Paragraph-by-Paragraph Outline for the Book of Acts
Carefully, paragraph by paragraph, the book of Acts has been evaluated in the following pages. Each paragraph in the ESV translation of Acts has been evaluated and a factual statement about its content was recorded in one sentence. Also, all the “That’ll preach!” verses were listed sequentially by reference under the statement about the paragraph in which they can...
Even Pastors and Ministry Professionals Have to Be Bold with Their Faith
I think that some people assume pastors don't have to be bold with their faith because of their profession. However, I learned that being a pastor requires that I'm just as bold (if not more so) with my faith than perhaps if I had some other kind of job. In some ways this is a blessing, but at times...
Loving Christ Over Ministry
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you but Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2 Filling His Need There is almost never a day that goes by where I am not reminded to keep “Christ and Him crucified” at the center of my life. A few winters ago on a cold snowy day in Chicago, I was unexpectedly...
Write to Experience Life Twice?
I once heard a person say this: “I write so that I can experience life twice.” At first I loved this quote. The thought of experiencing this blessed life twice by capturing it on paper was exhilarating. To recall sweet memories, feelings and the faces of those you love is always a wonderful exercise. But then there are those days that you...
Essential Elements of a Gospel Call
The Gospel message of Jesus Christ is the core of Christianity. Yet, there are too many Christians that have misunderstood or under-defined this life saving message. If you ask every Christian you know to repeat the core elements of the Gospel message, I’m sure you would hear a plethora of different responses: The Death, Burial and Resurrection of Christ… The Birth,...
An Orange after Preaching
(The following is from a note I wrote to chandler several years ago...) Chandler, Today you shared your first orange with me. We sat in the car waiting for your mom as she talked inside church. I was ravenous after preaching the Sunday sermon. I opened the first thing I could find to eat which was an orange rolling around in the backseat....
Sermon Prep with Evernote
Recently I started using Evernote – for just about everything. Somehow I was late to get on the “Evernote Train” because I found out other had been using it for sometime, but I just learned of its existence. However, once i read a bit about it I didn't waste a second to signed up for a free account. I also...
Gospel of John Series
Part 1: Biographical Sketch of John, The Beloved Disciple In this first sermon of the series, I took the time to give the background on the Apostle John. Because John often referred to himself as the "disciple Jesus loved" we looked more in depth at the love of Christ. The main preaching point was "God's Love Will Never Leave You...
Process of Preparing a Sermon
1. God Lays a Message on the Heart of the Messenger Here you need to ask the Lord, through fervent prayer, “What is it that you want to communicate to your people, God?” Identify ways that God is communicating to you personally. What is it that He is stirring within your own heart? Also, identify the needs of those you...
Reading & Listening Sermon Prep
It is a daunting task for a preacher to find the right resources for a sermon. At the onset of a sermon series, I strive to find a few “Friends” to join me along the way. By this I mean that I look for commentators and authors who have invested their lives in the passage I will be studying, and...
Smell Like Sheep
A man once told me that I smelled like sheep. At first I really didn’t know what he meant; all that could come to my mind was visions of the many smelly shepherds that I saw in India out with their flocks on back country roads. I didn’t even have to get close to those wretched men to know they...
Lessons from First Q & A Sermon
This week has been crazy. The Q&A series got off to a strong start and I’ve had to do some rethinking and strategizing about the series after last Sunday. I’ve learned sometimes you can repair a plane while it is still flying, but other times you just need to return to the hanger and fix the plane on solid...
