Applying the Gospel Study Bible
Church & Ministry Resource Guide
Spending the Rest of Your Life Teaching Sound Doctrine
If you're going to enter the ministry, whether as a missionary or a pastor, you will spend the rest of your life (if you're faithful) teaching sound doctrine.
Articles on Preaching / Teaching
185 results found
Listening Well to Preaching Is a Spiritual Discipline
We need to listen well—attentively and prayerfully—remembering that as our pastor preaches the word, it is the Lord who is speaking.
The What, Who, Where, and When of Theology
Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley
Anyone who has spent time reading the Bible has experienced this need, wondering, “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” This guidance is the work of theology.
Pastor: Expound, Apply, Repeat
You are hired as a minister in your church to be a preacher—not just to expound the Word, but to apply it.
God’s Primary Provision for Our Spiritual Hunger
How does God intend to satisfy our spiritual hunger? He gives us his word. Matthew 4 says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
What All Healthy Churches Have in Common
The most important things about a Christian church are always the things that make it a Christian church. The things that are unique about your church or mine can never be the most important things about it.
Podcast: What Pastors Can Learn from Richard Baxter (Tim Cooper)
Tim Cooper discusses the importance of Richard Baxter, a Puritan responsible for many key (if not misunderstood or difficult to read) treatises on church doctrine and the role of ministry.
How to Use the ESV for Preaching and Teaching
Here, a few members of the ESV Translation Oversight Committee comment on the translation philosophy and why it makes a difference in preaching and teaching.
Podcast: What I Wish I Knew in Seminary after 30 Years in Ministry (Dave Harvey)
What can be learned in seminary and what can only be learned through years of experience in ministry? Hear from Dave Harvey about his own path to the pastorate.
Jonathan Edward’s Response to Spiritual Arrogance
Jonathan Edwards was stirred by his congregation’s spiritual pride, apathy, and confused notions about true religion, alongside misunderstanding about genuine spiritual life.
A Pastor’s Guide to Celebrating Christmas as a Church
Christmas sermons and services should evoke the question, “What do these things mean?” to which the pastor then heralds the eternal answers.
The cross is not just about Christ’s priestly work; it also stands at the heart of his prophetic ministry. The cross preaches to us. The cross is Christ’s pulpit.
Why Your Sermons Should Address Believers and Unbelievers
Preachers should aim to capture the attention and inspire the affection of both unbelievers and believers.
The Passionate Plea of Preaching
Alistair Begg, Sinclair B. Ferguson
There is a vast difference between simply conveying information to people, which can be cold and ineffectual, and true preaching and witness.
The Real Cost of Building a Healthy Church
A call to ministry is a call to die—to self, to sin, to selfish ambition, to idolizing your own success, and to enhancing your own image.
An Open Letter to Pastors on Preaching through the Whole Bible
Expository preaching is preaching that “exposes” the text of Scripture as God delivered it to us. It does not bring its own agenda to the Bible or to the pulpit, but seeks to understand the Bible text in its own terms.
Lessons on Church Planting from the Prince of Preachers
We can learn many lessons from Spurgeon’s example. Here are three.
You need to be willing to stand on the shoulders of those that have come before.
As we savor the good news of the sin-bearing servant of the Lord, we learn to enthuse. The gospel of a surprising salvation can only make us laugh, sing, and cheer.
Developing doctrine in the church is one more in a series of improvisations.
How Spurgeon Avoided the Calling Calamity
Spurgeon understood the critical importance of helping men evaluate whether they were genuinely called to pastoral ministry.
Dear Pastor, Walking in Humility Requires Courage
Coleman M. Ford, Shawn J. Wilhite
Walking in humility requires courage. To grow in our understanding of humility, we must attune ourselves to the wisdom of Scripture and the pastoral voices of history.
Pastor: Your Ministry Is a Mercy
Paul’s deeply rooted understanding that his calling was a totally undeserved expression of God’s great mercy to him was itself one of the core convictions that kept him faithful to the end.
Overflowing with Peace and Thanksgiving
When the buckets we carry are full of Christ, our lives are bathed with the peace of God in thanksgiving.
Preach the Bible, Not Your Dog
One of the big dangers that faces pastors today comes from a desire to connect with people.
Podcast: The Blessings and Burdens of Pastoral Ministry (Jeff Robinson)
What are the joys and hardships of doing ministry for the long-haul and what does it look like to be faithful in the midst of pastoral overwhelm and exhaustion?
Spurgeon’s Secret to a Fruitful Ministry
Fruitful ministry is less about self and more about Christ.
3 Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves about Equipping the Church for Ministry
Here are three questions for church leaders to ask themselves before trying to help their people love each other better.
How Pastors Can Benefit from Studying Archaeology
When we understand what's going on culturally in the Bible, we're more able to understand the world that much better.
The Benefits of Expository Preaching
Why should expository preaching be recovered and faithfully practiced?