In Preaching Articles: "Intimacy With Christ"

You Were Made For Christmas

By David Mathis on Dec 22, 2024

You were made for the Great Joy of Christmas.

Scripture: Luke 2:18, Matthew 1:21, 1 Peter 3:18, Luke 2:14

Tags: Christmas Joy, Advent, treasure, Glory to God, christ child, Christmas Gospel, Joy in Christ, Emmanuel, Christmas  (view more)  (view less)

How Fred Craddock Found His Preaching Voice

By Fred Craddock on May 26, 2023

Dr. Craddock describes his voice as "the wind whistling through a splinter on a post." Here's how this master preacher learned to compensate.

Scripture: Mark 5:1-12, Mark 7:1-23

Tags: Christ, Worship, Preaching, Demoniac, swine, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

10 Multisite Myths (And Realities)

By Jim Egli on Nov 1, 2020

Some preachers resist the idea of multiple sites. But what if technology increases your effectiveness?

Tags: Growth in Christ, Church, Growth, Missions, Multisite  (view more)  (view less)

Finding God In The Ambiguity

By Jonathan Martin on May 16, 2021

God is bigger than our tiny little systems of certainty. He is revealed to us in Jesus of Nazareth, who is real enough to touch us in our own ambiguity.

Tags: Jesus, God, Jesus Christ, Certain, ambiguity  (view more)  (view less)

Has The Word You Preach Changed You?

By Brian Orme on Jul 6, 2025

Before the preacher can persuade any sinner to turn to Christ, he must first be persuaded himself.

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Christ, Preaching, Sinner, Persuade, preach, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

15 Sermon Starters For Your Easter Message

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 1, 2021

Let these great thoughts prime the pump for your Easter sermon. Start with great words and develop them uniquely for your congregation.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, John 10:1-18, John 20:1-30, Acts 2:1

Tags: Easter, Message, Preaching, Jesus Christ, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why Growth Is Harder In A Small Church – And Change Is Essential

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 29, 2021

Big churches find it much easier to incorporate new people because the bigger the crowd, the smaller the impact each person has.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:19-20

Tags: Change, Visitors, Small Church, Christ in us

What Pastors Are Trying To Do

By Joe Mckeever on Aug 15, 2022

The church member stares and wonders what’s going on and why you’re making so much noise until the day he/she meets Jesus.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:6, 1 Timothy 5:17

Tags: Follow Jesus, preaching Christ, Faithfulness, Transformation

When Church Members Insist On Their Rights.

By Joe Mckeever on Jun 23, 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

A Category You Won’t Find In The Bible: The Churchless Christian

By Thabiti Anyabwile on Oct 26, 2022

"It is important for Christians to be members of a local church because the New Testament apostles can’t conceive of anything called a Christian that’s not connected to Christ’s body."

Tags: Church, Discipleship, Christian Life, Healthy Church, Called to serve, local church, be the church, Church Body of Christ, Christian community, church  (view more)  (view less)

Good & Bad Cases Of Church Discipline

By Ray Hollenbach on Mar 10, 2025

A real church incident exposes why believers distrust discipline. Yet Scripture shows discipline is meant to heal, not harm, calling us to restore one another with Christ’s presence.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18, Hebrews 13, Philippians 3, Galatians 6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: pastoral care, Pastoral Care

5 Filters For A Funeral Sermon

By Chris Surber on Feb 6, 2022

I’ve preached a lot of funerals. Along the way I’ve learned some lessons from others and I’ve learned some lessons the hard way.

Tags: Funerals Christian, preaching Christ, Funerals, preaching, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How To Preach Without Cabin Pressure

By Ron Forseth on Aug 9, 2023

Preaching is an opportunity to creatively illustrate the urgency of the gospel and to challenge believers to watch for those people God brings into their lives to tell them about Christ—or at least to invite them to church to hear it where they know their pastor will consistently and clearly share the good news.

Tags: priorities, Evangelism Urgency, preaching Christ, Call to salvation

7 Bad Reasons Pastors Don't Share The Gospel In Every Sermon

By Greg Stier on Aug 13, 2023

In my interactions with pastors I’ve heard seven primary reasons for why some chose not to give the Gospel in every sermon.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Tags: Evangelism, Gospel, Excuses, preaching Christ, evangelism, gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Timothy Keller On How To Preach To And Reach A Culture

By Brandon Kelley on Mar 22, 2022

Timothy Keller seems to have the pulse of our present culture in a way that I’ve not encountered before.

Tags: Preaching, Culture, skepticism, preaching Christ, preaching, culture  (view more)  (view less)