Sermon what makes a great church

Preaching the Word of God should include at least two things: explanation and application. These two emphases distinguish a good sermon from a devotional talk, lecture, or running commentary on exegetical discoveries. A devotional talk given from the pulpit often warms the heart and applies a spiritual lesson to life, but is also short on biblical substance and explanation. On the other hand, a lecture presented as a sermon may be high in biblical content but often will lack passion and application.

A sermon that is only a running commentary on the results of exegesis is not a good sermon because it lacks the pastor's thoughtful application to the audience. Obviously, that is the goal of every good sermon. When we preach, the focus should not be on us: how well we are doing; how clever our outline is; how impressive our exegesis, oratory, or knowledge of Greek or Hebrew are; or how much people like what we say.

If we do our job right, at the end of the sermon, the focus should be on God—what He said and what He desires in response. The powerful instrument God uses to renew our minds is His Word Heb A key goal as we preach is that He would use the sermon to transform us into His likeness 2 Cor Deep heart change is critical. I so much want to love you with all my heart and desire my preaching to be motivated from an overflow of a wonderful relationship with You.

Help me live filled with your Spirit, hating sin, and loving You, so that when I preach, people see what an amazing God You are. To learn more about everything from hermeneutics to homiletics, see our guide: Handling Scripture. He serves as a pastor in his church and trains pastors with The Master's Academy International. As summer approaches, another wave of seminary graduates prepare to fly the nest.

Request Info. Ministry What Makes a Good Sermon? Disunity is not merely a scandal for unbelievers; it is also a stumbling block for them coming to faith. Paul Billheimer may very well be right when he says: "The continuous and widespread fragmentation of the Church has been the scandal of the ages. It has been Satan's master strategy. The sin of disunity probably has caused more souls to be lost than all other sins combined. If unity is the key to fulfilling the God-ordained purpose of spreading the message of Jesus Christ, shouldn't it have precedence in our prayers?

If unity matters to God, then shouldn't unity matter to us? If unity is a priority in heaven, then shouldn't it be a priority on earth?

Nowhere, by the way, are we told to build unity. We are instructed simply to keep unity. From God's perspective there is but ". Unity does not need to be created; it simply needs to be protected.

How do we do that? How do we make every effort to keep the unity? Does that mean we compromise our convictions? Does that mean we abandon the truths we cherish? But it does mean we look long and hard at the attitudes we carry. Unity doesn't begin in examining others but in examining self. Unity begins, not in demanding that others change, but in admitting that we aren't prefect ourselves.

Unity grows as we learn to accept others differences and to forgive when wronged. Unity continues as we humbly serve those who are different. Unity is fulfilled as focus on who we believe in rather what we believe in.

Unity is favored as we loving take the message of Jesus Christ to a divided world. Download a free sermon manuscript PDF. Browse our sermon index by Scripture. Log out. View Details. Ordering Christmas Gifts? See our holiday shipping schedule to receive your gifts on time. Learn More. Quantity: Remove.

Bibles Shop All Bibles. Find Studies for Get the Latest Study from Kelly Minter. Join Priscilla Shirer for a Virtual Event. Order Curriculum, Literature, and Church Supplies. Women Men Kids Teens Babies. Authors Featured Studies. Search by keyword, title, author, ISBN, etc. Sermon: Unified in Purpose - Acts 4. Unified in Purpose - Acts 4 Scriptures: Acts ; John Introduction Win Arn, a church consultant, surveyed members of nearly a thousand churches asking the question: "Why does the church exist?

Is it any wonder we have conflict, confusion, and stagnation in many churches today? They had unity in the church of God Acts They were family in relationship They shared the same spiritual father - God Almighty. They were friends in fellowship They shared their lives and their possessions with one another. They were followers of Christ in partnership These men and women shared an enterprise together.

They experienced the power of God Acts Purpose is the power in the engine of life. The power was evidenced by the growth of the church In a matter of weeks, the church went from the Upper Room to every living room in Jerusalem. The power was evidenced by their ability to withstand satanic assault As soon as the Spirit came upon the church, Satan launched a ferocious counterattack. The power was evidenced by their finding strength in diversity The early Christians quickly realized that their diversity could either be a source of division or a source of power.

They discovered the favor of God Acts Because the early disciples were unified in purpose, and because they were committed to the task of reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, God smiled down on them with favor. They were the answer to the prayer of God John , 23 And finally, on the last night of his life, Jesus prayed a prayer that stands as a citadel for all Christians: "I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message.

Conclusion Nowhere, by the way, are we told to build unity. That's our purpose. Let's be unified in it. Rick is a consultant, conference leader, communicator, and coach.

Your email has been sent. We're sorry, an error occurred. Please see below for details. Please enter a valid email address. Personal Message. Why else would he write to them about a man sleeping with his step mom, eating idol meat, sexual immorality, divisions in the church, taking each other to court.

As my seminary prof said, people should stop lifting up the NT church as the ideal because it was nowhere near perfect. Darin Gary. I''m so glad you began with a Church needing to know its purpose. This is why many Churches do not minister for Jesus any longer. Anonymous Contributor. As an active member of a very small rural church in WV, the comments made are insulting to the multiple thousands that serve for years in their communities. Our church of 26 read that means less than 6 actually work!

The points may be good, but generalizations are never. Jerry Shirley. The opening joke played well at my church because we are regular ''country folk'', blue collar. It may be offensive in some venues William Bray. I'm bringing the discussion back to life! The joke was funny then, and still funny now! Great sermon, and though the NT church of Paul's time, was not the greatest, something tells me they are still a usable example to get the point across, I really enjoy your sermons and insights Bro.

Jerry, if your still with us, then keep up the good work! Gene Fredette. Good lesson. As for the negative comments here, "the hit dog will always howl". Back to the Basics. The Best Christmas Ever. The Always God. The Prince of Peace.

View all Sermons. What Makes A Church Great? Contributed by Jerry Shirley on May 12, message contributor based on 1, ratings. What Makes a Church Great? Opening day of deer hunting season is recognized as an official church holiday. Never in its entire year history has one of its pastors had to buy any meat or vegetables. A singing group is known as "The O. The only time people lock their cars in the parking lot is during the summer and only so no one leaves them another bag of tomatoes!

Baptism is referred to as "branding. Finding and returning lost sheep is not just a parable. High notes on the organ set dogs in the parking lot to howling. People wonder when Jesus fed the 5, whether the two fish were bass or catfish. This great church at Jerusalem is our God-given example of "how to do it. Download Sermon with PRO. Browse All Media Related Media.