preaching

The Providence of God in Perryville, Arkansas: A One Year Update on Reformation

The Story A year ago I was discouraged. We had just had a frustrating SBC Annual meeting in Anaheim, CA. Our Nation was struggling morally and financially (still is!). I felt as though our local church, Perryville Second Baptist, had not responded properly to COVID-19...

Commentaries on Ephesians: Kerux by Magee & Arthurs and Mentor Expository by Phillips (book review)

With this article, we are continuing our recurring series of reviews looking at notable commentaries on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Here we are looking at Magee and Arthurs contribution to Kregel’s Kerux Commentaries series and Richard D. Phillips’s entry in the Mentor Expository Commentary series.

Genesis 1-11 Series Recap and Commentary Suggestions

On Sunday, August 9, 2020, we concluded our Genesis 1-11 sermon series at Perryville Second Baptist Church. This was a 57 sermon series that began May 19, 2019. For what I hope is both fun and helpful I thought I'd share a few stats as well as what I found to be the...

7 Ps for Better Preaching

Anyone who faithfully preaches God's Word always desires to grow in his ability to communicate...

Evidences of True Revival

Evidences of True Revival

Holiness of life and true revival can not be separated. A so-called “revival” that does not produce holiness is not a work of the Holy Spirit. Here we may offer an important reminder that true revival cannot be manufactured by men. The sign that says “revival next week” doesn’t really communicate what true revival is for true revival is God-sent and according to His plans and purposes, not ours.

Give us EARS to Hear

Give us EARS to Hear

I am wholeheartedly committed to the priority of the preaching of God's Word in our regular church gatherings.  True, I am a pastor, so I guess by default I "have" to say that, but even apart from that role, there is a deep conviction running through me that the Word...

Placebo Prayers

Placebo Prayers

Last weekend, we had 6 men preaching God’s Word in our group. We split into two groups of 3 and separated physically. This allows us to always have 2 men preaching the mystery of the gospel. So we were able to achieve nearly 5 hours of street preaching in 2.5 hours, with each man carrying no more than about an hour of the load. But this week, I was the only preacher, and I was committed to filling the time. How God enabled that to happen is truly remarkable!

Speaking at Upward? No Testimony, Please…

Speaking at Upward? No Testimony, Please…

What would you do if you were asked to give the "message" at halftime of an Upward Sports match? This situation really comes up, and Christians with sound theology need to be ready at all times to present God's Word to the world. A Twitter friend asked this question...

Why You Should Preach Dressed Up

Why You Should Preach Dressed Up

I'm sort of snickering as I write this because I know you probably clicked this link thinking I was going to write a post about why you should wear a suit and tie to preach in. As an aside, I don't think you should look like you just rolled out of bed when you preach....

A Jolly Missionary Report

A Jolly Missionary Report

I made a new friend recently as the result of reading about his faithfulness through a trial. I found myself praising the Lord so much while reading his letter that I wanted to share it with you. My wife and I signed up to begin supporting this mission monthly, and I...

What Time Is Purple? (Evangelism Report)

Thanks to Wretched Radio and a whole host of financial sponsors, I received 1000 copies of Tom Hammond's book "What Time Is Purple?" for distribution on the campus of The Ohio State University. You can participate by being a distributor or by donating money so that...

Pastors, Preach God

Pastors, Preach God

The following is an excerpt from Before the Throne: Reflections on God's Holiness. You can go here for ordering information. Lewis Allen both encourages and challenges pastors when he writes, Preachers have a single calling, to express who and what God is. This is our...

God Blesses Preaching

God Blesses Preaching

Hi Michael, I was just thinking about you, our conversation almost two years ago now. I wanted you to know that I'm saved, Michael! It feels so amazing, and I still struggle to make sense of the burden that has been lifted in my life. I have been personally thanking...

A Few Thoughts on Commentaries

A Few Thoughts on Commentaries

I've been regularly preaching now for about 12.5 years. Lord willing, I will continue to grow in both my preparation and delivery of sermons. One of the things I get asked about from time to time is on commentaries. While I hope to always be growing in this area, here...

Preachertainment

Preachertainment

Yeah I know, I made up the word "preachertainment." Currently, I am the only Southerner on the ThingsAbove.Us writing team. So, sometimes I offer things from my experience that might not be the shared experience of everyone else, or even from our readership. I share...