The preacher should live as a preacher, watching his life and doctrine. The preacher should also labor as a preacher, giving himself to the hard work of prayer and the ministry of the word. And the preacher should lead as a preacher. The pastor is often judged by the work he does outside of the pulpit more than the work he does in it. Yet there is no biblical dichotomy between the pastor as a preacher and the pastor as a leader. Preaching is leadership! First and foremost, the pastor-teacher is charged to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:1-2). His...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicating to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, I want to talk to you about preparing to preach. A passion to preach without the discipline to study is a desire to perform. Preparing to preach is hard work. Preaching is the fun part. Preparing is the hard part. Faithful preachers do the hard work of diligent preparation. How do you prepare to preach? Preparing yourself. First and foremost, prepare yourself to preach. This begins by affirming your call to preach. Ministry is a calling you receive, not a...

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. - Proverbs 4:23 Proverbs 4:23 consists of an exhortation and an explanation, a command and a reason. The verse begins with a call to keep your heart with all vigilance. Like a soldier defending his post against attack, you must guard your heart. We typically associate the heart with our emotions. In scripture, however, the heart represents the mind, the will, and the emotions. The heart is the seat of personhood. It is one's innermost being; the control-center of life. The command to keep your heart...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. The faithful preacher should live as a preacher (1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 2:15). The faithful preacher should labor as a preacher, giving himself to the hard work of biblical research and sermon preparation. The faithful preacher should also lead as a preacher. There is no biblical dichotomy between the pastor as a preacher and the pastor as a leader. The pastor-teacher's primary work is to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:1-2). His leadership should flow out of his preaching, not compete with...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  In this episode of the podcast, I have the joy of talking preaching with Eric C. Redmond. Redmond is a Teaching-Pastor at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park (IL), an associate professor at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and the general editor of the new book on preaching, entitled, Say It! Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition. There is a wonderful heritage of faithful preaching in the Black church. That great heritage is carried on by a great cloud of contemporary...

  Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  Pastors are busy. We have lives. We have families. We have churches. With all of our personal and ministerial responsibilities, Sundays keep coming with unrelenting regularity. How do you remain fresh and faithful in the pulpit over the long haul? In this episode, I talk to Ray Pritchard of Keep Believing Ministries about preaching and, more specifically, preaching sermon series. Ray is a longtime pastor, prolific authority, and dynamic preacher. His sermons are clear, compelling, and convicting. Busy preachers will mind many...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  I have been preaching through the book of Jonah at my church. During my studies, I have been helped and edified by the book Running From Mercy, by Anthony J. Carter. I reached out to Pastor Carter and he graciously agreed to join me for a conversation about preaching the book of Jonah. Anthony Carter is the founding pastor of East Point Church in East Point, GA, where he has served since 2008. A graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Carter is...

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. - Ephesians 5:18-21 The filling of the Spirit is the most controversial, divisive, and misunderstood ministry of the Holy Spirit. Christians respond to the subject with ignorance, fear, speculation, fanaticism, or indifference. Why is there so...

  Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  There are some sermons you can listen to. There are some sermons you cannot listen to. And there are some sermons you must listen to. What's the difference? Every preacher should strive to preach compelling sermons. This has nothing to do with how people respond to the message. Ultimately, that is in the Lord's hands. However, as much as it depends on us, we can strive to preach good sermons that demand a hearing and demand a verdict for Christ. What are...

  Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  Memorial Day Weekend 2020 marked twelve years since I preached my first sermon to the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. Originally, I was only scheduled to fill the pulpit that Sunday. Before I arrived, however, I was asked to be presented as a pastoral candidate. I do not think the church leaders expected anything to come of this. Neither did I. Three months later, I was called to be the new pastor of the Jacksonville congregation. Here are ten lessons - good and...

  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 All Christians in all places at all times are to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful. The verbs are normal. The adverbs are radical: Always. Without ceasing. In all circumstances. The three exhortations stand together. To rejoice always is to pray without ceasing. To pray without ceasing is to give thanks in all circumstances. Yet each exhortation stands alone. What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Pray constantly. To pray without ceasing is...

  Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.  There are several ways to become a better preacher. First, you become a better preacher by preaching. LIkewise, you become a better preacher by listening to good preaching. Thirdly, you learn to preach by studying preaching. Leaders are readers. Specifically, preachers should regularly read books on preaching, as a part of your reading plan. There are classic books on preaching every preacher should read. Then there are many good books that should be added to your library and read for growth. Here...