In Preaching Articles: "Listening To God"

Why So Long? A Missions Story

By Evy Yohner on May 21, 2022

These stories are like rare pearls, collecting from a way of “doing” missions no longer done, when intrepid men and women sacrificed everything to obey God’s voice.

Tags: great commission, lessons from history, international, god's mission

4 Ways We Go Wrong In Thinking About The Holy Spirit

By Dr. Michael Horton on Jun 1, 2021

Who exactly is the mysterious third person of the Trinity? Why does he seem to possess less reality than the Father and the Son? Perhaps we think of the Holy Spirit as a divine force or energy that we can “plug into” for spiritual power. Or as the kinder and gentler—more intimate—side of God. But a person—in fact, a distinct person of the Godhead?

Scripture: Luke 24:25, John 5:39, John 15:26, John 16:15

Tags: Spirit of God, wrong understanding, Holy Spirit, trinity, Theology  (view more)  (view less)

9 Tips To Keep Your Preaching Fresh On Special Days

By John Beukema on May 5, 2020

John Beukema discusses the challenges and opportunities of providing your listeners with fresh content for holiday sermons.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Tags: mother's day, preparation, Advent, Holidays, Father's Day, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Who Are You Preaching To?

By Peter Mead on Oct 1, 2020

Three key factors to keep in mind about the people who listen to what we say.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better: 3 Reasons I'm Convinced God Most Often Builds His Church Small

By Chris Surber on Jul 1, 2025

God uses big churches for certain Kingdom jobs, and God uses little churches for specific assignments.

Scripture: Matthew 18:20-21

Tags: ministry, Ministry, Community, Kingdom, Small Church, big versus small, community  (view more)  (view less)

How Does A Sermon Differ From A Self-Help Video?

By Peter Mead on May 16, 2023

When you finish preaching, where is your listeners' final focus? The answer makes all the difference.

Scripture: Matthew 16:18-19

Tags: Preaching, Self, focus, preaching

I Love Tv Shows, But I Don't Build My Sermons On Them

By Jonathan Malm on Feb 17, 2024

By all means we should connect with our listeners, but how we make that connection is a crucial choice.

Scripture: John 8:14-27

Tags: Preaching, permission, Reference, tv show, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How To Say Good-Bye: Preaching Your Last Sermon

By Chris Surber on Nov 10, 2021

People usually listen closely to your first words--and your last. Make them meaningful.

Scripture: Matthew 16:18

Tags: preparation, Goodbye, last sermon, preaching, Preaching, Purpose  (view more)  (view less)

How Can The Pew Help The Pulpit?

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Mar 7, 2024

Good preaching is a partnership between pastor and congregation, pulpit and pew, the one who preaches and the one who listens.

Scripture: John 13:31-35

Tags: Pastor, preaching, Preaching, pastor, Congregation, Encourage, Partnership  (view more)  (view less)

Three Types Of Bad Preaching (And Their Remedies)

By Chris Pascarella on Jun 9, 2022

What if there was a way to identify bad preaching? Having grown up in church, I have probably listened to over 1,000 sermons in my lifetime. In all my time listening to (and now delivering) sermons, I have heard three types of bad preaching:

Scripture: Luke 12:22

Tags: preaching tips, Preaching Help, Pastoral Ministry, effective preaching

Francis Chan: 7 Questions To Ask Before You Preach

By Francis Chan on Feb 21, 2024

In a message at a Desiring God National Conference, Francis Chan highlighted seven questions that he asks himself in preparing to preach.

Scripture: James 5:10-20

Tags: Preaching, preparation, francis chan, teach with love, desiring god, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

4 Angles To Preach From Every Time

By Brandon Kelley on Dec 14, 2021

It is not enough to simply preach what the passage of Scripture says within your next sermon. It’s a good start, but don’t stop there. You’ll stop short of something truly beautiful, truly remarkable.

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: redemption, God the Father, preaching the Word, eternal perspective, preaching Christ  (view more)  (view less)

We Need A Theology Of Rest

By Lance Witt on Jul 27, 2023

You don’t have to be running at an insane pace to be running on empty. I think the primary issue here isn’t the size of your ministry or the pace of your ministry. The PRIMARY issue has to do with the health of your soul (your interior life).

Scripture: Proverbs 14:8, Exodus 33:14-15, Jeremiah 6:16

Tags: Wisdom, Rest, endurance with joy, spiritual leadership, entering God's rest  (view more)  (view less)

Why I Love The Psalms

By Dr. W. Robert Godfrey on Aug 10, 2022

The Psalms teach us how to express our emotions to God in all the circumstances of our lives.

Scripture: Psalm 23:1, Psalm 56:8

Tags: Psalms, Emotions, suffering, Intimacy With God, soul care, Psalms of David  (view more)  (view less)

Why Do I Urge All Pastors To Preach Expository Sermons?

By Brian Croft on Oct 18, 2023

There are all kinds of different sermons a preacher can preach, but the most helpful for a pastor to feed his people with week after week is expository sermons.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Love, Preaching, Expository, the word of god, Feeding The Flock, preaching, expository  (view more)  (view less)