In Preaching Articles: "Listen"

4 Steps From Good To Great Preaching

By Kenton C. Anderson on Feb 17, 2025

For those of us who try to preach “good sermons” every week, it's useful to understand what it takes to connect with our listeners.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Preaching, preaching

4 Problems With Passionate Preaching

By Peter Mead on Apr 27, 2020

Just because we feel strongly about our message doesn't mean we should strong-arm our listeners.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:16

Tags: Communication, Discernment, Preaching, passion, Passion of Christ, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching The Messy Way

By Chris Surber on Apr 23, 2025

The greater the distance between you and your listeners, the easier it is to preach at them. Sharing life with them leads you to preaching the messy way.

Scripture: John 6:66-71

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4 Ingredients For Making Sermons Stick

By Ed Stetzer on Jan 24, 2020

One constant that remains essential in every church is preaching. Ed Stetzer talks about how to help your listeners apply what you preach.

Tags: Preaching, Church Practices, preaching

The Strengths And Weaknesses Of Two Popular Preaching Styles

By Brady Boyd on Apr 24, 2020

Brady Boyd: "I think both approaches have merit for the local church and it’s the job of the pastor to listen to what God is saying and obey."

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Not Every Exhortation Is Necessary

By Peter Mead on May 8, 2024

It is important to discern when an exhortation needs to be given, and when the listener is already aware of their need for growth and working hard by faith to become more like Christ.

Tags: teaching, exhortation, Preaching Help, effective preaching, Effective Teaching, Know your audience, preaching, Teaching, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

8 Ways To Hook Your Congregation Into Your Message

By SermonCentral .com on May 11, 2020

Your sermon text is central, but it doesn’t always need to come first. Strong hooks help listeners connect their lives to Scripture before exposition begins.

Scripture: Numbers 1:1-2:1, Ecclesiastes 5:7-6:7, Nehemiah 8:8, Luke 24:27, Ecclesiastes 12:10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Bird, Preaching, Anxiety, Field, flowers, preaching, anxiety  (view more)  (view less)

Do You Preach Around The Text, Or Do You Preach The Text?

By Dr. Scott M. Gibson on Dec 15, 2024

After listening to sermons all these years, I have concluded preachers either talk before the text or talk around the text but rarely talk about the text.

Scripture: Hosea 4:1-6, Psalm 30:1

Tags: Preaching, preaching

You Can Preach About Pentecost Then, But What About Pentecost Now?

By David J. Lose on May 22, 2023

Few holidays present themselves as ripe for nostalgia as Pentecost. Weren't these the glory days of the church--spirit-filled preaching, attentive listening, 3,000 converted in a single day?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18, John 2:1-12

Tags: Preaching, preaching

The Greatest Gift You Give Your Team- Part 1

By Lance Witt on Jul 10, 2024

This week work at paying attention to your soul. Listen to your emotions. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what is going on beneath the surface of all your “doing”.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:1, John 16:32, John 16:32

Tags: Approval, personal holiness, Growth in Christ, pastoral leadership, God's Approval, Guarding your heart, motives, soul care  (view more)  (view less)

Piper: What's The Best Tone For Your Preaching?

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 17, 2020

"The question I have for preachers is: What tone should you aim at in preaching? This is an urgent question because, if you don’t answer it, your listeners will answer it for you."

Scripture: Romans 15:4

Tags: Communication, Preaching, voice, tone

What Do You Do When Your Sermon Is Interrupted? Try This Five-Point Checklist

By Joe Mckeever on Mar 10, 2023

Sooner or later, every pastor has it happen. You're in the middle of a sermon, all is going well, you're on top of your game, the Lord is near, the people are listening well. And then, bam!

Scripture: Psalm 75:4-7, Matthew 12:8-13, John 12:25-30

Tags: Preaching, guidance, Surprise, interrupted, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Baggage: The Stakes Have Never Been Higher

By Lance Witt on Jan 2, 2022

Every single week people walk into your church and for the most part they seem to have it together. They make small talk, they dress appropriately, they participate congenially, they listen politely, and at the end of the service they file out quietly.

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3 Casualties From Unresponsiveness

By Ron Edmondson on Jan 29, 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

The Power Of Choosing To Be A Touchable Leader

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 4, 2023

I love people, but I need to let them know it. So it requires intentional effort to communicate that I’m touchable and approachable, that I care enough to listen and that I’m a safe place for people.

Tags: leadership, Preaching, Leadership, preaching