In Preaching Articles: "real life" showing 46-60 of 146

Preaching: What To Cut, What To Add

By Peter Mead on Oct 8, 2020

Experienced preachers know the real challenge is in what to leave out of a sermon.

Tags: Message, Preaching, develop

Stop The Revolution. Join The Plodders.

By Kevin Deyoung on Jan 24, 2022

It’s sexy among young people—my generation—to talk about ditching institutional religion and starting a revolution of real Christ-followers living in real community without the confines of church.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:21, Romans 16:8

Tags: Church, Commitment, endurance, Faithfulness, church  (view more)  (view less)

Get It Right Before You Start: Safeguard Your Sermon Series

By SermonCentral on Jun 30, 2020

Avoid these ten critical mistakes that could prevent an effective evangelistic sermon series at your church.

Tags: Truth, Preaching, repentance, eternal life, New Way, Repentance, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

A Dozen Bad Easter Eggs: 12 Mistakes We Should Avoid This Year

By Joe Mckeever on Mar 31, 2020

Joe McKeever gets real with advice learned by the hard experience of many Easters.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-13

Tags: Easter, Preaching, mistakes, Fail, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

10 Things Healthy Churches Do Well

By Joe Mckeever on Jan 24, 2025

Whether we are a critic or a lover of the church — or for some of us, both — it's important to remain balanced.

Scripture: Acts 6:1-7

Tags: Church Growth, Healthy Church, Pastors, CHURCH LIFE, Church General, Accept  (view more)  (view less)

8 Ways To Bust Leadership Discouragement

By Charles Stone on Sep 28, 2022

"Discouragement is a universal experience for ministry leaders and the word actually self-defines itself…dis-courage meaning no courage. Some of the Bible’s greatest characters faced it: Moses, David, Paul, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the apostles. Nehemiah, the great Old Testament leader faced it when he led the Jews to rebuild the wall. Yet, his response offers us hope when we face it."

Scripture: Psalm 77:11, Nehemiah 4:10-21

Tags: Nehemiah, leadership, Discouragement, thought life, pastoral leadership, Blessings, Burdens, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

3 Keys To Overcoming Barriers To Bible Engagement In The Church

By Paul Caminiti on Jan 18, 2025

In North America, we have more Bibles than ever, but less and less real engagement. Why?

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-21

Tags: Bible, Scripture, Preaching, BIBLE STUDY, Biblical, Bible Study, bible study, preaching, bible  (view more)  (view less)

What You’ll Never Hear About Preaching In Seminary

By Mark A. Howell on Sep 24, 2024

Perhaps you've heard these suggestions before. The real issue is whether they are active in your ministry week to week.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Randy Alcorn: Are You Willing To Be Hated For Speaking The Gospel Of Truth?

By SermonCentral on Sep 13, 2022

"It's not our job to be popular. Let's represent the real Jesus, the whole Jesus, not just the culturally acceptable one."

Scripture: Mark 8:33-38

Tags: Preaching, Hated, gospel of truth, preaching

5 Ways To Make Your Preaching More Practical And Relevant

By Rick Ezell on Jan 31, 2025

Use these methods to practically reach people suffering from real hurts, problems, doubts, fears, and anxieties gnawing at their faith.

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34, Romans 10:4

Tags: Preaching, Culture, Self, Relevance, audience, application, preaching, culture  (view more)  (view less)

Are You Serving Slop In The Pulpit?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Aug 25, 2021

Sherman Cox warns, "There's an inclination today to resort to tactics and tricks to manufacture a connection to the congregation that is neither real nor helpful."

Scripture: Romans 14:1-23

Tags: Preaching, pulpit, Insult, frown

Unashamed Allegiance: My Tribute To R.c. Sproul

By John Piper on Nov 18, 2022

I love R.C. Sproul. I am sure I owe him more than I can even recall. My reverence for the holiness of God and the truth of his word would not be the same without his influence. I will miss him (for a short while).

Tags: treasure, Faithfulness, Tribute, Preacher, Godly example, Christ in Scripture, Teacher, Godly Life, preacher, teacher  (view more)  (view less)

Rethinking Our Witness To The Neighborhood

By David Fitch on Oct 31, 2020

Communities live life in and among the neighborhoods: the stuff of everyday life has numerous opportunities to proclaim the gospel.

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Gospel, Preaching, Congregation

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

We All Need Adversity And Affliction

By SermonCentral on Aug 23, 2022

I would not exchange any of my discipline-afflictions for anything. In fact, I have made it a habit to keep asking God to discipline me. This isn’t because I love affliction, but because the hope in God I’ve tasted in the promises of God I’ve trusted in the darkest days are the sweetest things my soul has ever known.

Scripture: Psalm 119:71-72, Hebrews 12:11

Tags: Adversity, sanctification, Hardship of Life, Spiritual Maturity, Christian Maturity, joy in trials, spiritual immaturity, fruit of sorrow  (view more)  (view less)