Calling Archives - Sermon Illustration Ideas

Our Collective Calling

Calling, Church, Failure, Purpose of the Church, The Church

The church is a place where grace must abound if we want to live in true unity. It should be a place where people…

Career Changes

Calling, God's Will, Purpose, Sacrifice, Surrender

Find someone in the congregation who has made difficult career changes based on what God has asked them to do. Other than those who…

Answering Jesus’s Call

Calling, Evangelism, God's Plan, God's Will, Purpose

Titus Coan (1835–81), a New England–trained educator and physician, used his knowledge of both fields to work as a missionary on the island of…

“Every Day Is Exactly the Same”

Calling, everyday purpose, Life, Meaning, Purpose, Repetition, Routines

In the Nine Inch Nails song “Every Day Is Exactly the Same,” Trent Reznor describes his struggle of life, saying, “I believe I can…

A Life of Meaning

Calling, Purpose, Relationship with God, Vocation

The idea that we need to live a life that matters can be overwhelming, especially when we’re in our late teens and early twenties….

Waiting For Job Charming

Calling, Gifts, Purpose, Vocation, Work

There’s a danger in trying to make a calling—and the exercise of the gifts associated with it—something more exciting, or just sensationalizing it. But…

You Follow Me

Calling, Challenge, Disciples, Discipleship, Following Jesus, Peter

As a child did you ever try and deflect responsibility from yourself to another by asking, “What about So-and-so?” Do your children ever do…

Marco Polo

Calling, Hearing from God, Seeking, Seeking God, Vocation

Sometimes finding God’s calling/vocation on your life feels like a giant game of hide and seek, in which you constantly look in all the…

Imposter Syndrome

2 Corinthians 12:10, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Calling, Dependence, Exodus 3:1-17, Fear, God's Strength, Inadequacy, Insecurity, Jeremiah 1:4-19, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 147:10-11, Romans 8:26, Sufficiency, Weakness

Have you ever heard of “imposter syndrome”? It’s the persistent fear of being secretly incompetent or inadequate for your job. A lot of us…

Mixed Messages

1 John 2:15-17, Calling, Confusion, Culture, Identification, Imitation, Inclusiveness, James 4:4, Matthew 7:13, Outreach, Pastoring, Romans 12:2, Romans 8:13, Urban Ministry, Worldliness

On one episode of “The Calling,” a Christianity Today podcast, host Richard Clark interviewed pastor Tommy “Urban D” Kyllonen about his ministry in the…

Humility For Unity

2 Corinthians 8:9, Calling, Change, Christ's Character, Christ's Example, Hebrews 4:15, History, Humility, Laying Down, Mark 10:45, Matthew 11:29, Philippians 2:5-11, Resonate, Stakes, Unity

The 2016 Southern Baptist Convention was historic for many reasons. One in particular revolved around the SBC presidential election. When candidates Steven Gaines and…

Is God Your God?

1 John 5:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Calling, Church, Colossians 4:2, Commitment, Exchange, Idolatry, Love, Mark 11:24, Philippians 4:6-7, Prayer, Priorities, Private Time, Worship

“What you think about in your private time is what you worship.”- Pastor Timothy Keller. Jesus calls for us to make time to pray…

“The Calling”

Calling, Change, Circumstance, Dreams, Gifts, God's Sovereignty, Isaiah 46:10, Job 42:2, Nehemiah 9:6, Path, Placement, Plans, Psalm 135:6, Trusting God, Zechariah 14:9

One episode of The Jim Gaffigan Show, “The Calling,” examines how one’s calling can vastly differ from one’s gifts or placement. In this video,…

No Repayment

1 Corinthians 4:12, Altruism, Calling, Compassion, Freedom, Kindness, Love, Luke 6:33, Matthew 5:39, Matthew 5:44, Repayment, Romans 12:17, Sacrifice, Satisfaction, Service

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”- John Bunyan Our compassionate God calls us…

Volunteer Heroes

1 Peter 4:10, Acts 20:35, Anxious, Calling, Community, Firefighters, Galatians 5:13-14, Hero, John 13:12-14, Matthew 20:28, Risk, Sacrifice, Service, Volunteer

Children are often asked, “What do you want to be when you grow-up?” Many little kids respond, “A firefighter!” There is something attractive about…