Some feel that application of the sermon should be the sole responsibility of the Holy Spirit and not of the preacher. For those with such concerns, it is worthwhile to consider statements on application from some leading advocates of preaching. Spurgeon realized that the greatest function of any sermon was the application of the gospel …
Multi-Tasking and Sermon Preparation. Pastors and preachers, if anything in the world requires all of our concentration, it is sermon preparation. In the world in which we live, it is tempting to do sermon work in very unstable environments (a term I use loosely here, not as in a war zone) filled with distractions. We …
Reflecting on 4 years of ministry here at Malvern Hill, here is a list of four things that God has taught me and is continuing to teach me that are imperative for leadership within the local church. Priority over People. The Great Commission is the priority of God’s church. Often, within the church, people want …
For many people, their job serves as their god. By immersing themselves into the work force, many people find a functional savior that fills voids in their lives. Christians, however, know that this is not an option. An equally bad option is for believers to perform their jobs in a substandard fashion–to misrepresent God by …
Recently I went against my instincts and walked into an Abercrombie and Fitch in Charleston because I was told they had polo shirts on sale and I needed a couple. As I walked to the clearance section, I was reminded why I had not been in an Abercrombie in so long. The images were nearly …
How long should a sermon be? I write this because after our Easter service and my 15 minute sermon, many folks in our congregation commented that they thought I was just getting started when I gave the invitation. One lady even stopped me and said, “Great sermon, but just one thing…it was too short.” Honestly, …
“We have the text, we believe, as a gracious gift of a God determined not to leave us to our own devices. What happened on Easter, namely, Jesus coming back to us, refusing to leave us alone, intruding among us, is what happens each Sunday in the reading and preaching of the text. Scripture, read …
I spoke with my old strength coach, Jimmy Anderson on the phone yesterday and we talked about lifting, life, and faith. He is a great friend and mentor to me. Jimmy took time to encourage me to strengthen every aspect of my life and shared how he had begun to see some parallels between building …
I am a preacher. I love to preach and listen to preaching, but I also know that I need constantly to be getting better at preaching. As a result, I regularly submit myself to scrutiny over my preaching and take advice and criticism from trusted sources (my wife and our other two pastors, Luke and …
“In order to maintain attention, avoid being too long. An old preacher used to say to a young man who preached an hour, — “My dear friend, I do not care what else you preach about, but I wish you would always preach about forty minutes.” We ought seldom to go much beyond that — …