The book of Philemon reminds us that the Gospel speaks of how we can be saved and how we can navigate the messy complexity of human relationships.

The preacher will have a lot more material after the exegesis than they are able to present in the sermon.

In the sermon, remember that some details need no more than a passing comment, while others are critical and central to the passage.

The ongoing impact of Jesus’ explosion of life continues to reverberate in this world of death. 

We have to fight against the flatness in our preaching to be as engaging as possible.

We would be continually more marked, shaped, stirred, and matured, as we fix the gaze of our hearts on the wonder that is Christ himself.

Preaching goes way beyond clarification of the meaning of words. But it won’t go anywhere if it bypasses this critical element of the task.

The spiritual gravitas and countless other personal and ministry benefits only come from diligent exegetical labour.

You are one of them. It would be good to prayerfully consider what this might mean for how you present yourself and the message,

The Christian life is not covered by a one-day seminar, it is a lifelong journey of preparation for eternity to come.

Hélder Favarin, evangelist and pastor in Spain, addresses some of the challenges of preaching to both Christians and non-Christians.

By reinforcing and reviewing a Bible book, the series allows for the teaching to sink in and be applied more effectively.

Let’s continue to read His Word and be gripped by who He is. We could rejoice in the reality that far surpasses all our dreams and yet opposes all our fleshly pursuits.

We should be realistic about contributing factors of burnout, sensitive to underlying stressors, and proactive in our care for one another.

Let us preach the Gospel clearly as we carefully handle God’s inspired Scriptures with precision and integrity. 

Let’s keep prayerfully pondering how we can explain the meaning of the text in a way that is clear, helpful, instructive and not distracting.

Not only should a preacher use good hermeneutics in the study, but they should exemplify good hermeneutics in the presentation.

Let’s not claim to proclaim the whole counsel of God while refusing to address injustice or any other issue that might be labeled “political”.

What Old Testament prophets would say if they travelled through time and visited our churches today? What would they say to preachers?

As we take stock after two years of Covid-19 disruption, we will see how local church involvement is critical for all aspects of a healthy life.

Let’s get down to the foundations and make sure our view of God, ourselves, sin, and living in response to God’s grace is all as biblical as it can be. 

Take some time out with your God and let Him stir your heart afresh. Then you can preach Christmas.

Christmas points away from “what-must-we-do” to “who-can-we-trust”.  And we need that.

If what we need is God’s good leadership, then who will be God’s good leader? God promised His eternal ruler to the little town of Bethlehem. 

Christmas services are just a few weeks away. Let’s take a new angle, dive into the Bible and preach with hearts spilling over.