In Preaching Articles: "Difficult People"

People Listen In Different Ways—can You Reach All Of Them?

By Leslie Holmes on Feb 28, 2023

You're preaching to one congregation, filled with many listening styles. How can you connect with every individual?

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:1-15

Tags: Preaching, reflection, Listen, reach, application, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Does Your Preaching Impress Your Old Professor Or Your People?

By Gavin Adams on Oct 11, 2021

A deep, layered and rich sermon might impress some people, but it does it work?

Scripture: Acts 13:15-20

Tags: Preaching, focus, Complicated, point, marinate, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

4 Things We Wish People Knew About Us As Pastors

By Lane Sebring on Nov 6, 2019

Being a pastor is unlike just about any other profession. Because of the holistic nature of the work, we tend to take on "pastor" as an identity and not just a career.

Scripture: John 12:32, John 12:29-36

Tags: Preaching, pastor, identity, Profession

11 Ways To Be The Church For People Who Don't Go To Church

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 20, 2019

People need to know us before they can trust us. And they need to trust us before they’ll go to church with us.

Tags: Evangelism, Outreach, Apologetics, Discipleship, Preaching, christian living, evangelism, preaching, Christian Living  (view more)  (view less)

Death To Dancing Bears

By Lance Witt on May 31, 2022

“Sometimes as a worship pastor,” he said, “I feel like a dancing bear. It’s my job to get up and perform for the crowd, and as long as the performance is good, everyone is happy. Except me. Something is missing and I don’t know what to do.”

Tags: Ministry, burnout, pastoral leadership, Lost Focus, People Over Programs, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Can We Please Stop Preaching About All The Good People In The Bible?

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 30, 2019

The way we have traditionally approached character-based sermons has a tremendous flaw.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Loving Muslims Begins With Honesty

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 24, 2020

Do Christians and Muslims worship the same deity? It has become one of the most pressing and controversial questions in the world in the last fifteen years.

Scripture: 1 John 5:12, John 8:19, John 5:42-43, John 5:23

Tags: Islam, World Religions, disagreement, loving people, Identity of Jesus, what Muslims believe  (view more)  (view less)

How Do We (Or Should We) Motivate Our People To Read The Bible?

By Peter Mead on Oct 4, 2019

"We should be concerned when there is a lack of motivation for God's Word--both in our own lives and in those we care about."

Tags: Preaching, Accountability, motivate, read Bible, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

7 Things Forgiveness Is

By Ron Edmondson on Jun 11, 2022

As difficult as forgiveness may be to extend, it is often a most important ingredient in healthy relationships and in being a completely healthy person.

Scripture: Romans 12:19, Hebrews 12:1, Colossians 3:13, Romans 12:18

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness, relationships, Loving Others, grace  (view more)  (view less)

5 Tough Challenges For Any Pastor

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 10, 2020

Thom Rainer shares his biggest challenges and asks, "What specific part of being a pastor is the most difficult for you?"

Tags: Preaching, gentle, preaching

Create Innovative *next Steps*

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 30, 2020

We all want to end our messages with application, but sometimes the next steps we offer are difficult for others to take.

Tags: Preaching, Story, success, step, next, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

People Don't Want To Sit And Listen Anymore: 4 Ways To Connect With A New Generation

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 25, 2019

Most people who leave the church aren't leaving God. Many of them are leaving the way we do church to try and find God.

Scripture: Romans 3:21-31, Acts 20:7-12

Tags: Preaching, Listen, Shift, disconnect, distrust  (view more)  (view less)

Good Friday: 4 Preaching Points To Remember

By Ray Hollenbach on Apr 6, 2020

We want to embrace the resurrection, but Good Friday is an opportunity to remind your people that Jesus calls us to the Cross, too.

Scripture: Matthew 16:21-25

Tags: Good Friday, Preaching, help, Why Jesus Died, Why Jesus Bled, Why People Lie, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Pastor And Prophet

By Lance Witt on May 11, 2024

"When it comes to our preaching, we live in the constant tension between pastor and prophet. On one hand, as pastors we want to encourage and care for the sheep. So, in our preaching we want to be uplifting and hopeful. On the other hand, as prophets we must sometimes say the hard things that the sheep don’t want to hear."

Scripture: Jeremiah 5:30-31, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Galatians 1:10

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, Pride, People pleasing, pastoral leadership, selfish ambition, Pastoral Ministry, Pulpit Ministry, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

7 Phrases Christians Like To Say That Aren’t True

By Lori Hatcher on May 31, 2024

"We’ve all heard them—phrases that sound wise, insightful, and biblical. But are they really? Let’s look at some common sayings, compare them to the Bible, and see if they hold up."

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, James 1:14, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 3:10, Daniel 10:11, Psalm 148:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Theology, Know the Truth, Biblical truth, chosen people, Enduring Hardship, help in temptation, guard the truth, Contending for truth  (view more)  (view less)