Preaching Politics? 6 Thoughts from the Book of Daniel
“Did I hear you say that you’re preaching on politics?” “Yes, I’m looking forward to this series.” “Hmm. Good luck.” Scary, huh? There are two things that make for impolite conversation: politics and religion. I recently decided to take on both at the same time. It felt necessary. If 2024 goes like previous election years, […]
Preaching That Engages the Skeptic: What? (Part 2)
Skepticism about Christianity is on the rise. That’s why we need to engage the skeptic in our preaching. The skeptic isn’t just “out there”; he or she is sitting in your church. Perhaps they’re confused and hoping for solid answers. In this article, we’re going to look at what doesn’t work and what might work […]
Preaching That Engages the Skeptic: Why (Part 1)
In Charade, a 1963 movie starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, dangerous thieves have been cheated out of their stolen money by a fellow thief. Apparently, they kill the thief but aren’t able to recover the money. So, they turn their attention toward the widow, a woman named Regina (played by Audrey Hepburn). Unfortunately, this […]
Preach to Reach
Earlier this spring, I had the opportunity to lead a workshop at the Exponential regional roundtable in Boise on “Preaching as Evangelism.” Honestly, I couldn’t have been more excited about this topic. If we can help even one person put their faith in Jesus, it is time well spent. I have been preaching and teaching […]
Preaching to Reach People Who Do Not Yet Trust and Follow Jesus
Editor’s Note: Vince is known in church planting and leadership circles and beyond for his activism in reaching lost people. He has served as lead pastor and planted two churches—the most recent is located just off the strip in Las Vegas, where they have reached many prostitutes, gamblers, and more. The churches he planted are […]
Don’t Be a Preacher Running a 1994 Play in a 2024 World…
January 22, 2024 Dear Renew.org Network, The subtitle of this post could be: Don’t require teenagers in your church to have more courage than their preacher . . . . Josh Howerton is the young lead pastor of Lakepointe Church, a multisite (and multilingual) church with 6 campuses in Dallas, TX. He published a post […]
Preaching: Drawing Lines to the Text within the Sermon
Anytime the preacher says, “Look again at verse 5. The word there means…,” the audience moves their attention to Scripture. They learn that in Bible Study, as in any other endeavor, words matter. Let’s say the preacher says something like, “Remember, there were no chapter divisions when this was written. When Paul said, ‘If you […]
Preaching: Creating a Sermon Plan
A few months before I retired, a newcomer stopped me in the lobby to chat. He wanted to know if we purchased our sermon series. For him, they all seemed to be well-developed, logical, and fit within the overall worship context each Sunday. When I shared that we created all our own material, he responded, […]
