In Preaching Articles: "Preaching"

4 Reasons Not To Give An Altar Call

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Aug 12, 2024

There is a place for a properly given altar call, but we must maintain a correct understanding of how, when, and where to use one.

Tags: Preaching, altar, Invitation, preaching

3 Mistakes Pastors Make With Commentaries

By Peter Mead on May 6, 2025

Commentaries are resources for preachers, not sources for sermons. Watch out for these three pitfalls when using commentaries in your sermon prep and delivery.

Tags: Preaching, Prep, Commentary, preaching

How To Handle The Gore Of Good Friday

By Peter Mead on Mar 22, 2021

The crucifixion is bloody. Should we shock people out of a religious view of crucifixion, or is it better not to overwhelm people with the gore?

Tags: Good Friday, Preaching, preaching

A Christmas Sermon 1,700 Years Old

By Brian Orme on Dec 17, 2024

Help can come from the most unexpected places: You can look to the Church Fathers to help prepare your Christmas message.

Tags: Christmas, Preaching, ancient, preaching

The Perfect Length For A Sermon

By Thom Schultz on Nov 7, 2020

When it comes to determining the perfect sermon length, we need to know the limitations of the medium.

Scripture: Psalm 37:1-4

Tags: Preaching, limit, length, preaching

Derwin Gray: I Prepare My Sermons By Dancing

By Derwin Gray on Dec 16, 2020

Are your dance moves timeless or hopelessly out of date? Pastor Derwin Gray has five suggestions.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24

Tags: Preaching, dance, teach, preaching

Do Pastors Avoid Teaching On Heaven?

By Toni Ridgaway on May 5, 2023

Scholars and authors say the church does not often present the topic of heaven anymore, and they wonder why.

Tags: Heaven, Truth, Preaching, preaching

The Hardest Part Of A Sermon

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 23, 2021

The Lord gives His message to those who seek Him, who wait upon Him, who are willing to do His will.

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:1-15

Tags: Preaching, difficult, hard, preaching

Is He Crazy To Share His Pulpit?

By Larry Osborne on Oct 12, 2024

"The notion of sharing my pulpit was unthinkable, tantamount to a denial of my calling."

Scripture: Zechariah 5:1-4

Tags: Preaching, pulpit, Share, preaching

Build Your Sermon Like A House

By Greg Stier on Oct 16, 2024

Greg Stier learned to exegete a text at the same time he learned to swing a hammer. It paid off.

Scripture: Luke 14:22-33

Tags: Preaching, House, build, preaching

Do We Owe Every Wedding Ceremony A Fresh Sermon?

By Nathan Aaseng on Jun 5, 2023

The challenge is to make the wedding couple feel that the homily is not just a canned one, pulled out of the file and dusted off for the 35th time.

Tags: Wedding, Fresh, Preaching, preaching

5 Integrity Traps Waiting For Every Preacher

By Peter Mead on Aug 30, 2021

People long for the preacher to have a deep sense of consistency.

Tags: Preaching, Integrity, Plagiarism, preaching

No Joking In The Pulpit? Hershael York Says To Pull The Punch Line

By Hershael York on Oct 2, 2021

"Preachers should not tell jokes for one reason only: They don't do it well. In fact, they do it badly."

Scripture: Acts 4:1-10

Tags: Preaching, humor, jokes, preaching

Could Your Labor Day Sermon Be The Most Important Of The Year?

By David J. Lose on Aug 25, 2020

Perhaps our largest challenge is to overcome the disconnect most Christians experience between what we do on Sunday and what we do the rest of the week.

Scripture: Colossians 3:23-24

Tags: Preaching, challenge, disconnect, preaching

Great, You've Got A Theme, But Do You Have A Sermon?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jun 6, 2023

Do you ALWAYS have to start with a text? Sherman Cox says "no."

Scripture: 1 John 5:3

Tags: Idea, Preaching, Text, preaching