Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

Some members have a job in the church, other members involve themselves in a ministry. What’s the difference?

In 1 Kings 8:22-53, Solomon offers a prayer to God as the temple is completed. In this prayer, let us consider seven biblical truths. From these truths, we can better understand the character of God and thus a better understanding of His will for us.

Regarding the stresses in our life, the apostle Paul stated in Philippians 4:6 (using the Kenneth E. Wuest – Expanded Translation): “Stop worrying about even one thing, but in everything by prayer whose essence is that of worship and devotion and by supplication which is a cry for your personal needs, with thanksgiving let your […]

There is one little word in the English language that has the power to disannul every acknowledgement of truth and seemingly noble intention – that word is “but.” When someone says, “I know I ought to, but….”, you immediately know what’s about to follow. The use of the word “but” becomes a process of explaining […]

As we read of the killings in Mexico and places throughout our country, we are made to wonder if we can feel secure anywhere. As companies and school districts lay off employees by the thousands, we learn that there is no such thing as “job security.”

Several years ago, there was a catchy Wolf Brand Chili commercial on television that went something like this: “Neighbor, how long has it been since you had a big, thick, steaming bowl of Wolf Brand Chili? ….Well, that’s too long.“ The question was designed to cause folks to remember how good a hot bowl of […]

All conditions ever to be found in a congregation of the Lord’s church at any time in history may be found (at least in principle) in one or more of the seven churches described in Revelation 2-3.

The apostle Paul warned Timothy about being entangled with  “the affairs of this life” (2 Timothy 2:4). He urged Timothy not to let anything slow him down or distract him from serving the cause of Christ.

As every serious Bible student knows, simply “reading” the Bible is not sufficient to guarantee that one will understand what the Bible teaches. It is not even enough for one to have memorized the entire Bible. The Bible student must know: 1) What the Bible says. 2) What the words in the Bible mean.

For three days, Abraham and Isaac had been traveling to the place of sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-4). When they arrived at the place that God had designated, Isaac sensed that something was very wrong. The external trappings of the wood and the fire were close at hand, but the essential element of the sacrifice (the lamb) […]

By reading 1 Thessalonians 1-5, we can look at the first century church in action. Let us notice the following characteristics of this spiritually productive congregation: They steadfastly did the Lord’s work, setting an example and standard for all other congregations to follow (1 Thessalonians 1:1-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:58).

The story is told of a treasurer of a congregation who resigned after many years of service. The elders asked another member to take his position. The man who they asked was the manager of the local grain elevator. He agreed to take the job on two conditions:

Recently, I received the following touching human interest story from one of my online Christians friends via email. The story of this young boy and a kind telephone operator, has been circulated around the Internet for a long time, but the message of the story still needs repeating:

After being on this earth for sixty-seven years and having observed a growing trend of spiritual lethargy over the past fifty years, I have come away fully believing that Christianity must become our passion — not simply a passing fancy or hobby that is reserved for only two days a week.

From an unknown author, comes this very personal and meaningful prayer that each of us can think about this coming week:

Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes are ever observant; their ears are always listening; their minds are always processing the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives (Ephesians 6:1-3; cf. Exodus 20:12). The wise parent […]

The story is told of a little girl who wore a white frock and was carrying a large bouquet of flowers. As she passed by a boy who was playing in the dusty street, he saw how she was dressed. Having a mischievous spirit, the boy threw a handful of dirt at the little girl, […]

From time to time, we hear of various workers going on strike for whatever reason. Perhaps we need to ask the question, “What if God should go on strike?” The following is a poem by an unknown author, that emphasizes our need for God and His gracious supply of everything we need to sustain life […]

The story is told of a man who owned and operated a sign company. Some of his signs were life-size cardboard pictures of kids, which he put close to the street. As motorists drove down the street, they thought the cutouts were real children and began to lower their speed. Now the owner sells the […]

There’s no question that living for Christ is an uphill climb — a climb marked by triumph over our weaknesses by God’s grace (2 Corinthians 5:8-15). Like the apostle Paul, we will never achieve a level of spirituality where we can say, “I have arrived, and this is where I’ll stay” (cf. Philippians 3:12-14).