Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. It has been my practice to write full sermon manuscripts and then whittle them down to a set of pulpit notes. For the past several years, I have preached from the manuscript. In some ways, I feel like my preacher is improving by preaching from manuscripts. At the same time, there are ways in which I think using sermon manuscripts hinders my preaching. As I said, I have a complicated relationship with sermon manuscripts. What is my current view of sermon manuscripts? Biblical...

This is The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. A faithful, biblical sermon has three basic elements: explanation, illustration, and application. As preachers, we are prone to skip over application or to do it wrong. It is critical that preachers take application seriously and work to do it effectively. How can I practice the ministry of application effectively? Appy the text. Pray for wisdom. Know your audience. Make pastoral applications. Ask probing questions. Craft your application. Illustrate for application. Address different categories. Apply throughout the sermon. Trust the Holy Spirit. BOOK RECOMMENDATION:...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preacher faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, we are doing something a little different. Royland Kirkwood joins me on the podcast for the first time. Roy is one of the elders and pastoral staff members at Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, where is serve as Pastor-Teacher. We have served together for seven years now. He is a young preacher for whom I have high hopes and great expectations. During this conversation, Royland turns the tables and interviews me on preaching. This episode is part one of a two...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preaching faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, we'll talk about pulpit ethics. Pulpit ethics are pulpit manners which include dos and don'ts for those who stand in corporate worship of God's people to preach the holy word of God. Whatever happened to pulpit ethics? We not longer have pulpits. We now have stages. We no longer have ethics. We now have platforms. We desperately need a recovery of pulpit ethics. What are the basics of pulpit ethics? Physical Posture Appropriate Attire Reverent Speech Nonverbal Communication Personal Distraction...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, H.B. discusses why preaching matters. This may seem to be an obvious discussion, especially in a podcast dedicated to the subject of preaching. But the priority of preaching should not be assumed or neglected. You will face times when preaching is "out of season" (2 Timothy 4:2), and the centrality of the preached word will be attacked. If you lose your why, you lose your way. Why does preaching matter? the Bible commands preaching. Preaching honors divine authority. God saves...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. I do not think preaching needs an adjective, modifier, or descriptor. Either it is preaching or it is not. If I was forced to pick a term to describe preaching, it would not be expository. It would be the word “Faithful.” The goal of the preacher should be to be faithful.  What does it mean to preach faithfully? Here are ten characteristics of faithful preaching... Preach as a herald. Preach the text. Preach the gospel. Preach with conviction. Preach with clarity. Preach with purpose....

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. Over the years, I have interviewed various preachers about their life and ministry. In most of these interviews, my final question is the same. If you could get into a time-machine and go back to talk to your younger self, what advice would you give him? In this episode, I turn the question on myself. Here are seven pieces of preaching advice I would give to my younger self... Practice Spiritual Disciplines. Prioritize Formal Training. Pursue Godly Character. Read Formative Books. Record Study...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicating to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. What does it take to preach for the long haul? Spiritual Growth. Good preachers are growing preacher. The command to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18) is not just for those who hear us preach. Faithful preachers minister from the overflow of their personal devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Believing Prayer. The work of ministry can be summarized as "prayer and the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). We cannot choose between the two. They are like...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. Some years ago, I started a list of things I have learned over the years of my life and ministry. These are practical tips, lessons, and principles. I posted this list on my blog. Later, I published the list in a chapter of my book, "On Preaching." I want to share and comment on some of these things I learned along the way, particularly some that relate to the work of preaching. (God willing, I will share further tips from this list in...

It's Black History Month! In this episode, I want to introduce you to several faithful Black pastors and preachers you should know about and learn from. The men on this list are all blessed memories, who have moved from labor to reward. But their life and labor continue to impact lives for Christ. This is not "10 Ten" or "Best of" list. There are many important names that are not on this list (More material for future episodes!). And the names listed here are in no particular order. This is a personal list. But I hope you find it helpful....

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. I am a student of expositional preaching. I do not think, however, expository preaching is just another style of preaching. I believe expository preaching is the most faithful way to preach the word of God. In this episode, I want to offer you ten reasons why I practice and promote expository preaching. Why expository preaching? Divine Inspiration Proper Interpretation Biblical Illiteracy Ministerial Example Personal Sanctification Pulpit Authority Christian Worldview Church Health Pastoral Longevity Time Management Which of these reasons for expository preaching do...

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, I want to offer you several ideas to consider as you plan your preaching calendar for 2021. Pastors are busy people. Sermon preparation is hard work. Preaching through COVID-19 is burdensome. The new year is a golden opportunity. Effective preachers are good stewards of their limited time. One way to be a steward of your opportunities to prepare and preach is to have a sermon plan. It may be a few a month or the entire year. You may do...