Biblical preaching seeks to explain the meaning of a passage of scripture and exhort the hearer to respond to the truth. Faithful preaching is truth-driven. The goal of the preacher’s exegetical study should be to find to truth of the text. The passage may mention anxiety, prayer, thanksgiving, peace, and even refer to the Lord Jesus Christ in the same text. But that passage is not about all of those different things. Only one truth is the dominating theme of the text. The others truths support the main idea of the text. Having discovered the message of the text, the...

A big shout-out to my son - H.B. Charles III - who turned 16-years-old this week! Happy Birthday, Doc! I love you! It was a joy to preach for Pastor Terry Anderson at the Lilly Grove Baptist Church in Houston this week. What a church! During the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference, we showed a video about The Preachers Who Have Influenced Me.  Check out the latest episode of The On Preaching Podcast: Preaching without Notes Click here to see my interview with Ed Stetzer on #TheExchange.  You still have time to register for the 2015 Expositors Summit on the...

The date was October 8, 1999. I was preaching in Atlanta. I finished the sermon and took my seat. Moments later, Charles – a fellow-pastor of my Los Angeles congregation - whispered in my ear that my wife, Crystal, had been rushed to the hospital. Then he walked away. Crystal was pregnant with our first child, a boy. But she was almost two months away from her due date. The doctor had put her bed rest that week. She was fine just two hours earlier when I talked to her before I went to church. I just sat there frozen,...

No one comes from nowhere. We are all the product of those who have forged their faith in us. This is my testimony. My pulpit and pastoral ministry has been nurtured over the years by good and godly influences. Some I have known personally and intimately. Others I have only known vicariously. But I thank God for those all those who have shaped my biblical conviction, philosophy of ministry, and commitment to Bible exposition. The following video about my pulpit influences was prepared for our 2015 Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching conference. Of course, this list is not exhaustive. In...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST IN THE RIGHT COLUMN OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. It was a joy to speak about exposition preaching at the REACH Conference for the Georgia Baptist Convention this week! Thanks again for your prayerful support of the 2015 Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference! The Lord's richly blessed the meeting. Session recordings will be available soon. Mark your calendar for CIS 2016 - September 20-22, 2016. I hope to see you at the 2015 Expositors Summit at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Featured Speakers: R. Albert Mohler...

It was our joyful privilege to give tribute to the late Dr. E.K. Bailey during the 2015 Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference. Dr. Bailey was the founding pastor of the Concord Church in Dallas, Texas. He was a faithful expository preacher, who traveled the country proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. To invest in other Bible preachers and teachers, Dr. Bailey also established the E.K. Bailey International Conference on Expository Preaching. In the providence of God, E.K. Bailey was the man who was used to seal the deal for me that expository preaching is the most faithful way to...

I asked you to pray for the 2015 Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference. The Lord answered our prayers to richly bless the conference. Thank you. This conference exists to train, promote, and model biblical preaching and teaching. We also want to serve those who serve the church. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. The Lord fulfilled our holy desires and brought to pass the deeds prompted by our faith. God did far more abundantly than all that we could ask or think! Thank you to Joe Pace and Cameron Triggs for leading our Worship & Arts track and Youth Ministry...

  The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference is still underway on the campus of the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, FL. Yesterday Don Whitney opened up with “Spiritual Disciplines and Public Ministry” and we enjoyed wonderful breakout sessions throughout the day. Last night Dr. Steven Lawson reminded us of the cost of following Jesus and Dr. Maurice Watson admonished us to hide behind the cross. It has been a joy to be with you this week. I pray that you have been richly blessed and that you leave encouraged and inspired to “Cut It Straight”. We are excited about what God has in store...

  The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference is underway on the campus of the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, FL. Yesterday I opened up the conference preaching on word and worship, Pastor Charlie Dates reminded us that God is for us, Dr. Ray Pritchard encouraged us and Pastor Bryan Carter admonished us to preach the Gospel. It has been an honor and privilege to meet all the pastors and teachers from all over the United States that are in attendance. We are excited about what God has in store for us for the rest of this week. Shuttle service from the Omni Hotel...

            The Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference begins today on the campus of the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville, FL. We are grateful to have a line-up of great speakers and teachers who will teach, model, and promote expository preaching and teaching. Likewise, the staff and volunteers of Shiloh are ready and excited to serve the guests on our campus this week. Much prayer and planning has gone into this event to make it a special time for all who attend. The only thing missing is you! Safe travels to all who are making your...

The 2015 Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference starts tomorrow. Please pray for us. Pray for our final preparation. Pray for safe passage for those who will travel to Jacksonville for CIS. Pray God uses each speaker in a great way. Pray that each attendee will leave equipped, challenged, and refreshed. Pray that the name of the Lord would be glorified in everything that happens.

Happy Labor Day! The Lord be with you today. This is a late post from this weekend. My site went down Saturday. So you get Labor Day Shout-Outs today. Enjoy! Yesterday, I continued my Ephesians series with a message entitled, "Be Imitators of God" (Ephesians 5:1-6). What does it take to be imitators of God? I. Walk in Love (5:1-2). A. Imitate the Love of God the Father (v. 1) B. Walk in the Love of God the Son (v. 2) II. Say No to Defiling Sins (5:3-4). A. Abstain from immoral behavior (v. 3) B. Abstain from filthy language (v....