Preaching seeks to move the hearts of hearers toward faith in Christ and in Holy Scripture. We call this “persuasion” and it appears frequently in the teaching and preaching ministry of Paul. (Acts 13:43; 18:4; 19:8,26; 28:23). Perhaps the most famous...
We believe that preaching is not some peripheral item in the program of the local church, but that it lies at the very heart of what it is to be the people of God. We understand the activity of preaching as the primary way in which the congregations of God’s people...
Many of the people in your church have a friend or family member who has their standing invitation to join them for worship. When they show up unexpectedly, what will they hear on that particular Sunday? Regardless of the text for that day and regardless of the...
Recently at the Priority of Preaching conference (I hope you were able to make it), Dr. Jim Shaddix from Southeastern Seminary added an element to the typical three elements of preaching in which most of us were trained. I am referring to the elements of the sermon,...
Scripture’s portrayal of its own potency challenges us to always remember that the Word preached, rather than the preaching of the Word, accomplishes heaven’s purposes. (Christ-Centered Preaching, 2nd Edition, p. 27)
Recently at the Priority of Preaching conference here in OKC, Dr. Jim Shaddix of Southeastern Seminary was speaking about this subject of dealing with ancient texts and of the challenge of getting to the “then” so that we deliver a message for the...
In every sermon I write and preach, I feel the tension between the “now” and “then.” One way to describe it is to talk about the tension between exposition and application, between “text” and “today,” as I heard David...
God chose to use human authors to deliver His Word to us. Scripture is God’s Word written by men. We can say that Galatians is the Word of God and in the same breath refer to it as a letter written by Paul to the churches of Galatia. (Sometimes even Paul used...
Why do I post on this blog a couple of times a week? What is the purpose? Among other things, I would like to see two things take place as a result of these posts. First, I would hope that the preachers and pastors who read it would find their confidence in...
I read a blog post by a seminary professor that humorously answered this question by saying, “No, of course not. I’m just doing this for the money.” Can preaching be taught? Why would I suggest that preachers should intentionally strive to get better...
