In the course of your ministry, what role does prayer play in the life of your congregation? I ask, because my observation has been that in the last twenty years there seems to be an ever-lessening emphasis on the importance of prayer within the spiritual lives of the people in our churches. This concerns me very much.

I did a study several years ago into the kinds of events in the life of a church that might spur the members of the congregation to pray more consistently and more fervently. I was not at all surprised to learn that during times of revival, the strong sense of Christ’s presence when the church gathers for worship often drives people to pray. It’s almost as if a coming to life again in a church has this distinctive side benefit of promoting prayer as a major spiritual discipline among God’s people.

In relfelcting on this phenomenon, I have made this the subject of Podcast No. 45, which I have chosen to feature this week. I invite you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach website where you can listen to this Podcast.

There’s no question in my mind that people with an ever-developing sense of spiritual formation are a praying people. As ministers of Christ, we should desire to do everything we can to promote this important spiritual discipline. I sense that you might agree with me on this and will find helpful what I share in this featured Podcast.

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I continue to feel very grateful and am humbled by the many positive comments about my latest book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is now available at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This book gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said from the pulpit when they come to worship services in the church where you serve as pastor.

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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Over the course of my many years of pastoral experience and many conversations with other pastors, I’ve learned a good deal about how pastors think and feel. In most cases, pastors tend to try to conceal a lot of what they may think or feel about their own roles in ministry. That’s natural, I suppose. After all, pastors serve as spiritual leaders and leaders seem reluctant for anyone to uncover the totality of who they are.

Nevertheless, I have learned that most pastors have certain things that they wish for in their own ministerial roles. One of these things is to be able to preach with great authority. In theory, at least, no greater authority exists on earth than the proclaimed Word of God empowered by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it should be quite reasonable for pastors to possess the ability to preach with great authority.

One factor that seems to empower this ability comes into play during times of revival. As the Holy Spirit moves through a congregation bringing a fresh breath of new spiritual life, the preaching seems to come alive with greater power and quite distinctive authority.

I have made this very subject the focus on my chosen Podcast for this week, Podcast No. 44. I strongly urge you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach website where you can listen to this recorded conversation.

I routinely pray for my own pastor and for other pastors whose paths I have crossed over the course of my life. I urge you to choose another pastor you know for whom you can devote some time in prayer. If we could get groups of our fellow ministers praying for each other and particularly asking God to light the fires of revival within our congregations, I think we would discover a new excitement in the authority God would unleash in our preaching. And, I believe that strategy is certainly worth a try. Are you with me?

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I continue to feel very grateful and am humbled by the many positive comments about my latest book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is now available at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This book gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said from the pulpit when they come to worship services in the church where you serve as pastor.

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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Nothing warms a pastor’s heart quite as much as when he or she issues a call to serve and the people respond in an overwhelming way. Truthfully, that probably happens less and less today. Our extremely busy society puts such time pressure on most believers that they feel hard-pressed to willingly agree to serve when asked.

So, when something happens within a church that sparks a great rise in enthusiasm for service, pastors cannot help but be overcome with joy. The question arises quickly: “How can that happen in my church?”

I truly believe I know the answer. I’ve made a discussion of this important topic the focus of my “Featured Podcast of the Week” for this week: Podcast No. 43.

I invite you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach website where you can listen to this particular Podcast. Once you do, I think you will find yourself brimming with encouragement and enthusiasm for what can take place in your church.

It’s important for those of us who serve Christ in the pastorate to realize we are not working at our calling all alone. God is with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. And, we have a vast network of fellow pastors who are struggling with the same kind of issues that affect our ministry. Together, we can learn how to deal with the challenges we face. We can also commit to pray for each other and for our churches.

That’s what motivates me to continue my own efforts through this Sermon-Coach ministry. I sincerely hope that you find it helpful and encouraging.

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I continue to feel very grateful and am humbled by the many positive comments about my latest book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is now available at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This book gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said from the pulpit when they come to worship services in the church where you serve as pastor.

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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A word that many pastors seldom include in their preaching is the word “obedience.” There is something quite interesting about our American way of life: we don’t like people telling us what to do. This trait arises in spiritual matters just as much as it does in our regular lives.

Nevertheless, in response to all that God has done for us through His precious Son, Jesus, we believers absolutely need to respond in obedience to God’s direction, as found in His Word, the Bible. Pastors know this all too well. Yet, we struggle with how to properly present the concept of obedience to the people in our congregations.

That’s why I have decided to speak to this issue by featuring Podcast No. 42. I invite you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach website. Then, please click to listen to this Podcast.

In order to promote a continual forward movement in the spiritual formation of our congregations, we pastors must help teach our people about the importance, value, and great blessing that comes from bending our selfish human wills to God’s perfect will. During times of revival, one important characteristic is that people become increasingly aware of the need they have to live obedient, faithful lives. We pastors can truly help the people we serve become more obedient. The blessings that will flow from such an effort will be truly astounding.

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I continue to feel very grateful and am humbled by the many positive comments about my latest book entitled The Sermon Sucking Black Hole—Why You Can’t Remember on Monday What Your Minister Preached on Sunday. This book is now available at Amazon.com by clicking here.

This book gives some solid tips to the people sitting in the congregation to help them remember what you’ve said from the pulpit when they come to worship services in the church where you serve as pastor.

 

---

Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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