In Preaching Articles: "What Is The Purpose Of Life"

3 Ways To Defeat Leadership Discouragement

By Charles Stone on Dec 11, 2023

Discouragement comes with the territory for ministry leaders. Unmet goals, putting out fires, staff issues, displeasing people, and general tiredness all contribute to discouragement. When it weighs us down, how can we dig out? The life of the prophet Elijah gives us hope.

Tags: Perseverance, leadership, Discouragement, Depression, Elijah's faith, Pastoral Ministry, Elijah's Depression, Fighting for Joy, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Have You Half-Quit Preaching?

By Peter Mead on May 2, 2025

There are temptations to quit preaching, but temptations to "half-quit" are an even greater danger. Here are the warning signs and what to do about them.

Tags: Preaching, quit, preaching

Waiting To Preach: 5 Ways To Make Sure You're Ready

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Oct 5, 2020

You've heard the call and you're ready to respond, but what do you do while waiting for the opportunity to preach?

Scripture: Esther 1:1-4

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Start With A Bang! Open Your Sermon Strong

By Tyler Scarlett on Nov 21, 2024

A preacher's worst fear is that the congregation will stop listening. What's far more dreadful is if the people never were listening in the first place.

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

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How To Pastor An Evangelistic Church

By Ed Stetzer on Jan 24, 2021

Pastors, do you know what an"evangelistic church" looks like? Are you even taking the time to share the gospel?

Scripture: Ephesians 4:10, 1 Corinthians 11:1

Tags: Evangelism, leadership, challenge, Sharing Your Faith, Setting an example, evangelism, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

8 Ideas To Make Your Christmas Eve Service Memorable

By Josh Reich on Dec 20, 2024

Christmas Eve is coming, and millions of people will walk into a church to experience something. But what will they get when they walk into your church or mine?

Tags: Christmas, Advent, Christmas Eve, invite, Simplicity, Gospel centered, church leadership, Christmas Service  (view more)  (view less)

How To Apply The Bible

By Josh Reich on Sep 21, 2022

"When we read the Bible, we want to understand it and apply it. We want to know what the Bible says and how it affects our lives. We want something to happen, we want to get something out of it. But we’re often left frustrated and wondering what we missed."

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: understanding, BIBLE STUDY, Personal Growth, Bible Study, soul care, Growing in Christ, Study the Bible, applying scripture, bible study  (view more)  (view less)

6 Surprising Leadership Principles From The Bible

By Tom Harper on Jan 21, 2025

Tom Harper traveled through the whole of Scripture looking for one fresh leadership principle in every book ... learn what he found.

Scripture: Judges 8:3, Proverbs 29:22, Hosea 3:1-5

Tags: John, Wisdom, leadership, pastor, anger, Pastors, lead, Leadership General, Pastor, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

4 Steps From Good To Great Preaching

By Kenton C. Anderson on Feb 18, 2025

For those of us who try to preach “good sermons” every week, it's useful to understand what it takes to connect with our listeners.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Would You Make The Cut On John Wesley's Preaching Team?

By Michael Pasquarello on Jun 3, 2023

Wesley believed that every preacher should have three elements present in their view of preaching. Find out what they are in this better-preaching video.

Scripture: Job 38:1-7

Tags: Preaching, Methodist, preaching

How Should Preachers Respond To Tragic Events?

By Leslie Holmes on Jan 29, 2024

From the recent Oklahoma tornadoes to 9/11, what do you do when tragic events overtake your preaching plans?

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How To Engage The Whole Congregation

By Bruce D. Johnson on Jun 5, 2025

All of us have a propensity to want to communicate in our own preferred style. But what if your style doesn't reach everyone?

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15

Tags: Pastor, preaching, Preaching, pastor, Congregation, Engage, Engagement  (view more)  (view less)

Use Humor Like A Hammer (Plus 4 Other Great Preaching Tips)

By Chris Foster on Feb 5, 2024

The average attention span has dropped from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. If this is true, what does that mean for you as a communicator of the Gospel?

Scripture: Exodus 3:7-17, John 14:26

Tags: preaching, Preaching, humor, social media, storytelling  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ways--No, 6--To Lull Your Listeners To Sleep

By Lane Sebring on Nov 28, 2019

There's nothing like a good snoozer of a sermon. But what does it take to preach a sermon that makes your listeners fall sound asleep?

Tags: fall asleep, preaching, Preaching, boring, listeners  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching To Inspire True Generosity

By Matt O’reilly on Nov 19, 2021

What if preachers and their congregations actually looked forward to the stewardship series instead of dreading it? Matt O'Reilly believes it can be done.

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-8

Tags: Preaching, preaching