Bethany Verrett

God ordains different roles, offices, and talents for each person He creates, and when they begin a relationship with Him and are saved by the blood of Jesus, He cultivates them for His glory. Some men are called to be preachers, evangelists, and missionaries, and for a select few through the centuries, their sermons and impact are recorded for posterity. Understanding who these influential preachers were can help a believer understand the Bible better and solidify their own beliefs.

The following list is a selection of eight influential preachers whose sermons were or are a part of their legacy. For preachers whose sermons are written down, there are links provided to read some of their work, though this was not possible for each person.

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There are many churches, most of which agree on some of the basics of Christianity, but as people begin to explore them, they realize there are things on which they disagree. Is the first part of Genesis figurative or literal? Should children be baptized? Does the Holy Spirit indwell a believer before or after baptism? Calvinism or arminism or something else? Is speaking in tongues a signifier of salvation or not?

These questions begin to pile up and can be overwhelming, to the point where some people decide these differences indicate that Christianity is not true. Others develop anxiety about their salvation, and their relationship with God becomes complicated.

Fortunately, the perfect and infallible Bible is clear about salvation, and it is just the fallible logic of human reasoning and interpretation that makes it complicated. The Bible is clear that salvation is made available through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, submitting to Him as both Lord and Savior, and is proven through sanctification and a deepening relationship with God.

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Does the Jesus you worship look like Jesus, or does He look a little bit too much like… you? God is an incredible, eternal, multi-faceted being about whom people will spend eternity learning. On this side of Heaven, a person’s understanding of Jesus will only be a fraction, veiled by the consequences of sin and man’s inability to stand before God in His true nature.

That doesn’t mean we can’t learn a lot about Him this side of eternity; Christians should want to keep learning about the Lord. Despite the unending well of things to learn about God, some people create their own version of Him. They project their own values, ideals, desires, and characteristics onto Jesus. It is important to get to know the real Jesus and not create a false idol – our own personal version of God – rather than getting to know the real and incredible person knocking at the door of each heart.

It is easy to point to false prophets, bad pastors, and cult leaders who have overtly contradicted the Bible and ascribe to God characteristics or commands that are not in alignment with what God revealed about Himself. What can be harder to identify is when a Christian, someone earnestly trying to pursue the Lord, begins to create a version of Jesus that looks more like them.

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Using the Proverbs as guiding principles to help with daily life is a good way for a believer to keep the light of the Word guiding their path, but it is no substitute for a real, dynamic, close relationship with the living God. For people who do not yet know Jesus as their Savior, these saying can help them live a better life, but it will not save them from their sins – only faith in Jesus Christ can do that.

"Omnipresent" means that God can be in multiple places at the same time. He is in everything, at all times. And while God never uses this exact word to describe Himself, He does give us evidence of His omnipresence throughout Scripture. Let's take a look at what this means.

Love has many types of expressions, designed by God to be wonderful, to create bonds, and to be outward demonstrations about the depth of His love. Even romantic love is a mechanism for the world to get a vision of the relationship between God and the church. One of the ways that romantic love is expressed between men and women is sex. It is a part of God’s design for the world. It is how people show love and engage in the act of creating new life, according to the Lord’s purpose.

Because it is a pleasurable experience, it is good to indulge within the boundaries ordained by the Creator, but the Bible is clear about what healthy, Biblical sexual relationships look like, their benefits, and the dangers of straying outside those boundaries.

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God is so good that He made it possible for the very people who rejected Him, who crucified His Son, and who still mock Him to be changed and spend eternity with Him. God’s love for all people is the ultimate proof of His goodness.

Marriage. It’s what brings people together. Every day people make the choice to bind themselves together. In the Christian life, marriage has deep spiritual significance, and it is much more than a contract or a series of promises. It is a covenant that is not easily broken, and God intended for it to be a picture of the love between Christ and the church. Prayer is an important part of making a marriage successful, and bathing a wedding ceremony in prayer is a good way to start off “till death do we part.”

Here are twelve prayers for that special day:

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Gentle parenting appeals to many Christian parents because it values patience, empathy, and emotional connection. But does it fully align with Scripture? This article explores where gentle parenting can reflect biblical virtues, where it may fall short, and how parents can pursue discipline that is loving, wise, consistent, safe, and rooted in the gospel.

The naked human body is the one thing God gave humanity from birth, the only thing they have when they die, and it will be resurrected to stand before the Lord either in judgment, or to be ushered into Heaven. Its beauty has been explored by artists and exploited by pornographers.

While the sin of adultery,  people who are not married should not have sexual contact, seems clear, the virtual world of pornography seems hazy. If no one else is involved, is it really adultery? Who is hurt by it? The Bible doesn’t seem to address pornography as a sin directly, so maybe it's okay?

Just because the Word of God does not use the same words for something that is used today does not mean it is not addressed. Watching pornography is sinful, as is the industry which surrounds it. According to the Bible, fornication, looking at someone in lust, and even desiring someone who is not your spouse are sins; there is also evidence to suggest the habit of watching pornography has long-term negative effects in someone’s life.

Because the sexes are different, we can experience different difficulties and struggles in our spiritual walk. It is important for men to pursue the Lord as men, and for women to seek Him as women.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Jesus Christ is the Living Word, who walks with those who call Him “Lord.” He also enshrined the story of the Living Word in the written word, the Bible. He gave it for instruction, for spiritual nourishment, for conviction, and to give everyone access to Him. Part of walking the straight path through the narrow gate that is the Christian life is by reading, studying, and holding to the Bible. One way to keep the Word of God close is to memorize Scripture, making it easier to call it to mind when it is needed.

It can be difficult to know what to study closely, and given the limited time many people have, to know what to memorize. Starting with subjects and themes can be helpful.

Here are 30 verses every Christian should memorize, categorized by subject:

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Depression and mental health are hot topics in the world right now, but when it comes to suicide, many - especially in the church - fall silent. It's a difficult and sometimes divisive issue, and it can be hard to push through popular belief and church history regarding suicide. But as with all issues, the Bible provides hope for those who are struggling. 

They say the Lord works in mysterious ways. That certainly seems true in the prophetic book of Hosea. Here we see the story of the prophet Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer. God guides this marriage, and even though Hosea suffers because of his wife's unfaithfulness, the story paints an incredible picture of God's love and forgiveness to his often unfaithful bride, the church.