In Preaching Articles: "Guarding Your Heart"

Preach The (Memorized) Word

By David Vroege on Aug 31, 2024

When we hide his word in our hearts, it makes a powerful difference personally and professionally.

Scripture: Psalm 119:11, Psalm 119:11

Tags: Study, Preaching, teach, BIBLE STUDY, memorize, Bible Study, bible study, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The One Thing Nearly Everyone Forgets When It Comes To Hermeneutics

By Peter Mead on Nov 5, 2024

One key dimension tends to be overlooked when we talk about hermeneutics: the interpreter's heart.

Scripture: Psalm 10:1-17

Tags: preaching, Revelation, Preaching, advice, hermeneutics  (view more)  (view less)

Church Discipline, Short Skirts, And Angry Deacons

By Ray Hollenbach on Mar 11, 2025

Loving someone enough to help them find freedom from their fears and appetites is the heart of church discipline.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5:1

Tags: Discipleship, Preaching, Church General, preaching

How To Preach To A Difficult Audience

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jun 11, 2021

Imagine a crowd of people, each one with the rebellious heart of a teenager. How do you break through?

Tags: audience, preaching, Preaching, difficult

8 Ways To Hook Your Congregation Into Your Message

By SermonCentral .com on May 12, 2020

Whether you’re looking back at Plato or Jesus, virtually every culture has had great communicators who realized the power of attention-grabbing hooks.

Tags: flowers, preaching, anxiety, Bird, Preaching, Anxiety, Field  (view more)  (view less)

How Your Preaching Can Hurt Your Church

By Erik Raymond on Apr 25, 2025

Like so many blessings from God, we can elevate them to become a distraction or even an idol.

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1

Tags: Preaching, preaching

11 Steps To Connect Your Volunteers To Your Vision

By John Gilman Ii on Feb 19, 2021

How can a group of people who are committed to seeing something great happen and are willing to put in the time and energy it takes, only to see their vision fail?

Tags:

Has Your Emotional Brain Hijacked Your Leadership?

By Charles Stone on Dec 1, 2023

Great ministry leaders keep their emotions in check. Unfortunately, when we don’t keep them in check, our emotional brain can hijack clear thinking and good leadership.

Scripture: Romans 10:10

Tags: pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, Leadership, brain, Emotions, leadership, Brain, memory, Decision making  (view more)  (view less)

Your Great Preaching Is Not Going To Build Your Church!

By Joe Mckeever on Sep 12, 2022

Get out of the office, pastor, and knock on some doors. Later, you can get your people to do it. But first, you do it. Do it by yourself, if you must. Or take someone with you. Do it by appointment or cold-turkey. But do it. That is as profound a way as I know to build a great church.

Tags: Growth Strategy, Building the Church, Out of the Office, Door to door, church attendance, Church Growth, Church Attendance, Personal Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

7 Things Pastors Wish Church Members Knew About Their Children

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 10, 2024

Should Pastors' children behave differently than regular kids? Thom Rainer speaks from the heart in this powerful post.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Live And Die By The Numbers

By Lance Witt on Apr 11, 2023

But numbers become a problem in the heart of a pastor when they move from being a point of celebration to becoming the driver of our motivation.

Scripture: Acts 2:47

Tags: motivation, Church Growth, success in ministry, intimacy with Christ

Get Alone With God

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 22, 2022

As Jonathan Edwards expresses, and Scripture exemplifies, one aspect of a Christ-enamored heart is a gnawing ache to get alone with him.

Scripture: Mark 1:35, Matthew 4:1, Psalm 63:5-6, Hebrews 10:25, Luke 4:42, Matthew 14:23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Solitude, Alone with God, soul care, intimacy with Christ

Does Your Building Speak Louder Than Your Preaching?

By Ron Geyer on May 28, 2021

Actors know that where a story is told can influence how or whether the story is heard. It's true whether your story comes from Shakespeare or Solomon.

Tags: Building, Preaching, Sound, room, Loud  (view more)  (view less)

If You Overpack Your Sermon, Your Listeners Are In For A Bumpy Ride

By Chris Surber on Aug 30, 2025

Perhaps your sermon outline is actually a sermon series. Can you tell the difference?

Scripture: Acts 5:15-25

Tags: central point, preaching, Preaching, Content, Logic, Research  (view more)  (view less)

Cut Off Your Hand, Tear Out Your Eye

By Ray Ortlund on Aug 3, 2022

Hard words are not harmful words—when they come from Jesus. The real Jesus loves us enough to accept us freely and confront us honestly.

Scripture: Colossians 2:23, Philippians 3:14, Hebrews 13:21, Matthew 5:6, Titus 2:11-12, Hebrews 12:4, 1 Corinthians 9:27, Matthew 5:29-30  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Righteousness, Theology, soul care, Hard Teaching