In Preaching Articles: "Loving The Lost"

You Can't Please Everyone With Your Preaching

By Peter Mead on Feb 28, 2025

The challenge with criticism is to sort it through and preach for our audience of One, yet with a loving sensitivity to the many who sit and listen.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16

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

How To Preach To Old(Er) People

By Rachel Wrenn on Oct 24, 2025

"Mildred" loves the Lord, shows up early for service--and falls asleep nearly every week. What to do?

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Preaching God's Dangerous Truth

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jun 17, 2020

We love to preach the Good News, but it doesn't reach its full potential until it challenges us to dream big.

Scripture: Luke 2:10

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Top 10 Healthy Ways To Handle The Church Critic

By Charles Stone on Aug 17, 2022

“Two things you can’t avoid in ministry are…people late to the service and … church critics.” In this short post, I suggest 10 ways to handle the church critic.

Tags: church ministry, loving enemies, Disarming, criticism, Criticism, patience, offense, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Are Small Churches Less Fruitful?

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 26, 2022

Does the size of a church always speak of its faithfulness?

Scripture: John 15:5, Matthew 7:20, Matthew 12:33-34, Luke 3:9-14, Luke 3:8, Matthew 13:23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Trusting God, Church Growth, Church size, Love One Another, ministry, Ministry, Fruit, Faithfulness  (view more)  (view less)

The Central Message Of The Church Is Reconciliation

By Jeff K. Clarke on Oct 10, 2022

“The essence of forgiveness is absorbing pain instead of giving it.” – Timothy Keller

Scripture: Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Tags: God's Love, forgive, Forgiveness in Jesus, gospel proclamation, The Church's Message, gospel, Forgiveness, Gospel, Reconciliation  (view more)  (view less)

How To Resolve Most Relational Conflict

By Jon Bloom on Nov 5, 2022

"Few things sap more of our joy, are as emotionally demanding and mentally distracting, as relational conflict. And few things wreak as much havoc and destruction on lives as relational conflict. And so much of it is avoidable."

Scripture: Matthew 10:34-36, James 4:1, Matthew 18:21-35, 1 Peter 5:6, Philippians 2:14-15  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Humility and Pride, Humility, conflict, resolving conflict, Love Others, Dealing with Conflicts, selfish ambition, Peace  (view more)  (view less)

The Most Significant Thing A Pastor Will Ever Do

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 9, 2024

The most valuable ministry thing you have done just may be the time you stopped to encourage a homeless man and bought him lunch.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 Corinthians 4:3-4

Tags: servant leadership, church leadership, Faithfulness, priorities, Servanthood, Christian Love, Godly Leaders, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)

The Worst Thing About My Own Sermons

By Joe Mckeever on Aug 22, 2024

Joe McKeever loves praise as much as the next guy. He also knows the preaching error he is most likely to make.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:5

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Preach The 'shoulds' And Not 'the Shouldn'ts'

By Joe Hoagland on Aug 15, 2019

Jesus is not just about getting rid of a bunch of behaviors but it is also about living out positive actions inspired by the grace and love of Jesus.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

The Critical Relationship Between Pastor And Worship Leader

By Chuck Fromm on Mar 4, 2020

Worship Leader magazine editor Chuck Fromm discusses the key imperative in a pastor establishing a meaningful relationship with his/her worship leader and team.

Scripture: Mark 3:25

Tags: relationships, fiery furnace, Worship General, love your enemies, Service, Church, Worship, Preaching, pastor, staff  (view more)  (view less)

Cut Off Your Hand, Tear Out Your Eye

By Ray Ortlund on Aug 3, 2022

Hard words are not harmful words—when they come from Jesus. The real Jesus loves us enough to accept us freely and confront us honestly.

Scripture: Colossians 2:23, Philippians 3:14, Hebrews 13:21, Matthew 5:6, Titus 2:11-12, Hebrews 12:4, 1 Corinthians 9:27, Matthew 5:29-30  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Righteousness, Theology, soul care, Hard Teaching

When A Private Apology Is Not Enough

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 15, 2022

"Nothing is so lovely and so welcome and so healing in a church as for a member to go before the congregation and admit to his/her destructive behavior and ask for forgiveness."

Tags: Humility, Reconciliation, repentance, restitution, Confession of Sin, church ministry, Apology, Making things right, Admitting Guilt, Repentance  (view more)  (view less)

Christmas: Not A Time For Inventing Twists On The Age-Old Story

By Joe Mckeever on Dec 14, 2024

Tell it with gusto and love. Tell the story of the birth of Jesus with all the excitement of someone hearing it for the first time. Tell the story without detouring into theories and guesses and myths and controversies.

Scripture: Luke 2:11

Tags: Christmas Advent, Christmas, Simplicity, storytelling

Is The Body Of Christ In Trouble?

By Barry O. Johnson on Sep 12, 2024

Barry Johnson offers some helpful insights into the state of the Church in America, and offers a loving call for pastors to take bold steps of faith wherever God has planted them.

Tags: preaching, Gospel, Truth, Preaching, Body of Christ, gospel  (view more)  (view less)