In Preaching Articles: "Stories"

True Story: The Guinness Record For The World's Longest Sermon

By SermonCentral .com on Oct 10, 2019

Pastor Zach Zehnder of Cross Church began his quest on Friday, November 7, and by Sunday had preached for 53 hours and 18 minutes—Why?

Scripture: Lamentations 3:23

Tags: Preaching

No Pressure: Great Preaching Must Connect Worlds Separated By Time And Space

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Sep 17, 2021

Helping people understand the Scripture in its native Bible world is not enough. We must help people to experience it.

Scripture: Genesis 15:8-21

Tags: Bible, Preaching, guest preaching, lecture, bible story  (view more)  (view less)

Does Your Building Speak Louder Than Your Preaching?

By Ron Geyer on May 27, 2021

Actors know that where a story is told can influence how or whether the story is heard. It's true whether your story comes from Shakespeare or Solomon.

Tags: Building, Preaching, Sound, room, Loud  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching For A Special Occasion? Here's Guidance

By Dr. Daniel Akin on Oct 22, 2021

Compromise of biblical truth is not an option, but doing one's best to extend Christ-honoring grace and goodwill should be at the front and center of our agenda.

Scripture: John 4:1-30, Luke 1:67-80

Tags: preaching, Exposition, Preaching, Biblical truth, Betray, good story  (view more)  (view less)

Death Is Dead, Christ Has Conquered

By Sam Allberry on May 22, 2024

Too many of us view the resurrection of Jesus as little more than a nice, happy conclusion to the gospel story. But the Easter story isn’t just “what happens next” to Jesus after his death. It doesn’t just wrap up the story; it fulfills it. In fact, there really is no story without it.

Scripture: Romans 4:25, 1 Corinthians 15:17

Tags: Resurrection, Gospel, Victory, Christ is Risen, gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Finishing (Your Sermon) Well

By Michael Voll on Dec 4, 2022

Come Sunday morning many times we preachers fill our sermons with funny stories, but forget to point to the ultimate story of Jesus Christ.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: preaching the gospel, Sermon Prep, preaching, teaching, Sermon prep, Preaching, illustration, application, pastoral leadership, sermon prep, preaching Christ, Teaching  (view more)  (view less)

A Good Sermon Feels Like A Good Story: 7 Minutes With Fred Craddock

By Fred Craddock on Jan 15, 2026

Fred Craddock literally wrote the book on preaching. He reminds us, "Movement is more important than structure."

Tags: Preaching, structure, Movement, Fred Craddock, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Looking At The "Insignificant” Parts Of The Text

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Sep 24, 2020

Great preachers preach both the unfamiliar as well as the familiar stories.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Narrative Preaching: Do You Make These 10 Mistakes?

By Peter Mead on Jul 2, 2020

Before you decide to tap into the great stories of scripture, consider these cautions.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

A Novel Idea For Preaching Christmas

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Nov 30, 2018

We assume our congregations know the biblical story and doctrinal meaning of Christmas. So we avoid major texts and look for something new or novel to say about the old, old story.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-15

Tags: Christmas, Preaching, Birth of Jesus, storytelling

The Best Way To Avoid Ministry Burnout That You Keep Forgetting

By Eric Bryant on Aug 4, 2024

Eric Bryant reminds leaders of a familiar story that holds a secret for avoiding ministry burnout.

Scripture: Exodus 18:1-27

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Was Jesus Numerically Challenged?

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 28, 2020

Do numbers alone tell the story of success? What kind of numbers caught Jesus' attention?

Tags: Growth, Preaching, number, Growth in Christ

Work Smarter, Not Harder

By Lance Witt on Jan 9, 2022

There is a story in the Bible about a very gifted and competent leader who wasn’t working smart.

Scripture: Exodus 18:1-27

Tags: priorities, advice, Leadership Listening, walking wisely

When Illustrations Become Sermon-Killers (And What To Do About Them)

By Joe Mckeever on Jun 21, 2019

The smart preacher never tells a story that clobbers his sermon and destroys the point he is trying to make.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

God Plans For The Unexpected And Inconvenient

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 1, 2022

What’s odd is that a story about a socially humiliating situation and a reluctant, irritated benefactor is supposed to encourage us to pray.

Scripture: Luke 11:2-4, Luke 11:5-8, John 15:5, Luke 11:9-13

Tags: Sacrifice, Lord's Prayer, Unexpected, inadequate