In Preaching Articles: "Leave"

Pride Comes Before A Bad Sermon

By Tim Raymond on Feb 23, 2026

By all means, do your best in the preparation and delivery of your messages, but leave the results entirely up to God.

Scripture: Proverbs 16:18, James 5:17, 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, Galatians 6:2

Tags: Preaching, encouragement, Pride, preaching, Encouragement  (view more)  (view less)

The Final Piece Of Sermon Prep: What To Cut, What To Add

By Peter Mead on Aug 22, 2025

Rookie preachers wonder how they will fill the time. Experienced preachers know the real challenge is in what to leave out.

Scripture: Exodus 6:1-9

Tags: Preaching, Balance, information, sermon prep, selective, Sermon Prep, preaching, Sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

Guest-Preaching Has Risks: For The Church That Invited You

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Feb 17, 2026

The cardinal rule: As a guest preacher, don’t make a mess for the pastor to clean up when you leave.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

A Preacher's Cheat-Sheet For Prayer And Final Sermon Prep

By Tony Evans on Feb 24, 2024

Tim Challies relies on prayer and prep—but he doesn't leave it to his memory. Here's his cheat-sheet.

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-21

Tags: Preaching, Prayer, sermon prep, cheat sheet, tim challies, Sermon Prep, preaching, Sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching Without Notes: Four Must-Have Skills

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jul 13, 2021

Preaching without notes requires discipline, clarity, and structure. Without a clear gospel claim, sermons drift and leave listeners with nothing to remember.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:8-9, Habakkuk 2:2, Nehemiah 8:8, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Communication, preparation, communication

Sharpen Your Sermon With A God-Centered Checklist

By Jared Moore on Sep 19, 2025

If you want to help your people focus on God when they leave church tomorrow, here are 11 things that you cannot do.

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Preaching, Checklist, joke, Sharpen, preaching, God centered, God Centered  (view more)  (view less)

10 Preaching Mistakes Everyone Can Avoid

By Jared Moore on Jun 9, 2020

If you want people leaving your sermon focused on God, avoid these common preaching mistakes. These ten pitfalls distract hearers from the text and diminish exposition.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, Nehemiah 8:8, James 1:21-22, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Psalm 19:7-10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, mistakes, preaching, Preaching Mistakes

Powerful Preaching Means Transformation, Not Information

By James Scott on Jul 13, 2020

Being informed by Scripture can still leave lives unchanged. Biblical Christianity calls for Christ to be formed within us, producing real transformation, not mere knowledge.

Scripture: Galatians 4:19, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 1:27, James 1:22-25  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, Transformation, preaching, Pastoral Theology

Are You A Preacher Or A Motivational Speaker?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jan 7, 2023

Many sermons sound inspiring yet leave out the cross and the coming kingdom. When preaching mimics self-help, it loses the gospel’s power and eternal focus.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Luke 9:23, Galatians 6:14, Matthew 6:19-21

Tags: Pastoral Ministry

Are You An Itinerant Pastor?

By Nathan Rouse on Sep 26, 2020

This addiction to "new" is breaking churches and ruining the credibility of those who minister in the pulpit. We need pastors who won't leave; we need pastors who will cleave.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:2, 2 Timothy 4:5, Hebrews 13:17, Galatians 6:9, Philippians 2:3-5  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, pulpit, Itinerant, Attrition, Pastoral Ministry, preaching, Pulpit  (view more)  (view less)

The Double-Edged Sword Of Ambition

By Lance Witt on Jul 10, 2024

Ambition is a blessing and a curse. When it is God-directed and Spirit-managed, it can bear tremendous fruit. But when it is hijacked by self and ego, it can leave a wake of destruction in its path.

Tags: Faithfulness, motivation, Ambition, Rest in Christ, pastoral leadership, personal holiness, entering God's rest, ministry vision  (view more)  (view less)

You Are Not The Story!

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on May 3, 2022

People should not leave the sermon having learned more about the preacher than Christ. When we stand to preach the word, we should prayerfully whisper to ourselves, “You are not the story.”

Scripture: Colossians 1:28, John 12:20, 2 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Tags: Pride, God's Story, self importance, Bible as a story

What Do I Do With Church Members Who Hate Me?

By Brian Croft on Nov 24, 2021

At this point, some of you may be thinking these kinds of people are a good reason to leave and start over, but I submit to you they are actually a good reason to stay and endure. Why are these difficult people a good reason to stay and endure?

Tags: Preaching, preaching

3 Casualties From Unresponsiveness

By Ron Edmondson on Jan 30, 2021

People will feel they’ve not been listened to, no one cares, or even they are unloved. They’ll take it personal enough to leave the organization. It should never be because we simply chose not to respond in a timely way.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 20:1-16

Tags: Preaching, 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)