In Preaching Articles: "Growing In Faith"

Build Your Sermon Series On The Wonder, Worry And Wishes Of Your Congregation

By Charles Arn on Mar 9, 2024

The most important thing has to do with your sermon topics. They should address people's life issues and questions about the faith.

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34, Job 21:7-34

Tags: Relevance, Wish, Worry, preaching, Preaching, worry, Wonder  (view more)  (view less)

Developing Spiritual Intelligence With The Journey

By Alan E. Nelson on Mar 3, 2020

Spiritual intelligence helps believers integrate faith into everyday life. This article introduces The Journey, a practical tool to assess and plan soul growth.

Tags: spiritual, Soul, Discipleship, relationships, Health, counsel, spiritual growth, Gifts General, Christian Maturity, Spiritual Intelligence, Spiritual Growth, Soul Assessment  (view more)  (view less)

When Is A Sermon Good Enough?

By Stephen Gregory on Jul 16, 2024

A pastor wrestles with preparation, expectations, and perfectionism, discovering how God uses imperfect sermons when the preacher is faithful, honest, and attentive to the flock.

Scripture: Proverbs 16:3

Tags: Church, Preaching, pastor, spiritual growth, Communication General, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching Challenges, Spiritual Growth, Ministry Leadership, Pastor, Sermon Preparation, preaching, church, sermon preparation  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching For Life-Change

By Rick Long on Mar 31, 2025

MacArthur warns against shallow preaching, but Scripture allows diverse methods. Faithful preaching aims at transformed lives, not uniform styles.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 8:29, James 1:22, Ephesians 4:11-16

Tags: Church Discipleship

My Joy In The Desert

By Marshall Segal on Jul 6, 2021

For most of us, the single greatest threat to our faith in God and his promises has been the miles we have walked in the desert.

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-13, 1 Peter 1:3

Tags: Desert, Joy, desert lessons

How Can I Better Study A Bible Passage?

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 27, 2022

“Think over what I say,” commands the Lord. How can a faithful student of the Bible do this without leaning on commentaries and scholars?

Scripture: Romans 1:15-17, 2 Timothy 2:7

Tags: Study Scripture, Study Techniques, Feast on the Word, Sermon Prep, bible study, bible, Bible, Scripture, BIBLE STUDY, Bible Study, sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

3 Ways To Defeat Leadership Discouragement

By Charles Stone on Dec 11, 2023

Discouragement comes with the territory for ministry leaders. Unmet goals, putting out fires, staff issues, displeasing people, and general tiredness all contribute to discouragement. When it weighs us down, how can we dig out? The life of the prophet Elijah gives us hope.

Tags: Pastoral Ministry, Elijah's Depression, Fighting for Joy, Leadership, Perseverance, leadership, Discouragement, Depression, Elijah's faith  (view more)  (view less)

The Most Significant Thing A Pastor Will Ever Do

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 9, 2024

The most valuable ministry thing you have done just may be the time you stopped to encourage a homeless man and bought him lunch.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

Tags: servant leadership, church leadership, Faithfulness, priorities, Servanthood, Christian Love, Godly Leaders, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Unashamed Allegiance: My Tribute To R.c. Sproul

By John Piper on Nov 18, 2022

I love R.C. Sproul. I am sure I owe him more than I can even recall. My reverence for the holiness of God and the truth of his word would not be the same without his influence. I will miss him (for a short while).

Tags: Christ in Scripture, Teacher, Godly Life, preacher, teacher, treasure, Faithfulness, Tribute, Preacher, Godly example  (view more)  (view less)

7 Steps To Start Becoming A Church People Want To Commit To

By Karl Vaters on Apr 12, 2022

A growing number of people who do go to church don’t want to go, either. If we don’t give them something worth committing to, they’ll be gone soon.

Tags: Learning, inspiration, Leadership Listening, fixing eyes on Jesus, commitment to church  (view more)  (view less)

Why Preparing Sermons Takes Me So Long

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 31, 2020

A candid walk through sermon preparation, showing how prayer, Bible study, reflection, and disciplined refinement shape faithful and Spirit-led preaching.

Scripture: Exodus 14:8-14

Tags: Teaching, Study, Preaching, BIBLE STUDY, preparation, Homiletics, sermon preparation, Bible Study, Pastoral Ministry, Sermon Preparation, bible study, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

10 Preaching Questions With Matt Chandler

By Colin Adams on Jan 30, 2025

Matt Chandler reflects on preaching, preparation, personal pitfalls, and developing future preachers. His insights offer clear, practical guidance for faithful ministry.

Scripture: Mark 1:39

Tags: Leadership General, Leadership Development, preparation, Adam, Guilt Offering  (view more)  (view less)

Why Ranting Does Not Equal Preaching

By Tony Merida on Sep 19, 2024

Tony Merida: "May God raise up a new generation of faithful, responsible expositors of Scripture who keep their finger on the text as they teach and preach."

Tags: Preaching, Text, preaching

Does Preaching Still Work?

By Kenton C. Anderson on Oct 7, 2020

Kenton Anderson wonders, "Perhaps preachers have lost faith in preaching because they've been offering too much poor preaching."

Tags: Preaching

The Research Is In--This Is The #1 Reason Students Leave The Church

By Dr. Kara Powell on Oct 30, 2025

Research shows that 40-50% of high school graduates leave their faith in college. Youth expert Kara Powell offers ideas on reversing the trend.

Tags: