Preaching
Why Preachers Fail Doctrinally
Since at least the days of Hymenaeus and Alexander, some preachers have lost their moorings doctrinally and suffered shipwreck concerning the faith (1 Tim. 1:18-20). Sometimes this accompanies or attempts to justify a moral failure, but often the doctrinal digression stands alone. Leaving the truth often occurs early in a preacher’s ministry when—while still young…
Read MoreThe Privilege of Teaching
No matter how many times a new quarter begins, and no matter how many times I have taught a slate of classes, the fresh anticipation of walking a new group of students through the depth of a biblical text or explaining the nuances of a skill most people take for granted brings both excitement and…
Read MoreWhy Preachers Fail Morally
Preachers’ moral failures remain a depressing irony from which God’s people cannot realistically escape. From my youth I remember quiet discussions explaining why a particular preacher lost his job or why he no longer received invitations to speak throughout the brotherhood. These instances baffled me for years, having witnessed my own father’s character and faithfulness…
Read MoreWhat Makes a Sermon a Sermon?
While I have not polled preachers personally, I would imagine that they all believe they are preaching when they give lessons in the assembly on the Lord’s Day. After all, they are using some scripture, they are imparting biblical information, and they are doing so in the midst of Christians. They have studied for the…
Read More7 Lessons Every Preacher Must Learn
From the moment preachers graduate from school and begin a work, they typically become the focal point of learning in the local congregation. The nature of the work necessarily includes the built-in expectation of advanced knowledge and the ability to communicate. The man of God must prove himself a man of character, ready to face…
Read MoreWorthless Physicians
The role of a preacher focuses on proclaiming God’s Word faithfully in its entirety (Acts 20:26-27). Unfortunately, some people perceive the preacher as the one divinely assigned to rail against the failings of every false religion, every false doctrine, and every false step week in and week out, damning souls to hell right and left…
Read MoreThe Power of Accusations
Not long after Zerubbabel led a contingent of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the temple, they encountered a challenge from those then inhabiting the land. Originally cozying up to Zerubbabel and the rest of Judah’s leadership, they quickly pivoted toward the role of adversary as soon as their overtures for inclusion were…
Read More