Preaching
7 Preaching Stories You Can Use in Your Sermons
Here are seven interesting preaching stories to save in your files, along with a quick thought on how you can use them in your sermons. A Texas police officer writes a ticket, but folded a $100 bill inside the citation. Read the story about #grace. God gives us a great gift, even though we are…
Read MoreFive Assumptions You Make that Render Your Sermon Ineffective
An assumption is taking something for granted. It’s an assumed truth that is not questioned. We do it in our relationships, our jobs and our lives all the time. And preachers make assumptions about their audience every sunday. Unfortunately, those assumptions can render a sermon ineffective. Here are five common assumptions pastors make. 1. Your…
Read MoreWhat To Do When You’re A Guest Speaker
The invitation to be a guest speaker is an incredible honor. Whether it’s a conference or another church, you’re filling a vital role. So here are five tips on how to be a good guest speaker. 1. Honor the host, but not at first. You should absolutely take time during your message to thank the…
Read MoreBasic Tim Keller Sermon Outline for a Gospel Centered Message
The following may actually be four points in a presentation, or they may be treated very quickly as the last point of a sermon. But more generally, this is a foundational outline for the basic moral reasoning and argument that lies at the heart of the application. The Plot winds up: WHAT YOU MUST DO.…
Read MoreTalk To Who Isn’t There
Not long ago, I listened to an old political speech from John F. Kennedy. Though he was speaking to human beings in Washington, D.C., he kept addressing other nations and the leaders of NATO. Kennedy knew the speech would have an impact beyond the room, so he was careful to construct his words to have…
Read MoreCould You Preach an 18 Minute Sermon?
In my lifetime, I’ve preached somewhere around 2,500 sermons. I’ve probably listened to that many more. That’s a lot of talking. Recently, I’ve become a fan of TED talks – 18 minute presentations on science, culture, technology and many other topics. I’ve watched some amazing presentations, and have stretched my knowledge on some new topics.…
Read MoreGetting Feedback on Your Messages
Asking for feedback on your messages can be humbling, and finding the right kind of helpful feedback can be puzzling. But Mark Messmore, the Preaching Minister at Troy Christian Church (and a Preaching Rocket member) has some insights. Here are Mark’s thoughts on finding good people to give good feedback. I have served in church of…
Read MoreMoralistic Therapeutic Deism and Gospel-Centered Preaching
This is a guest post from David Putman. Sociologist Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist introduced us to the term moralistic therapeutic deism. They came up with this term as a result of a study funded by the Lilly Endowment called “National Study of Youth and Religion” to describe the spiritually of today’s youth. You can…
Read MoreDownload Sermons or Preach Your Own
As a preacher’s kid, I remember watching my Dad preach three different sermons each week. One Sunday morning, another Sunday evening and one more Wednesday night. What’s even more amazing is that he did this BEFORE the Internet was invented. In our fast-paced, high-tech world, the temptation is to short-circuit the hard work and download…
Read MoreCommunicating to a Varied Audience
Every Sunday, you stand before a congregation from different places in life, wrestling with different problems and approaching the Bible with various degrees of believability. You have one message, but how can it apply to multiple audiences? One audience isn’t one perspective…it’s many. So how can you make your message apply to the Christian and the…
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