In Preaching Articles: "Following Jesus"

Turning To Jesus In Exhaustion

By Adam Weber on Apr 27, 2022

I had only recently completed my master’s degree, I didn’t want to start this church in the first place, it was struggling to grow, and here I was moving this stupid sign through three feet of snow. Without thinking, the words came out: God, what am I doing here? I’m tired!

Tags: Exhaustion, rest in god

How To Share Your Faith

By Josh Reich on Jul 15, 2022

Inviting someone to church or sharing your faith about Jesus can be awkward. It is nerve wracking, scary and often times not what many followers of Jesus want to do. Yet, the reality is if you are a follower of Jesus, you are to be a witness of Jesus. (Acts 1:8) That is a key and crucial piece of your new identity in Christ. It is not optional.

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Evangelism, Outreach, Witnessing, Inviting People, Christian Witness, Sharing My Testimony, Sharing Your Faith, Gospel Presentation, evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

You Cannot Out-Dream God

By Marshall Segal on Jul 11, 2023

We tend to think our dreams were too big when we were young, say when we were six, and too small as we get older. But maybe our dreams never reach high enough.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 Corinthians 10:33, Isaiah 43:7, Matthew 4:8, Psalm 49:16-17, Matthew 6:19-21, John 5:44, John 12:43, Matthew 6:1, Psalm 115:1, Deuteronomy 8:3, Psalm 16:11, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Ephesians 2:5, 1 Timothy 4:7, Matthew 19:29  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Dreams, Materialism, eternal perspective, Following God's will

7 Keys To Increasing Your Church's Footprint

By Jim Morgan on Dec 21, 2021

Jesus modeled discipleship and community engagement as an example for His Church to follow. He felt a small number of highly effective disciples would cover much more ground than a slew of casual followers.

Tags: Outreach, Missional, Make Disciples, local church purpose

How To Preach Jesus Using The Psalms

By Jason Hood on Feb 11, 2025

The Psalms reveal Jesus as sufferer, king, shepherd, and conqueror, inviting believers to see both Christ and themselves in the prayers he fulfilled and continues to shape in us.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:21

Tags: spiritual formation, Spiritual Formation

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart

By J.d. Greear on Sep 11, 2025

Surveys show more than 50% of people have prayed a sinner's prayer and think they're going to heaven even though there is no detectable difference in their lifestyles from those outside of the church.

Tags: Jesus, Salvation, Preaching, sinners prayer, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Jesus: Friend To Sinners, No Friend To Sin

By Ray Hollenbach on Jan 14, 2026

Jesus befriended sinners without ignoring sin. Christians can hold truth and grace together without compromising either.

Tags: Grace, Jesus, Sin, Discipleship, Preaching, grace, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How Would Jesus Respond Online?

By Michael Kelley on Dec 17, 2021

We are probably more responsive today than ever before, partly because we now have the tools to respond publicly to anyone or anything, and at any time we see fit. We can post, like, tweet, and retweet, and we are delighted to do so. We love to respond. No, we need to respond.

Scripture: Luke 23:9, Matthew 27:12-14, Isaiah 53:7

Tags: Jesus, conflict, Silence, fixing eyes on Jesus

Promote Jesus: Not Personality, Professionalism, Or Brand

By Joe Hoagland on Jan 17, 2022

The church can learn a lot from worldly business and marketing trends but many times churches and church leaders end up promoting the wrong thing.

Tags: Jesus, focus on GOD, Pastoral Character, church marketing

Rethinking Our Witness To The Neighborhood

By David Fitch on Oct 30, 2020

The gospel is the announcement that Jesus is Lord and is renewing all things. Faithful witness today requires translating that royal reality into everyday relationships, struggles, and longings.

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 1:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 2:15, Romans 6:6-7  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Congregation, Jesus is Lord, Jesus Is Lord

Not A Fan: The Hard Words Sparked A Church-Wide Revival

By Kyle Idleman on Jan 12, 2025

A preacher’s honest reckoning with crowd-pleasing sermons led to a bold call for true discipleship, sparking repentance, revival, and hundreds of unexpected baptisms.

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Love, Baptism, Jesus, Church, Commitment, Discipleship, Preaching, Disciples, revival, Church Growth, follower, preaching, church, love, Gospel call, Revival, Gospel Call  (view more)  (view less)

How God Became A Man: What Jesus Did For Thirty Years

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 28, 2022

Don’t begrudge God the glory of your long, arduous maturation process. In it you are tasting the growing pains that Jesus knows very well. And he stands ready to help you persevere until God’s process is complete.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:26, Hebrews 5:7-9, Matthew 17:27, John 11:14, John 1:47, Luke 3:23, Matthew 2:1-23, Luke 2:8-51, Luke 2:52, John 4:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Jesus, Ordinary, Christian growth, incarnation of Jesus

Three Foundational Passages For Growing Disciples Of Jesus

By Ray Hollenbach on Jul 16, 2025

"Try to imagine talking about your subject every single day for two years. If the idea still thrills you, you've found your topic."

Tags: Jesus, Gospel, Growth, Discipleship, Disciples, gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Jesus Preached To Doubters--You Can, Too

By Ed Cyzewski on Jul 25, 2025

When Jesus called his disciples, there wasn’t a single one who understood that he was the Messiah or Son of God.

Tags: doubt, Jesus, Preaching, preaching

Is Your Leadership The Moses Model Or The Jesus Model?

By Ray Hollenbach on Apr 15, 2025

"He was the shepherd, they were the sheep—and sheep do not morph into shepherds."

Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6

Tags: Preaching, preaching