Some preachers use the text as a launching point – they read the text and then preach an associated thought from their own thinking or theology.

Samuel Alonso, a pastor in a small town in Extremadura (western Spain), publishes Notebook of a Rural Planter, a book in which he addresses the challenges of missionary work in rural contexts.

The origin story of the church in Europe is a story of the “translation” of the Christian gospel into Europe’s indigenous cultures.

When you are wrestling with a passage, be sure to distill the whole passage down into the passage idea.

What are the significant outcomes from such a global Christian in-gathering in revitalising our outward vision to impact the world for Christ? 

Sometimes the pursuit of being “interesting” and “relevant” undermines the exegetical integrity of our ministry. 

We are “users” of the Christian faith and can therefore recommend the Gospel to the people who have come to trust us as they see us living as Christians in a visible and tangible way.

Every little detail of your preparation will build the character of the message, but the defining moments will fundamentally change the outcome of your process. 

The National Council of Evangelicals in France approved a document to “bring vision and unity to the mission of the churches, without denying their diversity”.

I am alarmed at the number of soundbites that promote intolerance, all in the name of freedom of speech.

Meanwhile, Christian families take the street to demand the withdrawal of free textbooks that “make statements on sexual issues totally inappropriate for minors”.

Wonderful enrichment for life and haunting warnings await us if we just travel into the Bible with our hearts open and ready to learn.

We have probably all made some, or all, of these mistakes.

Good observation of the details in a passage will set us up to accurately learn what the text means.

Learning to think clearly about your own thinking is a critical skill for the preacher. Study more. Study longer. Study humble. Study persistently.

Anglo Recycling is a textiles recycling business that sees value in providing dignified employment, developing responsibly made products and investing in the community.

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

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

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.

May we preach so that our listeners walk away pondering the character, the heart, the goodness, the grace of God.

In times of struggle, we can look to the lives of those who have gone before us and take courage from the fact that their experiences can mirror our own. By Jacob Dunn.

Dig in the text you have, honour the author by doing so, and give your listeners the best you can from this passage.

Let’s resolve, prayerfully and passionately, to always seek to really preach the passage we claim to be preaching.

Understanding new generations is an essential part of a true mission mind in this rapidly changing world. An article by Steve Sang-Cheol Moon.