In Preaching Articles: "Maximize Usefulness"

Preaching: God's Gift To Our Personal Growth

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 2, 2019

God has inspired His word in such a way that it shapes us, molds us and forms us as we hear it taught and expounded.

Tags: Personal Growth, boring preaching, Gift, Preaching

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

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

Your Greatest Prayer Partner

By David J. Lose on Sep 16, 2022

David Lose reminds us we are not alone in our task; someone has been lifting us up for centuries.

Scripture: John 17:6-26

Tags: Jesus, Preaching, Prayer, Partner, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Ash Wednesday: 4 Perfect Preaching Texts

By Mons Teig on Feb 22, 2020

Sin sucks the life out of us. The following texts invite us to a spiritual examination and forty days of healing therapy.

Scripture: Mark 8:11-22, Mark 8:31-38

Tags: audience, ash wednesday, ambassador, Jail, preaching, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Most Difficult Texts In The Bible To Preach

By Joe Mckeever on May 22, 2023

The problem, of course, is not with Scripture. The problem is with us.

Scripture: John 2:3-5, Luke 4:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35, Hebrews 6:4-20

Tags: preaching, Study, Preaching, prepare, Assistance, difficult text  (view more)  (view less)

The First Lesson God Ever Taught Me

By Joe Mckeever on Jan 22, 2021

It was December 1961, the Christmas season. Margaret Henderson and I would be married five months later and then spend 52 years together serving the Lord. We had no idea all the Lord had in store for us, of course. The one thing we knew and wanted with all our hearts was that God was leading us and would use us.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

4 Steps From Good To Great Preaching

By Kenton C. Anderson on Feb 18, 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

How To Increase The Shelf Life Of Your Sermons

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 18, 2020

Your sermons can reach others beyond your church and become useful resources for years to come by using a few of these practical tips.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

7 Ways To Correct A Team Member In A Healthy Way

By Ron Edmondson on Nov 2, 2022

"All of us make mistakes and occasionally need someone to help us become better at what we do. This should always be the end goal of correction."

Scripture: Hebrews 12:11

Tags: church leadership, Leadership, relationships, Restoration, Respect, Biblical truth, Godly Leaders, pastoral leadership, leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Your Preaching Should Be Out Of This World--Seriously

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Oct 25, 2024

Beware of preaching that merely provides tools to help us become better situated in this present world rather than helping us to become ambassadors of the coming Kingdom.

Tags: preaching, Gospel, Preaching, Poverty, Debate, Confront, gospel  (view more)  (view less)

The Essential Me-First Of Biblical Preaching

By Ken Burge on May 9, 2025

Are you afraid to use yourself as the example for your sermon?

Tags: Preaching, Self, example, application, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why The Cross Is Not Enough

By Ray Hollenbach on Jul 24, 2021

Preaching the cross is powerful and necessary, but there is more for us to say.

Tags: Enough, Powerful, preaching, Jesus, Preaching, Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Finding God In The Ambiguity

By Jonathan Martin on May 17, 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)

Do You Preach Humbly?

By Bruce D. Johnson on Feb 29, 2024

God has not called us to be "certain knowers" but responsible interpreters.

Tags: Humble, Preaching, hermeneutics, Interpret, preaching  (view more)  (view less)