The following is a guest post written by DA Horton, who is a church planter and published author. Additional information on DA can be found at dahorton.com. I’ve read more articles and studies regarding the Millennial generation than I care to admit. It seems as if Corporate America, Marketing Firms, and colleges are all vying for the attention and dollars of this generation. All the while, the assumption within the Body of Christ is local churches need to overhaul their entire paradigm of ministry to attract millennials. To level the playing field, let me take a moment to identify just...

I have two fundamental goals for every sermon I preach. First of all, I strive to be faithful to the text of scripture. Likewise, I strive to be clear in my presentation of the message. I was in a recent conversation with a fellow pastor about these pulpit goals. He agreed with my philosophy. Then added, "Well, you know there are only three types of preachers..." After he named the three types of preachers, I asked him to repeat them slowly. He did. Then I asked my new friend for permission to share them. He graciously consented. What are the three types of preachers? Some preachers...

My local theater has a new “Silence Your Cell Phones” announcement. It states that you came to the theater to enjoy what is on the big screen. And you should not allow the little screen on your cell phone to make you forget what you came to see on the big screen. This is not the time for selfies, text messages, or social media. It is time to drink a cola, eat a tub of popcorn, and enjoy the happenings on the big screen in front of you. Movies are for entertainment. It may be a comedy, drama, horror, historical,...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT.  Shout-out to Pastor Gary Jones and the Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Dothan, Alabama, for a warm night of worship and fellowship! It was a joy for the Shiloh Church to worship with Pastor Gary Williams and the First Church Hopewell this week. A big shout-out to Dr. Steve Gaines for the opportunity to preach "Awesome August" at the Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis this week. What a church! The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference is about a month...

The following is a guest post written by Kevin Smith, Teaching Pastor at the Highview Baptist Church and preaching professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary - both in Louisville, Kentucky. Some preachers are not effective because they are unprepared. Faithful, biblical preaching is hard work, which requires preparation. Part (not all) of that preparation involves studying and learning. We must study the Word, even as we study ourselves for the purpose of greater godliness (1 Timothy 4:16). We must study the congregation, in order that we may properly feed them the Word of God (1 Peter 5:2). We must...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to the Send North America Conference in Nashville this week. I missed a great meeting. My friend, Carlos Kelly, is the new Pastor of the Beulahland Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia. He succeeded Dr. Maurice Watson. It was a joy to this week how the Lord continues to bless this congregation. Shout-out to the Thomas Dorsey Convention of Choirs for the opportunity to give one of the morning messages during their...

The preacher was a well-respected pulpiteer. The sermon was doctrinally sound. He seemed to preach with sincerity, reverence, and passion. But the sermon felt like we were driving on a flat tire. What went wrong? At the end of the service, the friend sitting next to me leaned over a said, “He had four alliterated points with three sub-points each. I don’t care what you say, he had sixteen points!” Yep. That’s what went wrong. A good sermon has purpose, unity, and movement. Well-crafted structure makes this possible. But an overcooked structure messes up the whole meal. On the other...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. It was a joy to preach the Corpus Christi Citywide Revival this week. Shout-out  to my friend, Pastor Arthur Lane, for the invitation. Shout-out to Bob Kauflin for the opportunity to speak at the 2015 WorshipGod Conference in Louisville. The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference is fast approaching. I hope you will join us September 22-24, 2015, at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville (FL), for three days of model preaching, practical instruction, and warm fellowship. There will also...

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned his followers not to practice spiritual devotion with ulterior motives (Matthew 6:1-18). Do not give to the needy to be celebrated for your generosity. Do not pray to be heard by men. Do not fast so people will consider you spiritual. How do you avoid practicing Godward acts with man-centered motives? Jesus teaches that acts of devotion should be done in private, before God not man. Preachers also struggle with the temptation to make their charge from God a performance before men. But we cannot overcome this temptation by moving the pulpit...

Preachers are getting in shape. Social media is littered with pictures of preachers exercising to get or keep their weight under control and live healthy lives. Way cool! In the crucible of my schedule, I often neglect to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen. But the noted milestones of exercising preachers challenge me to “get it in,” as they say. I once read about a preacher who worked himself to death. On his deathbed, he lamented, “God gave me a message and a horse. I have killed the horse! What will happen to the message?” I think of this...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST TO THE RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. It was a joy to take part in the 2015 Legacy Conference in Chicago. To see so many youth and young adults on fire for Jesus is greatly encouraging. And grateful for the opportunity to team teach the Cutting It Straight preaching track. It was our pleasure to host the Union St. James Congress of Christian Education at the Shiloh Church this week. I hope to see you at the For The Church Conference at the Midwestern Baptist Theological...

The church was growing. The threat of persecution could not stop it (Acts 4). The threat of corruption could not stop it (Acts 5). But the enemy still had another trick up his sleeve: internal division. The Greek-speaking Jews complained against the Hebrews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. The apostles called the church together and directly addressed the matter: "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and...