In this highlight video from a lecture on the early Pentecostal Movement, Jeff Magruder, D.Min. speaks on the delivery and doctrine that is found in early pentecostal preaching.

When Haddon Robinson died last summer, tributes began to appear in print and online praising his gifts as a communicator, mentor, and as one website put it, “one of the world’s foremost experts in biblical preaching.” I had the privilege to study with him at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary where he served as my doctoral mentor. During my first year of taking courses there, my pastor asked me what was the single most important lesson I had learned from Dr. Robinson thus far. Embarrassingly, I couldn’t come up with an answer, but after reading what so many have said about him on the occasion of his passing, it has caused me to reflect on my own experiences while his student, and now I think I know how I would answer my pastor's question.

In this video, Dr. Jeff Magruder explains the importance of having an awareness of language, culture and other variables when presenting the gospel to non-Christians.

The sermon introduction is more important now than historically it has ever been. We can no longer assume that simply because we have a title in front of our name, letters after our name, or an open Bible before us that people feel any obligation to pay attention to what we have to say.

Many preachers understand how to take off, but don’t know how to land. They can introduce a sermon, but they struggle with providing an effective conclusion. In this blog, I am describing three characteristics of an effective conclusion and offer some approaches that you can incorporate into your preaching.

Did you know that there are some skeptics today who argue that Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, did not exist? In this vlog, Dr. Jeff Magruder identifies and breaks through the false pillars of this belief, Jesus mythicism. Magruder shares how we, as Christians, can effectively address and challenge Jesus Mythicism by identifying its weaknesses and inaccuracies.

Pastor Andy Stanley’s influence and standing in North American evangelicalism are a matter of public record, but where he excels and, by his admission, is most passionate, is in the area of communication. I believe that part of the effectiveness of his approach to preaching is that it shares similarities to well-known homiletical approaches. These similarities may not always be obvious because Stanley’s writing about preaching (or as he prefers, “communicating”) is non-technical and jargon-free.

In my last video blog I discussed some examples of attention-getting introductions. In this video I want to offer some warnings about potential momentum stoppers, or as I call them “speed bumps” in the introduction. Speed bumps are meant to slow you down while driving through neighborhoods and parking lots. While we certainly want them in those places, you don’t want them in your sermon introductions.