosmic renewal. The next verse says God is reconciling THE WORLD. We're not just saved souls; we're agents of new creation—partners in making all things new: relationships, systems, creation itself." — Brian McLaren.
"The PRESENCE of God changes everything! Waters that should drown—part! Fires that should consume—cool! This isn't just survival; it's VICTORY! God doesn't just get us through; He makes us TRIUMPHANT through! Walk through your waters SHOUTING—God is WITH you!" — Bill Johnson.
"The enslaved sang 'Great Is Thy Faithfulness' through the long night of bondage. Each morning they woke to fresh mercy that sustained hope when hope seemed foolish. God's faithfulness carried a people through centuries of night to morning's coming freedom." — Howard Thurman.
"Paul wrote to Timothy; I write from prison. The Spirit of power, love, and sound mind is real—tested by persecution. Fear comes naturally; the Spirit comes supernaturally. In the face of death, the Spirit gives clarity, courage, and inexplicable peace." — Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
"God goes before as light in darkness; He accompanies as friend on pilgrimage. This is synergy: divine initiative and human journey intertwined. Through the Liturgy, through icons, through the Church's life, His presence is experienced. He never leaves His faithful." — St.
"In the darkness of Tegel prison, I wake to new mercy. God's faithfulness is not abstract doctrine but morning reality—today's bread, today's strength, today's hope. His mercies are new; mine do not need to be carried from yesterday. Each morning...
"Temptation is not merely individual moral failure but includes systemic seductions—idolatry of empire, worship of wealth, complicity with injustice. The 'way of escape' may be prophetic resistance, communal accountability, choosing solidarity over safety. We face temptation together." — Walter Brueggemann.
"Present your bodies—entirely, unreservedly. This is entire consecration, the gateway to entire sanctification. As you offer all to God, He transforms all. The renewed mind grows in holiness. Transformation is progressive, beginning with decisive surrender." — John Wesley. Wesleyan: consecration unto sanctification.
"The lamp shines brightest in community—we read Scripture together, discerning together what it illumines. The path lit is often the path of discipleship: nonviolence, simplicity, community. The Word lights the Jesus-way, and we walk it together." — John Howard Yoder.
"Christ's victory is new creation breaking into old creation. The world's trouble belongs to the old order; Christ's overcoming belongs to the new. We live in overlap: trouble is real, but so is resurrection. Take heart—the future has invaded the...
"The man on the cross is facing only one direction. He is not going back. He has no further plans of his own. The cross means death to self—complete, final, irreversible. 'I am crucified with Christ' is not poetry but reality." — A.W.
"In the ancient world, gods didn't seek people—people sought gods. But our Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to find the one. He leads, guides, pursues. Mission flows from this: we seek others because He first sought us." — Tim Keller. The...
"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. Delight in the Lord means learning to want what is actually best. When we truly delight in God, our desires are not...