In Preaching Articles: "Success In Life"

Constant Explanations From God Wouldn’t Allow For Our Faith Or Trust

By Randy Alcorn on Dec 9, 2022

The God of providence weaves millions of details into our lives and into all the lives around us. Maybe He doesn’t have one big reason for bringing a certain person or success or failure or disease or accident into our lives; in fact, He may have hundreds of little reasons. In order to understand God’s explanations, we would have to be God.

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Faith, Trust, Sovereignty, Surrender, sanctification, Will of God, personal holiness, sovereignty of God  (view more)  (view less)

Why Illustrations Matter In Preaching: Learning From Jesus’ Use Of Parables

By Leslie Holmes on Jan 15, 2024

Parables and illustrations bring preaching to life. These seven tests help pastors use stories wisely to clarify truth, reduce resistance, and make sermons memorable.

Scripture: Matthew 13:34, Nehemiah 8:8, 2 Timothy 4:2, Psalm 78:2, Luke 8:10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Expository Preaching, expository preaching

Why Powerful Preaching Requires Getting Personal

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 24, 2023

Solid sermon structure matters, but preaching becomes powerful when pastors risk personal vulnerability and let real life carry biblical truth home.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Psalm 40:1-3, James 5:10-11, Romans 8:18-25, 2 Corinthians 12:9  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, Story, storm, Pastoral Ministry, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

When Pastors Misplace Their Identity: 10 Probing Questions

By Charles Stone on Sep 19, 2022

“No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.” ––Paul Tripp

Scripture: 1 Samuel 28:1

Tags: Ministry, identity, Identity in Christ, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church leadership, Right Priorities, self assement, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

The Power Of Biblical Thanksgiving In A Thankless Age

By J. John on Nov 19, 2025

True thanksgiving reshapes the Christian life. It redirects our hearts toward God’s grace, transforms our attitudes, and strengthens hope through daily gratitude.

Scripture: Psalm 136:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 3:15, Matthew 26:26-27  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Prayer, Thanks, Thanksgiving Holiday, Spiritual Disciplines

Most Pastors Reject Pulpit Political Endorsements

By Carol Pipes on Mar 18, 2024

A LifeWay Research survey shows nearly 90 percent of Protestant pastors believe candidates should not be endorsed from the pulpit, even during election season.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 20:27, 1 Corinthians 2:2, Romans 13:1, Colossians 4:6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Politics, election, candidate, Church And State, Church and State  (view more)  (view less)

How Pastors Should Approach Preaching At Wedding

By SermonCentral .com on May 19, 2025

Wedding sermons do not need to follow a single formula. Faithful pastors can draw from many biblical truths that prepare couples for the realities of married life.

Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 3:12-14, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Proverbs 3:3-4, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Wedding, Preaching, Offend, preaching, Biblical Counseling  (view more)  (view less)

Eight Ideas For Reaping The Fruit Of Your Vacation Bible School

By Hal Seed on Jul 8, 2024

Learn how to move beyond counting VBS attendance to measuring true fruit by building relationships, following up well, and enfolding unchurched families into the life of your church.

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Children, Outreach, family, VBS, evangelism, church  (view more)  (view less)

7 Marks Of Great Preaching

By David J. Lose on Feb 4, 2025

Great preaching is more than speaking well—it engages Scripture, proclaims Christ, connects to real life, inspires imagination, and sends God’s people into the world.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2

Tags: Preaching, Prayer, BIBLE STUDY, father's will, Bible Study, Pastoral Ministry, gospel proclamation, biblical preaching, Sermon Preparation, bible study, preaching, sermon preparation, Biblical Preaching, Gospel Proclamation, Effective Communication  (view more)  (view less)

Paul And The Necessity Of The Local Church

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 24, 2020

Claims that Paul operated apart from the local church collapse under Scripture. His life and ministry show that God’s work is rooted in committed church membership.

Scripture: Acts 13:1-3, Acts 14:26-28, Galatians 1:11-24, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 4:11-16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: local church, Local Church

New Poll: What's The Average Length Of Sermon Prep?

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 16, 2021

LifeWay's Thom Rainer took a Twitter poll to see how much time most preachers give to sermon preparation. Where do you fall on the scale?

Tags: preparation, average, Prep, Time

Preaching To The Unchurched: 5 Essentials

By Rick Warren on May 4, 2024

In terms of seeing radical life changes in individuals, nothing can take the place of Spirit-anointed preaching. The message is still the most important element of a worship service for the unchurched.

Tags: Evangelism, Outreach, Preaching, pastoral leadership, evangelism, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Two Questions To Break Despair

By Marion Clark on Dec 2, 2022

There is a great need for Christian counselors with the expertise to unravel the problems of life. The more a pastor is equipped in this area, the better they will be able to serve the members of their church who are facing difficulties and trials.

Tags: Hope, encouragement, Counselor, Despair, pastoral care, WISE COUNSEL, fixing eyes on Jesus, counseling  (view more)  (view less)

The Dangers Of Self-Righteousness: Lessons From Luke 18:9-14

By Josh Read on Oct 30, 2025

In today’s world, especially in the age of social media, it’s easy to curate a version of ourselves that looks impressive—sharing successes, opinions, and spiritual highlights while hiding our struggles. But Jesus’ parable in Luke 18:9–14 cuts straight through that façade. It reminds us that self-righteousness doesn’t bring us closer to God, it drives us further from Him.

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14, Romans 3:23-24, James 4:10

Tags: Mercy, Parable, Prayer, confession, repentance, justification, sanctification, Repentance, Justification, Confession, Sanctification  (view more)  (view less)

Make Your Sermons More Memorable From Neuroscience

By Charles Stone on Jul 29, 2020

Lasting spiritual change requires more than good content. Insights from neuroscience can help preachers embed truth into long-term memory for real life transformation.

Scripture: Romans 12:2, Luke 11:28, James 1:22-25, Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Colossians 3:16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: leadership, Preaching, Christian Education, spiritual formation, Leadership, neuroscience, preaching, Spiritual Formation, Neuroscience  (view more)  (view less)