In Preaching Articles: "Guarding Your Soul"

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

Is Your Preaching Too Intense?

By Lane Sebring on Aug 16, 2019

I know what some of you are thinking… Wait! Heaviness is good. Intensity is good. People need their toes stepped on! That’s just the Holy Spirit working on them!

Tags: Preaching, preaching

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

Reading Your Bible Relationally

By Lance Witt on Jun 18, 2022

Growing in knowledge is important, but knowledge without relationship is dangerous. That was one of the big issues Jesus had with the Pharisees. They had biblical knowledge but their heart was far from God.

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Scripture, Personal Growth, Quiet time, pastoral leadership

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, Preaching, hard work, Preaching Help, Pastoral Ministry, Powerful Preaching, effective preaching, Never Stop Learning, preaching, teaching  (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: Teaching, Preaching, illustration, application, pastoral leadership, sermon prep, preaching Christ, preaching the gospel, Sermon Prep, preaching, teaching, Sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

Theological Study Is For Everyone

By Jared Wilson on Jan 16, 2021

Every Christian must be a theologian. This is something I tell my church often. The looks I get from some surprised souls are the evidence that I have not yet adequately communicated that the purposeful theological study of God by lay people is important.

Tags: Preaching

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

The Secret Ingredient Your Sermon Is Missing

By Erik Raymond on Jun 27, 2019

Erik Raymond is convinced there's an indispensable aspect of preaching. Is it one of your ingredients?

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:4

Tags: Worship, Preaching, proclaim, communicate

Is The Bible The Seasoning Or The Steak In Your Sermon?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Nov 2, 2018

"I have a sermon; maybe you can help me find a Scripture so that I can preach it."

Tags: Bible, Preaching, seasoning, e

Do You Apologize For Your Preaching?

By James Scott on Nov 16, 2018

It's the Holy Spirit's job to bring conviction, but do you try to soften the impact?

Tags: Holy Spirit, Preaching, Conviction

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

Is Your Church Stuck Or Just Small?

By SermonCentral on Jan 23, 2019

If your church is healthy, quit stressing about getting bigger. God may not be calling you to bigness.

Scripture: Acts 1:1-15

Tags: Growth, Church Growth, Healthy Church, effective, Small Church  (view more)  (view less)

Don't Kill Your Message!

By Carey Nieuwhof on Jan 25, 2019

What’s the difference between a sermon that flops and a sermon that people still buzz about years later?

Tags: Preaching, Lame, communicate, crash