In Preaching Articles: "Why Jesus Bled"

Heads Up, Eyes Open, Everyone Looking Around Weekend Invitations

By Dean Hawk on Aug 2, 2023

I’m curious. When and where did ministers first begin asking people to bow their heads, close their eyes, and secretly raise their hand in a church service if they wanted to accept Jesus? Why do we feel like we need to sneak people into heaven?

Tags: Salvation, gospel invitation, Empowered churches

A Modest Proposal: Less Sermon Prep In Favor Of More Time Making Disciples?

By Bill Couchenour on Sep 5, 2021

Is it possible to reach the U.S. for Jesus in less than a decade by cutting sermon prep time in half?

Scripture: Matthew 7:24-28

Tags: Jesus, Outreach, Preaching, Disciples, sermon prep, Sermon Prep  (view more)  (view less)

Five Marks Of A Servant Leader

By SermonCentral .com on May 15, 2022

What traits do we look for in a leader that suggest his fundamental orientation is Christlike servanthood?

Scripture: Philippians 1:25, Matthew 20:26-28, Psalm 15:4, Ephesians 6:6, John 7:18, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 1 Corinthians 11:16, 1 Corinthians 5:2, 1 Corinthians 9:7, Luke 22:25-56, John 13:1-17, Matthew 16:23, Philippians 2:9-11, Matthew 18:15-20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: servant leadership, servanthood of Jesus, servant leader, glory of God

Seven Key Reasons People Choose A Church

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 9, 2022

Why did you choose to come to this church?

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Church, Children, Volunteerism, good sermon, church  (view more)  (view less)

Why Do You Preach? Only 2 Reasons Really Matter

By Peter Mead on Jun 25, 2019

Everything else flows from these two reasons. Or at least--it should.

Tags: Preaching

3 Reasons Why The Preacher Population Is Shrinking And What To Do About It

By Ben Mandrell on Feb 2, 2025

If the "preacher population" is shrinking, perhaps you have a role to play that could impact generations to come.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:1-20

Tags: Leader, Preaching, unity, Generation, Timothy, preaching, leader, Unity  (view more)  (view less)

Why Don't More Seminaries Teach A Method For Building A Sermon?

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 19, 2026

Listen to this professor of homiletics discuss what's been left undone in most pastors' education.

Scripture: John 4:34-38

Tags: Preaching, Seminary, build, dennis prutow, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Reasons Why Some Pastors Don't Preach Grace

By Ron Forseth on Mar 31, 2025

Some pastors fear that preaching grace can lead to pitfalls, a license for sin, or even a lack of sacrificial giving. Here are five frequently raised objections to preaching grace and why they don't work.

Tags: Grace, Preaching, grace, preaching

Why (And How) Transitions Can Make Or Break Your Sermon

By Peter Mead on Dec 1, 2020

Your sermon outline looks so good on paper, but how you transition from one point to another is just as important.

Scripture: Proverbs 11:24

Tags: Preaching, transition, effective, conclusion, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why Being Bi-Vocational Can Make You A Better Preacher

By Adam Russell on May 17, 2021

"Having a job is so normal, and rigid, and bourgeois. It’s unbecoming a person who is destined to greatness."

Tags: better, vocation, preaching, Job, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why I Don't Ever Want To Preach A Good Sermon

By J.s. Park on Feb 8, 2024

Sometimes your good work can actually hinder people from hearing the gospel.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:5-7, Genesis 6:1-14

Tags: Preaching, public, good work, good sermon, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why We Need To Seriously Reconsider The Idea Behind The Altar Call

By Jeff K. Clarke on Sep 14, 2025

We are so desperate to have people make a decision that we rarely, if ever, tell them about the costs associated with making that decision.

Tags: preaching, Discipleship, Preaching, converts, altar call, costs  (view more)  (view less)

Why Millennials Won't Build The Kinds Of Churches Their Parents Built

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 7, 2023

We can't treat Millennials as a homogeneous group. We have to minister to them as individuals, instead.

Tags: future generations, millennials, culture, Restoration, Culture  (view more)  (view less)

Why Do I Urge All Pastors To Preach Expository Sermons?

By Brian Croft on Oct 17, 2023

There are all kinds of different sermons a preacher can preach, but the most helpful for a pastor to feed his people with week after week is expository sermons.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Love, Preaching, Expository, the word of god, Feeding The Flock, preaching, expository  (view more)  (view less)

Answering Claims That The Bible Contains Errors, And Why It Matters That It Doesn’t

By Randy Alcorn on Nov 21, 2022

I’m reminded of what the Huguenots said of the Bible and its critics: “Hammer away ye hostile hands; your hammers break, God’s Anvil stands.”

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16

Tags: study bible, defending the gospel, guard the truth, Be prepared, spiritual knowledge, Apologetics, Biblical truth, inerrant  (view more)  (view less)