Lexham PressIn pastoral leadership, you’ve got God’s grace to sustain you. He’ll help you through the rough times . . . but wouldn’t it be nice if there were fewer of them? In this excerpt adapted from Pastoral Leadership: For the Care of Souls, longtime pastor...
In this excerpt adapted from the course Biblical Principles for Diversity and Reconciliation in Ministry, Dr. Walter R. Strickland II explores diversity in the Bible and why we should pursue racial reconciliation. *** Why do we pursue God’s plan for...
By Curtis Zackery The Bible calls us to be a living sacrifice. But what does that mean? Curtis Zackery explains in Finding Soul Rest: 40 Days of Connecting with Christ: A Devotional. *** As followers of Jesus, the best thing we can celebrate...
When we’re talking about eschatology (that’s the study of the end times), it’s easy to get confused by the different terms people use. Before you really dig into the topic, it’s helpful to know the four main views of the end...
Jesus made seven statements about being the “bread from heaven,” but the first one might be the biggest head-scratcher: I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will...
In this excerpt adapted from the course Church Leadership and Strategy for the Care of Souls, by Harold L. Senkbeil and Dr. Lucas Woodford, Senkbeil explores the two stages of pastoral burnout—what he calls “pastoral depletion syndrome”—and how to...
The meaning of “binding and loosing” in Matthew 16:19 has caused many students of the Bible to scratch their heads: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on...
What does the phrase “new heaven and new earth” mean? In this excerpt from Living in God’s True Story: 2 Peter, author Donald L. Morcom offers an answer as he explores Peter’s final effort to make us consider what kind of people we ought to be and...
This post is lightly adapted from “Preach to the outer edges” by Patricia Batten in Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry, edited by Scott M. Gibson (Lexham Press, 2016).
In the practice of preaching, is there an effective method for how to start a sermon that will grab (and help keep) your listener’s attention? In his book Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now to Become a Better Preacher, available now...
It’s probably not a stretch to say that suicide has impacted every church. Nor is it a stretch to say that many church attendees—even the ones who show up every week—have never heard a sermon on suicide. And yet, it’s become the eleventh leading...
Learn little-known facts about polygamy in the Bible, what Jesus says about polygamy, and whether Jesus and Paul changed God’s commands.
By Murray J. Harris What does “lead us not into temptation” mean in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:13? In this excerpt adapted from Navigating Tough Texts: A Guide to Problem Passages in the New Testament, Murray J. Harris explores this part of the...
These days, many people are talking about unity in diversity. But what does that mean for the body of Christ? What are our biblical models, and how can we learn from them? In the following excerpt from the excellent Mobile Ed course Ministry in...
By John Bornshein Why is it important to pray? Knowing the answer—and then doing something with that knowledge—has the power to change our lives. How, exactly? Read on. This excerpt comes from A Prayer Warrior’s Guide to Spiritual Battle: The Front...
In the late 1970s, British nationalism and racial discrimination were in full swing, and British Christians began to voice their increasing concern about racial diversity. One way that evangelical leader, John Stott, did this was through his monthly...
We’re excited to share that Surprised by the Parables by Michelle Lee-Barnewall (available now from Lexham Press) was named a finalist for a 2021 Christian Book Award! The book walks through nine of Jesus’ parables to help readers see them in a new...
Below is an excerpt from Finding Our Voice by Matthew D. Kim and Daniel L. Wong that addresses the forms of discrimination Asian Americans commonly face and how to begin to address that pain pastorally. *** “What are you?” “Where are you from?”...
Sometimes, when we read through the Gospels, we’ll see passages where Jesus does something remarkable, then everyone gets mad. On occasion, the Gospel writers explain why people got angry, but often we don’t get much overt explanation—which causes...
In this excerpt from Suffering & Glory: Meditations for Holy Week and Easter, J. I. Packer takes readers on a journey with Jesus on the Emmaus road and explores how like the two disciples, we too can find help in our time of need.* *** On Friday...
Peter J. Leithart explores the meaning of baptism and how those baptized form a beautiful picture of Jesus and a “present-tense” sign of the gospel.
This excerpt about the meaning of suffering comes from Jeremy R. Treat’s reflection on Good Friday, collected in Suffering & Glory: Meditations for Holy Week and Easter. *** Many of us instinctively feel that if we are faithful to Jesus, then...
The following post is adapted from Finding Our Voice: A Vision for Asian North American Preaching by Matthew D. Kim and Daniel L. Wong (Lexham Press, 2020). *** Asian North American (ANA) preachers read and interpret Scripture with a unique lens. We...
“How is it almost Christmas?” I ask that almost every year—but especially in this one . . . 2020 . . . the year that has somehow moved by slower than a slug but quicker than a Tesla Model S on the Autobahn—simultaneously. (Motion sickness, much...
This post is adapted from Preaching to Be Heard: Delivering Sermons That Command Attention by Lucas O’Neill. *** [As a preacher], you’ve got to get people hungry for what they are about to hear. Burke’s analogy of “appetite” is a good one. Simon...
This excerpt is adapted from The Lord’s Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father by Wesley Hill, a new release from Lexham Press. At the center of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, He offers to his disciples a model for prayer...
This excerpt is adapted from James: Verse by Verse by Grant R. Osborne. *** James [1:19–26] begins with three characteristics of what we may call “people of the word,” those who truly center their lives on God’s principles for a proper walk with...
This post is adapted from Church History for Modern Ministry: Why Our Past Matters for Everything We Do by Dayton Hartman. I used to suffer from chronological snobbery, but that wasn’t my only problem. I was also arrogant, rude, and condescending to...
When it comes to biblical mysteries, the temptation that most Christians face is . . . to favor our own thinking, to trust our own minds. If we do this, however, we exclude the rich mysteries of the Christian faith.
By Scott M. Gibson, adapted from Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry. Charles Gore, formerly bishop of Worcester, Birmingham, and finally Oxford, wrote more than a century ago, “The disease of modern preaching is its search...