Evangelism on SermonAudio

Nine Marks of a Healthy Church grew out of a sermon series preached by Mark Dever to his congregation at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. First published in 2000 and now in its third edition (2013), the book is a sustained argument that most contemporary churches have confused numerical growth, cultural relevance, and program excellence with genuine health. Dever contends that a truly healthy church is built not on technique but on faithfulness to Scripture across nine identifiable marks. The book is organized in two movements. The first five marks address the content of the church's message — preaching, theology, the Gospel, conversion, and evangelism. The last four address the community of the church — membership, discipline, discipleship, and leadership. Dever writes not as a theorist but as a practitioner who has applied these principles for more than two decades at one congregation, watching them produce a church that is neither liberal, seeker-sensitive, nor merely traditional but genuinely biblical. The third edition was revised in light of nearly twenty years of pastoral experience and includes updated prefaces, a foreword by David Platt, and a more mature reflection on what Dever has learned. The 9Marks ministry (9marks.org) has since grown into a global network of resources, churches, and training rooted in these nine convictions.

This sermon examines Daniel chapter 2 to highlight the supremacy of God over human kingdoms and the call for believers to remain faithful in their daily walk. The preacher contrasts the temporary nature of earthly power with the eternal kingdom established by Christ, emphasizing that human wisdom ultimately fails before divine revelation. Key lessons include spiritual leadership rooted in humility rather than ambition, the futility of false religions, and evangelism as God's work through faithful witness. The message encourages listeners to trust in God's providence during crises and to seek His glory above personal reputation or success. Ultimately, the sermon urges the congregation to live faithfully, knowing that God uses ordinary believers to make a lasting difference for His kingdom.

In 3 John we see little sketches of three church leaders; there is Gaius the generous, Diotrephes the selfish, and Demetrius the gracious. Each is an example, either good or bad.

What is the secret to a life of spiritual longevity? How did saints of old overcome the daily battle of temptation and trouble? In this sermon on Psalm 16:8 titled "… Set the Lord Always Before Me," Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on this psalm of David to share this secret. It is the daily decision to actively set the Lord always before oneself. This daily spiritual discipline enables the Christian to face the uncertainty of the future without fear as one considers who the Lord is and who they are to Him. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages with a gracious reminder that there are two things the Christian can do to "set the Lord before us." First, they must make an active decision to consciously remind themselves of God. It is an act of determination to think on the Lord and what He has done; otherwise their lives will be swept into busyness and God becomes secondary in thoughts and affections. Secondly, after one sets their hearts steadfastly on seeking the presence of God, they turn to the means of communion with God. Christians seek Him through prayer and reading Scripture. They are the means of communing with God on days when one feels like seeking Him as well as the days their hearts feel cold and distant from Him. Find encouragement from Dr. Lloyd-Jones's preaching on David's resolute desire to battle temptation and find comfort in setting the Lord always before him.

Ashamed of the Gospel is John MacArthur's full-throated defense of biblical preaching against the rising tide of market-driven ministry that swept evangelical churches in the early 1990s. Written in the tradition of Charles Spurgeon—whose "Down-Grade Controversy" of 1887–1892 serves as the book's historical spine—MacArthur argues that the modern church has traded its prophetic calling for the applause of consumers. The culprit is pragmatism: the philosophy that whatever draws a crowd must be right, whatever grows a church must be blessed, and whatever offends the seeker must be silenced. MacArthur is not against innovation, large churches, or relevance. He is against the systematic subordination of God's Word to human technique, the removal of the gospel's offense, and the replacement of divine sovereignty with marketing wisdom. The book is simultaneously a historical warning, a biblical theology of ministry, a call to courageous preaching, and an urgent plea to the evangelical church to return to the unadulterated gospel—before it is too late.

Two Views on Women in Ministry brings together four respected evangelical scholars to address one of the most contested questions in the modern church: What roles may women legitimately fill in Christian ministry? The volume follows Zondervan's Counterpoints format — each contributor writes a primary essay defending a position, then responds to each of the other three essays, with editor James R. Beck offering a concluding assessment. Two positions are represented: the egalitarian view, which holds that Scripture places no gender-based restrictions on ministry leadership, and the complementarian view, which maintains that Scripture reserves certain authoritative teaching and pastoral roles for men. Linda L. Belleville (North Park Theological Seminary) and Craig S. Keener (Eastern Seminary) argue for the egalitarian position. Craig L. Blomberg (Denver Seminary) and Thomas R. Schreiner (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) argue for the complementarian position, though with notable differences in emphasis and application between them. Beck, who identifies as an egalitarian, is careful to present all four voices fairly and without bias. The result is a model of respectful evangelical dialogue, demonstrating that faithful, scholarly believers can hold deeply different conclusions on a consequential question while maintaining genuine Christian unity.

2:04 What is the difference between Sin, Transgression and Iniquity? 8:44 Should I evangelize my non-Christian friend's dying son and how should I approach it? 14:29 What is the main difference in Bible translations between thought for thought and word for word and which is the best translation? 22:01 Will only a remnant be Christ's bride? 26:25 In Romans 7:15-20 is Paul talking about before becoming a Christian or after? 29:48 What are our responsibilities after being baptized? 36:06 How do we respond to someone who says, "love is love, let me love whoever I want"? 44:15 Before Jesus comes back where do we go when we die? 49:12 Does only a small remnant of the raptured church make up the bride of Christ? 51:13 Where does it say in the Bible that Joseph's brothers were jealous of him? 53:57 How do I know if I'm truly following Christ in all areas of obedience?

Exploring Bible Prophecy from Genesis to Revelation is the most comprehensive single-volume reference on biblical prophecy available to evangelical readers. Edited by Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson—two of the foremost voices in dispensational eschatology—this 959-page volume assembles contributions from over twenty scholars to provide commentary on every predictive passage in the canon, from the proto-evangelium of Genesis 3:15 to the consummation visions of Revelation 22. The guiding conviction throughout is that prophecy is best understood through a literal, grammatical-historical hermeneutic: what God said, He meant, and what He promised, He will fulfill. The cumulative effect is both an indispensable study tool and a sustained argument that Scripture's prophetic architecture—covenant promises, typological fulfillments, apocalyptic visions—coheres around the person and program of Jesus Christ.