In Preaching Articles: "active faith"

Hope And Perspective When We’re Dealing With Doubt

By Randy Alcorn on Dec 3, 2022

"In times of doubt, difficulty, and trials, our fundamental beliefs about God and our faith are revealed. So how can Christians find faith in the midst of doubt? How can they trust God’s plan when their lives seem out of His control, and prayers seem to go unanswered or, sometimes it feels, even unheard?"

Scripture: Romans 10:17, Romans 8:28, Ephesians 1:11, 2 Timothy 3:16, Job 23:10, Isaiah 43:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: doubt, Perseverance, suffering, tragedy, Promises of God, Genuine Faith, Test of Faith, sovereignty of God  (view more)  (view less)

Stop The Revolution. Join The Plodders.

By Kevin Deyoung on Jan 24, 2022

It’s sexy among young people—my generation—to talk about ditching institutional religion and starting a revolution of real Christ-followers living in real community without the confines of church.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:21, Romans 16:8

Tags: Church, Commitment, endurance, Faithfulness, church  (view more)  (view less)

7 Ways To Tell If It's A God Thing

By Ron Edmondson on Apr 3, 2023

Ron Edmondson: "God calls people to seemingly impossible tasks. It gives Him glory when I can’t do something, but He can."

Scripture: Hebrews 11:6

Tags: Faith, Ministry, Prayer, opportunity, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

9 Ways To Preach A Lousy Sermon

By Ben Reed on Aug 26, 2020

If you want to preach a great sermon, here are nine things you must avoid at all costs.

Tags: Faith, Fear, endurance, Preaching, prosper  (view more)  (view less)

Three Probing Questions Every Pastor Should Ask Himself

By Charles Stone on Sep 14, 2023

Take a few moments and ask yourself these questions to see what God reveals about your heart and motives.

Tags: Faithfulness, identity, Identity in Christ, motives

Never Blame God

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 1, 2022

You are not the first Christian to have felt angry at God, and you will not be the last.

Scripture: Job 42:6, 1 John 1:5, Romans 9:22-23, Romans 11:36, James 4:4, James 1:1-17, Hebrews 12:11, Daniel 4:35, Revelation 17:17, Proverbs 21:1, Psalm 115:3, Lamentations 3:37-38, Job 2:10, Jonah 4:9, Matthew 10:29  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Faith, doubt, Hope, Blaming God

Spiritual Oil Crisis

By Lance Witt on Oct 22, 2022

What are you trusting God for? What are attempting for God’s glory that requires faith? Sadly, the more years people serve in ministry, the less risk-taking faith they demonstrate. We can begin to rely on our experience, our skills, and our planning to win the day. Yet, without faith it is impossible to please God.

Scripture: Ephesians 3:20, 2 Kings 4:1-7, Hebrews 11:6

Tags: Faith, Ministry, Trust, Elisha, relying on god, Risk taking, church leadership, Daring Faith, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Are Small Churches Less Fruitful?

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 26, 2022

Does the size of a church always speak of its faithfulness?

Scripture: John 15:5, Matthew 7:20, Matthew 12:33-34, Luke 3:9-14, Luke 3:8, Matthew 13:23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Ministry, Fruit, Faithfulness, Trusting God, Church Growth, Church size, Love One Another, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

5 Personal Changes To Empower Your Preaching

By Rick Ezell on Feb 11, 2025

When you preach, in many respects, you are the message. If your personal life is not congruent with your words, then a mixed message is delivered.

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-10

Tags: Faith, Preaching, Prayer, Personal Change, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Can I Evaluate My Own Preaching?

By Steven Smith on Sep 25, 2024

We do not invent messages; we proclaim truth. So we measure our effectiveness by how faithful we are to the text.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Tags: Preaching, treasure, Faithfulness, Obligation, proclaim, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

10 Ways To Plan An Amazing Sermon Series

By Herbert Cooper on Oct 9, 2020

Herbert Cooper, senior pastor of People's Church in Oklahoma City, shares strategic insights into making a sermon series work.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:14-20

Tags: Faith, Preaching, sight, walk, substance, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Your Unchurched Neighbors Don’t Want A Watered-Down Sermon

By Carey Nieuwhof on May 9, 2023

Can you craft a message series for unchurched people and still be faithful to scripture?

Tags: Preaching, Faithful, Unchurched, preaching, Watered Down  (view more)  (view less)

Five Preaching Applications From The Movie Gravity

By Jacob Myers on Jan 14, 2023

In "Gravity" we find a poignant portrayal of what Christian discipleship might look like.

Tags: Faith, Preaching, Prayer, illustration, Gravity, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Powerful Preaching Flows From Good Questions

By David J. Lose on Sep 4, 2021

It's often the really challenging passages that yield the most interesting sermons.

Scripture: Romans 8:2-4

Tags: Faith, Preaching, Powerful, good questions, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Lord’s Prayer, A Missional Reading: Give Us Daily Bread

By Dr. Nijay Gupta on Apr 8, 2021

The “missional theology” movement has injected energy and life into the church. Who isn’t inspired when reading Emil Brunner’s famous words, “The church exists by mission as a fire exists by burning”? Missional theology has motivated many Christians and churches to seek out their purpose in God of bearing and embodying the good news of Jesus Christ.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Exodus 16:1-36, John 6:1-71, Matthew 4:1-25

Tags: Humility, Lord's Prayer, Missional, walk by faith