In Preaching Articles: "time with God"

Three Probing Questions Every Pastor Should Ask Himself

By Charles Stone on Sep 14, 2023

Take a few moments and ask yourself these questions to see what God reveals about your heart and motives.

Tags: Faithfulness, identity, Identity in Christ, motives

Faith That Changed The Culture How Luther Inspired Music, Charity, And Abolition

By Michael Reeves on Oct 18, 2022

Through the Reformation, a tidal wave of social and cultural improvement was unleashed.

Tags: Music, Culture, Slavery, God's Grace, Christian Joy, Reformation, Church History, Freedom in Christ, justified by faith, give generously, Philanthropy, culture  (view more)  (view less)

When Is A Sermon Good Enough?

By Stephen Gregory on Jul 16, 2024

What is a good sermon? How can I preach with confidence a message I have not had time to polish? Who am I seeking to please, anyway? Stephen Gregory seeks answers to these questions.

Scripture: Proverbs 16:3

Tags: Church, Preaching, pastor, Communication General, Pastor, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

What’s The Big Hurry?

By Lance Witt on Feb 9, 2021

I confess to you that I am a hurrier. I wish I had a dollar for every time my kids have heard me say in an agitated tone “Hurry up!” Sometimes I walk in a hurry and leave my wife behind. When I have to wait in line, or a flight gets delayed, or there is dead time in a worship service, or someone is telling a long story, I find myself internally saying, “Could you please hurry up?”

Tags: Busyness

The Arrogance Of Preaching

By Kenton C. Anderson on Jan 20, 2025

Preaching appears arrogant to people overwhelmed by the limitations of their perspective. Perspective becomes an asset as the preacher bears witness to God in the flesh.

Scripture: Leviticus 5:2-6

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, pastor, Pride, Arrogance, Pastor, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Sex, Marriage, And Fairy Tales

By Jefferson Bethke on Dec 16, 2023

This creative spoken-word poetry provides a powerful statement about God's purpose for marriage--to make us holy.

Tags: Marriage, Preaching, preaching

Francis Chan's Seven Questions To Ask Before You Preach

By Francis Chan on Jan 18, 2024

In a message at a Desiring God National Conference, Francis Chan highlighted seven questions that he asks himself in preparing to preach.

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Does Your Preaching Wield A Sword Or An Anvil?

By Peter Mead on Sep 16, 2024

God's word is a living and active sword. Peter Mead suggests that too often preachers try to drop an anvil on their listeners.

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12, Jeremiah 23:29

Tags: Preaching, living word, words, Sword, Impact, Heavy, anvil, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Eugene Peterson: The Bible Is Our Story

By Eugene Peterson on Jan 23, 2024

Before Eugene Peterson was a professor and writer, he was a pastor. Here's his wise counsel regarding handling God's word.

Scripture: Daniel 4:1-15

Tags: Bible, Story, bible truth, eugene peterson, Bible Truth, bible  (view more)  (view less)

10 Reasons Ministry Isn't For Wimps

By Jared Moore on Dec 5, 2019

Check out this list. Do you still want to be a pastor? If so, then God has probably called you to the ministry.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Tags: Ministry, Preaching, challenge, negative, wimp, ministry, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

So You Waited Until The Last Minute To Start Sermon Prep

By Peter Mead on Mar 6, 2023

When I genuinely have had to prepare at the last minute, then I ask God for help and know that He understands.

Tags: Preaching, preparation, Excuses, sermon prep, last minute, Sermon Prep, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How To Keep Your Brain Sharp

By Charles Stone on Oct 30, 2023

The brain is a masterpiece of God’s creation. It grows rapidly from birth until the mid-twenties. Unfortunately, it’s downhill from there. Even though you can’t avoid getting older, you can take some simple steps to keep your brain sharp.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19

Tags: leadership, Aging, Health, pastoral leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Shooing Flies In The Pulpit

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Apr 22, 2021

To be honest, I have had to shoo flies in the pulpit many times. If you are a preacher, so have you. No, not literal flies (I hope). But preachers regularly have to push through various distractions.

Tags: Preaching, focus, distractions, Challenges, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

3 Reasons Good Preaching Is As Important As Ever

By Joe Hoagland on Jul 28, 2022

People love to tell you that preaching is irrelevant in this day and age. But contrary to this kind of thinking, good preaching does remain important. In fact, preaching remains as important as it has ever been.

Tags: Communication, Preaching, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, faithful preaching, Value of Preaching, Modern Age, Busy Culture, Shepherd the Flock, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

4 Tips For Understanding Any Passage Of The Bible

By Brandon Smith on Dec 1, 2022

Whatever you do, just read the Bible.

Tags: Study, Prayer, BIBLE STUDY, godly character, Bible Study, Reading God's Word, Christian community, personal holiness, Personal Devotions, bible study  (view more)  (view less)