In Preaching Articles: "hard heart"

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

Keep Learning To Lead: Five Practical Lessons

By Gavin Ortlund on Apr 29, 2022

Leadership is hard. I rank it up there with pain, parenting, and preaching as one of those things in life that we never fully master, but only hope to keep learning over a lifetime.

Scripture: John 13:15-16, John 16:12

Tags: Teamwork, Leadership General, servant leadership, Jesus' leadership

Three Key Components Of A Solid Sermon

By SermonCentral .com on Oct 13, 2020

My audience matters so much to the heart of God, that He sent His only son Jesus to die on the cross for their redemption.

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

Tags: Preaching, preaching

5 Words Of Wisdom To A Growing Church

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 11, 2022

It is GOD’s Kingdom, not ours, that is expanding. We may work hard and dream big, but every single spiritual change we see in the lives of people is completely and entirely a work of God.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:15

Tags: Wisdom, Humility, Church Growth, relational leaders

Start With A Bang! Crafting A Memorable Sermon Opener

By Tyler Scarlett on Feb 27, 2025

If you lose your congregation at the beginning, you will have to work twice as hard to get them back by the end. Why not give your message the best possible chance to connect with people at the outset?

Scripture: Titus 2:2, Titus 2:1-2, Philippians 4:10-15, Romans 13:11-14

Tags: Communication, Preaching, Introduction, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Your Pulpit Can Go Paperless

By Dan Martella on Feb 11, 2023

When Dan Martella stepped out from his pulpit and simply shared the message from his heart, he discovered something powerful.

Scripture: Genesis 3:4

Tags: Preaching, Simple, cheat sheet, preaching

When Church Members Insist On Their Rights.

By Joe Mckeever on Jun 24, 2022

“Consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself lest you also grow weary and lose heart,” (Hebrews 12:3).

Scripture: Matthew 27:27-44, Matthew 26:53, Hebrews 12:3, 1 Corinthians 6:7, Psalm 103:14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Humility, conflict, Pastoral Ministry, Example of Christ

Three Things Every Pastor's Son Needs To Hear From His Father

By Johnny Levy on Oct 16, 2020

Pastor-dad, you're son's heart is longing to hear three things from you that will ground him, empower him, and make him soar.

Scripture: Genesis 1:27, John 10:15

Tags: shepherding, Shepherding

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, memories, memorization, preaching

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

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

How To Be Thankful As A Leader

By Josh Reich on Jul 10, 2023

Most of the time on blogs like mine or other leadership and ministry blogs you read about how tough ministry is, how difficult people can be and how hard it is to be a leader. All those things are true.

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalm 103:1-5

Tags: Marriage, Thankfulness, gratitude, Pastors

94 Servant Evangelism Ideas For Your Church

By Steve Sjogren on Apr 8, 2023

Servant evangelism wins the heart before it confronts the mind. A small act of kindness nudges a person closer to God, often in a profound way, as it bypasses one's mental defenses.

Scripture: John 4:5-26, John 15:9-17

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Outreach, Servant, Evangelism How To, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism, church  (view more)  (view less)

Practice Your Sermon Delivery? Yes: 7 Elements Of Great Practice

By Charles Stone on Nov 22, 2019

Three factors have made the biggest positive difference for me: preparing my heart before the Lord, scheduling adequate study time to avoid feeling rushed and practicing preaching my sermon.

Scripture: Mark 15:27-40

Tags: Study, Preaching, prepare, routine, prep routine, preaching  (view more)  (view less)