Sermons on Target (Part 2)

by E. M. Bounds Life-giving preaching costs the preacher much–death to self, crucifixion to the world, the travail of his own soul. Crucified preaching only can give life. Crucified preaching can come only from a crucified man. Preaching which kills is prayerless and no spiritual preaching. Without prayer the preacher creates death, and not life. […]

"When we wonder about the next big thing, we look for that answer to come from somewhere else. We're outsourcing the future…

  • storytelling to Hollywood
  • Innovation to Apple
  • Care of the poor to the government
  • Relationships to Facebook
    I believe the church has the talent and resources to once again become influencers of culture and agents of change. Instead of waiting for the future, we can create the future. But we're going to have to change the way we think." - Bobby Gruenewald

Culture

"With cultural Christianity in a free fall, I see a rise in robust believers and healthy churches." - Ed Stetzer

Cultural Christianity

The church in America has become like a bear fed by tourists, Ed Stetzer said, because of so-called seekers willing to return to church to recapture their childhood religious memories.

"What happens when you feed the bear is eventually it can't fend for itself. I think the people of the church have to learn to fend for themselves by going out and proclaiming the gospel, not counting on a really cool church to preach the gospel for them." - Ed Stetzer

Church

Planned Parenthood

With government grants and reimbursements funding nearly half its budget, Planned Parenthood (PP) logged a record number of abortions in 2011. The organization’s latest annual report, released January 4, revealed the unwelcome figures: 333,964 – Abortions PP performed in 201111% – Proportion of clients PP says received abortions that year915 – Abortions per day, or […]

Christianity and Religion

One in five American adults (20%) say they do not identify with any religion, up from 15 percent five years ago. But of those 45 million people, 68 percent say they believe in God; 37 percent say they are “spiritual” but not “religions”; and 21 percent say they pray every day.The Pew Forum on Religion […]

Rewiring Your Preaching

How the Brain Processes Sermons – Richard H. Cox. Praxis. “Psychologist and pastor Richard Cox shows that better understanding of the brain can help preachers be more effective. Intentional preaching can actually produce new neural pathways that change how the brain thinks and how its owner acts. Cox explains how our brains understand and process […]

Christian Confidence

An Introduction to Defending the Faith – Chris Sinkinson. IVP Books. “This is not a book about church growth, but it is a book written with the conviction that Christians should be confident in their faith. . . . In this book I want to reflect on the history of Christian witness and what we […]

The Personalness of Revival

Written by: Bill Elliff And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28:1) The entire book of Deuteronomy is one long, final sermon […]

Leaders Aren’t Afraid of Change (Part 2)

We should pray for men who fear God more than man. We should seek to be leaders who aren’t afraid of change. The Pharisees were stuck because they refused to change. In the end, all they held sacred—the Temple, the Sabbath, the rules, the rituals—were all laid aside. They died for the wrong things. They […]

The Seeking Saviour

Read Luke 19:1-10 The Father is seeking worshipers; the Spirit is seeking His fruit in our lives; and the Son is seeking the lost. This is why He came, and this is why He died. Someone has to seek after sinners simply because they are lost! Andrew went to find his brother Simon (Jn 1:41); […]