In Preaching Articles: "Why People Lie"

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

By Ben Mandrell on Feb 3, 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 Strategic Guest Speakers Can Spark Evangelism And Church Growth

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 9, 2023

High-profile guests can motivate invitations, attract visitors, reengage lapsed members, and strengthen systems when used wisely and sparingly.

Scripture: John 4:29, Luke 14:23, 1 Corinthians 9:22, Acts 13:44, Matthew 5:16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Evangelism, Preaching, Christianity, Church Growth, Guest speaker, evangelism, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why We Preach: The Call That Won’t Let Us Go

By Leslie Holmes on May 4, 2020

Seminary is long, ministry is hard, and preaching can feel thankless. Yet pastors continue because God’s call compels them in ways nothing else can.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:16, Hebrews 12:2, Romans 10:14-15, 2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 20:24  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, preaching

5 Reasons Why Some Pastors Don't Preach Grace

By Ron Forseth on Apr 1, 2025

Grace fuels confidence, obedience, and transformation. These insights address five common objections to preaching grace and show why it is essential for righteous living.

Scripture: John 1:14, Galatians 5:1, Titus 2:11-12, Romans 6:1-4, 2 Corinthians 9:7  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Grace, Preaching, Pastoral Ministry, grace, preaching  (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 Preaching Without The Holy Spirit Isn’t Really Preaching

By Leslie Holmes on Apr 17, 2025

Without the Holy Spirit, preaching becomes little more than religious speech. True proclamation depends on surrender, prayer, and the Spirit’s guiding power.

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-3, Luke 4:18-19, Acts 2:7-8, 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, John 16:13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: preaching, Spiritual Power, Holy Spirit, Preaching, Triune, spiritual power  (view more)  (view less)

R. C. Sproul: Why Good Teaching Is Simple But Never Simplistic

By R. C. Sproul on Jan 3, 2023

Effective teaching does not avoid complexity but translates it. True mastery shows itself in clarity that simplifies without distorting truth.

Scripture: Proverbs 1:5, Proverbs 9:9, Luke 24:27, Matthew 13:34-35, 2 Timothy 2:15  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Discipleship

Why Preachers Need Humility When Saying "The Bible Says”

By Bruce D. Johnson on Feb 29, 2024

Biblical interpretation requires careful study and humility. Responsible interpreters recognize their limitations while striving to understand Scripture faithfully.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Peter 3:15-16, 1 Corinthians 13:12, James 3:1, Acts 17:11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Humble, Preaching, hermeneutics, Interpret, Biblical Authority, preaching, Hermeneutics  (view more)  (view less)

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

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 20, 2026

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

Scripture: John 4:34-38

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

Why Do You Preach? Only 2 Reasons Really Matter

By Peter Mead on Dec 27, 2025

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

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Why Didn't The Disciples Ask Jesus How To Measure Success?

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 27, 2024

Imagine this scenario. Jesus is meeting with the disciples. He’s been training them for three years. He’s died, risen again and walked with them in resurrection power for almost 40 days. As the day of his ascension draws near, he gathers them together to reiterate The Great Commission.

Scripture: Luke 14:23, Luke 15:7

Tags: Disciples, success, Church Growth, Measure success

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

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 8, 2023

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

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

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

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

By Randy Alcorn on Nov 22, 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: Apologetics, Biblical truth, inerrant, study bible, defending the gospel, guard the truth, Be prepared, spiritual knowledge  (view more)  (view less)

Disappointed With God -- At Christmastime!

By David J. Lose on Dec 26, 2022

Why is there an Advent passage about John and his doubts? Turns out there are plenty of good reasons.

Tags: Preaching, preaching