In Preaching Articles: "Costs"

The High Cost Of Free Porn

By Owen Strachan on Sep 16, 2022

Beyond severe psychological and social consequences, pornography hinders Jesus’s mission in the world.

Scripture: John 6:38, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:37, Luke 15:1-7, Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:9-10, Romans 8:13, Revelation 12:10-12, Colossians 3:5  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Pornography, god's mission, Jesus' mission, Kingdom's Mission

5 Funeral Blunders To Avoid At All Costs

By John Pond on Jun 25, 2021

What we say is powerful in such a vulnerable situation, and we should tread carefully.

Tags: mistakes, Funeral, preaching, Death, Heaven, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Funeral Blunders To Avoid At All Costs

By John Pond on Jan 24, 2023

What we say is powerful in such a vulnerable situation, and we should tread carefully.

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Maybe Your Church Doesn't Need More Money

By Kent Woodyard on Mar 26, 2023

“If your church isn’t strapped for cash, your vision isn’t big enough.”

Tags: Money, church planting, Cost of Discipleship

The Call No One Wants To Get - Part 1

By Lance Witt on Sep 24, 2023

One of the spiritual questions every ministry leader must answer is, “Am I willing to serve in obscurity?”

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-40

Tags: Faith, obscurity, Cost of Discipleship, success in ministry

Why We Need To Seriously Reconsider The Idea Behind The Altar Call

By Jeff K. Clarke on Sep 14, 2025

We are so desperate to have people make a decision that we rarely, if ever, tell them about the costs associated with making that decision.

Tags: preaching, Discipleship, Preaching, converts, altar call, costs  (view more)  (view less)

One Question You Must Never Ask In Ministry

By Joe Mckeever on Sep 6, 2023

Disciples of Jesus Christ must never try to calculate the cost/benefit of some act of ministry.

Scripture: Colossians 3:23-24, Luke 18:8, Ecclesiastes 11:6

Tags: questions, measuring success, Faithfulness, Leadership General

9 Ways To Preach A Lousy Sermon

By Ben Reed on Aug 25, 2020

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

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

The 10 Commandments Of Preaching

By Tyler Scarlett on Feb 7, 2025

Everyone makes mistakes, but for all the mistakes preachers can (and do) make, here are 10 that we should do our best to avoid at all costs.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:21, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 1 Timothy 3:15

Tags: Commandments, Preaching, preaching

Dangerous Assumptions That Will Kill Your Message

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jun 21, 2021

Assuming the wrong things can cost us our audience. There are five dangerous assumptions in preaching. The damage they do may vary, but the fact that they are costly does not.

Scripture: 1 John 4:1-7

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Courageous Conversations - Part 1

By Lance Witt on Sep 3, 2023

When it comes to correction, rebuke, or confrontation, to say it’s uncomfortable is a massive understatement. The truth is, pastors avoid it at all costs. That has certainly been true of me.

Tags: Communication, Courage, Confrontation, pastoral leadership, communication  (view more)  (view less)

7 Dangerous Church Hiring Mistakes

By Brian Orme on Mar 27, 2024

We don’t want you to drop $300K (or more) of Kingdom funds on bad staffing when it should go toward Gospel-centered initiatives. So, here are seven hiring mistakes you want to avoid at all costs.

Tags: Church, Preaching, mistakes, church and business, hiring, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

Hope Sermon Outline Template For Pastors

By Josh Read on Mar 9, 2026

The word "hope" has become church wallpaper. It's on coffee mugs in the lobby, printed across banners above the baptistry, and threaded through every worship set since 2015. Your congregation has heard it so many times it slides off them like rain off a windshield. Here's the tension: the biblical word for hope has almost nothing in common with the sentiment we've domesticated it into. The Hebrew word "tiqvah" literally means "cord" or "rope", something you cling to when the ground gives way. The Greek "elpis" in Paul's letters is never wishful thinking. It's confident expectation aimed at a future only God can deliver. This sermon outline is built for the Sunday you peel the bumper sticker off and show your congregation what hope actually costs and why it's the most defiant act a believer can perform.

Scripture: Lamentations 3:21-24, Romans 5:3-5, Psalm 42:5, Hebrews 6:19, Romans 8:24-25, Isaiah 40:31, 1 Peter 3:15, Jeremiah 29:11, Colossians 1:27  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Hope, sermonprep, SermonPrep, PastorLife, ChurchLeader, PreachingHope, BiblicalHope  (view more)  (view less)