March 13, 2026
Chris Philbeck reflects on leading a preaching cohort and the biblical call to equip God’s people. He shares how preaching becomes most powerful when Scripture first transforms the preacher and produces authenticity that can’t be faked.
January 1, 2026
Discernment isn’t knowing the difference between right and wrong; it’s knowing the difference between right and almost right. Almost right will never be enough when it comes to someone’s eternal destiny.
November 5, 2025
A sermon should be long enough to adequately exegete and apply the main point of the passage, but short enough to leave mature Christians willing to listen a few minutes longer.
September 3, 2025
Preaching is a living transaction between the preacher and those who are listening; the words we speak must represent that truth. So, when you sit down to prepare a sermon, write for the ear, not the eye.
We all want to be great preachers. But being a great preacher is not nearly as important as presenting a great God with your own unique voice.
We need to let God control the message. The power in preaching doesn’t come from the packaging or presentation, it comes from God.
March 2, 2025
One of the most significant things I learned over the course of more than four decades of preaching in the local church is people don’t need to be taught something new as much as they need to be reminded of what they already know.
December 31, 2024
Regardless of how effective we might be in creating emotional responses, it’s the preaching of God’s Word that helps people make deep and meaningful connections with God that leads to life change.
October 31, 2024
Illustrations and stories enhanced a message by making it more relatable and applicable to modern life, but it is the explanation of the Word of God that captured the heart.
October 17, 2024
When it comes to preaching, our effort begins and ends with drawing near to God and his Word so he can speak through us with a message that is so much more than we could ever create on our own.
Most every preacher will tell you they have a certain number of regrets in their life when it comes to ministry. I certainly do. But I don’t want to have any regrets when it comes to preaching. . . .
Joshua was leading through preaching. He was wielding leadership influence through the proclamation of his words and the witness of his life. Let’s follow that example.
By Chris Philbeck I’m writing this at the beginning of a new year. For many people a new year marks the opportunity for new beginnings. It’s a time when many make resolutions like losing weight, getting out of debt, or ending a bad habit. The beginning of 2024 is significant for me because it marks an ending. I began full-time vocational ministry in May 1980, and I intend to retire from it on June 30, 2024. When I graduated from Bible college in 1980, all I wanted to do was be a preacher. Because I was young and inexperienced, I
A funeral sermon helped launch me on a path to ministry . . .
January 1, 2024
By Chris Philbeck Having served as a pastor for more than 43 years, I know how challenging ministry can be to a person’s mental and emotional health. I also know how difficult it is for pastors to be honest about this challenge. A tension often exists between despair we feel over certain realities of life and our commitment to faithfulness. Tension can also be found in the pages of the Bible. LEARNING FROM DAVID In studying David’s life, we see he experienced times of great despair even though he’s described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14;
November 1, 2023
By Chris Philbeck “I’m pretty sure no one will go home and say, ‘That’s the best sermon I’ve ever heard.’” I spoke those words recently as part of my sermon introduction. Let me explain. I’m preaching chapter-by-chapter through the book of Romans in a series called, “Unashamed.” I love Romans because it gives such a thorough explanation of the gospel. Paul begins with the sinfulness of man, moves to the grace of God that makes salvation possible through faith, and then focuses on our continued pursuit of righteousness. MEAT AND POTATOES On this weekend I was preaching from Romans 6
September 1, 2023
By Chris Philbeck As I write this column, I’m in the middle of a message series called, “Truth Over Trend” (series title not original to me). The specific topics are gender identity, same-sex relationships, deconstruction of the Christian faith, and having the courage to speak up for biblical truth. You’d have to have your head buried in the sand not to realize the seriousness of these issues in our world and culture, and the impact they have on our local communities and families. Writing the first two messages on gender identity and same-sex relationships reminded me of an important truth
By Chris Philbeck I recently read an article by Lewis Allen called “10 Things You Should Know About Preaching,” published at Crossway.org. One point in the article stood out to me: “Preaching is a calling wrapped in failure.” That may seem a little shocking to someone who isn’t a preacher, but let me share a couple things to think about. First, here’s the reality: We are imperfect beings trying to speak for a perfect God. On our best day, we’re going to fall short. I have sometimes said, “There are things in the Bible I believe and experience, and there
"Over time I have become more aware of the pain many women, and sometimes men, experience on Mother’s Day," our Preach columnist Chris Philbeck shares. "Here are some suggestions that might help us reframe Mother’s Day in a way that blesses everyone . . ."
By Chris Philbeck In the 1990s, while serving a church in Oklahoma, I took all my elders to the Leadership Conference at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. During the opening session, our church was awarded a yearlong subscription to SECC’s weekly tape ministry for being the church that came the farthest with their entire board of elders. So, over the next year, I had the opportunity to listen to weekend messages delivered by Bob Russell and Dave Stone. I still remember many of those messages, including one from Dave about the urgency of reaching lost people. To illustrate the
April 7, 2026
John B. Penrose Jr
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David Faust
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Rick Cherok