In Preaching Articles: "speak truth in love"

John Piper, George Mueller, And The Pleasures Of God

By SermonCentral on Aug 9, 2022

God is like a great Niagara Falls—you look at it and think: surely this can’t keep going at this force for year after year after year. It seems like it would have to rest. Or it seems like some place up stream it would run dry. But, no, it just keeps surging and crashing and making honeymooners happy century after century. That’s the way God is about doing us good. He never grows weary of it. It never gets boring to him.

Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-18, Jeremiah 32:39-41, Psalm 119:68, Deuteronomy 30:9, Ephesians 2:7, Philippians 4:19  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Salvation, Unfailing Love, john piper, Endless Grace, Riches of Grace, George Mueller  (view more)  (view less)

How Your Calendar Is Killing You (And What To Do About It)

By Carey Nieuwhof on Jul 1, 2024

Here’s the sad truth: when your calendar is out of control, so are you. And so is your life.

Tags: Schedule, Busyness, Time Management, productivity, Personal Life, Balanced Life, Workplace Balance, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Why Kids Need Exegetical Bible Teaching For The Long Haul

By Cameron Cole on Nov 15, 2022

"Preparing kids to face the real world on their own is scary and daunting. There are only so many things we can do and there are no guarantees. Within the realm of things, we can control resides the teaching of God’s word."

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16

Tags: Discipleship, teach, parenting, Equip, parenthood, Youth Ministry, guard the truth, child training  (view more)  (view less)

4 Reasons The Trinity Should Be Part Of Your Preaching

By Jared Moore on Jun 2, 2021

"The Trinity should not be some obscure doctrine you dust off and bring out when you're speaking against other religions."

Scripture: Zephaniah 1:1-18

Tags: Preaching, trinity, Doctrine, Foundation

Great Preaching Lives In The Tension: Here's How

By Brandon Kelley on Jan 5, 2021

A sermon speaks from the grand narrative of Scripture to the grand narrative of your life. These two stories have identifiable tension points: use them!

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Tear Your Sermon In Half

By John Mcclure on Jun 26, 2020

It's a daring move: slash your outline! Your congregation will love you, and they'll remember more.

Scripture: Acts 13:1-17, Acts 12:1-14

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Dallas Willard: A Cup Running Over

By Dallas Willard on Apr 18, 2020

Men and women in ministry who are not finding satisfaction in Christ are likely to demonstrate that with overexertion and overpreparation for speaking, and with no peace about what they do after they do it.

Tags: Peace, Preaching, Satisfaction, preaching

Busting Out Of Sermon Block

By Haddon Robinson on May 28, 2020

Give your sermons new life every week with this timeless advice from Haddon Robinson.

Scripture: Luke 6:39-45, John 16:8-11

Tags: Love, Church, Preaching, Prayer, dedication, preparation, prepare, Result, Time, length, Leadership General  (view more)  (view less)

Can I Evaluate My Own Preaching?

By Steven Smith on Sep 25, 2024

We do not invent messages; we proclaim truth. So we measure our effectiveness by how faithful we are to the text.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Tags: Preaching, treasure, Faithfulness, Obligation, proclaim, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

3 Positive Ways To Respond To Negative Criticism

By Joe Hoagland on Feb 26, 2021

Some criticism is unequivocally bad criticism. It is destructive, not based 100% in truth, and is based in bad intentions. Prepare yourself for this kind of criticism.

Tags: Preaching, Criticism, criticism, preaching

6 Non Negotiable Traits You Need To Increase Your Leaderships Influence

By Carey Nieuwhof on Sep 29, 2023

As harsh as it sounds, here’s the truth: if a leader doesn’t buy you, they’ll rarely buy your idea.

Tags: Humility, leadership, Influence, competence, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

10 Reasons Small Churches Tend To Stay Small

By Joe Mckeever on Sep 21, 2024

After working for years among hundreds of small congregations, Joe McKeever speaks to the subtle growth barriers that tend to go unnoticed or unaddressed in stagnant churches.

Scripture: John 13:35, Psalm 85:6, Luke 11:1-2

Tags: Church, Outreach, pastor, Church Growth, Health, Fail, Small Church, Church Practices, Pastor, church  (view more)  (view less)

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: Criticism, patience, offense, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, loving enemies, Disarming, criticism  (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: Forgiveness, Gospel, Reconciliation, God's Love, forgive, Forgiveness in Jesus, gospel proclamation, The Church's Message, gospel  (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: Peace, Humility, conflict, resolving conflict, Love Others, Dealing with Conflicts, selfish ambition, Humility and Pride  (view more)  (view less)