When you stand before your congregation, what do you hope to accomplish when you preach the Word? If people have Bibles and the freedom to read and pray on their own—why do they need you? In short, what do you bring to the table? Author, pastor, and professor John Koessler answers those questions and many more. Why does one sermon have a powerful effect on the audience while another falls flat? Why should listeners heed what the preacher says? Is human language adequate for facilitating an encounter with God? What is the point of preaching a sermon? Folly, Grace, and Power is a must-read for pastors, seminarians, and lay leaders charged with the task of preaching God’s word. This essential book is both a stern reminder of the sacredness of the awesome “job” of being a preacher, as well as a how-to that reveals the key to speaking powerfully on God’s behalf.

Campbell and Cilliars walk the fine line between the ugliness and beauty of the gospel and challenge readers toward a deeper engagement with its unsettling message.--Angela Dienhart Hancock, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary "Theology Today"

The Folly of Preaching contains a wealth of theoretical and practical insights into preaching from some of today's best-known preachers, scholars, and homiletics teachers. Many of these contributions derive their inspiration from Paul's letters to the church at Corinth, in which the apostle vigorously defends both the message of the gospel and his own manner of proclaiming it. Several of the twelve exemplary sermons rounding out The Folly of Preaching continue reflecting on the key theme of grace amid weakness and need, expounding passages from Paul's Corinthian correspondence. Of all the current preaching books available, few come close to the compilation here of eminent figures in contemporary preaching. Contributors: Elizabeth R. Achtemeier Charles G. Adams Donna E. Allen John L. Bell David G. Buttrick Tony Campolo Stephen C. Farris John N. Gladstone Edwina Hunter Michael P. Knowles Cleophus J. LaRue Thomas G. Long Martin E. Marty Haddon W. Robinson John R. W. Stott Diane McLellan Walker

Preaching the Whole Counsel of God is a primary textbook on the art and science of preaching for pastors and pastors-in-training that teaches you how to practice expository, Christ-focused hermeneutics, combined with Gospel-centered, audience-transforming homiletics. It will guide you to: Discover the truth of the text according to the human author. Discern Christ in the text according to the divine author. Design your sermon with truth, goodness, and beauty. Deliver your sermon in a way that keeps attention, retention, and leads to transformation.

An examination of what it means to "preach the Word" in the context of Anglican ministry.

Many churchgoers assume that worship is inherently boring, something we need to make exciting. But as Jonathan Landry Cruse shows, churchgoing only seems monotonous and mundane because our eyes are blinded to the supernatural wonder that is taking place all around us. In this book, Cruse helps us perceive the significance of worship and guides us through the spiritual actions of a worship service. Once you recognize how God is doing something to us and for us and through us in each element of the service, Lord’s Day worship will become the highlight of your week! Table of Contents: Foreword by Michael S. Horton Part 1: Introduction 1. What Happens When We Worship? Part 2: A Brief Theology of Worship 2. The Most Important Thing We Will Ever Do 3. We Are Being Shaped 4. We Meet with God 5. God Renews His Covenant 6. We Submit to God’s Agenda 7. We Commune with the Saints Part 3: The Parts of the Service 8. God Calls Us 9. The Verdict Is Pronounced 10. Jesus Gets Up to Preach 11. God Feasts with Us 12. We Get a New Name 13. We Sing a New Song Part 4: Conclusion 14. Extraordinarily ordinary Worship 15. Preparing for Worship

Life can be hard, and sometimes it seems like God doesn't even care. When faced with difficult trials, many people have resonated with the book of Job—the story of a man who lost nearly everything, seemingly abandoned by God. In this thorough and accessible commentary, Christopher Ash helps us glean encouragement from God's Word by directing our attention to the final explanation and ultimate resolution of Job's story: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Intended to equip pastors to preach Job's important message, this commentary highlights God's grace and wisdom in the midst of redemptive suffering. Taking a staggeringly honest look at our broken world and the trials that we often face, Ash helps us see God's sovereign purposes for adversity and the wonderful hope that Christians have in Christ. Part of the Preaching the Word series.

“God has appointed preaching in worship as one great means of accomplishing his ultimate goal in the world.” —John Piper John Piper makes a compelling claim in these pages about the purpose of preaching: it is intended not merely as an explanation of the text but also as a means of awakening worship by being worship in and of itself. Christian preaching is a God-appointed miracle aiming to awaken the supernatural seeing, savoring, and showing of the glory of Christ. Distilling over forty years of experience in preaching and teaching, Piper shows preachers how and what to communicate from God’s Word, so that God’s purpose on earth will advance through Biblesaturated, Christ-exalting, God-centered preaching—in other words, expository exultation.

Believers know that when we die we enter heaven and will spend eternity there with God and the saints who have gone before us. But what actually happens in heaven? What are we going to be doing there? Won't it get boring at some point? According to Scripture, a large part of our experience of heaven will be a continual revealing of God's glory. Not just his glory in the moment, but during all of time. The mysteries of providence, the hidden movements of God throughout history, and the forgotten and unnoted works of even the most obscure of God's people will be unveiled so that we can see how wise, loving, gracious, and powerful our God is. And though we will experience perfection in heaven, we will never be omniscient, which means we will always be learning more about God's glory, inspiring us to return joyful praise and thanksgiving. If your vision of heaven has been limited to clouds and harps and angels, it's time to expand that view with the truth found in this biblically based look at the afterlife.

Explaining how to become a Christian hedonist, a bestselling author offers guidance on how to find spiritual joy to readers who are unsure of where to seek it.