Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: take action, take steps, take measures, take the initiative, move, make a move, react, do something, proceed, go ahead, behave, function, perform, operate, work, take effect, serve, be efficacious, play, play a part, take part, be an actor, be an actress, be one of the cast, appear, pretend, play-act, sham, fake, feign, put it on, bluff, pose, posture, masquerade, dissemble, dissimulate, deed, action, gesture, feat, exploit, performance, undertaking, maneuver, stunt, operation, venture, effort, enterprise, achievement, accomplishment, law, decree, statute, bill, Act of Parliament, edict, fiat, dictum, dictate, enactment, resolution, ruling, rule, judgement, canon, ordinance, proclamation, command, commandment, mandate, measure, stipulation, direction, requirement, division, section, subsection, portion, part, segment, component, bit, turn, routine, number, item, piece, sketch, skit, playlet, dance, song, pretense, false display, show, front, facade, charade, guise, affectation, appearance

Antonyms: do nothing

Showing 1 to 25 of 210 results

1. Journey To The Cross IV: Jesus and Judas

Mark 14:43-52

Sermon

James W. Moore

... this. We are called to be faithful, not to be successful. We are called to serve God and to be obedient to God. We are called to do the best we know and to trust God to bring it out right. But Judas missed the message and he missed the mandate. III. Judas Missed His Moment Sometimes so do we. Actually Judas missed two key moments, which could have changed his life. If he had seized either one of them, then today his name would be an honored one rather than one of shame. The first came in the Upper Room ...

2. Where Can I Find the Church?

Acts 2:1-8; 4:32-37

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... as a church than we were able to do under the old system. We have no choice, really, not if we take Pentecost seriously. Pentecost has a message we cannot ignore, because Pentecost outlines the beginning of the Church. Therefore, it gives us the charter and the mandate for the Church, and we have to come to terms with that. There is another passage of equal importance and relevance to us, and that is the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. It is a series of parables in the 25th chapter: the bridesmaids ...

3. Is There Hope For World Peace?

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of Zambia, and Christ Church is privileged to help. We are battling disease and poverty there, while spreading the gospel of Jesus. We are digging wells to provide safe drinking water while we are spreading the “living water” of faith in Jesus Christ. The third mandate is given in Matthew 28, verse 19. It is an EVANGELISTIC one. “Go into all the world and make disciples.” Jesus warned us that our three-fold assignment here on earth would be tough. He said, “If they persecuted me, they will also ...

4. Do You Have It?

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the true." I repeat: it is NOT our job to counter-attack "unChristians," to trot out lists of bad behavior found among those who don't follow Jesus. Instead it is our mission to so embody the qualities of a transformed life that we cannot be missed. It is our mandate to shine our light so that all will see good works and glory God. Let me leave you with a way of thinking about how Christians are to function in the world. Do you have "IT?" No, I don't mean IT inventions and innovations. In some circles, "IT ...

5. Who's the Real Leader?

Joshua 3:1-4:24

Sermon

Argile Smith

... said. Joshua’s courage also became evident when he had to address a serious internal crisis. The victory in Jericho didn’t guarantee the people of Israel the same outcome at Ai. In fact, they suffered a miserable defeat there because someone in the camp had violated God’s mandate regarding the treasures found in Jericho (Joshua 6:18). Brokenhearted over the defeat, Joshua heard from the Lord about what to do in order to resolve the crisis. He told Joshua that the individual who had violated God’s ...

6. Called to Love, Not Like

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... cannot be sung about it must be believed and it must be lived.4 Were we briefly to sketch out what makes Christian love distinctive and special, it would include the following. Christian love sees through walls and around corners. Being under the mandate of God to love means also we are under a mandate to love others by looking through the walls they place in our way, and around the corners where they are hiding. This isn't always, or even very often, fun, but it is what the gospel calls us to do. It is the ...

7. What Will We Do When He Is Gone?

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... met a man I didn’t like.” Will Rogers could say that because he did not know all the people I know. I have met people I didn’t like. In fact, I have met some people that I cannot imagine anybody loving or even liking. Yet this mandate remains: “Love one another.” The apostles must have asked, “Jesus just how are we supposed to do that?” Actually, our Lord answered that question a little earlier in the evening. He did so, not so much with his words as by his example. Chapter 13 of John opens ...

8. We're On the Move Now!

Sermon

Ronald Love

... condoned slavery, but with the immediate return of Christ it was best if slaves focused in their immediate station in life. Regarding slavery Paul wrote, “although if you can gain your freedom, do so.” We also used his words in Romans as a mandate for blind obedience to the ruling authorities of our present age — to our government. Paul was not justifying an oppressive regime, what he was saying since Christ would return shortly, so let us not be disruptive for it will hinder our Christian witness ...

9. A Mother · A Canaanite Woman

Mt 15:21-28 · Mk 7:24-30

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... , (cf. Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17) and he must fulfill that responsibility at all costs. Thus, trying as the moment was for the woman, it was not an easy one for the Master either, caught as he was between the woman's persistent petitioning and his heavenly mandate. Or to put it another way, on the one hand he faced the need of an individual, on the other the salvation of a people. And always in the background there were those waiting to trap him. But the woman refused to be silenced. For as Frederick Farrar ...

10. A Big Fisherman · Peter

Mt 16:13-20 · Jn 1:35-42

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... enough to stir up second thoughts, and those in power speedily drew back from their original intent, deciding instead to settle for administering a beating to Peter and his companions. Then they turned the group loose with a mandate never to mention Jesus' name again. (Acts 5:17-40) The mandate was, of course, futile, and even as the authorities issued it they must have sensed it was. Indeed, so effectively did Peter continue to witness "in the temple and at home" that the Lord's followers kept increasing ...

11. Image and Inscription

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

... they announced that, in any conflict between government and God, they would have to obey divine rather than human authority.3 It is for that reason that we must continually decide whether, when and to what extent the government is carrying out its God-given mandate. Life and freedom are gifts from God, not privileges conferred by Caesar. And when Caesar proposes to strip away these gifts, we must decide whether to say, "Yes, this is a legitimate exercise of the power of the sword" or "No, in this case, the ...

12. When the Church Is the Church

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

... is the kind of church which St. Paul saw as being possible among the Christians in Philippi. Wouldn’t it be great to be members of a church like that? We can be, if we want to. If we really want to. 1. Eugene L. Smith, Mandate for Mission (New York: Friendship Press, Inc., 1968), pp. 66-67. Used by permission. 2. Clarence Jordan, The Cotton Patch Version of Paul’s Epistles, (New York: Association Press, 1968), p. 117. Used by permission. 3. Arthur John Gossip, Vol. 8, The Interpreters Bible, Nolan B ...

13. My Love Requires A Symbol

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... symbol. If the marriage loses its luster, so does the ring. But if that relationship is healthy and growing, the ring’s value just keeps on appreciating. Today I want to talk with you about another powerful symbol. It’s called “tithing.” This is the biblically-mandated practice of expressing gratitude to God by giving 10 percent of one’s income off the top for God’s work. What a powerful symbol tithing is! It declares that God comes first in my life, that God can be trusted to make 90 percent of ...

14. Stewards of Life, Death, and Beyond

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... . This is the reason I love the idea of a living will and think every Christian and steward of life and death ought to have one filled out, signed, and explained to their family. Our statement does remind us that Christian stewardship of life "Mandates treasuring and preserving the life which God has given. Meaning and hope are possible in all of life’s situations, even those involving great suffering." The Hospice program is a beautiful and very Christian-like approach to the death process. We do believe ...

15. Should Christians Always Oppose War?

Romans 13:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... primary thrust of his life and ministry was against violence and war. He said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9). Here is my second point: THE NEW TESTAMENT ETHIC FOR INDIVIDUALS DIFFERS FROM THE MANDATE FOR NATIONAL LEADERS. Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5 through 7 is directed primarily at individual Christians. Jesus said, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." We Christians, acting as individuals ...

16. The Awesome Power Of Believing

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... that something else could help us live longer. Something very easy to do. "'Love and health go hand in hand,' says Peter Hansen, a therapist consultant who conducts workshops in getting people's affections in shape. "The mandate to "love your neighbor" is not just a moral mandate it's a physiological one,' says James Lynch, author of the `Broken Heart.' "Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley found several years ago that socially isolated people were more susceptible to illness and had ...

17. The Power of a God-Shaped Attitude

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... affect us in a great way. We can become programmed. We develop habits and routines. These can be an asset if they are shaped by Christ. They are disastrous if shaped by cultural forces and patterns. The Christian life mandates a continual discipline of surrendering every human thought to the power of Christ''s message and mandate. Instead of looking for people to hate, we need to look for a way to raise above the maddening crowd and live out the life of Jesus in our hearts and minds. I believe it is safe to ...

18. No Fear

John 15:1-8

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... in Washington, D. C. He has also, incidentally, consented to be one of the leaders of the event in Philadelphia this week. I don't think there is anyone who is more articulate in proclaiming that compassion for the poor is not an option for Christians; it is a mandate for Christians. He tells the story of a friend of his who happened to be in Sarajevo when that city was under siege. He saw a young girl shot by a sniper fall to the street. A man came over, picked her up. Wallis' friend had a rented car ...

19. Now What?

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Mark Trotter

20. Stirred, Not Shaken

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the stranger), our relationships within our family, and our outreach to those far outside the closeness of our inner circle (prisoners), are all opportunities for us to show our faithfulness. There's a marvelous sense of intangibility, of "on your honor"-ness to the mandates demanded in today's text. How can we really measure whether we're feeling genuine Philadelphia? Maybe we're merely grinding our teeth and stiffening our upper lip until we can get home to trash those so consistently rub us the wrong way ...

21. Let Familiarity Breed Contentment

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... busy. There is also no doubt that we are surrounded by miracles and divine manifestations everyday of our busy, busy lives. We have only to open our eyes and ears and hearts to be astounded. In today's epistle lesson the Hebrews writer mandates some behaviors that for twenty-first century Christians may appear quite mundane. They're not. They are, in fact, daily, deliberate miracles. · Love each other. · Extend unqualified hospitality to all who seek it. · Remain true and faithful in marriage and in all ...

22. Want to Be Happy?

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... servant identity is the unique characteristic of Jesus’ messianic role: he will suffer for the sins of all the people. John, though not wholly clued in to all the dimensions of Jesus’ identity, gets the one thing that does matter: Jesus’ mandate to “fulfill all righteousness” requires his baptism. Matthew’s description of the events that unfold as Jesus “came up from the water” (v. 16) also differs somewhat from what is found in the other gospels. The events exhibit three features: first ...

23. An Excellent Epitaph

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... a few stands I am willing to take. All Christian employers, including churches, should pay a living wage to their employees. If you employ someone full-time, he or she should earn enough to live a decent lifestyle. I do not want this living wage mandated by law. It ought to be mandated by the law of love planted in each Christian’s heart. If I am a Christian employer living an affluent lifestyle, how will I respond to God one day when he asks me why I paid an employee so little that he couldn’t afford ...

24. God Our Protector and Shield

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... as baptized Christians to do what we can to finish the work Jesus inaugurated during his public ministry. We cannot do it alone and the work will most probably not be completed when God calls us home, but our membership in the Christian community mandates our need to go to the fields and harvest the crop of God's love. Prayer must be the source of our strength, assisting us to boldly proclaim the message of Christ to our broken world. Many women and men of great faith have provided examples of the words ...

25. Speak Up for Forgiveness

Hebrews 13:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Philemon to do in Onesimus' case. Identifying a wrong and voicing forgiveness for it is worth nothing if your behavior continues to punish the offender. In the case of a spouse, perhaps this action can be as simple as invoking the mandate "kiss and make up." For Philemon, the relative simplicity of the initial action he must take, welcoming Onesimus back without punishment, has long-reaching ramifications. Forgiving Onesimus and forgoing his punishment surely will set in motion a whole new standard of ...

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