In Preaching Articles: "God hears prayer"

The Criticism I Hated—but Made Me A Better Preacher

By Joe Hoagland on Dec 27, 2019

None of us appreciate unsolicited, mean-spirited criticism, but we do need to hear people out.

Scripture: Mark 12:28-34

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Deal-Breakers: 7 Ways God May Tell A Pastor To Leave A Church

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 18, 2022

Long-term pastorates are almost always good for the church and the pastor. But when these things happen, it's time to go.

Tags: Discernment, Resignation, Knowing God's Will, church ministry

Real Love Encourages Others To Do The Right, Most God-Glorifying Thing

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 8, 2022

Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love, not to withhold the truth in love. Real love doesn’t quit or give up; it will offer help and point to Jesus Christ as the only true source of healing and forgiveness.

Scripture: John 1:14, Ephesians 4:15

Tags: Abortion, friendship, Real Love, speak truth in love

Is Your Preaching Missing This Key Component?

By Lance Witt on Jan 7, 2021

As a pastor I am embarrassed to admit this, but prayer has often been a struggle for me. And yet, it is crucial to our success in preaching.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

Tags:

Doubt Busters

By Lance Witt on Jun 28, 2024

"One of the things I love about the Bible is how honest it is. The pages of Scripture don’t gloss over the flaws and sins and weaknesses of people. Even the great heroes of the faith are not airbrushed or photo-shopped to make them look superhuman."

Scripture: Psalm 77:4-14, Isaiah 40:26

Tags: Faith, doubt, Remember, Trust, God's Character, God's faithfulness, doubt and fear, Crisis Of Faith  (view more)  (view less)

Pastors: The Ceo Has To Go

By Derek Vreeland on Aug 24, 2023

I feel the impulse to forsake the pastoral vocation of word and sacrament, prayer and disciple-making, in favor of becoming a CEO who gets things done.

Tags: liturgy, Theology, church and business, consumerism

Is Your Preaching Less Than Christian?

By Peter Mead on Oct 12, 2021

You need more than someone in the pulpit holding a Bible. Peter Mead warns us off of three "sub-gospel" habits.

Tags: Sin, God, Preaching, Fail, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Does Preaching Really Matter?

By Lance Witt on Sep 12, 2019

Like most pastors, I will never forget the first sermon I preached. Basically, we had to hold people at gun point to get them to listen . . .

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:21, 2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Corinthians 9:16

Tags: Preaching, God's Power, Bartimaeus, calling

How Leaders Defeat Discouragement

By Charles Stone on Apr 15, 2021

Somebody once said there are two things in life we can’t avoid, taxes and death. I’d like to add a third, discouragement. Church leader or not, you will face it. It’s an inevitable part of life. Here’s how I’ve learned to defeat discouragement.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 30:6

Tags: Discouragement, rest in god, Rest, Encouraged

It’s Time To Get Mean About The Vision God Has Given You

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 1, 2021

Your church is in desperate need of a vision that is informed by God’s Word, inspired by God’s Spirit, and applied passionately and broken-heartedly to your local context.

Tags: Amen

6 Tips For Preaching To A Hard Audience

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Aug 23, 2024

Larry Moyer says "Hardened hearts need to hear from a communicator, not a speaker." Can you bridge the span to a hard audience?

Scripture: Romans 7:24

Tags: Preaching, preaching

25 Truths This Preacher Needs To Fight The Enemy's Lies

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 21, 2021

"The things you need to hear repeatedly in your walk will probably vary from mine, but these are truths I cling to."

Tags: World, Truth, Preaching, Culture, enemy's lies  (view more)  (view less)

The Secret To Picking The Best Illustration? It's Right In Front Of You!

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Nov 29, 2019

We must think deeply about how our illustration choices affect how our congregation hears our sermon.

Scripture: Ezekiel 9:1-11, Jeremiah 5:1-10

Tags: Preaching, best illustration, choices, preaching

What A Rabbi Taught Me About Keeping Christ In Christmas

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 12, 2024

When people come to your church this Christmas season, they want to hear the story of Jesus. Give them what they came for.

Tags: Christmas, Culture, set apart, incarnation of Jesus, culture  (view more)  (view less)

7 Marks Of Great Preaching

By David J. Lose on Feb 4, 2025

When a sermon includes the following seven central elements, and when the Holy Spirit is present, something happens—the Word comes alive and people come to faith.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2

Tags: Preaching, BIBLE STUDY, father's will, Bible Study, Prayer General, bible study, preaching  (view more)  (view less)