In light of the previous post in this series, I know that there are obstacles to preaching the Old Testament, but we need to be careful here. Failure to preach the Old Testament can adversely impact its perceived relevance. Avoiding the Old Testament in our pr... Read More »

I thought I was reading an article about preaching. But what actually came up on my recent internet search turned out to be a piece on why computer users don’t use a particular operating system. The writer claimed, “People come up with all of these reasons... Read More »

As the American Revolution began to draw to its close in the early 1780s, a young veteran began his ministry. Lemuel Haynes, an American patriot and preacher, was the first African American ordained in the United States. Haynes’s years of ministry as a pasto... Read More »

It Still Can Be A well-known pastor had just preached at the city-wide revival hosted by one of the local ministers’ conferences. As I was preparing to leave, the president of the conference introduced me to a pastor who had pastored the church where I now s... Read More »

Preaching has many roles. Preaching can fulfill the purposes of teaching, evangelism, discipleship, or a multitude of other functions. However, the preacher has a responsibility in his preaching that is often overlooked. The preacher has a duty to shepherd his... Read More »

Few times in the history of the Christian church have God’s people been more serious about spiritual maturity than the age of the Puritans (c. 1550–c. 1700). Part of the reason so many people embraced spiritual maturity during this time was because of the ... Read More »

The Puritan “plain style of preaching” is generally organized into three main parts: exegesis, doctrine, and uses (or application). While there is much to be gleaned from our Puritan forebears’ emphasis on interpreting a passage and unlocking the doctrin... Read More »

I must confess. When I think about the word “worship,” the first thing on my mind is singing.  To be honest, I do not know why it does, I guess it is just a product of my upbringing; there was worship, and then there was preaching. I mean, it said so in t... Read More »

For followers of Christ, especially those in leadership, character (who you are when no one is watching) and reputation (who others believe you to be) should match as closely as possible.  For this to be possible, the decision must be made to dedicate oneself... Read More »

William Perkins despised ostentatious sermons.  Messages which seemed to be delivered in order to attract attention or impress listeners.  Perkins, a Cambridge-educated English cleric and theologian, was one of the foremost leaders of the Puritan movement in... Read More »

Some preachers inevitably believe that the preaching ministry is primary and pastoral ministry flows from the preaching ministry of the pastor. However, this is simply not true. While preaching is certainly one of the roles of the pastor, preaching is not all ... Read More »

As we, for a moment, gaze back into the history of Puritan preaching, it is clear that Puritan preaching affirmed that all biblical doctrine assuredly points to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. J.I. Packer, when writing on the Puritans, noted that “Doctr... Read More »