In Preaching Articles: "Guarding Your Heart"

How Vulnerable Is Your Preaching?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Oct 21, 2019

It's alright to allow your own pains and hurts to show. If Jesus could, then we can.

Tags: preaching, Preaching, vulnerable, sherman cox

Getting Past Your Past

By Lance Witt on Jun 30, 2023

I know that on Sundays we walk into our churches, we smile, we shake hands, and we make nice. We pastor people and we preach from God’s Word. We are very respectable. But I know myself and I’ve worked with pastors way too long to believe that life is that neat and tidy.

Tags:

Your Thoughts Will Betray You

By Christina Fox on Jun 14, 2022

A certain amount of self-evaluation can be good. We should have insight into ourselves, our motives, our choices, and our actions. But sometimes we can go too far. When self-evaluation ends with ourselves instead of pointing us beyond ourselves, there’s a problem.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 Corinthians 11:28, Philippians 2:3-8, John 17:17, Romans 8:32, Psalm 139:23, 1 John 2:1, Isaiah 43:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Rely on Grace, Remember the Gospel

Keeping Your Preaching Fresh

By Lance Witt on Sep 24, 2022

“Everything worthwhile is uphill. Everything that is valuable, you have to work for. No one ever coasted their way to success. Most people have uphill hopes but have downhill habits.”

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2

Tags: Teaching, Never Stop Learning, preaching, teaching, Preaching, hard work, Preaching Help, Pastoral Ministry, Powerful Preaching, effective preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Finishing (Your Sermon) Well

By Michael Voll on Dec 5, 2022

Come Sunday morning many times we preachers fill our sermons with funny stories, but forget to point to the ultimate story of Jesus Christ.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: preaching the gospel, Sermon Prep, preaching, teaching, Sermon prep, Preaching, illustration, application, pastoral leadership, sermon prep, preaching Christ, Teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching A Notable Sermon Without Using Notes

By Rev. Tejado Hanchell on Aug 19, 2020

"I believe every preacher should have at least one sermon in his heart that he could preach with or without notes if called upon at a moment's notice."

Tags: preaching, Preaching, memories, memorization

When A Pastor Is A Growth Barrier - Part One: Dealing With Sin

By Ed Stetzer on Apr 15, 2024

I have worked for a long time to help pastors with growth barriers in their church. They can be anything from worship issues to strategy to theology and more. So many barriers can get in the way of a church growing, but a central one isn’t found in the processes of the church. There may be a number of reasons a ministry grows cold and a church slows down. But often, the heart of the problem is the heart of the pastor.

Tags: CLERGY SIN

Pastoral Transition: Setting Your Church Up For Ministry Success After You're Gone

By Karl Vaters on Oct 20, 2023

Following a long-term, successful pastorate is one of the hardest callings in ministry. Every pastor should do everything we can to make it as easy as possible for the next pastor and the church to do great ministry after we leave.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Pastoral Transition, Decentralize, Leadership, leadership, servant leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Fill Your Christmas Preaching With Nobodies

By Ray Hollenbach on Dec 22, 2018

Jesus was smuggled into Bethlehem through the womb of a teenage girl, who gave birth in a barn. That’s different.

Tags: Mary, Christmas, Preaching, nobody

Get Your Christmas Service Right

By Maurilio Amorim on Jan 31, 2024

Don't wait until the last minute. Maurilio Amorim has three great ideas for you right now.

Tags: Christmas, Service, Preaching, maurilio amorim, ideas, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Energizing Your Sermons With Multisensory Preaching

By Rick Blackwood on Jun 2, 2020

Rick Blackwood helps preachers communicate God's Word in a form that is engaging, crystal clear, unforgettable, and more fun for the speaker.

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Tags: Church, Communication, Preaching, pastor, wake up, Cohabitation, adult children, Communication General, God's dwelling place, Pastor, illustration, Clarity, time is at hand, Homiletics, Awake, Dress Properly  (view more)  (view less)

Your Mother's Day Sermon, Pastor

By Joe Mckeever on Apr 30, 2020

Why is it so difficult for pastors of all ages to preach Mother’s Day sermons? Pastor-to-pastors Joe McKeever gives some assistance.

Scripture: Luke 1:26-56

Tags: Holidays, Preaching, pastor, mothers, mother's day  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching Tip: Encourage Your Audience

By Peter Mead on Mar 25, 2020

Everyone needs encouragement. And yet, strangely, it's often absent from a significant amount of preaching.

Scripture: Proverbs 29:25, Romans 15:4-5

Tags: Preaching, encouragement, Church Growth

8 Starts To Avoid In Your Preaching

By Rachel Blom on Jan 4, 2023

Thinking of starting off your sermon in one of these ways? You might want to try a different approach.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Catalyze Giving Through Your Preaching

By Casey Graham on Feb 6, 2020

As you preach on the subject of money, you've got to engage people who are motivated by different reasons. Here's a list of the top five reasons people give.

Scripture: Ruth 1:8-16

Tags: Preaching, preaching