In Preaching Articles: "time with God"

Christmas Is Too Big For One Day: Why We Celebrate Advent

By Dr. Andreas Kostenberger on Dec 6, 2024

Jesus’s birth did not come in a vacuum. His coming was the culmination of centuries, even millennia, of mounting expectation of the coming Messiah and Savior of humankind.

Scripture: Genesis 3:15, 1 Samuel 13:14, Luke 2:10-11

Tags: Advent, Christmas Advent, Waiting on God, Spiritual Preparation

How To Get Your Prayer To Work

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Mar 25, 2022

When we work, we work. But when we pray, God works!

Scripture: Matthew 6:10, Psalm 119:105, Mark 11:24, Hebrews 11:6, 1 John 5:14-15, Colossians 3:17, John 14:13, Matthew 6:5-6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Faith, God's Glory, Jesus Name, confidence in prayer

Building Preacher-Listener Connection – Part 1

By Peter Mead on Apr 22, 2024

People can usually sense if you are not being genuine.

Tags: relationships, Confess Sin, God's Word, Genuine Faith

Sometimes I Feel Like Giving Up, But I Know Better

By Brandon Cox on Apr 27, 2024

Sometimes, I feel that I’m spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere, and that I’m failing to meet the expectations of others.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:12

Tags: Holy Spirit, Discouragement, confidence in God, giving up

Practically Impractical

By Chris Surber on Apr 30, 2022

In all of our efforts to be relevant are we forgetting the mysterious beauty of God?

Tags: Kingdom, God's Kingdom, mystery of Christ, eternal perspective

The High Cost Of Free Porn

By Owen Strachan on Sep 17, 2022

Beyond severe psychological and social consequences, pornography hinders Jesus’s mission in the world.

Scripture: John 6:38, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:37, Luke 15:1-7, Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:9-10, Romans 8:13, Revelation 12:10-12, Colossians 3:5  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Pornography, god's mission, Jesus' mission, Kingdom's Mission

You Are Not The Story!

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on May 3, 2022

People should not leave the sermon having learned more about the preacher than Christ. When we stand to preach the word, we should prayerfully whisper to ourselves, “You are not the story.”

Scripture: Colossians 1:28, John 12:20, 2 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Tags: Pride, God's Story, self importance, Bible as a story

The Spiritual Discipline Of Anticipation

By Lance Witt on May 25, 2022

Let me ask you, what are you trusting God for? Where are you practicing the spiritual discipline of anticipation?

Scripture: Ephesians 3:20

Tags: Preaching, anticipation, active faith, Possible with God, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

What Is The ‘sin Not Leading To Death’ In 1 John 5?

By John Piper on Jul 13, 2024

Check out John Piper's answer to a perplexing question from 1 John.

Scripture: 1 John 1:9, 1 John 5:16-17

Tags: confession, repentance, God's Promises, faith and repentance, Repentance  (view more)  (view less)

Growing A Church

By Barry O. Johnson on Aug 19, 2024

Should church growth be our focus?

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:12, Matthew 28:20

Tags: Discipleship, Preaching, Church Growth, glorifying God, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Who Says Bigger Is Better? 3 Reasons I'm Convinced God Works Through Small Churches

By Chris Surber on Oct 15, 2021

"Bigger churches can do things smaller cannot do. And little churches do things much larger churches can never do."

Scripture: Acts 11:15-18, Genesis 22:1-15

Tags: preaching, family, Preaching, friendship, connection, Small Church  (view more)  (view less)

Facing These Questions Can Improve Any Preacher

By Charles Stone on Jun 7, 2021

The time we invest in sermons and the time people invest in listening to them should make us pause to evaluate our efforts.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:17-20

Tags: biblical preaching, preaching, Preaching, invest, Improve, questions  (view more)  (view less)

The Most Necessary Thing

By Thomas C. Brown on Jul 11, 2022

Greater is the value of personal intimacy with God than busyness for him. Service must follow surrender and solitude.

Scripture: Luke 10:42, John 17:3, Philippians 3:8-10

Tags: Scripture, leadership, devotion, priorities, God's Word, pastoral leadership, Intimacy With God, Pastoral Ministry, soul care, Guarding Your Soul, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

12 Simple Ways To Be A Pastor Who Prays Like A Warrior

By Hal Seed on Nov 11, 2022

I believe every pastor ought to be a prayer warrior.

Scripture: Isaiah 56:7, 1 Samuel 3:10

Tags: Prayer, daily prayer, Prayer for Others, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Holy Spirit's Power, Seek God's Face, God hears prayer  (view more)  (view less)

A Simple Formula For Effective Preaching

By Jonathon Woodyard on Jan 1, 2022

So here it is in a single sentence: After you have gone to the Bible and it has yielded sweet and glorious truths, you must take time to think over how to tell others what God has shown you, and how it applies to their lives.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:19-21

Tags: Bible, Spirit, Preaching, effective preaching, e, preaching, bible  (view more)  (view less)